A DIY Braided Dog Collar for Cha Cha

What more could you ask for to get you over the hump of Wednesday than this cute puppy face?! Isn't she adorable? This is Charlie, or Cha Cha as her closest friends like to call her, and she belongs to our resident photographer Katie.  Britt and I decided, a DIY braided dog collar was the perfect ploy to get to spend more time with this adorable ball of furry cuteness and I'm so happy with how it turned out!  You can keep reading for the full tutorial, but first: Anyone out there with kids have dogs? I'm having major puppy fever and wondering if I'm crazy to add a dog to the mix of our almost three year old and a new baby on the way. That would be completely insane, right?!  I've been reading about all of the benefits for kids who grow up with animals in their homes and then Charlie has not been helping matters.  Do let me know the level of my insanity, please... (Don't have a dog? I think this would actually make a super cute anklet in the summer!)

DIY Braided Dog Collar

What You'll Need:

• Flat Suede Cord, at least three pieces that are sized twice as long as you will need to wrap around your pet's neck
• ½" Jingle Bell
• 3 15mm Aluminum Jump Rings
• pliers to manipulate jump rings
• Scissors
• Letter Metal Stamp Set
• 20mm Gold Plated Stainless Steel Round Tag (it's good to get a couple just in case you mess up on the lettering)
• Tape (to secure the tag while stamping)
• Small buckle

Step 1: Measure and cut your cord strands and wrap around one end of the buckle, securing with a jump ring as show above.

Step 2: Secure the metal tag to a hard surface with the tape so that you can use the metal stamper to add the name of your choice.

Step 3: Once the name is complete, add your second jump ring to the tag. The third can be added to the jingle bell. And both can be slipped onto the suede cords before you begin braiding.

Step 4: Braid your cords to your desired length and knot off tightly at the ends, cutting off any excess.

She seems pretty happy with her new accessory, don't you think?!

Photography for DIY Braided Dog Collar by Katie Jameson