I can't remember the first time I saw someone wearing a bracelet made out of a parachute cord (paracord), but I thought the design was rather rough and pretty at the same time. I'm pretty sure it was a camo design, something rugged and manly probably. I know that a lot of survivor-type people like to camp, hike, skydive, fish, and such; paracord bracelets can offer about 10-12 feet of useful 550-pound tested cord in case of an emergency. Some of these bracelets have things like compasses, whistles, watches, and even a little fire starter reflective blade; quite fancy.
Over the course of time, as it usually does, the fad became interesting to more than just the camping types. Girls got involved and when girls get involved what was once a manly sort of thing will inevitably become a now girly-girl sort of thing. The pattern may still be camo, but it's now pink camo, baby blue camo, yellow camo, and other pastels. Then, of course, the athletes were thinking they too could do something cool with these types of bracelets and cords. Colors such as one's school colors or battle colors became the main motif! I can't say I'm shocked. I rather liked the ones I saw with little OU charms (Oklahoma University) and the really cute bracelets with birthstones were adorable. It was probably about then that I thought I should probably buy one, but I never did. I don't know why.
A few days ago, I decided I would not only get one, but I would get a kit to make a few, and then when I got really good at it, I could make them for everyone I know! That's the reality of it folks, I do that. I make cookies for myself, then the neighbors next, the families of the neighbors, or the friends of the family of the neighbors. Just about anyone who comes by and grabs a few; I'm good. So now, it's paracords! That's right, I'm going to make about 5000 of them until the urge to make another one finally leaves me. It may not actually be 5000, I could do more, I could do less, but I do think I can make a lot of people happy.
One thing I can do, and I am doing, is making them for a charity and donating them so that they can sell them at their thrift store. That way I can serve, they can get donations, and people can have really cute paracords! The charity is called Bethany Christian Trust. It's in Edinburgh, Scotland. Their main colors are purple and white, so I'm making purple bracelets, purple and white bracelets, and I'll throw in a few red-white-blue striped as well, and maybe a few odd this and that so they can have something for everyone. It's a good plan! I'd rather do something like that than just donate the money. Money is boring. I know we use it, but it's really boring. Bracelets are cute, everyone can wear them!
Why I never thought about making these things in the past, I don't know. They are soooooo easy to make and cost just at or under $1 to make one that fits the average wrist. It may be slightly more for larger wrists. I'm making them all to fit the average woman and average man. I can't customize things at this point. I'm not doing this for a living. If I were doing it for a living I would have to find a better way than to twist them all myself. I mean, I think I could do 6-8 an hour if I just relaxed and took my time. I could sell them for $15 each if I could find buyers. It's not a bad thing really, but again, it's a fading fad perhaps. It may not be a fading fad in the UK! That may be an option! Hmmmmm now, she's thinking.
Anyway, it's fun and it's going to be fun. I think I need things to keep my mind occupied. I have the books and I have the Forex. I like keeping the brain cells popping at a faster rate when I can. It may mean the difference between remembering my kids' names later or making sure I have enough chocolate to pour into my coffee when I get to the point that I could care less who sees me do that.
Hey, if you're finding yourself at a crossroads where you just can't find a way out of your depression, sadness or whatever, think about making a craft for a charity. You can serve, they can benefit, and your crafts will make others happy too. You're probably more talented than you think you are, and if you don't think you can do much more than tie knots, well, think about making paracords for classes, friends, church people, anyone who may think they may like them. It's fun, it keeps your brain entertained, and if you mess up you can always undo it and start over. I don't know how many times I had to rethread the strings when I realized I had the 2nd half of the clasp going the wrong way. I didn't redo the one I made myself. I had already cut the strings and burned them before I found the mistake; oh well! Life!
If we can't have a bit of mess in our lives who are we anyway?
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