diy: bead bunny bookmark

I once saw an absolutely adorable little wooden bear bookmark at Barnes and Noble, and ever since that day, oh, 2 years ago at least, I have hoped to make my own version. The original was a little more mid-century mod meets anime, but hey, my bead bunny bookmarks are a little easier to make (no woodturning skills needed, not even any glue!). Make these just in time for your Easter festivities, and they come together so quickly you could make some for all the kiddies you know.

I also made a dog, or maybe he’s a four-legged alien? Poor guy is a little homely. So I’m not including his how-to, because I doubt you’ll want to make him!

What you’ll need:

• Yarn or thick cording (the wood beads have very large holes, choose accordingly)
• 2 1″ wood bead – finished or unfinished
• 3/4″ wood bead – finished or unfinished
• 12 1/4″ wood beads – finished or unfinished
• scissors
• tapestry needle
• Sharpie marker

What you’ll do:

• Cut a length of yarn about 2 feet long. Thread your needle and string the 1′ and 3/4′ beads onto the yarn.
• Push the beads down towards one end of the yarn. I used the larger bead for the head, with the shorter bead underneath.
• Cut 3 short pieces of yarn – about 6-8″ a piece.

• Double knot the short pieces of yarn below the bottom bead, between the two beads, and above the top bead. Note: I tried to stuff these knots into the beads, but they tended to slip back out. Maybe if you did want to get out some glue, you could stuff them into the beads to hide them, then add glue and wait for them to dry. But I was too lazy!

• Thread the 1/4″ beads onto the shorter yarn tails as shown in the image above. Then double or triple knot the yarn on the outside of these beads.
• Now measure how long you’d like your bookmark to be. For fiction books, around 9 – 10″ between the top of the bunny’s head to the end beads on the other end works well. You’ll want more space for coffee table books.
• Add a double knot 10″ (or longer, depending on your book size) from the top of the bunny’s head.
• Thread 1 1/4″ bead, 1 1″ bead, and the last 1/4″ bead, then double or triple knot to hold them in place.
• Trim your extra yarn.
• Add eyes and nose to the bead face.
• Now you’re ready to read!