Picture it. You're at a friend's house and your phone is about to die. Oops! There it goes. This is a really big problem because you're getting ready to go out and your friend has accidentally used black eyeliner as lip liner.
She's unaware of her faux gah! and you need to quickly get a picture of her before she realizes what she'd done so you can post it to your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr accounts.
I forgot to mention she's that friend you don't really like at all because she's always criticizing you but you've been friends for so long blah, blah, blah. Plus she told you you'd never fit into her jeans once when you asked to borrow them 27 years ago.
So as you can see, having a dying phone can cause some real moments of distress in life.
If everyone had the same phone that used the same charger it wouldn't be as big a problem, but that's not the case. So what's a girl to do?
Make a cute little tassel to hang off her purse or use as a keychain to disguise her phone charger so she'll always have it handy. Yup.
It's SO easy.
Materials
Rubber Cement or other Leather Glue that's bendable once glued.
Lanyard (you only need this for the swivel head and clip)
Scissors
Leather
Short charger cord
In this case, it's I've made the tassel for my Fitbit charging cord.
Steps
- Remove the swivel head from the lanyard and hook it around the cord. You might have to pry the O ring open to remove it and put it on the cord.
2. Cut your leather into strips that are a bit longer than the length of your charger cord when it's bent in half.
3. Place your newly cut fringe down and lay the charger cord on top of it so the leather covers the cord.
4. Start wrapping the fringe around the cord. Dab bits of glue along the way as you wrap.
You're almost done already. Seriously.
5. Take another strip of leather and cut it to the width of the unfringed top of your tassle. Make sure it's a little longer than it needs to be.
6. Glue the strip around the top of the tassel to finish it off. Cut the excess off once you're glued it all on making sure you don't overlap. Try to get the ends to butt up to each other exactly.
7. Admire.
Now you can do whatever you want to with it.
Turn it into a keychain ...
Make one to match your purse to hang off of it ...
By the way ... that lipliner story? It's based on a true story. My sister, Pink Tool Belt, always wears lipstick. Always. And lipliner. She's so adept at it that she can just reach into her purse, grab her lipliner and apply it perfectly without a mirror. Which she did several years ago while walking through a very busy grocery store, sashaying up and down the aisles with hot pink lipstick lined in a very adventurous black.
There was no Twitter at the time.
Ev Wilcox
I need to do something like this. When at my daughter's to babysit my granddaughters I have to remember to take my charger 'cause hers do not fit. Great idea! Oh, and BTW-I immediately ordered the flatware holder from Amazon. Love the rustic look-hope you got credit for the sale!
Karen
Thanks Ev! And yes, as long as you clicked to it initially from my site I'll be given credit for it. :) ~ karen!
NinaMargoJune
My version of the lip liner story is brushing my teeth with Vagisil...
Karen
LOLOLOLOL!!! Omg. I have a similar ridiculous story. I guess we should all revisit this in a post soon. I'll get to work on it. :) ~ karen!
NinaMargoJune
At least I didn't mistake the toothpaste for Vagisil...
Penny
Tingly fresh!! Oooww. Nobody needs a minty minge.
amy watson
That would be an awesome post and we ALL have done something.......l would imagine that posts comments will be awesome, and funny :)
Penny
I've used hairspray instead of anti-perspirant once, and saw my mum use ant-killer to clean the oven . . .
Karen
LOL. The hairspray I can understand but the ant killer??? ~ karen!
Irene
Oh dear. Those stories. I once spread Clearasil pimple cream on my toothbrush instead of toothpaste from my small travel tube early one morning at school camp, and would no doubt have shoved it blearily into my mouth too if all the mean girls hadn't packed up laughing and mocking.
Another one:
When I was 11, one other girl and I were the first to start getting boobies, and hence had the first bras. The bras were identical, except that mine was little fatty size and hers was very tall, narrow and skinny size. The bitches swapped them in the pool change rooms.
I picked "mine" up and was looking at it thinking that something was wrong, my first clue being the raucous laughter filling the room, while the poor beanpole girl, who was sadly also very, er, slow, was putting "hers" on over na dover and battling to make it work for her. The popular girls are not kind to misfits. School sucks. :-)
Jamie
Years ago I applied lip liner while in a dark movie theatre only to realize, once out in the light of day, that I had used my blue eyeliner.
Maria
Jamie, thanks for the BEST laugh I'll have all week! I'm still laughing!
Mary W
I noticed something about your DIY instructions that you do - SO WELL. It takes a lot of time to accurately explain how to do something. Seems so easy and simple but I'm sure it takes several tries at wording to make it simple and clear. Your sentence ---"cut it to the width of the unfringed top of the tassel" --- probably was one of those sentences. Seems easy when YOU say it, but when we read it that could have been very confusing. Thank you for clearly "splaining it Lucy". She was an amazing comedian just as you are a blogger!
Karen
That's funny Mary W because half the time I read my sentences and think ... they're never going to understand this. In fact I thought it about the sentence you're referring to, lol. And yes, you're right. It's really hard to describe easy tasks for some reason. In person it's easy, but through just words it gets WAY harder. ~ karen!
Chandy
Yes, I tried to post a recipe the other day and after an hour of rewording I had two pages of instructions and it still didn't seem to make any sense.
Diane R.
I love this idea and I love tassels. BTW....that locktite stuff is amazing. Learned about it when you put a fork back together with it.
Thank so much for all the info. you provide. I also own and love the Rough Linen Pinafore in black.
Have a wonderful day!
Maureen Locke
Love the idea... must do. Now, where's your black fingernails or did you use a hand double?? I miss them :( ;)
Maureen
Hi Karin,
I'm new to your blog...well new to reading any blog for that matter and just wanted to say I actually do think "yippee" when I see you have a new post! Being a fellow creative idiot ( and I mean that in the best possible way?) I appreciate your inventive projects and amusing delivery. Keep them coming!
Karen
Thanks Maureen. I was actually thinking about changing out the "Yippee" soon, so get ready for it! ;) ~ karen!
Mark
Good thing the coffee was still brewing when I read this, or I would have had an unfortunate incident... :)
Kim Totten
Awesome idea Karen and as usual brought to us in the most hilarious way!
Karen
Thx Kim. :) ~ karen!
Rita
I'm full of lip liner envies. I can't even put on lipstick without a mirror let alone lip pencil. The only thing I can put on without looking is earrings...
Grammy
Genius. I'm doing it. And I have a sister like you -- she'd tell the world about something like that if she didn't have photographic or video evidence of it. Someday Karma is going to get both of you.
MissChris SA
Very very clever - but then you are very clever!!
Have been reading your posts whilst on holiday but have not commented - just a quick question on the wax print post - I battle to get my wax paper to not crumple in the printer and have resorted to sticking it to a plain sheet of paper but this obviously makes the removal from the backing paper quite tricky. Do you get different thicknesses of wax paper?
Have a great day.
Karen
No, all wax paper is generally around the same thickness, it's more likely to do with your printer. I sometimes stick my wax paper to regular paper too. I just use a two tiny little bits of clear tape. One at the top of the page and one at the bottom so the wax paper is really easy to remove from it once it's printed on. ~ karen!
Gillian
On a completely different topic....if I click on a link to Amazon on your website and buy ANYTHING you get credit right?
Karen
That's true. As long as you buy it within a week of clicking I think. It depends on what you buy but they give me, I think it's a 4% commission. :) And thanks for asking. ~ karen!
Julie
I feel like i might spend a lot of money and you won't get 4% of it because i have to manually look on Amazon.ca. I feel bad for you!
tracie
That is one of the most useful gifts I will ever see...I have to make my sister one...she is the QUEEN of not charging her phone! Within 15 minutes of coming to my house, she is looking for a charger. Ours do not fit...doing it.
Gillian
You didn't get a picture anyway?!?
Great idea!!
Carla
Seriously, I love this idea!! You have convinced me it's easy. :)
Brandy Ballard
You don't have to buy the whole lanyard, you can get just the clips at most craft places or on ebay for much cheaper :)
Great idea!
Karen
I just wanted to grab everything I could at the dollar store. It ends up being cheaper in the end than venturing into an art or craft store for me. ;) Also, when I make my mind up to do something there's nooooooo convincing me to wait for delivery, lol. ~ karen!
Brandy Ballard
lol, I totally understand not walking into a craft store!!! :) It's a sickness we share
Gillian
And I always seem to accumulate lanyards I don't use, from events etc. will be cutting off the attachment things :-)
Nancy W
That is a cute tassel, with or without the charger hidden inside. Now I'm gonna hafta make some! Good one. Thanks Karen!
whitequeen96
This is BRILLIANT! Once again, you amaze me!
Michelle
Lol! Awesome story. In the eighties I wore black lip liner purple hair and combat boots. Now today that look is considered boring. Bet your sister pulled it off! Especially if she is as trendy and cool as you. Going to make the charger tassel and strap it to my charger losing husband. Thanks for the giggle.