With a family of Swifties, it was only a matter of time before a Taylor Swift themed birthday party was requested… and it has arrived! As a listener since a teen (I was born in 1990, Taylor in 1989) it felt like growing up with her, so it feels especially sentimental to be now making Taylor themed crafts with my kids!
I looked on line and saw some beautiful ideas, but alot of them used balloons. That’s fine, except balloons pop and can be hard to work with. Plus my girls wanted to keep it as room decor after!
I also wanted to make this pretty budget friendly – after all, it’s a crazy economy right now! This whole project cost around $4, so it’s really doable for most people! ^_^
How to DIY This Pool Noodle Friendship Bracelet
DIY Giant Friendship Bracelet
Make a budget friendly but CUTE giant friendship bracelet for your next Taylor Swift themed birthday or get together!
Materials
- 2 Pool Noodles - I used the skinnier version, and was able to make these two bracelets and still have half of each noodle left over
- Packing Foam Sheets - For the letter Beads (enough for how many letters you want)
- String
- Optional - Shimmery garland
Tools
- Scissors/knife - Cutting and shaping pool noodle "beads". This is way easier if you happen to have a sharp knife vs using sciccors.
- Printer - You can hand letter it, but to me it looks more finished and in the style of an actual letter bead to have it printed
- Glue - For gluing on the letter face to the letter beads
Instructions
- Mark and Cut the Noodles - I made each noodle "bead" about 1 1/2" wide. Of course, if you want chunkier beads cut it chunkier! Use a template bead to mark out atleast half a noodles worth of beads.
- Mark and Cut Letter Beads - I actually recycled some packing foam sheets I had laying around, as they feel super similar to the pool noodle material. I traced the bottom of a cup onto the foam sheet that was slightly bigger than the pool noodle (when laying flat) so that it all looks proportional.
- Shape the Pool Noodle "Beads" - Believe it or not, this is the big thing that really takes it from just cut up pool noodles (Which was my first plan till I saw how it looked in my pictures! LOL) to beads. Your goal is to cut all the sharp angles and edges off of each pool noodle bead so that it looks more like a normal pony bead with rounded edges.
- Create the Lettering + Glue it On - I created white circles (that were the same size as the cup I used for the letter beads) outlined with black and typed in the letters (In Canva, the font is Lilita One and it's size 185) I needed. I'll supply my sheets I used (which also include some numbers and common Swifty abbreviations) but you may end up needing to make your own in Google Docs/Canva etc.
- Poke Holes Through the Letter Beads - Depending on what you ended up using, this may not apply. Personally, I poked a hole through the middle of the letter bead with a knife.
- String the Giant Bracelet + Bedazzle - Now just string it all on and add any extra decor you have! I had saved some very "Lover/Bedazzled" vibe door decor from Mother's Day and just knew why I had saved it the whole time... for the flair on this project! In fact, I'd add even more next time.
- Hang It Up! - If possible, add enough bedazzle streamers to cover your tape.
I Hope You Enjoy Your GIANT Friendship Bracelet!
My work is mostly fun, but I will say, making stuff for my own kids that they really like makes it WAY more special! I hope this is the perfect piece for your own special Taylor Swift party or event!
Here’s a picture of two of my kids being awesome helpers for this one because they were so excited about it! ^_^
Also, here are some other awesome Taylor Swift themed party ideas
- One Hangry Mama has an awesome list of more Swift themed party resources
- Pretty My Party has some really cute Taylor themed printables and even ideas for parties based on different eras!!
