The projects that we have here are quick and cheap (most are free!), and can serve as the prefect de-stressing crafting session. They would make great, thoughtful, spontaneous gift options for fellow book lovers – and amidst the havoc the pandemic has been wreaking on our daily lives, your special reading buddies deserve an impromptu gift. Lot of these DIY bookmark ideas are non-fussy and useful upcycle projects for things that you have lying around the house. So, let’s delve in. Happy crafting!
Origami Corner Bookmarks
These are super easy to make, and we have the complete guide right here! These can be turned into cute woodland animals, dragons and unicorns – the possibilities are endless. Take it to the next level by folding these colorful butterfly corner bookmarks from Red Ted Art.
DIY Fabric Corner Bookmarks
I recently got into sewing, which is super fascinating but also leads to mountains of fabric scraps, even when the fabric is cut with explicit attention to reducing waste. Making corner bookmarks is my favorite way to use the tiny pieces of fabric that are too small for masks and scrunchies. This is a great project for upcycling odd bits of fabric you might have lying around, and a lot of fun can be had out of figuring out patterns and colors that work together. Crafty Staci has a tutorial for you.
DIY Embroidered Bookmark
Add a touch of whimsy to a fabric bookmark with some embroidered flourishes or cross stitched art. Here is a set of pretty cross-stitch patterns from Etsy to get you started. $7 for the set of four designs, available as PDF.
Pressed Flower Bookmarks
Preserve a little bit of nature between the pages of your favorite books by making pressed flower bookmarks. We have tried it out here!
DIY Decoupage Cardboard Bookmarks
Upcycle pieces of cardboard to create decoupage bookmarks. You could even use old bits of old newspapers and book pages for a uniquely bookish look. How cool are these bird bookmarks made out of cereal boxes! Find the complete tutorial at Craftideas.info. On a related note, here is a great bookmark kit from Etsy that comes with vintage stamps that would be great for historical travel and adventure stories. The whole kit is for $10.00.
Cute Felt Animal Bookmarks
Some felt, thread, optional googly eyes, and you can make the cutest reading companions. The little readers in your life will love these. Gluesticks Blog has a tutorial and adorable free patterns.
DIY Crochet Bookmarks
I love making things and I am always trying out new crafts, but I have always been intimidated by knitting and crocheting. Bookmarks seem like a good place to start. Maybe using these cute cloud bookmark crochet pattern from Etsy that comes at $3.61. Want more? We have curated cute and easy diy crochet bookmark ideas here and here.
Paperclip Bookmarks
Take a paperclip, attach a cute trinket to the top for a quick and easy bookmark. The embellishment can be a lot of things – buttons, fabric flowers, felt shapes, beads, ribbons, bows, googly eyes, or pompoms, to name a few. Here is a tutorial from Positively Splendid for some inspiration.
DIY Wire Bookmarks
Bend crafting wire using some basic tools into interesting shapes to make whimsical wire bookmarks. Here is a video tutorial to tell you how:
Cool Origami Bookmarks
I could have probably written this entire post talking about my favorite origami artist, Jo Nakashima, and showing you all the bookmarks that I have made based on his designs. But, in the interest of not getting carried away, I will just leave the video tutorial for his origami crane bookmark here. You can check out more of his designs on his YouTube channel. He has a playlist just for bookmark designs. If you are a beginner at origami, I would suggest you start with the heart bookmark. Also, I couldn’t resist showing you the coolest dragon bookmark I made following a tutorial from Jo Nakashima. Yes, I paired it with a book on my Kindle. The bookmark just matched perfectly with The Simoquin Prophecies, the funnest book by Samit Basu that features dragons and other amazing creatures, and I do not own a physical copy.
