Beaded Bookmarks

If you're like me, you grab the nearest piece of paper to mark your place when reading a book. I've used ticket stubs, envelopes, price tags, gum wrappers, a dollar bill, just about anything within my reach. Recently, I borrowed a book from my daughter. It had the cutest bookmark slipped between it's pages. My mom had made it for her out of embroidery floss, beads, and buttons. I used it while reading the book and found it to be the handiest little bookmark, so I thought I'd make a couple for myself.

Making these bookmarks is easy to do and is a perfect use of odd beads and buttons left over from other projects. Here's how:

1. Cut embroidery floss, hemp, or crochet thread 11-14 inches, depending on desired length. Most of mine where about 12 inches.

2. You will need an anchor for the bottom of the string to keep it in place. A button with a shank on the back works well for this. My son, Liam, had a great idea to use a small shell with a hole in it. A charm is another good idea. Use your imagination! Thread the string through and tie a good tight knot. Afterwards, put a small dab of glue or fray check on the knot to keep it tight.

3. On the other side of the floss, tie a double knot about 4 inches from the top. Then dip the end of the floss in glue or fray check. Smooth the floss to a point with your fingers and let dry. This will help to thread the beads on easier, especially ones with small holes.

4. This is the fun part, thread a variety of beads on, until you get about an inch and a half from the top.

5. For the top, you'll need a good anchor for here too. I found that another shank button works well. Tie the button tightly to the end, pulling it close to the other beads. Then, thread the floss back through the other beads to hide it (if you can).

6. Place a small dot of glue or fray check on the knot to keep it tight.

7. You now have a beautiful bookmark (and it only took about 5 minutes!) Feel free to discard the ticket from the parking garage you've been using for the last couple of months.

This is a quick, easy gift to give to teachers, or to slip in a thank you card. My kids had fun making them too! Last night, I hosted my book club, and thought this would be a perfect little party favor to give each member of our group. I printed off quotes about books, then cut slits in the paper to hold the bookmarks in place. I handed them out after dinner (kind of like a fortune cookie). I told them each to pick the quote that fit them best.