Unlike most people, I still read regular books (as opposed to the Kindle/Nook route). Hopefully I’m not the last person on Earth reading…brick and mortar(?) books. Which means, I am always in the market for bookmarks so that I don’t dog ear the pages. Anyway, I decided that turning some of broken jewelry into ribbon bookmarks would be fun to do.
Now, jewelry doesn’t have to be actually “broken” for this. But single earrings that you’ve held onto, or brooches with missing stones are ideal candidates.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
I even found a bag of random ribbon scraps at a craft store! What a great way to get all sorts of different sizes and colors for my ribbon bookmarks.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Once I had gathered the main ingredients for this craft idea, I was nearly ready to get started!
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Jewelry Repurposing for DIY Bookmarks
Just a quick note before we get started- you can often find vintage broken jewelry on Etsy fairly inexpensively. Ok, onto the tutorial!
To make these ribbon bookmarks, I gathered some additional craft supplies, including jewelry pliers, jewelry-making notions (ribbon clamps and jump rings), a piece of lace ribbon (or any nice, pliable ribbon), and a piece of costume jewelry.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Scissors, too, if you are cutting off lengths of ribbon from a spool or need to trim the ribbon scraps from a bag.
First, I used my jewelry pliers to start closing the ribbon clamp. But not all the way…
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Next, I slid the end of my lace ribbon into the clamp before firming clamping it down with my same jewelry pliers. For whatever reason, I found it was easier to do this if the clamp wasn’t wide open.
I pulled on the ribbon a little to make sure it was secure, too.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Now, you could certainly leave the other end of the ribbon naked, but to prevent fraying, I went ahead and added a second ribbon clamp.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Ribbon Bookmarks or Charm Bookmarks
Next, I used my jewelry pliers again, this time opening up a jump ring.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Finally, I attached a piece of vintage costume jewelry to the ribbon bookmark via the jump ring, which attached to the ribbon clamp.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And that was it, the first of my ribbon bookmarks was done!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
The rest of them came together quickly and I just love them all!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Repurposing Old Jewelry as Ribbon Bookmarks
This is SUCH a great way for upcycling jewelry! We all have broken jewelry or single earrings that we haven’t gotten rid of, don’t we?
And creating ribbon bookmarks with vintage costume jewelry is a natural fit. Fun to keep for yourself but even better as gifts for book lovers.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Not only are they quick and easy to make, but they use pretty basic jewelry making supplies. So, you really don’t have to invest in much to make these, especially if you share the tools with friends!
This would be the perfect upcycling craft project to do with your girlfriends during a “Crafternoon” party!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
If you enjoyed this upcycling idea for a fun DIY gift idea, then you may also enjoy this repurposing idea for lavender sachets!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Craft on!
S
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Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
thanks for a wonderful tutorial. i also love older books that have brightly colored covers (especially when i find them for 50 cents at a thrift store.) going to get some things together and make a few of these bookmarks!!!
They’re addictive to make!! 🙂
Hi Sarah, love you books display idea very nice 🙂
Thank you, Jenny!
Very cute!!! I love this idea for a quick gift <3
Thanks, Susan!
I am a BOOK reader as are my friends, just love this idea!, where do I get the ribbon clamp? Also the little Saint medals, perfect for little kids bible story books for gifts. I wish I could have you for one weekend?.
Most craft stores have ribbon clamps in the jewelry notions area!!
WOW, this looks so simple. Don’t know what size ribbon clamps to use, can hardly wait to try this simple DIY. What if the ribbon is smaller/larger than the clamp then how would you keep the ends from unraveling if the clamp is smaller than the lace or ?? ? Have so much one of a kind pieces of jewelry that is just begging to be used. Any other ideas to use these forgotten pieces of jewelry?
The set of clamps that I link to in the post has three different sizes! Hopefully that’ll prevent that issue from happening.
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I’m so sorry about that, Linfy- it’s an imperfect subscription service and I apologize that it gave you such trouble. I’ll see what I can do from my end; in the meantime, following me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sadieseasongoods/), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/sarahwpb/), and Instagram (@sadieseasongoods) is also a great way to see my current and older projects. Thank you for your patience!
Hi! I know this is an older post, but I have a question: Do you finish off the bottom of the ribbon in any way?
Thanks!!
oops…Sorry I missed it the first time !
No worries at all, Christine!
I love this idea and have collected my supplies. How long is your piece of ribbon? Do you size for hardback, trade paperbacks, or mass paperbacks? TIA and again, what a charming idea!
Thanks, Ellen! I actually made several sizes based on hardbacks, trade paperbacks (the larger kind of paperbacks), and mass market paperbacks (the smallest, thickest paperbacks). That way, I have a variety!