Making Book Thongs

I love to read. I often have several books going at one time. I tend to grab the nearest spare piece of paper to mark my place in the book. After a time, chances are I'll pick up the unfinished reading and stick it in the book shelf or at least on the top of the stack. I've noticed that little pieces of paper sticking out of the books makes things look messy but I've found a solution. Book thongs.

Book thongs are bookmarks that look like jewelry. They normally have a very thin part that goes inside the book (thus the "thong" name) and are beaded or otherwise embellished on the ends. This gives them some weight as well as beauty.

Book thongs make great gifts. If you enjoy jewelry making but always wonder what to give your male friends, the book thong is a perfect choice. They are very easy to make.

Making the book thong:

1. Cut a piece of cord that will be long enough to fit inside the book and still have ends that are long enough to bead. The cord can be hemp, leather, vinyl or waxed linen. It should be sturdy but thin.

2. Make a knot at the bottom of the cord. Add any beads or charms that appeal to you. When you are finished make a knot above the last bead. You have completed one end of your book thong.

3. On the other end of the cord, decide how far up you want the beads to go and make a knot. Add your beads. Tie another knot.

You're done. You have a fabulous book thong for yourself or a great gift for a friend. You can personalize the thong with your selection of charms and beads. You might give a child a bible with a book thong adorned with a cross charm. You might give a fishing buddy a great book thong with a fish charm hanging from it. Book thongs can always be made to match a season or holiday or perhaps to match a book that accompanies it as a gift.

It would make a great gift for wedding attendants. You could use beautiful pearl beads and white ribbons. They could be made to coordinate with the colors of the wedding and perhaps be given with a small book of love poems.

The possibilities are endless. They make such great gifts because they can be impersonal or very personal. They can be cute, artsy or hip.

They can be made by children or for children. Craft stores, online and off, have cute plastic beads. A bookmark could be made with the name of the child or the name of a book or author. A child could easily make a book thong for a parent or teacher. A very young child should have supervision due to the size of the beads but an older child would be fine on his or her own.

Teenagers could use more hip beads and personalize with school colors or mascots. It's an inexpensive and less frightening way to give jewelry to someone you like very much.

Whether you are book crazy and need a way to make your bookshelf or book pile look prettier or you are looking for a fun and easy gift to make, book thongs are a great choice. They are inexpensive, yet they do not look cheap. They can be personal but not too personal. They can look very girly or just as easily be made to look masculine or somewhere in between. Everyone reads, right? So, it's a great gift for everyone.

You are just three easy steps away from a great gift.