How to Make an Elastic Ribbon Bookmark with Polymer Clay

Hey readers! If you’re looking for a bookish craft, check out this tutorial for an elastic ribbon bookmark with polymer clay!

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While it’s true that readers are willing to use just about anything to hold their place in a book, it’s also true that readers love pretty bookmarks. I speak from experience! An avid reader myself, I use shopping receipts as bookmarks out of convenience, not preference.

One of the things I love about crafting is that I can create beautiful statement pieces that fit into my life in practical ways. If I want a pretty bookmark, I can make one! If I want a book sleeve, I can make one! (You get the idea.)

Like all of my tutorials, I encourage you to take the concept and run with it. Make it your own. Follow along, even if you don’t want to make a dragon bookmark. The steps are the same, regardless of the design you want to make.

These would make great gifts for reader friends and teachers – but they’d also do awesome at craft sales and markets. You could sell them on Etsy or check your local bookstore to see if they’d sell them on consignment. This is such a simple project but so versatile!

How to Make an Elastic Ribbon Bookmark with Polymer Clay

Ready to dive in? Let’s go! First, let’s take a look at the supplies you’ll need for your own gorgeous bookmark.

To make an elastic ribbon bookmark with polymer clay you’ll need:

• Polymer Clay: Sculpey Premo is my go-to for all polymer clay projects. You can get it at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and other craft stores. You can also get a great multi-pack of Sculpey Premo on Amazon.
• Clay Cutters: The cutters I’m using are Keoker dragon cutters.
• Elastic: I’m using a 1″ fold-over elastic ribbon. You can use any type of elastic ribbon, it doesn’t have to be fold-over. That is simply what my local fabric store had, and I liked the look. You can find a pack of multiple colors of elastic ribbons on Amazon here.
• Ribbon End Clamps: Although we’re using elastic, not ribbon, you’ll need ribbon clamps/ribbon ends. You can find a great selection of ribbon ends on Amazon.
• Jump Rings: I used jump rings to connect the elastic to the clay piece. You can get a basic pack of jump rings on Amazon. You can also pick up jump rings at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. You can sometimes even find them at the Dollar Tree! You’ll also need some jewelry pliers to open/close the rings.
• Other: Most of these are optional. It’ll depend on the cutters you use, and how you want the finished bookmark to look. For example, I use cornstarch to prevent my cutters from sticking to the clay and a dollar-store paintbrush to apply and dust away the excess. I also bake my clay pieces on a ceramic tile. It minimizes how often I have to touch/move the clay before baking. You’ll also want a clay rolling machine or acrylic roller and depth guides. I used some acrylic paint to add depth to the design after baking, and a clay varnish to give it the final shine.

Directions

Step 1

Assemble your materials! I’m using two colors of clay (black and a gold/tan/yellowy color), a dragon clay cutter, a circle clay cutter, an elastic ribbon, jump rings, and some jewelry tools.

Step 2

Roll out your clay. Because the clay in this bookmark isn’t going to sit between the pages of your book, you can, and should, make this clay fairly thick. I’ve rolled out the clay that I’m using for my dragon to the middle setting on my clay roller.

Dust the surface of your clay with some cornstarch, then use your cutters to make your shapes.

Step 3

Tidy up your shape if needed. I used a toothpick to smooth out some of the edges, but I like the rough look, so I didn’t try to smooth it all out.

Step 4

Next, cut out your base shape. (You can also cut out the base shape first, this is just the order I did it in!) I wanted this to be nice and thick so it could properly support the tension of the elastic. I rolled it out to the thickest setting on my clay roller and then folded it in half so I could make it twice as thick. Then I cut out this circle, making sure it was big enough to hold the dragon.

Because the circle seemed a little dull, I added a bit of texture to make it look like the black was cracked and rough.

Step 5

Next, I placed the dragon on the circle. Then, I used a sharp tool (you can use a needle or a toothpick if you don’t have a specific tool for this purpose) to add additional texture to the dragon figure.

Once you’re happy with your piece, use a small circle cutter to make a hole in the top and the bottom. This is where your jump rings will go to attach the piece to the elastic ribbon. You can also choose to drill your holes after the clay is baked, but I generally prefer to make them before.

Step 6

Once it was baked, I added some metallic acrylic paint to give it a bit more depth. This process is super easy. Use a toothpick to push paint into the ridges, but don’t worry if it’s a mess. Work quickly, and once you’ve got paint in all the ridges, take a damp paper towel and wipe away the excess. It’ll pick up the paint on the surface of the clay and leave behind the paint that’s been deposited into the ridges.

Glaze or varnish the piece if you want a shiny look. Make sure you let your acrylic paint (if used) dry first!

Step 7

Cut your elastic ribbon. I cut mine to 12”. This length works great for me, I’ve used these bookmarks for both paperback and hardcover books. But if you want to use it for extra small books or notebooks, you might want to make your ribbon a bit shorter. Likewise, if you only read massive hardcovers, you might want to give yourself a little extra elastic.

Step 8

Attach the metal hardware to the ends of the elastic. Make sure the metal is securely attached. To do this, just place the elastic ribbon inside the open part of the metal hardware, and use some pliers to pinch it closed.

Step 9

Now use those jump rings to attach the ribbon ends to the clay pendant that you’ve made!

Step 10

And that’s all! You’ve got yourself a gorgeous elastic ribbon bookmark! Use it to keep track of your page when you’re reading, or make a bunch to give as gifts to your bookish friends!

Get creative! There are so many different styles that you can make! Here are some others I made.

Will you make an elastic ribbon bookmark with polymer clay?

Anyone can make these bookmarks. Make them as gifts, make them with friends or your kids, or make them at your next book club meeting!

I’d love to see what you make. Share your gorgeous creations on Instagram using the hashtags #theserialcreative #elasticribbonbookmark so I can admire them.  

Looking for other bookish DIYs? Check out my other polymer clay bookmark tutorial, my padded book sleeve sewing pattern, and my book stack necklace tutorial!

Happy making!