Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Give a Handmade Beaded Bookmark to Your Bookworm Mom

Wondering what to give your mom for Mother’s Day? If you’re like me, your mom tells you that she doesn’t need or want anything, her china cabinet is full of stuff, and she’s lucky enough to have more than enough jewelry.

Every Mother’s Day it’s a real challenge to come up with something original and thoughtful (that she won’t have to dust) for her gift. This year, I’ve created handmade beaded bookmarks for her (and my mother-in-law, great aunt, and even myself) – they’re beautiful additions to a book she’s reading or just a book sitting on a shelf. Also, these bookmarks are a quick craft. They can be finished in just one sitting and don’t require any special tools or techniques – just tying simple knots and stringing beads. You can find all the supplies at any craft store for a very reasonable price.

You will need:

20 inches of 1/4-inch ribbon
Tapestry needle
An assortment of beads (with hole diameters large enough to accomodate the tapestry needle)
Sissors

Directions:

Cut 1/4-inch ribbon into a 20-inch long section. Tie a knot at the bottom of one end and string the needle. Begin to string beads through to needle onto the ribbon until you have about 2 to 3 inches of beading. Tie a knot to secure your beads. Next, measure about 10 inches of ribbon on your bookmark and tie another knot. Again, string 2 to 3 inches of beads. (I like to do matching beading on both ends, but it’s not necessary.) Tie a knot to secure these beads. Your bookmark should look something like this: knot, beads, knot, 10 inches of ribbon, knot, bead, knot. Trim the ends, if you like, and add other embellishments, like fringe on the bottoms, to complete. The more practice you get with this simple craft, the more ways you find to personalize each one.