I’m joining Kate, of Tall Tales from Chiconia, for her monthly scrap-happy blog post. The challenge is to create something made entirely of scraps, or as Kate put it this month it’s “time to show stuff made from bits of other stuff!”
This month I converted pages from my old wall calendars into bookmarks for our Little Free Library. With a library at the curb, it’s a fun excuse to make several bookmarks at once.
Sample calendars
The Nature Conservancy calendar and bookmark: photograph Rick Flematti Nature Photography
Bird calendar page into bookmark: photograph Loic Poidevin
Being the animal lover that I am, I’m on mailing lists for the Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) and the Nature Conservancy. Their calendars are too beautiful to toss so I upcycle the pages into an assortment of things.
Time is short, so nothing fancy this month.
I perused my stash, set aside pictures that would work for the scale of a bookmark and then located the most strategic center.
Sweetness overload
A pair of puppy bookmarks
A trio of kitty calendar bookmarks
From our HSSV calendar (the book is a gift from my friend Kelly)
Will you look at those puppy-dog eyes?
More puppies
I cut a 6 x 6-inch focal point from the center of the calendar, then score at the two-inch mark on either side. I fold it into thirds and glue the layers together. These gorgeous calendars get a second life.
It’s surprising how relaxing this simple craft can be. I enjoyed revisiting the beautiful nature photography, and I smiled at the notion of all those cats and dogs going to their forever home.
That’s it for this month. I’m off to see how the rest of the bloggers below are using their scraps.
Check out the links below on November 15th to see other scrap-happy posts.
Kate, Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Nanette, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Kerry, Claire, Jean,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki, Pauline, and Sue L.
Gardening Nirvana 
A marvellous bookmark idea well executed.
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Thank you, Derrick!
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Ooh, I’m going to try this out. I have loads of calendars that are too good to throw out but are taking up space in a cupboard.
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I’m so glad you’re inspired to use your calendars. One year I made napkin rings using autumn-colored pages. I used a similar tri-fold, but I joined the edges by punching tow side by side holes and then threading them with cord. I’ve made gift tags for a bottle of wine, envelopes, and a small wrapper to use with a gift card. This scrappy business is fun.
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These are lovely and such a good idea. I don’t have many calendars, just the ones that Jo makes me, that for the past two years have featured a group of lovelies swanning around Otago ….. bet they would make fab bookmarks 😀
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Thank you, Pauline.
Oh my gosh, can you imagine all our smiling faces peeking out of various books? I love those calendars. It’s been great revisiting those extraordinary days, seeing all our smiling faces on each month. xi
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oh those are darling ! All the sweet and innocent eyes peeping out of the pages of a good book 😀 Who could resist ? I’d bet people just wander by to collect your handiwork at times. Gah! Those puppy eyes getcha don’t they? LOL xo ❤ K Lovely and generous my dear!
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I’m so glad you like them. It’s hard to resist those puppy dog eyes, eh? And those charming felines melt my heart. It’s fun making something out of those pages.
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that’s a lovely way of recycling an old calendar!
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Thank you, Claire. I love turning calendars into something useful. It’s a lot of fun.
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It’s a lovely idea, and you have the perfect place to help them go to a new home. A free book and a free book mark from your Little Free Library….what’s not to love? 💜
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Thank you, Anne! I still remember the lovely bookmarks you sent when I first opened the LFL. If I remember correctly, they were favors of a sort from your 60th birthday.
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These are beautiful!
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Thank you, Luanne!
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Great idea! I have the greatest trouble hanging onto bookmarks (somewhere in this house there is a colony of them in hiding), so I should really do something like this. Trouble is, all the current calendars are humorous ones given to the Husband by his BIL, a Christmas tradition. I don’t think I could cope with the current one: Goats In Trees….
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Goats in trees…LOL That’s pretty funny. Perhaps you could use part of the background. A fellow blogger who works as a librarian wrote a funny post a few years back sharing all the interesting things that are left in returned library books. I got quite a kick out of it.
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I have lost track of the number of shopping lists I’ve left in books. Perhaps not so quirky, but I sometimes imagine the next person wondering what I was going to make!
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That’s funny!
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I love reusing beautiful calendars. Your calendar bookmarks are gorgeous.
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Thank you! How do you reuse yours? I’m always intrigued by new ideas.
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Sometimes, I simply reuse them by printing out new calendar pages to go with the photos. One can also keep the calendars to use again eg in 2020 you can reuse a 1992 calendar. But the most fun I had with reusing calendars was when I turned them into Christmas trees and stars. https://silkannthreades.wordpress.com/2018/12/21/silence-an-advent-quest-a-retreat/
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What great ideas. I’m off for a visit.
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What a great idea for used calendars. The resulting bookmarks are super and I bet people love them.
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Thank you, NanaCathy. Most book lovers also seem to love animals, so with the variety of cats and dogs, I’m sure they’ll be a hit.
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perfect reuse.
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Thank you, Dawn.
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All right. This gets a wowsah, the highest compliment this Mainer can give. So far, I’ve given out two today. I have amazing, creative blogging friends.
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Laurie, I’m blushing with gratitude! Thank you. I have so much fun reusing my old calendars. I hope you’re managing the bitter cold. I imagine you are used to it by now, but still…brrrr.
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Yup, we’re used to it, but we still complain. 😉
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🙂
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That bookmark sticking out of the book is priceless. You have such cute faces on those bookmarks, I might have trouble getting started reading. I have many, many bookmarks but most are not so attractive. Well done saving another calendar.
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“saving another calendar”…that made me smile, Marlene. Thank you. Those Humane Society calendars are always so sweet. They alternate between cats and dogs, and there was a bunny as well, but it didn’t translate somehow into a bookmark.
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Love bunnies too. Did you get the email I sent?
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Yes…though I’m replying here late. I hope I’ve sent a proper response by now, too. xo
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great idea, I’m thinking about what interesting paper scraps I have to make bookmarks for Christmas present books.
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They make great gifts, and really, the skies the limit. I really have fun making bookmarks.
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This is a very giftable idea, Alys! I have kept a few of my favorite bookmarks, but I can’t use them in my tablet. I can’t read the smaller print in paper books nowadays. But I certainly can make and give some to my friends who can. Thanks!
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Gifting bookmarks is a wonderful idea.
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I love these bookmarks! They’re charming. And practical. And truly a great use of scraps! 🙂
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Thank you, Debra. Making something practical from scraps is rewarding. I love the challenge and the end result of creating a new whole. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. My son is on route to SoCal as I write this in blustery, wet weather. I always breathe lighter once he’s home. Ironically he’s back for just 12 days for last week and finals, then home again. xo
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Alys, your bookmarks are so charming! You have such a creative eye for cropping the beautiful calendar photos in the most delightful ways. Thank you for always inspiring me in your unique, earth-friendly style, dear heart! Warmest hugs!💗
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