A Crafty Week and My Own Arm Party

arm party

I mentioned last week that I'm unashamedly behind the curve when it comes to trends, and all the DIYs I'm trying out right now are at least a few seasons old (gasp). But according to this website, it's not too late throw your own "arm party." Love or loathe the term, it simply means to wear a lot of small bracelets stacked up together. I find it slightly reminiscent of the teens who collect festival wristbands all summer long, like badges of honour. An arm party looks like this:



And in fact that image comes from Honestly-WTF, where I followed their step-by-step tutorial on making friendship bracelets with embroidery thread. I woke up early on Saturday because Olly left for work before dawn. Unable to fall back asleep, I passed a few hours listening to knitting podcasts and crafting my first freindship bracelet for at least 20 years. It took me right back to the boiling hot summers of my childhood  in the Texas Hill Country at Camp Loma Linda, and my day dreams warmed me up from inside as I sat practically shivering next to the radiator thanks to our lack of summer here in England. 

There are many ways to upgrade a stackable bracelet from average to fabulous, as seen over here on one of my favorite blogs, The Man Repeller. Just the name makes me laugh, and it's a good reminder on how not to dress to attract your partner but to express your own personal style, geeky or unflattering it may be. I added a few brass studs left over from my Free People-esque Shimmer Bag. I already had all of my embroidery thread out, ready to make a wedding present for some friends, which I will reveal in a couple of weeks!