As the weather gets colder, it’s time to toughen up. Make these bad girl accessories yourself to add some kick to your winter wardrobe.

Studded tote

You’ll need:

Canvas tote bag

Nailhead studs (find them at a craft or fabric store)

Pliers

Exacto knife

Lay out your tote. Sketch a design onto one side, marking a dot wherever you want a stud. Remember, the simpler the design and fewer studs you use, the easier it’ll be on your hands! In this example, we’ll use a simple sunburst design.

At every dot you mark, take a stud and poke it through the canvas of the tote. Make sure the stud is facing outward and the pointy prongs go through to the inside of the bag. If you’re having trouble getting the prongs through the fabric, take the Exacto knife and make small slits instead.

Using the pliers, carefully bend the prongs down at a 90 degree angle. They should lie flat against the fabric.

Take it further: You can use this technique to apply studs to almost anything. Try it on a pair of shoes, shirt, or jacket!
Chain necklace

You’ll need:

Old chain necklaces

Large jump rings (find them at any craft store)

Pliers

Optional: charms, pendants, etc.

Find some old chain necklaces, preferably of varying lengths, weights, and designs. Check out thrift/secondhand/consignment stores for a great selection of costume jewelry. If you’re feeling especially daring, check out your local hardware store. You can get various styles of lightweight chains – just ask them to cut you the length you want.

Connect your necklaces. Connect the clasps to one another or links of the other chains. Arrange them however you like!

Take your lengths of hardware store chain and connect them using the jump rings. To open a jump ring, grasp it with your pliers in one hand and hold the other side of the ring with your fingers or another pair of pliers. Pull your hands in opposite directions—the ring should open as shown. Connect the ends of each length or connect the ends to the links of other chains.

If you’re adding pendants or charms, you can string them onto the pre-made chains. Or, you can attach them to the larger chains using jump rings.