Make reading even more fun with these easy beaded bookmarks! Made with cord, alphabet beads, and pretty accent beads, these DIY bookmarks are simple to customize with your favourite bookish words and phrases.
Add “one more chapter,” “I love books,” or any short message you like, then finish the ends with pearls, gold beads, or colourful beads to match your style. These handmade bookmarks make great gifts for readers, teachers, book club friends, or anyone who always has a book on the go!
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DIY Beaded Bookmarks
See the craft in action:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Prepare your cord
- Cut an 18 inch piece of cord.
- Tie a knot as close to one end of the cord as possible.
Step 3: Add the first beads
- Begin adding beads to the cord, letting them fall down next to the knot.
- Use letter beads to construct a message for your bookmark. Then add more beads, mirroring the first ones, so it looks the same on both sides.
- Make another knot in the cord, placing it as close to the last bead as you can.
Step 4: Measure a book length
- Use a ruler to measure 9 inches from the end of the beads.
- Make a knot at the 9 inch mark.
Step 5: Add the last beads
- Add beads to the other end of the bookmark. Here we’ve made the same bead pattern and added more letter beads to finish our “Book Worm” saying.
- Make another knot right after the beads and cut off any excess cord.
- Your beaded bookmark is complete!
- Have fun making bookmarks for all your friends, using various colours of beads and spelling out different messages. Find more fun ideas below!
Helpful Tips:
- Make the bookmark the right length for your book: A shorter bookmark works well for a small paperback, while a longer bookmark is better for a large hardcover. You can easily adjust the cord length before adding your beads.
- Match the bead design on both ends, or make each side different: Mirroring the beads gives the bookmark a balanced, polished look, but using different bead combinations on each end makes it fun and unique!
What type of beads are best for beaded bookmarks?
You can use almost any type of bead for these bookmarks, as long as the holes are large enough to fit your cord. Choose beads that match your style, your favourite colours, or the theme of the phrase you’re spelling out.
Letter beads are perfect for adding bookish messages, but we also used metallic beads in different shapes, clear faceted beads, and pearl beads to give the bookmarks a pretty, jewelry-like look. You can even add decorative or shaped beads to make each bookmark extra special.
What phrases can I add to my beaded bookmark?
Here are some ideas of simple bookish phrases that are easy to add with alphabet beads:
- Book worm
- I love books
- One more chapter
- Book bestie
- Current read
- Chapter one
- Read more
- Page turner
- Keep reading
- Reading time
- Book club
- Shelf control
- Reading buddy
- Plot twist
- Happy reading
- Page saver
- No spoilers
What type of cord is best for making beaded bookmarks?
We used 10 lb hemp cord for our bookmarks, which is about 0.5mm thick. It’s thin enough to fit through alphabet beads and small accent beads, but still strong enough to hold up as a bookmark.
Waxed cotton jewelry cord is another great option because it’s smooth, flexible, and easy to knot. You can also use nylon cord or rattail cord, as long as it fits through your beads. Depending on the bead hole size, you can likely use cord up to about 1 mm thick.
These beaded bookmarks are such a fun way to show off your bookish side. The basic technique stays the same for each one, but you can completely change the look by swapping the colours, bead shapes, and letter bead phrases.
Make them bright and playful, soft and pearl-adorned, metallic and fancy, or as cute as your book-loving heart desires. Whether your bookmark says “one more chapter,” “no spoilers,” or you stick with plain beads, it’s a cute handmade accessory that makes reading feel extra special.
Here’s even more bookmark craft ideas:
Now available
Low-Mess Crafts for Kids Book
72 cute and fun crafts that kids and parents alike can enjoy. All with as little mess as possible!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
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