DIY Teacher Lanyards and ID Badge Holders African Inspired

DIY TEACHER LANYARDS

Teacher Kate with her Teacher Kate Lanyard

Want to add some fashion and fun to your basic working look? This blog will include the 

instructions and inspiration to help you start to make lanyards to hold your ID badge and or 

keys at work. Once you get used to having your keys hanging around your neck on a pretty 

lanyard, you may find this is something you can't live without even on the weekend. 


GETTING STARTED

Look at samples on this blog and on other blogs and on Etsy to determine what look you 

like.

When I used to make these for teachers in my building, I would start off by showing them 

samples and saying: "What speaks to you?"


The Natural Look- also called "earth tones".


Many of the lanyards Kate started making included beads she bought in Costa Rica or 

Africa.

She had seeds and beads that were all natural materials including paper, glass and semi-

precious gemstones. 


The necklace part of the lanyards usually included all black 6/0 seed beads, gold seed,

copper or bronze  beads or an assortment she made when she had too many beads on the 

table and she just mixed them together. 

This is a picture of Teacher Kate when she was beading in Botswana. 

This is a sample of mixing a mish mash of brown, black, gold, white and bronze seed beads when the table gets messy. 

Sample natural colors with large black end bead- random accent beads including two amber glass beads and black 8 MM round- gold spacers

Sample natural colors with large brown end bead and owl charm- random 6 mm gemstones

Sample natural colors with copper seed beads and paper accent bead with the word "Joy"- two really cheap fake wood beads from JoAnne's

Bronze seed beads with natural colored large wood end bead and two large red colored seeds from Africa. 

 This is a sample with bronze seed beads, two fake Pandora Beads with inexpensive wood saucers as spacers and really cheap fake wood beads from an inexpensive bag at JoAnne Fabrics. 

This is a sample with black seed beads, some really nice ostrich shell spacers and some very rare African Trade Beads mixed with some seeds Kate bought in Africa. 

This is a small sample of the lanyards that I consider "natural, earthy, and also suitable for men. If this is your look, read more about where to get the components on this blog. 

If you like more color- fun bright colors or more glitzy silver and sparkle, read more about these options on this blog. 

Materials Used for this Project

• 60 pound test fishing line
• 30" of 6/0 seed beads
• 4"-6" of any beads 4 mm -10 mm you love
• lobster clasp
• clear fingernail polish

For directions and more samples, please see our YouTube. 

https://youtu.be/Mdf0lKY4SFQ

Playlist of 7 DIY videos