bonjour handmade

a few weeks ago, i received a lovely email from anny frechette at bonjour handmade, offering to send me free craft supplies if i wanted to make a diy project with them and then blog about it.  how could i say no? especially when i delved into her gorgeous website and browsed around. i decided to select the stainless steel lobster clasps, thinking i would use them in a decorative manner rather than the function they were intended for. i am still very much on a tassel kick, so the clasps became mini-tassel holders. here is the result. below the photo are step-by-step instructions for the project. enjoy!

supplies:
- 18 stainless steel lobster clasps, 16 mm x 10 mm
- vintage bead necklace
- remnants of embroidery floss
- paper or cardboard scraps
- scissors
- extra tubular beads (optional)
- strong linen cord

fold your piece of paper or cardboard into a small rectangle that is about 1" x 1.75". wrap floss around folded paper lengthwise 30 times and cut through. slip bundle of floss through large opening of clasp, fold over, wrap and tie with contrasting color floss.

make 18 tassels in various colors. cut open vintage necklace to recycle beads and arrange tassels and beads into a new lay-out. i decided to incorporate some gold-colored tubular beads as well to make the necklace even longer. string both tassels and beads in the right order onto a strong linen cord and tie together with a double knot. done! to find our more about bonjour handmade, click here.