How to Tie On Your Own Friendship Bracelets

I've given many friendship bracelets away as presents (before I needed them to sell for my Etsy shop), and most of my friends immediately turned to someone else to help them put it on.  It is a little difficult to tie them on by yourself, but hopefully this post will help.

Single Loop

For a friendship bracelet with just one loop at the top, you start by putting one of the braided ends through the loop.  

Hold onto that end as you slip the bracelet onto your wrist. If the bracelet is the proper size, this shouldn't be difficult. Once the bracelet is on your wrist, pull on the end to adjust it to the size you would like it to be.

Now all that's left is to tie the bracelet. Take the end that is through the loop and hold it in the palm of the hand the bracelet is on with your fingers.

Then use your free hand to tie a double knot around the end that you are holding (not too tight, or the bracelet will be difficult to take off). Then you're done!

Double Loop

Some friendship bracelets start out as two bracelets, so they have more than one loop. Putting these on is almost the same as tying on a bracelet with one loop, with a few minor differences. First, put one braided end through each loop at the top.

Hold onto the ends while you slip the bracelet onto your wrist, and pull to adjust it to the proper size.

Hold one of the braided ends in the palm of the hand that the bracelet is on.

Then use your free hand to tie the a single knot around the end that you are holding with your fingers. And that's it!

It may seem difficult at first, but after a while it'll be easy to tie on your own friendship bracelets. Hope this helps! Both bracelets used in this tutorial can be found in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/schmidtybracelets. Feel free to check it out, and I'll be posting again tomorrow!

Fantastic Friday?

I know I said I'm not big on the cute alliterative names, but it is kind of fun to see if I can come up with alliteration for all my post names :) Anyway, I'm not planning on posting a lot on Fridays since it's kind of a busy day for me, so I'll keep it short and sweet.

Two good things happened this week: I started/finished a custom order (my favorite), and one of my crocheted items made it into a treasury on Etsy!

I was really happy with how the custom order turned out, and I think I'm going to start selling these in my shop at some point.

Sideways Heart Friendship Bracelet

I'm also really excited about the treasury. I was featured in my first treasury not long ago, and while I don't completely understand the concept, it was cool to think that someone had selected my item over all of the other ones on Etsy. Both treasuries are great and have some really cool stuff in them (and I'm not just saying that because my items are in there). Although I do love these Starfish coasters :)

My goal is to post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Tuesdays, so I should have something new on here on Monday! Feel free to leave a comment, and check out SchmidtyBracelets on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest in the meantime! 

My First Blog

Technically, the title of this post is misleading, as I had a xanga in middle school (I don't know if that's still a thing, but I think it counts), but when I say "My First Blog," I mean "My First Blog about Etsy and Business and Knitting and Crocheting and Making Jewelry." But that's a bit of a mouthful.

Me

So to start, I want to introduce myself and my Etsy business: My name is Rachel Schmidt, and I am the owner of SchmidtyBracelets, an Etsy shop originally devoted entirely to my friendship bracelet hobby. I am currently trying to turn my hobby into a real live business.  From what I've read, it seems like a lot of work, but I like it so far.  The hardest thing for me is branding.  I like making so many different things (knitting, crocheting, making jewelry, etc.), and I can't understand why people wouldn't like a shop just because it sells all different kinds of products.  JC Penney sells shoes, clothes, appliances, and other random stuff and they seem to do okay. So for now I'm just listing everything and hoping somebody likes it. I've always kind of had an "Hakuna Matata" mentality, so this strategy works for me.

Blogging was probably the thing I was most hesitant about when it came to my Etsy business. For such a young person, I have a senior citizen's fear of social media. But the more I looked into it, the more excited I became. I just started and I already have a set schedule in mind for posting, and a ton of ideas for future posts. I don't really have the attention span for Wordless Wednesday, Friday Finds or other catchy, alliterative, themed posts, but I like the sound of Tutorial Tuesday, so that'll probably happen every now and then. I also hope to gain enough readers that I can get feedback on some of the things that I sell, and eventually do a giveaway or two! 

And unfortunately, I do run a business, so I will have to sell myself a little every now and then as well: 

Diagonal Lines Friendship Bracelet

Diamond Triangle Holiday Friendship Bracelet

I'll probably be blogging about my other hobbies and interests now and then, too. Reading, volleyball, movies, volleyball, music.. and did I mention volleyball? All of those things will probably find their way into this blog occasionally. I'll try to find a way to tie them in so that they make sense, but as I've mentioned already, I'm all about the randomness. 

Please feel free to comment, I need all the feedback I can get! If you made it all the way through, thanks for reading, and I'll be posting again on Friday!