So you want to hold your book open with one hand but you've only got cardboard? Not to fear! It's incredibly fast and simple to make a cardboard book page holder. You can make it out of things lying around that shouldn't be on your desk(am I the only one?).

Step 1: Materials and Tools

For this project you will need:

Cardboard
Paperboard(a cereal box will work perfectly)
Glue(I used a glue-stick and super glue because I had them handy)
Scissors
A hobby knife(optional, but will make things much easier)
Pencil or pen

Step 2: Marking and Cutting

To start making your handy book holder, you'll need to draw a shape you like. I found that using pieces of cardboard that are 6cm(3.75 inches) in length and 4cm(1.5 inches) in height work nicely. On one of your cardboard pieces, draw a shape kind of like a triangle(or a book page holder!). Then, cut your cardboard. Once your shape is cut out, lay it on top of another piece of cardboard similar in size and cut it to the shape of the first one.

Step 3: Gluing and Cutting

To get that sturdy book page holder you're after, glue all three pieces(or more if you decided to make it thicker) together. Depending on your glue of choice, let your glue cure for as long as it needs to. After the glue is set, draw an ellipse(oval) roughly in the center big enough for your thumb to fit into. Then, using something like a hobby knife, cut out the ellipse shape you just drew. This cardboard creation you just made is almost good enough to hold your books open.

Step 4: Adding Paperboard

Now to make this little piece of cardboard even stronger and better for holding books open, we need to glue some strips of a cereal box on the edges. I used super glue because it cures very quickly and because I had it handy, but you can use any kind of glue you like. Be extremely careful when using super glue and make sure to read any label it might have, as this glue is an irritant and can bond skin in seconds. I am not responsible for any harm caused, use at your own risk. Let your glue dry and you will have a new way to hold your books open. I hope you liked this instructable and found it useful. Please comment to let me know if you know of any better way to do this. Thank you for reading to the end!