Oh me, oh my. Where did the month of May go? Somehow, despite the fact that life in quarantine has slowed our family’s social life to a halt, time  still seems to be running at a sprint!  I’ve found myself with plenty of “at-home”  activities keeping me busy–things like sewing face masks or teaching grammar to my daughter, while still trying to keep up with the usual household chores and working from home.

But it hasn’t been all work and worry: there have been lots of little blessings filling these “stay-at-home” days.  Baking with my daughter. Lunchtime conversations with my son. And Spring showed up on our doorstep too–beckoning me to take extra bike rides with the family and fill the flowerbeds with some happy-go-lucky blooms.

And of course, I’ve filled some of the “extra” quarantine time with a craft project or two!  Before everything got shut down, one of my last excursions to a store took me to Hobby Lobby, where my daughter and I decided to try our hand at making some beaded bracelets.  We picked up some pretty turquoise and coral beads, and decided to grab some matching thread so we could attempt making little tassels to add as charms.

The bag of supplies sat forgotten in the corner for a while, while we all adjusted to the new normal of schooling and working from home.  But a couple weeks ago, we finally pulled out the craft stash and crafted these adorable tassel bracelets.  

Spoiler alert:  Both Annie and I had some issues keeping the beads on our string.  We took turns laughing hysterically when our beads fell off and skittered around the kitchen floor, while we hustled around trying to grab them before rolling under the appliances. So yeah. Tassel bracelet tip #1:  Work your bracelets over a container.  Unless you need to burn a few extra calories chasing beads across the floor.

Once we figured out the bead dancing hazard and started assembling our bracelets in a large tupperware to trap errant beads, these DIY tassel bracelets came together so quickly and easily!  It was the perfect mother-daughter craft to share, and now we have some cute new accessories to add to our spring wardrobe!

Who says you can’t still have a little fashion fun when all the retail stores are closed?

If you’ve got a little extra time to fill at home these days, give these tassel bracelets a try for yourself.  You can grab supplies online if you need to.  And I’ve included simple step-by-step instructions below.  You might just want to make a few extra to have on hand–these would make a sweet little homemade gift to share for a friend’s birthday or teacher/volunteer appreciation.

Happy crafting friends!

Tassel Bracelet Supplies:

• Beads – (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby, but there are some pretty options available online here or here)
• Stretch Magic Cord – available here
• Embroidery floss – like this (but can usually be purchased individually in craft stores)
• jump rings (I used oval size similar to this)
• super glue (this is my favorite because you can easily squeeze just the right amount)
• scissors
• piece of cardboard or card stock

Tassel Bracelet Tutorial:

How to Make the Tassel

Step 1: Wrap your embroidery floss around a piece of cardstock or cardboard that has been cut to a width approx. 3 times longer than your desired tassel length.  (Ex. We wanted our tassels to be about 1″, so we cut our cardstock about 3″)   Also cut a small length of floss about 5-6″ long.

Step 2:  Carefully pull the looped floss off your cardstock and set it on top of the short length of embroidery floss. Add a jump ring to the length of floss, and then tie a knot to secure.   (Note: you won’t see the jump ring in most of the pictures below because I actually forgot to do this for the tassel when I was taking pictures!  But I did take one extra pic below to show you how you’d add it at this point.)

Step 3: Cut through the loops on either end of the tassel. Now you can fold both ends of the tassel down in the same direction as you move to the next step.  (Your ends may be a little uneven at this point, but wait to do any trimming until after step 4 because things can shift around a little yet.) 

Step 4: Cut a length of embroidery floss 18-20″ long. Separate a single thread from the strand of floss. Now take that strand and fold it in half, creating a loop on one end, and set this piece under your tassel, near the top.

Step 5: Pull the “tail” of your thread through the loop and tighten around the tassel. Now loop the thread around your tassel several times.  (I think I probably wound mine around eight times or so.)  Leave your last loop a little loose and then pull the thread around and through the loop to secure a knot.  (I actually did this twice to make it extra secure.)

How to Make the Bracelet

Step 1:  Cut a piece of stretch magic cord that’s a little longer than the length around your wrist.  (Add about 3-4″ to make knotting easier at the end.)   Pre-stretch the cord a little by pulling on the ends.Start stringing your beads onto the cord.

Step 2:  At the halfway point, add your tassel by threading the jump ring over your stretch cord.  Then string on the rest of your beads.

Step 3:  Tie a double or triple knot with the ends of the magic cord, trying to make your knot as close to the beads as possible.  Then secure the knot by using a few drops of superglue.  

And that’s it:  Now you have a sweet little tassel bracelet that you can wear or share!  I hope you enjoyed bringing a little color to your world through this project, friends!