Design idea: book thongs

The word “thong” has a funny recent history. When I was a kid in the ’70s, we wore thongs on our feet. Times changed, thongs migrated upwards a bit, and now we wear flip-flops. Or “foot thongs”.

Always on the go, thongs have also moved along to the world of bookmarks. Beautiful book thongs have been a trend lately, but you may have seen something like them before. Think of those fancy ribbons built into old, important books to help readers keep their place.

This trend has a couple of nice side effects:

• Expanding your product line of beaded bookmarks beyond metallic findings.
• Multi-purposing (re-branding) a piece of jewelry that could also function as wrist wear.

The basic component is a length of cording, for example the flat suede lace that Liz at The Crimson Moon uses. Other approaches to book-thong cording include beading (necklace-style) on Beadalon or other stringing material. Finish the suede cord with a leather crimp end; other stringing materials can be finished effectively like a necklace but leaving off the clasp. The important thing is to have loops at the ends, because…

Your creativity really comes out in decorating the ends, attaching a dangle to each. This can be a focal piece like a lampwork art bead, a seed-bead creation, a pendant, a crystal, some charms… It’s a good idea to make the weight on the two ends pretty equal, so the thong doesn’t fly out of the book like Wile E. Coyote on a pulley.

Why not display your book thongs for sale “in action” in an artful stack of books? Or, because the thongs are long, wrap them around a paper card with your business information on it. If you make handcrafted paper products like diaries, or know someone who does, you could offer a package deal with a bookthong.

Have more book thong or bookmark ideas? Share them by leaving a Reply! ☻☺

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