Create a beautiful, personalized bookmark using pressed flowers and laminating sheets. This beginner-friendly craft takes about 30 minutes of active time (plus 1-2 weeks for flower pressing). Perfect for book lovers, gift-giving, or preserving garden memories.
Select small, relatively flat flowers and leaves from your garden or a walk. Choose flowers that are fresh and dry (no morning dew). Good options include pansies, daisies, small wildflowers, ferns, or individual petals from larger blooms. Avoid thick, fleshy flowers as they don't press well.
Open a heavy book (like a phone book or thick dictionary) to the middle. Place a sheet of parchment paper or plain white printer paper on the page. This prevents flower moisture from damaging the book and makes removal easier.
Lay your flowers and leaves flat on the parchment paper, spacing them at least an inch apart. Arrange petals and leaves in the shape you want them to dry—they won't move once pressed. Gently flatten any curled edges with your finger.
Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the flowers. Close the book gently but firmly. Stack 2-3 more heavy books on top to add weight and ensure even pressing. Place this stack somewhere dry and undisturbed.
Leave the flowers pressed for 1-2 weeks without checking them. Opening the book early can damage delicate petals. The flowers are ready when they feel papery and completely dry with no moisture remaining. Mark your calendar so you don't forget!
Using scissors or a paper cutter, cut cardstock into a rectangle measuring 2 inches wide by 6 inches tall. This is a standard bookmark size. You can adjust dimensions if you prefer, but keep it narrow enough to fit in a book without damaging the spine.
Lay your bookmark base on a flat surface. Carefully remove pressed flowers from the book using tweezers to avoid tearing delicate petals. Arrange them on the cardstock without gluing yet. Try different layouts until you find one you love. Leave about 1/4 inch margin on all edges.
Using a small paintbrush or toothpick, apply a tiny dab of white glue to the back of each flower piece. Press it gently onto the cardstock. Work from the bottom layer up if you're overlapping elements. Use tweezers to position delicate pieces. Less glue is better—too much will seep out and look messy.
Set your bookmark aside on a flat surface for at least 30 minutes, or until the glue is completely dry and clear. Don't touch or move the flowers during this time. You can gently test a corner to see if anything shifts—if it does, wait longer.
Cut a laminating sheet or self-adhesive laminating pouch to approximately 2.5 inches by 6.5 inches—about 1/4 to 1/2 inch larger than your bookmark on all sides. This extra space ensures complete sealing. If using a pouch, separate the two layers but don't remove the backing yet.
Peel back the protective backing from one side of the laminating sheet. Carefully center your bookmark on the sticky surface, flower-side up. Smooth it down gently with your hand, working from the center outward to avoid air bubbles. Peel the backing from the second sheet and place it sticky-side down on top, aligning edges carefully.
Starting from the center, use a credit card, ruler edge, or your fingers to firmly smooth the laminating sheets together. Work outward toward all edges, pushing out any trapped air bubbles. Press firmly along all edges to ensure a complete seal that will protect your bookmark from moisture.
Using sharp scissors, carefully trim around the bookmark, leaving about 1/8 inch of sealed laminate border beyond the cardstock edge. This border prevents the lamination from peeling apart. Cut slowly and keep your edges straight for a professional look. Round the corners slightly if desired to prevent dog-earing.
If desired, punch a small hole at the top center of your bookmark (about 1/4 inch from the edge) using a hole punch. Thread a 6-8 inch piece of ribbon through and tie it in a knot or bow. This adds a decorative touch and makes the bookmark easier to spot in a closed book.