Quick Craft: Make Your Own Custom Cat Collar

Here's an easy one for you pet owners: I couldn't find a new collar I liked for Lily, so yesterday I took this old beat up one:

... cut it apart, primed & painted the plastic hardware & bell:

 ... hand-stitched on a new sparkly ribbon:

 ... and got this!

 
The whole thing took less than an hour, even with painting. All you need is an old collar (or grab a cheap one for a dollar) and some pretty ribbon - easy-peasy!

When you cut up your old collar, though, remember to take a picture so you know how to thread the buckle on again later:

Not gonna lie: figuring out how the new one went on took me longer than anything else. :)

Also, if you're making a cat collar it's very important you either have a breakaway tab - like this one has - or an elastic section for safety. Any cat collar you buy should have one of those, though.

And since my breakaway tab works like this:

... I had room in the middle to glue on a sparkly rhinestone. BONUS.

[Note: If you use any glue or spray paint on your collar hardware, make sure you wait a day or two for it to fully cure - and for the fumes to dissipate - before you put it on your pet.]

The great irony, of course, is that Lily has long hair and you can't see her collar at all. But hey, *I* know the sparkly goodness is under there. Plus now I get to find her a cute new name tag on Etsy. (Don't you love mandatory Etsy shopping??)


So... what are you guys making this week?

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UPDATE: Ha, many of you are protesting that I'm not allowed to post a cat collar without a picture of the cat! Good thing she's right here. So by popular demand, here's Lily:

You can't see her collar straight on, though, so here she is being fascinated by something out my open window:

 
And here's a blurry shot of the sparkly clasp:

Better? :D

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And for you pinners: