5 Simple Steps to Your Own Ribbon Necklace

When it comes to being trendy on a budget, there is nothing better than recycling old pieces for brand new ones. One of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to do this is by turning old, simple jewelry into something you would covet if you saw it in the store. Ribbon necklaces (like those pictured above) are incredibly cute and very versatile but are often unnecessarily expensive – especially considering how easy it is to make your own. With a quick makeover, you can turn an old necklace into a prime example of the phrase “new and improved.”

Making a ribbon necklace is so easy – the whole process takes under ten minutes! So, if you’re looking to end the day with a new favorite piece of jewelry, here’s what you will need:

• Ribbon: It can be any color or width. I went with a thin gray because it was readily available, but anything will work.
• A beaded necklace: This is where the old necklace of yours comes in. (I didn’t have an old one, so I picked one up at a local store for $5.) It works best when the necklace is a single strand and uniform all the way around.
• Pendants, pins, jewels or other embellishments: I bought a cute pin, found three pieces from an old necklace of mine that broke, and tied a bow out of leftover ribbon to give me options.
• A few minutes of your time

1. Take the beaded necklace and fold it in half, as pictured below. (Note that the clasp is on one end of the folded necklace.)

1. Tie a piece of ribbon, approximately 8” long, to each end of the new, folded beaded necklace (one ribbon should be tied to the clasp if there is one). Don’t worry about the knot, because it will eventually be covered up.

1. Add your embellishments to the area where the ribbon meets the beaded necklace, both to cover up the knot and to add a little sparkle. Mine had hooks so it was easy to slide them on, but other options include pinning them on with a safety pin or tying them on with leftover ribbon or some gardening wire. Depending on the kind of jewel you have and how strong the ribbon is, hot glue and super glue are also options.

1. If you’d like, you can attach additional pins or embellishments toward the bottom of the necklace, pinning the two strands of beads together (see below for some examples).

1. Finish up the necklace by cutting any loose strings and tying the ribbon around your neck!

There are so many ways to be creative with making this necklace, adding jewels in different places and adding embellishments here and there. Below are a few of the options I explored to give you some ideas!

Hopefully this short tutorial has inspired and motivated you to make your own necklace! Once you get this around your neck, it will look as if it was purchased from your favorite boutique!