MIM Spoonie Bracelets

SPOONIE BRACELETS! So this is going to be a long post, and probably quite a heartfelt one too. One thing you may not know about me, is I’m a chronic illness sufferer. The invention of the internet has been AMAZING for sufferers of chronic illnesses, as socialisation over the internet is much less energy intensive than in real life, but is so great for keeping your spirits up against adversity. One of the most famous posts on the internet about chronic illness is Christine Miserandino’s post about ‘spoons’ in her blog about having Lupus. It’s been so useful in explaining chronic illness and chronic pain to non-sufferers that Chronic Illness sufferers online often refer to themselves as “spoonies.”

To this end, when I spotted these adorable little spoon charms* I knew I had to make something with them. However I also knew straight away that it wasn’t going to be one of my charm bangles. “Why?” you ask – because we all know how much I love charm bangles. One reason and one reason alone: comfort. Chronic illness often comes hand in hand with chronic pain, and I struggle to wear jewellery on many days because I can’t cope with the increased sensation, so I designed these bracelets to be made out of soft backed elastic. This means they can be worn even on the worst days.

Initially I just made these bracelets in colours I thought would look cute, but then I realised that I could tie these in with the awareness colours for various chronic illnesses - and so I've made quite a wide selection. 

• You can get a cute blue bracelet, if you suffer from chronic fatigue (or M.E.) as it's also known - like I do! #spooniebuddies
• Fibromyalgia sufferers can get this funky purple version.
• Have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? I've even got a zebra stripe to fly your flag with!
• Pink is famously the colour for breast cancer awareness, it's also the colour for breastfeeding awareness - so if nursing is the thing that's sucking all of your spoons, this is the one for you.
• Mental illness can also be really draining (again, I know first hand on this one) - and this bright green bracelet represents that.
• Or perhaps you'd like one to represent anxiety or OCD? Then it's the turquoise bracelet that you need
• Last but not least, there's this gorgeous glitter version available too!

Of course, if you want a colour which is not readily available in stock, please don't hesitate to get in touch via my etsy shop or my facebook page - it may take longer than my usual 2-3 day turn around, because I'll have to order the elastic in, but I'm always more than happy to make customised designs.

So on to the 'made it' portion of the blog

As I mentioned earlier, these are made of 'fold over' elastic. It's something you should be able to get in a well stocked haberdashers, I get mine off ebay. I stitch it into a bracelet sized loop, with about a half inch overlap. Then I get a jump ring, and thread it through the elastic. Before I close up the jump ring I add a super cute spoon charm* (also from ebay). 

It's not a tricky make, hence the price tag ;-) however I do love making these, as I know each and every one of these bracelets is going to go to someone like me. They can also be purchased with matching earrings, which will make a fantastic statement on a good day! 

(*as usual, Links which have an asterisk after them are affiliate links, and may provide me with income)