Elastic Jewelry: Beautiful and Easy!

Say goodbye to annoying clasps and say hello to stylish, easy to wear, jewelry made on elastic cord! Besides being so easy to put on when you are running out the door for work or school, here is what else I love about this elastic jewelry:

• Super Easy! Can you tie a knot? Then you can make these.
• Great gifts. I’ve already given a bunch of bracelets to people and they love them.
• Kid friendly. Kids can make, wear, and give them as gifts.
• They look beautiful!! I get lots of complements on them.
• The materials for this project are a good investment. Whether you are adding to your bead box or just starting one, the beads and cord will come in handy again and again.

Materials needed.

1. Elastic cord
2. Beads (size 2/0 and 6/0)
3. Nail polish

I got the stretchy cord from Joann Fabric and Crafts. The cord is also available on their website www.joann.com. I chose the brand Jewelry Fundamentals Chord and More – Thick Elastic Cord in colors Fiesta and Planet Earth (pictured below). I couldn’t find the color Planet Earth on the Joann website but they have another similar neutral color called Romance. If you’re interested in getting the cord online, here’s the link:

http://www.joann.com/search?q=Thick+Elastic+Cord

WARNING! Because the cord is THICK elastic, not all beads will fit on the cord. I’ve used glass e-beads sizes 2/0 and 6/0. The size should be marked near the bar code on the bead container. For example in the picture below, the bead container states that the size is 2/0.

Size 2/0 are the bigger beads and size 6/0 are the smaller beads pictured below. Size 6/0 are the smallest size beads that will fit on the thick elastic cord and can be a tad-bit harder to string.

Size 2/0 can fit two strands of the thick elastic cord.

To keep the cord from fraying at the ends which makes it almost impossible to bead, coat the tips with clear nail polish. You can see the difference.

I like to mix glass beads with metal or wood beads. Adding charms and strategically placing knots is another fun way to mix it up a little. Here are a few of my creations to inspire your own.

If you have questions or additional tips on how to make this project more awesome, please leave a comment! If you’ve made your own elastic jewelry share a picture to keep the inspiration going! Thank you all and enjoy!