DIY Giant Bookmarks

 

I LOVE reading! Or at least I did before I had to spend much of my time reading university books, journals, papers etc etc while studying for my teaching degree. But now that I've finished studying I'm really excited about being able to get into a good book again. My husband is the same and so is my eldest daughter - we are a family of bookworms.

 

So when my 1st wedding anniversary came around and I discovered that 'paper' was one of the traditional gifts I decided to make my hubby a giant bookmark with our wedding vows written on each side.

 



 

It was really easy, as Word for Windows already has a template (however I will include mine at the bottom of this post for you, as I tweaked it just a bit!). All I had to do was type in our vows, add a couple of cute marriage-related pictures, print, cut and laminate. You might not feel the need to laminate yours if you use a thicker card, however as mine was printed straight onto normal paper it needed something extra for durability.

 

I used 3 different fonts when typing the vows; Agency FB was my standard font, while Ar Blanca and Ar Essence were used to highlight words or sentences that I thought deserved a little emphasis. I found the pictures on Pinterest by searching 'Marriage Quotes' and I think that they not only make the bookmark more interesting but they also inspire us in our marriage ... I didn't want just any old soppy love quotes but ones that were honest and fun (two things that my husband and I really value in our marriage);

 

 

 

Anyway, needless to say, hubby is still using his bookmark today and I've gone and made myself one too:

 



 

My bookmark serves a different purpose though; I wanted something on hand that would prompt me to pray for my husband and children each day in a way that was genuine and bible-based. I found several different Christian sites that had suggestions for daily prayer, however Florish.me actually had a free downloadable bookmark that included super simple suggestions for praying over your husband daily. What I love about their's is that the prayers are short and sweet, they each refer to a verse in the bible, and each day's prayer begins with the first letter of that day (Monday - Marriage, Tuesday - Thrive, Wednesday - Wisdom etc) making it so easy to remember even when my bookmark isn't directly infront of me. (Of course that's not to say I only ever pray for one particular area of my husband's life on a given day, but it certainly helps get me started).

 

On the reverse side of my bookmark I have daily prayers for my children (these are numbered for each day of the month, as opposed to each day of the week like the ones for my hubby). Because there are so many more I haven't included an actual prayer but rather a theme word and the bible verses that relate to it (for example, Self-control 1 Thessolonians 5:6, Respect 1 Peter 2:17, Courage Dueteronomy 31:6). Again, there are loads of ideas on the internet, however I really liked the one produced by Raising Godly Children and they also have a free downloadable (A4 size and includes short individual prayers).

 

Of course there are so many other ways that you could personalise your giant bookmark - as a teacher I think that having the kids write a poem, paint / decorate or add photos of themselves to a bookmark would make a great gift for mum or dad.

 

Here is the template I used to create my bookmark of prayers (actually I've called them Declarations as I believe strongly in the power of the spoken word and believing that what we ask for in the name of Jesus is already done!) - feel free to dowload it and either use it as is or modify it according to your own needs! Don't forget to share this post with your family and friends xxx