How to Make Little Girls Stretch Jewelry

I am a mother of five. I have four boys and one little girl. She is my one and only girl so I love to come up with ideas on how to give her all the girly things her heart could desire. As frugal as I am I am always looking for ways to cut corners to save money. At the store you can find little girls stretchy necklace and bracelet sets for twelve dollars or so. At home you can make them for less than a dollar a set.

With that being the case you can make your little girl a dozen necklace and bracelet sets for the cost of one when purchased already made. That's a whole lot more for a whole lot less. Here's how!

The first thing you'll need to do is gather your supplies. You'll need a variety of acrylic beads. These are very cheap. You can buy hundreds of acrylic beads for a dollar. They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Get a variety! You'll also need a needle with a large eye, and elastic thread. This is a stretchy thread that is perfect for making both bracelets and necklaces. It is thin enough to fit through he larger eyed needles, and the holes of beads.

Next what you'll need to do is arrange the beads. Create your pattern. Silver plastic spacer beads add length and an extra touch. Once you've decided how you want your beads to line up then it's time to string them. Cut a piece of the elastic thread to be twelve inches long for the necklace. Make sure the end is not frayed. Place it through the eye of the needle and pull four inches of it down. Let that hang. Tie a large knot at the bottom end of the string. This will hold the beads in place as you string them. With out the knot they will slide right off the other end as fast as they go onto the string.

When the necklace's beads reach up to that four inches of string, gently make it two inches. Fill the extra two inches with beads. Next remove the needle. Hold on to the end tightly and the bring the bottom end of the necklace up to meet it. Stretch it out a little and tie the two ends together in a tight knot. Tie it one more time to ensure the knot will hold and not come undone. Cut the ends of the string down to the knot and let it go. The necklace is done. Now onto the bracelet.

To make a bracelet cut your elastic string to be six inches long. Thread your needle the same but only allow two inches of thread to hang once the needle has been threaded. Make a knot at the end of the string. String your beads on in a pattern that matches the necklace you just made. Once the beads reach the level of the hanging string let one inch out. Fill that inch with beads and proceed to tie it off just as you did the necklace. Trim the ends off and there you go! A necklace and bracelet set for your little girl!

These sets are super strong and so easy to make! At the cost per set you can make her so many. She'll love them as a gift or just because. This is also a fun project for moms to do with daughters. Thanks for reading and take care!