DIY // Summer-inspired Ombre Friendship Bracelet

Oh, summer... what's not to love about it? It's the season for beach trips and barbecues - pretty much anything that doesn't involve being inside (though as a science student, that can be rather unrealistic!). While it's winter in Australia right now, summer is never too far away for us. Sometimes you'll see people in t-shirts on a nice day because the midday sun gets that hot. It's kinda awesome living here!

One thing I'll always associate with summer is friendship bracelets. Some of my best memories were of my friends and I spending our lunchtimes in a nice shady corner and making these things, then swapping them so we could show our friendship. How simple life was back then!

Today, I'll show you how to make a bracelet you can wear all summer (and winter) long!

What you'll need:

• Embroidery floss or needle thread (at least 5 colours)
• Seed beads (I used white)
• A button or large bead
• Scissors
• Tape

1. Measure out your thread. I used a length about the same as my outstretched arms (stretched all the way) and did it 4 times, so the thread was 4 lines thick. Remember, it needs to be thin enough to fit your beads! Line them up in the order you want and find the centre, then place some tape just above.

2. Do a short braid about 1.5 cm long, or long enough to fit around your button/bead comfortably, and tie a knot.

3. Tape down the loop and separate the colours. The colour you want to start with should be at the end. I wanted an ombre effect, so the colours get lighter as they get to the middle.

4. Now comes the fun part! Start knotting (if you don't know how to, you can follow this awesome tutorial here), and stop after you finish 2 rows. At the beginning of the 3rd row, slide on a seed bead on either side.

4. Continue knotting. At every second row, slide on another pair of seed beads before you start. You should get something like this.

5. For the clasp, pull the thread through your button or bead. A neat trick I always use is a bit of wire folded in half to help me pull it through. It's a life-saver!

Tie a knot and you're done! Now go out and wear it with style! I have to admit, I absolutely love the way the beads look with the chevron pattern.

What do you think of the DIY? Let me know in the comments below!