The DIY Junk Bookmark: 90s Nostalgia for Readers
Let’s be brutally honest for a second: the standard, flimsy paper bookmark is out. It’s boring, it slips out of your book the second you toss it into your tote bag, and frankly, it completely lacks personality. If you are reading a highly emotional, deliciously angsty romance novel, do you really want a piece of cardstock from a local dentist’s office holding your place during the third-act breakup? Absolutely not. You deserve better. Your books deserve better. That’s where a DIY junk bookmark can add the creativity and character your reading experience deserves. [VIDEO TUTORIAL AT THE BOTTOM]
Enter: The DIY Junk Bookmark.
If you’ve been following me for five minutes, you know that my personal design philosophy can be summed up in one word: EXTRA. I am an eccentric maximalist to my core and I don’t believe in blank spaces, or “less is more,” and I certainly do not believe in matching perfectly. I believe in taking all the things you love, mashing them together, and creating something that looks like it was born out of a wildly fun, slightly chaotic creative storm.
Today, we are diving headfirst into the nostalgic, sticky, bead-filled world of junk bookmarks. Their chunky, loud, 90s-inspired book accessories that double as a dopamine hit every time you open your current read. Grab your coffee, stretch your crafting fingers, and let’s get into it.
What Exactly IS a “Junk” Bookmark?
I call it a “junk” bookmark not because it belongs in the trash, but because it is quite literally made up of the beautiful, random, chaotic “junk” you probably already have hoarded in your craft drawers. It’s an exercise in using what you have and making it fabulous.
Remember the other day when I showed you guys my DIY Junk Bag? Blog Post Here! The one with the layers of charms, the clinking keychains, and the absolute refusal to be subtle? The junk bookmark is the exact same energy, just miniaturized and flattened for your literary pleasure.
It’s all about scrap fabrics, stray beads you bought three years ago for a project you never finished, ripped up pieces of scrapbook paper, and whatever meaningful little trinkets make you smile. The aesthetic is heavily giving late 90s and early 2000s Y2K nostalgia, and I am absolutely here for it. Think chunky charms, clashing animal prints, pony beads, and that perfectly imperfect “I made this at summer camp” vibe, but elevated for the modern romance reader. If your bookmark doesn’t look like it could be best friends with a Tamagotchi, you aren’t doing it right.
The Ultimate “Junk” Supply List
Before we get our hands sticky, you need to gather your materials. The beauty of this project is that there are no rules. You want to add a rhinestone? Do it. You want to use neon green thread? Go for it. But if you want to recreate the exact maximalist masterpiece I made, here is everything you need. I highly recommend scouring your own stash first, but I’ve linked all my go-to supplies below to make your life easier.
1. The Foundation: Acrylic Bookmarks
You cannot build a house on a weak foundation, and you cannot build a junk bookmark on flimsy paper. You need something sturdy enough to hold the weight of all your fabulous nonsense. I use clear acrylic bookmark blanks. They are perfectly rigid, they don’t bend when you stuff your book in your bag, and they give you a nice, clean canvas to start destroying with Mod Podge. Clear Acrylic Bookmark Blanks
2. The Glue That Holds My Life Together: Matte Mod Podge
If you are a crafter, you already know the gospel of Mod Podge. We are using the matte finish for this. We want the textures of the fabrics and the papers to shine without looking like they were dipped in liquid plastic. You will get this on your fingers. You will get this on your table. Accept the mess. Matte Mod Podge
3. The Paper Layer: Scrapbook Paper
This is where the base layer of your personality comes in. I love using scraps of vintage-looking paper, checkerboard prints, or anything with a fun texture. Tear it with your hands—do not use scissors. The ripped, fibrous edges add so much character and play right into that perfectly unbothered junk aesthetic. Assorted Scrapbook Paper Packs (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby)
4. The Holy Trinity of Fabrics: Leopard, Checkered, and Camo
If you take nothing else away from this blog post, let it be this: Leopard print is a neutral. Camo is a neutral. Checkered print is a neutral. When you put all three of them together, magic happens. I used scraps of these three fabrics to create the main visual interest. We are going for frayed edges, messy cuts, and total pattern clashing.
- Leopard Print Fabric Scraps (Here is similar… mine I purchased from hobby lobby… I love shopping the clearance bin)
- Checkered Print Fabric ((Here is similar… mine I purchased from hobby lobby)
- Classic Camo Fabric (Here is similar… mine I purchased from hobby lobby)
5. The Frills: Pink Ribbon and Trim
To soften the harshness of the camo and the edge of the leopard print, you have to bring in the hot pink. I used various pink ribbons, rickrack, and frayed chiffon strips to tie off the top of the bookmark. It gives it that perfectly messy, “I just tied this on my backpack in 1999” energy.
6. The Noise Makers: Beads and Fishing Line
A junk bookmark isn’t finished unless it makes a satisfying clinking sound when you set your book down. I dug into my bead stash and pulled out everything from smiley faces and classic 8-balls to pink hearts and alphabet beads. I strung them all onto heavy-duty fishing line (because standard string will snap under the weight of this much fabulousness) to spell out “FESTIVELY BOOKED.”
How to Embrace the Chaos Step by Step
Okay, you have your supplies, you have a iced coffee, and hopefully, you have a 90s boy band playlist playing in the background. Here is exactly how to make your DIY Junk Bookmark.
Step 1: The Mod Podge Slap Apply a thin layer of matte Mod Podge directly onto the acrylic blank.
Step 2: Destroy the Paper Take your scrapbook paper and start ripping. Again, keep the scissors in the drawer. Tear the paper into random, jagged shapes and put the ripped paper on the mod lodge. Smooth it out slightly, but honestly, a few wrinkles and bubbles just add to the vintage, worn-in look we are going for. BONUS: I didn’t want to see on all the ripped pieces on the back of the bookmark, so I added a layer of Mod Lodge & then added a piece of scrapbook paper right on top. Let this dry for a few minutes while you prep the rest. Don’t overthink it. Overthinking is the enemy of the junk aesthetic.
Step 3: Fray the Fabrics Take your leopard, checkered, and camo fabrics. Either cut or rip them into strips, maybe an inch wide and a few inches long. I ripped I them. Personally.. we want loose threads and texture. It should look like it survived a mosh pit at a Blink-182 concert.
Step 4: Bead It Up While your bookmark base is drying, grab your fishing line(I feel like it’s the most durable). Cut a piece about twice as long as you think you need…it’s always better to have too much slack than too little when tying knots. Start threading your beads. I used the letter beads to spell out my book club name, “Festively Booked,” surrounded by hot pink pom-poms, smiley faces, and checkered beads to tie back into the fabric. Tie the ends off securely with triple knots. (You can find beads anywhere, the hob lob has alot of good ones)
Step 5: Layer the Junk Add a large jump ring in the hole of the bookmark, and start to tie on the fabric and the beads. Overlap them. Let them hang slightly off the edges. There is no right or wrong way to do this.
And boom. You are done. You have successfully created a junk bookmark.
What Are We Reading With These Bookmarks?
Now that you have the coolest bookmark on the planet, you need an equally amazing book to put it in. If you are sitting there thinking, “Okay, but what do I read next?” do not panic. I have you covered.
Get Your Life Organized: The 2026 Reading Log
First things first, if you are a voracious reader like me, you need a way to track the damage you are doing to your TBR (To Be Read) pile. If you haven’t grabbed it yet, you absolutely need to check out my printable reading log. Get the 2026 Vintage Library Card Reading Log Bookmark Here It is designed to look like an old-school vintage library checkout card, and it perfectly complements the whole junk bookmark aesthetic. You can log your titles, your star ratings, and keep track of everything you conquer this year. It’s functional, it’s cute, and it fits right inside your current read alongside your new chunky beaded masterpiece.
Join the Club: Festively Booked
If you are obsessed with romance novels—and I mean obsessed—you need to come hang out with us. Join me at Festively Booked on Facebook and it is basically my favorite place on the internet. We read, we rant, we swoon, and we discuss everything from the perfect second-chance romance to the cozy, found-family tropes that make us cry.
Whether you are into small-town romances where everyone knows everyone’s business, or grumpy-meets-sunshine dynamics that give you butterflies, we read a little bit of everything. It’s a completely judgment-free zone where we can all safely admit that we have entirely unrealistic expectations for romance thanks to fictional characters. Join the Festively Booked Book Club Group Here Come introduce yourself, tell us what you are currently reading, and show off your new junk bookmark!
Let’s Stay Connected!
If you made it all the way to the end of this incredibly long, incredibly unhinged craft rant, I love you. You are my people.
Please, please, please: if you make your own DIY junk bookmarks, you have to show me. I want to see the chaotic fabric choices, nostalgic beads and how thick and chunky you made the tassels. Tag me in your photos, send me DMs, and let me validate your maximalist crafting choices!
To make sure you never miss a chaotic DIY project, a book club announcement, or updates on my romance series, make sure you are following me everywhere on the internet. Let’s be besties across all the platforms.
- Follow the chaos on TikTok – For behind-the-scenes crafting, book hauls, and my daily rants.
- Hang out with me on Instagram – For aesthetic grid photos of books, my home decor, and stories of me burning my fingers on hot glue. THE STORIES ARE PURE CHAOS!
- Link: Like my Facebook Page – Because sometimes we just need a good old-fashioned community thread to discuss our favorite fictional men.
- Link: Pin with me on Pinterest– For mood boards, DIY inspiration, and other maximalist craft ideas.
Until next time, keep reading, stop using boring bookmarks, and remember: if your craft project doesn’t look a little bit like a 90s explosion, add more beads.
xoxo
Ashton Sedita
