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DIY and dip-dyed: Grown-up friendship bracelets you can gift to all your pals

Ombré updates this fave from our youth to a trendy accessory worth sharing.

Ombré updates this fave from our youth to a trendy accessory worth sharing.

These fun, colourful accessories aren't just an excuse to brush up on those braiding skills you honed at summer camp, but they do deliver nostalgia every step of the way. Woven and dip-dyed to get that ombré look, the versatile bands make an on-trend addition to virtually any outfit. They're quick and easy to create too, so you can definitely DIY a couple extra to gift to your pals as a modern, grown up take on the friendship bracelet.  

Here's what you need:

  • Cotton rope
  • Small milk-style jar
  • Scissors 
  • Dyes in colours of choice
  • Pliers
  • Gold leaf paint
  • Paintbrush

Here's how to do it:

Wrap your rope around a jar – choose a jar whose diameter is approximately how wide you want your bracelet to be. Cross the rope over itself to create an 'X'. Use the loose end of the rope to braid it around the bottle – it might seem odd, but just braid it as you normally would. Continue until you've fully braided around the jar.

Remove the bracelet from the jar. Weave the "tail" of the bracelet in, to keep it in place – braid it in alongside the original braid, continuing until the ends meet. Knot both ends, the tail and the original, inside the bracelet. Snip off any remaining rope.

Dyeing time! Lay your bracelet halfway horizontally in the dye (hold it using some pliers, you don't want to dye your fingers!). If you're making multiple ones, switch it up by dipping both ends halfway for a gradient across the middle. Lay them out to dry on a towel or some paper.

Once dry, embellish them with some gold leaf paint, for that little extra punch of color.