There is something incredibly frustrating about walking into a high-end boutique, picking up a stunning, earthy necklace that perfectly captures that effortless bohemian vibe, and flipping the price tag to see a three-digit number. You look closer. It’s leather cord, a few semi-precious stones, maybe a feather or a brass charm. You’re not just paying for the materials; you’re paying for the brand, the rent, and the marketing.
I had this exact realization about ten years ago while holding a pair of turquoise drop earrings that cost more than my weekly grocery bill. I put them back, walked to a local craft store, and replicated them for a fraction of the cost. But here is the real secret nobody tells you: the homemade version didn't just look better—it felt better. There is a specific energy in boho style that rejects mass production. It craves the imperfect, the handmade, and the personal.
If you have been hesitant to start because you think you lack "artistic talent," stop right there. Bohemian style is the most forgiving aesthetic on the planet. It celebrates asymmetry, raw textures, and happy accidents. Whether you are looking to refresh your wardrobe or create heartfelt gifts, diving into handmade boho accessories is easier than you think. Let's get your hands busy.
Introduction to Boho Accessories
What Makes Boho Accessories Stand Out
Bohemian style—often shortened to "boho"—isn't just a fashion trend; it is a philosophy rooted in unconventional artistic lifestyles. When we talk about boho accessories, we aren't talking about polished gold or perfectly cut diamonds. We are talking about soul. The aesthetic relies heavily on natural elements like wood, leather, stone, shell, and cotton.
The standout feature of any good boho piece is texture. It’s the roughness of raw amethyst against the softness of a velvet ribbon. It’s the matte finish of oxidized copper next to the shine of a glass bead. Unlike minimalist jewelry, which seeks to disappear, boho accessories are meant to tell a story. They are conversation starters. They look traveled and lived-in. This is why DIY is the perfect medium for this style; your fingerprints are literally on the work, adding that layer of authenticity that a factory machine simply cannot replicate.
Benefits of Creating Your Own Boho Pieces
Beyond the obvious financial savings—which are significant—making your own accessories allows for total creative control. When you buy off the rack, you are limited to the buyer's color palette. When you DIY, you become the designer. If you love a specific shade of terra cotta that is hard to find in stores, you can source beads in exactly that hue. If you have a sensitivity to nickel, you can ensure every ear wire you use is sterling silver or surgical steel.
There is also a profound mental health benefit to working with your hands. The repetitive motion of stringing beads, braiding leather, or knotting macramé is meditative. In a world where we spend so much time scrolling on screens, the tactile experience of handling cool stones or rough twine grounds us. It connects us to the physical world. I have spent countless evenings decompressing from a stressful workday by simply sorting through my bead box and planning a new layout. It creates a flow state that is hard to achieve elsewhere.
Patricia's Pro-Tip: I’ve seen many clients get discouraged because their first project didn't look like the Pinterest photo. The simple fix is to embrace the "wabi-sabi" philosophy—finding beauty in imperfection. If a wire wrap is messy, call it "organic." If a paint job is uneven, it’s "distressed." In the boho niche, mistakes are often just design features waiting to be named.
DIY Boho Jewelry Projects
Simple Beaded Bracelets for Beginners
The gateway drug to jewelry making is almost always the beaded bracelet. It requires minimal tools and offers instant gratification. However, to elevate a bracelet from "summer camp craft" to "chic accessory," you need to focus on material selection. Avoid plastic pony beads. Instead, look for materials with weight and history.
Step 1: Selecting Your Anchor Beads. Start with a focal point. This could be a large turquoise bead, a carved wooden sphere, or a recycled African glass bead. This anchor grounds the design and gives the eye a place to rest.
Step 2: The Stringing Material. For beginners, stretch magic or elastic cord is the easiest route, but it can feel cheap if not done right. A better alternative for that boho look is memory wire. It keeps its shape permanently and requires no clasps—you just wrap it around your wrist. Alternatively, using waxed linen cord allows you to knot between beads, adding that rustic texture that is quintessential to the style.
Step 3: Mixing Textures. A truly professional-looking boho bracelet mixes materials. Don't just use one type of bead. Alternate between a smooth gemstone, a rough lava rock (which is great for essential oils, by the way), and a metallic spacer. The metal adds a flash of light that breaks up the matte textures of the natural stones.
Easy Boho Necklaces with Natural Materials
If you want to make a statement without learning complex soldering techniques, the leather cord necklace is your best friend. This project relies on the beauty of the pendant rather than the complexity of the construction.
Finding the Centerpiece. Keep your eyes peeled when you are out in nature. A piece of driftwood with a natural hole, a seashell with a unique spiral, or a smooth river stone can be transformed into jewelry.
The Lariat Style. One of my favorite easy designs is the lariat necklace. This is essentially a long strip of suede or leather lace that doesn't have a clasp. Instead, you attach a heavy element to both ends of the cord—perhaps a tassel on one side and a large crystal on the other. To wear it, you simply tie it in a loose knot at the chest. It is effortlessly cool and looks fantastic over a simple white t-shirt or a maxi dress.
Quick and Stylish Boho Earrings
Earrings can be intimidating because they require pliers, but the learning curve is actually quite gentle. The most important tool you will need is a pair of round-nose pliers to create loops.
The Tassel Earring. These are incredibly popular and cost pennies to make. You can create tassels out of embroidery floss, silk thread, or even thin strips of leather. Attach the tassel to a jump ring, and then slide the jump ring onto a French hook ear wire. To make it look expensive, wrap the top of the tassel in a metallic wire, like gold or copper, to hide the tie-point.
The Hoop Upgrade. Take a plain, cheap pair of wire hoops and transform them. You can thread beads directly onto the hoop if the wire is thin enough. If the hoop is thick, you can use a thinner wire to wrap beads around the outside of the hoop. I recently updated a pair of old gold hoops by wrapping them with sage green embroidery thread and hanging tiny brass charms from the bottom. They went from generic to boutique-quality in about twenty minutes.
Boho Hair and Headwear
DIY Headbands and Hair Wraps
Boho style often focuses on hair as a major accessory.
The Braided Jersey Headband. If you have an old t-shirt that has a stain or a hole, do not throw it away. Cut the fabric into long strips. When you pull on jersey knit fabric, it naturally rolls into a tube. Take three (or five, if you are feeling ambitious) of these fabric tubes and braid them together. The result is a soft, stretchy, and chunky headband that is incredibly comfortable. You can dye the t-shirt strips with natural dyes like turmeric or avocado pits beforehand for an earthy, muted color palette.
The Wire-Wrapped Headband. For something more structured, you can buy a plain metal headband blank. Using floral tape or glue, attach faux flowers, crystals, or twisted vines. The key here is asymmetry. Instead of lining flowers perfectly across the top like a pageant crown, cluster a large group of blooms on one side and taper them off as you go down. It creates a romantic, garden-fairy vibe that is very on-trend.
Handmade Hair Clips with Boho Elements
Barrettes and clips are having a major resurgence. To "boho-ify" a standard alligator clip or bobby pin, you need to look at surface design.
Resin and Dried Flowers. This is slightly more advanced but yields stunning results. Using UV resin (which cures in minutes under sunlight or a UV lamp), you can adhere dried pressed flowers onto a metal hair clip.
Feather Extensions. Remember the feather hair extension craze? It never really left the boho community. You can make clip-in versions easily. Crimp a few long, natural feathers (cruelty-free sourced, please!) into a cord end, attach that to a small extension clip, and you can snap it in and out whenever you want that festival look without the commitment of salon installation.
Easy-to-Make Boho Hair Ties
Standard black elastic hair ties are functional but boring. A boho hair tie, or "scrunchie's cool cousin," usually involves a trailing ribbon.
The Bow-Tie Scrunchie. Make a simple fabric scrunchie, but leave a long strip of fabric attached to tie into a bow. The tails of the bow should be long—trailing down into the hair. Linen is a fantastic fabric for this because it has a natural, slightly wrinkled texture that looks better with wear.
Leather Pony Cuffs. This is a sleek, modern boho look. It consists of a strip of soft leather that wraps around your ponytail holder and snaps or ties shut. It hides the elastic and gives your ponytail a structured, architectural look. You can cut a piece of leather from an old purse or jacket, punch two holes in it, and use a leather cord to lace it up around your hair like a corset.
Boho Bags and Pouches
Macramé Keychains and Mini Pouches
Macramé is the holy grail of boho crafts. While a full wall hanging takes days, a keychain or mini pouch takes an hour. The two knots you need to know are the Lark's Head Knot (to attach the cord to a ring) and the Square Knot (to create the body).
The Wristlet Keychain. Use thick, 4mm cotton cord. Attach two cords to a keyring using Lark's Head knots (giving you four strands to work with). Tie a series of square knots or spiral knots until it’s about 6 inches long. Leave the ends frayed and comb them out for a lush fringe. These make phenomenal gifts because they are practical, durable, and beautiful.
The Phone Pouch. If you expand the width of your macramé project, you can create a small pouch perfect for holding a smartphone or sunglasses. These are often worn as cross-body bags. Using a simple repeating square knot pattern creates a mesh-like fabric that holds items securely while letting the color of the contents peek through.
Transform Old Fabric into Boho Tote Bags
Upcycling is central to the bohemian ethos. We don't waste; we reinvent.
The Denim Tote. Old jeans are a goldmine. Cut the legs off a pair of jeans to make shorts, and use the leg fabric to sew a simple tote bag. The indigo fade of worn denim is impossible to fake. Keep the seams visible. In fact, if you have a seam ripper, pull out some of the threads at the edges to create a raw fringe.
Embellishment Station. Once you have a basic fabric bag (or even a cheap canvas tote from the craft store), the fun begins. Stenciling with fabric paint is an easy win. Use geometric shapes or celestial motifs like moons and stars. Block printing is another great option; you can carve a simple design into a potato or a rubber eraser and stamp a repeating pattern across the fabric.
Adding Fringe and Beads to Simple Bags
You might already have a bag that has a great shape but looks a little plain. The quickest way to boho-ify it is fringe.
Leather Fringe. You can buy pre-cut leather fringe trim by the yard. Using strong fabric glue or a leather needle, attach a strip of fringe along the bottom seam of a purse or along the flap of a messenger bag. The movement of the fringe as you walk adds a dynamic element to your outfit.
Beaded Zipper Pulls. Don't neglect the hardware. Remove the standard metal zipper pull and replace it with a handmade beaded charm. Use a large lobster clasp and attach several strands of seed beads, cowrie shells, or leather tassels. It adds a pop of color and makes the zipper easier to grab.
Tips for Affordable Boho DIY Projects
Using Budget-Friendly Materials
You do not need to shop at high-end bead stores to make beautiful things. In fact, some of the best boho materials are found in the hardware store.
Hardware Store Hacks. Copper plumbing couplings make amazing minimalist rings or pendants. Washers can be painted or wrapped in thread to create geometric necklace components. Jute twine, used for gardening, is an excellent and cheap alternative to macramé cord for rougher, more rustic projects.
Nature’s Supply Store. I cannot stress this enough: look at the ground! Pinecones can be sliced to look like flowers.
Upcycling Items for Boho Creations
Before you throw anything away, ask yourself: "Can this be a bead? Can this be fabric?"
Thrift Store Jewelry. I often buy "ugly" jewelry at thrift stores just to harvest the parts. You might find a hideous 1980s plastic necklace that happens to have amazing glass spacer beads in between. Buy it for a dollar, cut it open, and you have $20 worth of high-quality beads. Look for genuine leather belts that are worn out; the leather can be cut into strips for cord or shapes for earrings.
Fabric Scraps. Save every scrap of fabric larger than your hand. These can be torn into strips to make "rag ribbons" for wrapping gifts, tying hair, or weaving into jewelry. The frayed edges are desirable in this style, so you don't even need to hem them.
Quick Tricks to Make DIY Projects Look Professional
The difference between "homemade" and "handcrafted" is usually in the finishings.
Hide Your Knots. Nothing screams "amateur" like a visible, messy knot. Learn to tuck your knot tails back into the beads adjacent to them. If you are using leather, use a tiny dab of jewelry glue (like E6000 or GS Hypo Cement) to secure the knot before trimming it close.
Invest in Findings. "Findings" are the functional parts of jewelry—clasps, jump rings, ear wires.
Patricia's Pro-Tip: When working with natural fibers like cotton cord or embroidery floss, a tiny dab of clear nail polish on the ends prevents fraying while you are trying to thread beads. It acts like the aglet on a shoelace. Once the project is done, you can snip that stiff end off.
Conclusion
Personalizing Your Boho Accessories
The beauty of making your own boho accessories is that there are no rules. If you want to mix silver and gold, do it. If you want to wear five necklaces at once, go for it. The style is about abundance, texture, and personal expression. Your projects should reflect you. Maybe you incorporate a charm from a grandmother's bracelet or a shell from your favorite beach vacation. These elements turn accessories into talismans.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Some of my best pieces came from trying to fix a mistake. I once broke a ceramic pendant and ended up gluing the shards into a mosaic setting that looked far cooler than the original piece. Embrace the process.
Sharing Your DIY Boho Creations Online
Once you start creating, you will likely catch the bug. You might even want to share your work. The crafting community is incredibly supportive. Whether you post a photo on Instagram or start your own blog, sharing your work inspires others to step away from fast fashion and create with their hands. Plus, seeing someone else rock a pair of earrings you made is a feeling that never gets old.
So, go raid your recycling bin, take a walk in the woods, or visit your local thrift shop. Your next favorite accessory is waiting for you to make it.
