DIY Ribbon Statement Necklace

This post includes a DIY ribbon bib statement necklace and a rant about the fun of shopping for handcrafting supplies in La Ceiba. I know, I know…there’s plenty of DIY statement necklaces on the www already, but this one’s pretty cool. Trust me.

Here’s the thing, there’s only ONE major supply store in La Ceiba, so when shopping it must be done expectation-free. What to do:

You make a TO BUY list to bring with you, knowing half the things you’re looking for might not even be there. In a way it’s good because it forces you to be creative. Once you’re there, you take a number. Stand behind the counter. AS MUCH AS YOU WANT TO JUMP OVER THE COUNTER DON’T DO IT. Browse quickly. Don’t make people wait! The ladies who will attend you are really nice, but it’s always crowded in there.

To-buy lists aren’t effective for me, though. I always end up buying random things because they stock up on really cool weird thingies (stored in food containers). If I’m lucky enough to catch them with my eye, THEY’RE MINE.

Draw the shape of your necklace on paper to use as the pattern. Place it over felt and cut two pieces. Buy ribbon and buttons or steal them from grandma’s clothing. I did a square shape with my ribbon, to fit my pattern, by flipping triangle shapes until it was formed into a square shape…I have NO idea how to explain this properly. Pardon me.

The rest is mad easy, I just hand-sewed a bead to the center of my ribbon square on top of the sheer ribbon strips and then on to one of the felt pieces.After that, I glued the other felt piece to the first one right after I had added the long ribbon that would be tied around the neck.

To finish it, I carefully zig-zagged them together with my sewing machine so I wouldn’t catch the ribbon, and it was dunzo. Ohhh, and don’t forget to slightly burn the ribbon edges before you assemble the necklace so they won’t fray .

My sis is keeping this necklace, she looks smokin’ with it…and she knows it! That worries me sometimes.

 As for my personal style, dark and gloomy days it has been. I’ve been going to a school where I have to wear jeans and flats and it’s poopy. On weekends I RUN back to my skirts…I literally run.

I haven’t even been able to do any thrift shopping lately, either. I did get these glittery gold á la Dorothy shoes for like 50 lempiras (less than 3 dollars) a loong time ago when shopping with Lutfi.

By the way, I went to the Fashion Week Honduras event last weekend and had a pretty good time, but I’m still debating if I should post about it or not. For now, I leave you with a Fall inspiration picture I took in front of grandma’s house…the sir was quite the gentleman. Hooray for tiny flower prints, earth tones and plaid, flat caps!