Make Your Own Handmade Beaded Bookmarks with Ribbon or Shepherd Hooks

You can make handmade beaded bookmarks in a couple different ways, though there are two basic types: ribbon beaded bookmarks and metal shepherd hook beaded bookmarks.

Sure, most beaded jewelry designers make bead earrings and gemstone necklaces and beaded charm bracelets, but if you want to set yourself apart from the crowd at craft shows you might also want to offer some uniquely beaded things… like beaded bookmarks!

Each of these handmade beaded bookmark types requires only a beginner’s level of bead jewelry making skills, so just about anyone can make them quickly and easily! Of course, you could always buy your own beaded bookmarks if you didn’t want to make them! There are lots of different designs, patterns and types to choose from.

Ribbon Beaded Bookmarks – Bookmarks made with ribbon are usually made with nothing more than a length of decorative ribbon and plenty of your favorite beads! The ribbon should be soft and pliable and able to be tied into small and tight knots. Here’s a short tutorial on how to make beaded bookmarks with ribbon or cord that I wrote a while ago. If you’re making your bookmarks with a cord then you’ll want to use some sort of a clasp that attaches to the end of each side of the cord on which you can mount some wire to attach your beads. With a handmade ribbon bookmark you can simply follow these steps:

1. Cut a length of ribbon about 24 inches long.
2. Tie a knot or two at one end of the ribbon. The knot should be much wider than the hole in the first bead you intend to slide onto the ribbon.
3. Slide on about four or five inches worth of beads.
4. Tie another knot (or two) at the end of the line of beads and again make sure the knot is much larger than the last bead.
5. I like to leave between eight to 12 inches of empty ribbon before I tie another knot or two.
6. Slide on more beads and then tie off the end once again! You can then end the bookmark with a little charm or some other special bead that is larger than most of the others. This helps add some heft and visual interest to the bookmark.
7. You can cut off the remaining ribbon. I’ve seen some people then apply a dab of glue to each end of the ribbon just to make sure the knots stay in place. You’re done!

Shepherd Hook Beaded Bookmarks - Handmade shepherd hook bookmarks are really pretty straightforward to make, look very impressive, and make great gifts for women or men. All you need is some shepherd hooks which you can pick up at a bead shop or just buy them online! They are sometimes hard to find, so I built a little store that has links to the shepherd hook bookmarks you may want to buy on the right. They’re relatively inexpensive if they are just plated but you can also pay a little more and get a sterling silver shepherd hook bookmark.

The steps to make a beaded bookmark with a shepherd hook are pretty simple. Here they are:

1. Use a looped pin that’s at least three inches long. Attach a charm or other sort of “signature” piece to the loop with a jump ring.
2. String/slide you beads onto the pin, leaving about an inch or so of wire at the top.
3. Use your pliers and make a loop at the end of your pin, snipping off any excess wire.
4. Use another jump ring to attach this strand of beads on wire to your metal shepherd hook. You’re done!

That’s it! You’re done! Of course, the fun comes in being creative and designing all sorts of great handmade bookmarks with different colors and metals and materials. I’ve seen amazingly elaborate beaded bookmarks made with all sterling silver and real gemstones and I’ve seen simple and more down to earth beaded bookmarks made with hemp and wooden beads! From my experience real handmade beaded bookmarks are always treasured gifts for book lovers and readers because they are unique and much more “substantial” than paper bookmarks.

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