Blinged-Out Nursing Bracelets

Not a whole lot of time for crafting here. Actually there's not a whole lot of time for brushing teeth, showering, finding matching shoes...crafting has sadly fallen off the deep end of the priority pool. But, with that said I was able to squeeze in a quickie the other day...it's the epitome of easy.When I used to sell my jewelry I called these bracelets "Everyday Bling", they're Swarovski crystal, super sparkly, but casual enough to layer on & wear with a tank & jeans. Their purpose today however is to be my 'nursing reminder bracelet'. I needed something cute but stretchy so it'd be easy to slip back & forth all day (and night) long. I can barely remember where the bathroom is located these days so trying to keep track of which side I nursed on last is actually kind of tough. With these I just slip the bracelet back & forth whenever I feed the baby, then the next feeding I know which side is up.

For the bracelets you'll need:-stretchy elastic beading string
-swarovski crystals (I used 4mm bicones but you can use whatever beads you'd like, a small/med size bracelet took 44 beads)
-super glue

**A quick note on how where to buy crystals. My favorite site is fusionbeads.com, I've been using them for years because they have a great selection, free shipping with no minimum purchase & some of the best prices. If you don't have time to order online then you can grab a couple packs at your local craft store. Just be warned they yank the prices up, makes me so mad.

Start off by cutting a piece of elastic string that's about 10" long. Next string a "stop bead" at the bottom so the crystals won't go sliding off while you're beading. To do this pull the bead to about 2" from the end of the string, then put the string back through the bead again. What you'll have is a non-permanent way of holding a bead in place. Hmm, a picture might be easier to understand for this...Next just string on as many beads as you'd like until you get your desired length. To seal the deal I triple knotted the two ends together pulling each knot really tightly. My favorite trick for making the knot on jewelry string permanent (and hidden) is to put a small amount of super glue on the knot & then slip a bead right over it. This way it's held tightly but also hidden inside a bead. That's it! I know, I can hardly get away with even calling it a project it's so easy...To get Samster involved I let her string some big plastic beads for her own necklace & bracelet then I sealed them up the same way.Lucy was kind enough to babysit Sophie so we could get this little project done...Speaking of the newest member of our family she's still a very very good baby. Although I gotta say, life is much harder than I had anticipated...after nighttime feedings having to get two kids out of bed, fed, dressed & try to brush my own teeth in the process...it's really really tough. It's times like these that I get bummed out about not living near family. We're managing but it's definitely going to take some time to relearn what "normal" is for our little family. More pictures of our zoo to come...right now I'm being beckoned by a 2 week old.