Chain Link Bookmark
My husband wanted a bookmark that looked like a chain-link fence with a sign hanging on it, so this is what we came up with. I laminated it by itself as I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it was easy to do so I will laminate a similar one along with others next time. My son Ciaran liked it so much that he wants a similar one, so you will probably spot his in the laminating section when I finish off a few together. I recommend this project for an older teenager or grown up as the wire can be a little sharp. So be careful!
You will need:
Side-cutters (I got mine from a £ shop) or strong scissors
Paper and felt-tip pens or a computer printout (design of your choice)
Double-sided sticky tape or PVA glue
Rolling pin and chopping board
Laminator and laminating pouches
What to do
1. Cut the wire mesh with the side-cutters or strong scissors to the length and shape you require. Uneven cutting looks best.
2. Place your wire mesh on an old chopping board and using the rolling pin, roll it out, then flip it over and roll it out again. This is all you need to do to flatten the edges and make them smooth.
3. You can draw and colour your chosen image or use your computer to make one up. I typed in ‘warning triangle’ into Google Images, chose an image and copied it into an art programme. I then used the box drawing tool to draw a box around the image and used the text tool to type in the words ‘Warning Reading in Progress’ (you can use any wording you like). I resized it to the correct size to fit the mesh and printed it out.
4. Cut out the sign and using a small piece of double-sided sticky tape or a small dab of PVA glue on the back of the sign position it on the wire mesh (just to hold it in place while you laminate. If you are using PVA glue you need to leave it to dry before continuing).
5. Place into a laminating pouch and laminate.
6. Leave it to cool down under a couple of heavy books for 10 minutes.
7. Cut around the mesh leaving about ¼inch/5mm gap between the mesh and the cutting line. You could cut it into a rectangle but I chose to follow the line of the mesh and I’m really happy with the results (so was my husband Michael, he put it straight into the book he’s reading at the moment). This is a rugged bookmark and therefore has no further need for extra decorations or tassels.
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