Bounce Goes the Bauble

Top: Kohl's
Skirt: Steve Madden, ROSS Dress for Less
Shoes: Charles Albert, Alloy
Bag: Gap
Tights: Kohl's

I don't know about you, but I still get excited when I see one of those old-school bouncy ball vending machines.  Knowing that just a few coins are all that stand between me and a colorful, rife-with-new-rubber-scent toy adds a special something to my day.  (Plus, bouncy balls are so much more dignified than those plastic domes full of slime.)  Designer Erica Domesek must be of the same mind, because this Big Ball Necklace is the very first project in her tons-of-fun do-it-yourself fashion book, P.S. I Made This. 

Now, you know that I'm not usually a fan of how-to craft books on account of their precise instructions and narrow ideas of how finished projects should look.  But Domesek's book is more of a sounding-off board for inspiration than a get-this-wrong-and-you're-a-hack primer.  The directions for the Big Ball Necklace were so easy that I read them twice just to make sure I wasn't missing something:

1.  Grab a pair of sheer stockings and cut off the legs.  Leave room at both ends (so you can tie your necklace together when it's done).

2.  Knot one leg (leave a little room at the end) and drop in bouncy balls, one at a time, tying knots between them as you go.

3.  Repeat the process with the second stocking leg.  Make sure that one leg has more balls.  This will serve as the bottom strand.

4.  Attach the legs together by knotting them.  P. S.  Get creative by mixing balls of different colors and sizes with a variety of textured stockings and tights.  The possibilities are endless.

The only bit of editorializing I have to add is that you should use the cheapest, sheerest pantyhose possible so the colors of the balls show through.  I began with a relatively pricey pair of Sheer Energy hose and needed to run out for some No Nonsense instead before I got it right.  I found mine at CVS, but you can buy them from any drugstore, or Walmart.  Also, my bouncy balls weren't as bright as I would've liked.  The fluorescent ones featured by Domesek were surprisingly impossible for me to find.  (And as long as I'm being honest, I got mine at A.C. Moore and Target as opposed to from the aforementioned and much-romanticized vending machine.)  Finally, I used too many balls and needed to extend the length of my hose with black tulle to use as ties.  Which begs the question, is this pantyhose and tulle contraption secure? I have no idea. I may very well find myself on a mall escalator in the near future sending balls flying and taking out shoppers.

Okay, so that was more than a bit of editorializing. Still, this project is so simple and fun that you'll (and I apologize in advance, but come on, you had to know it was coming) have a ball.