This is a photo of a spiral-bound notebook that says "Notes" in gold ink. There's a pink and green flower motif on the front. Sticking out of the top is a floral starfish bookmark--and it's cut into the shape of a starfish. It is placed on a wooden table, and in the background you can see the edge of an eyeglass case, the swirls of the bottom rays of a glass starfish, and a pencil tip.

Craft Alert: Bookish Starfish

This is a photo of a spiral-bound notebook that says "Notes" in gold ink. There's a pink and green flower motif on the front. Sticking out of the top is a floral starfish bookmark--and it's cut into the shape of a starfish. It is placed on a wooden table, and in the background you can see the edge of an eyeglass case, the swirls of the bottom rays of a glass starfish, and a pencil tip.

Though my inner craft alarms were blaring on high alert at Powell’s City of Books last weekend, I couldn’t subject so many innocent bibliophiles to wayward scissors-swiping or gruesome gluing glitches. A craft, inspired by books and bookmarks, would have to wait until I returned home.

Powell’s, in downtown Portland, Oregon, is the mother of all bookstores, and last weekend, I’d made it!

“I can die now,” I told Nate.

It’s the largest independent bookstore in the nation, and every floor is crammed with books of every kind—and there’s even a rare books section behind glass doors! Or course, there’s a café and a children’s area—and lots and lots of bookish gifts. But I went home with an armload of paperbacks, which Nate had to carry through the streets because my arms got tired. (Nate’s a real one.)

At Powell’s, I picked up some new horror books, based on hand-written recommendations on signs hanging from the shelves. (I completely trust the crew working at Powell’s books.) And then, I found the paranormal romance section and thought, “Why not?” At this point, I was looking for a slimmer tome because the stack I was carrying was getting heavy. Based on a recommendation on a sign written by a genuine, certified Powell’s employee, I picked up a book called Get in My Swamp: An Ogre Love Story. It’s…uhm…not for me? I’m surprised it’s 180+ pages. The story could probably be told in one paragraph, but it was definitely an adventure. I wasn’t feeling the romance so much. It was just one ogre-whelmingly long booty call that ended well. I guess, in a Shrek-after-dark kind of way.

In any case, I have other books that I’m busy reading, and I just can’t get enough bookmarks. I love them so much. Do I need bookmarks? No. But I like the way they feel in my hands as I turn the page of a real, printed book.

Admittedly, I’ve crammed some of them into drawers that are also stuffed with pretty bits of decorative paper I’ve held onto, as if I needed to build a bird’s nest at some point. If I did, it would be the envy of all the crows in the neighborhood, and no—I wouldn’t share.

But could I celebrate my love of bookmarks, pretty paper, and starfish all at once? Could it be done? How? The answer was everywhere I looked on my desk.

All I had to do was:

  • Pick up one of the glass starfish from my glass starfish collection
  • Use a pencil to trace its outline onto pretty floral paper
  • Use scissors to cut it out and clear glue to stick it to a sturdier stock of paper
  • Cut the starfish outline again
  • Stick that little bugger of a bookmark into a book!

Books I might read with my new floral starfish bookmark to hold my place:

  • The Starfish’s Guide to Preparing Coral Polyps 1,000 Different Ways
  • How I Survived a Seagull Attack by Stahr Phish
  • The Haunted Tide Pool by C. Stahr
  • Attack of the Human Index Finger by Cee Starr
  • Rays of Love: How I Found Love in an Aquarium by C. Starre Phishh

Your Turn: What places have inspired you lately?

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Published by ckennedy

Author of the DIY blog: Fixin' Leaks and Leeks. Paper/Rock Writing Consultation, Sole Proprietor.

25 thoughts on “Craft Alert: Bookish Starfish”

  1. I continue to be inspired by my surroundings of the ocean, the marsh, and especially turtle season. The laying of the eggs and then the hachlings’ arduous journey back to ocean. Also, I recently attended two high school graduations. I saw four speakers and was amazed at the depth of the speeches as well as the poise of the students. All the speeches were entertaining and very inspiring.

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    1. The ocean is an incredible place to be inspired. I’m lucky to live near the Puget Sound, so we try to get out as much as possible. And yes, graduation speeches can be inspiring as well. Cheers!

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  4. I visited a shoe repair shop the other day where I live and when I walked it there was more than shoe repairs going on, but also leather care stuff. I think I’ll revisit so I can ask how to bring new life to an old leather belt I don’t want to give up on.

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  5. A good book store is an absolutely wonderful thing. E-books are fine but there will always be such good things about physical pages between covers. No distracting and sudden ads and I always find that I can focus better. Cheers.

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