Well, it’s official. Chokers have made the leap from trendy teenster fad to full-blown fashion trend! Fresh off the heels of the dainty neckscarf trend of 2015, 2016 brings with it a nice mix of fresh and tired choker styles.

Now this isn’t my first time on the choker bandwagon. I distinctly remember crafting my very own black velvet ribbon choker with a little drop pearl right when I was in the third grade. And then in middle school I was all about the stretchy black tattoo choker that I think I got from Fashion Bug. (Fashion Bug!) But this time around I’m more drawn to the early ’70s chokers that feel more delicate with a slight sense of boho. 

I had distinct ideas about what kinds of chokers I would like to add to my necklace collection, but I had a bit of trouble finding the perfect ones in stores. But I mean, if you’re going to DIY anything in your wardrobe— this would be it! They’re easy, fun, and completely wearable. These chokers vary slightly in skill more more complex to absurdly simple, but all of them are pretty quick to whip together and look great with lots of different sartorial styles.

I love the Carrie Bradshaw vibes of this choker. It would fit in with a salsa dancing costume as easily as it would with a button up shirt and jeans. It can also be as bold or as subtle as you wish— just change up the ribbon width, size of flower, and color scheme to suit your own taste.

Supplies:

• crepe or silk fabric
• ribbon
• ribbon end crimps (in width to match your ribbon)
• two o-rings
• one clasp
• short chain
• fabric scissors
• pliers
• lighter or candle flame
• Not shown: embroidery floss and darning needle

Step One: Cut your ribbon to the length you need (a bit shorter than your neck circumference), then add the ribbon crimps to either end and close the crimps with pliers. Add an o-ring and clasp to one end and then an o-ring and the short chain to the other end.

Step Two: Cut your fabric into shapes as shown above in a variety of sizes.

Step Three: Hold the fabric shapes over a flame until the ends begin to curl up. Do not touch the flame to the fabric— just the heat will do the trick. After you’ve gone around the edges, it will have a petal look to it.

Step Four: Stack the petals you made from largest to smallest and stitch them to the ribbon with embroidery floss. As you stitch, make french knots on the top of the flower. You may also chose to create a fancier necklace by using a bead or some sort of bling for this detail.

This style of choker makes me feel way more rockstar than I ever will be. It’s great with lower cut tops, but also looks cute draping over the front of a high-cut shirt. You can adjust the length of it to your own taste and add charms to the end that fit your personal style.

Supplies:

• cord
• two charms
• three crimp covers
• two o-rings
• one clasp
• two crimps with rings attached
• fabric scissors
• pliers

Step One: Cut a length of cord to be about 25-30″ in length then add charms to either end. Do this by looping the cord up through the charm’s o-ring then fastening the cord with crimp covers. Then trim away the excess cord.

Step Two: Hold the cord around your neck and determine about where you’d like the bolo fastener to be placed. Then use a crimp cover to fasten it. After fastening it, cut open the back so you can next add a clasp and chain.

Step Three: After double checking that the neck circumference of the choker is appropriate for you (it should be a bit smaller than your actual neck circumference), add crimps to the end of the cord. Then add an o-ring and clasp to one end and an o-ring and short chain to the other end.

This is my favorite of all the choker styles I’m sharing today, and the simplest to make! I love how delicate it feels, and how easy it is to switch up the style a bit by changing materials (ribbon, satin cord, leather cord, etc..) Adding crimp covers to the end makes it feel more polished, and offers another opportunity to add style details to this choker.

Supplies:

• cord (I used faux suede)
• crimp covers or any details you’d like to add to the ends

All you need to do to make this necklace is trim the cord to the length you’d like for your bow and use pliers to fasten end crimps to either end of the cord. Then tie it in a bow around your neck and you’ve made yourself a choker!

If a choker can make the stretch from 1950s dresses and shell tops to 1970s jumpsuits, I think they’ve earned themselves a place amongst my wardrobe. I think these DIY versions will be right at home with my style, considering how much wear they’ve received already. Do you think you’ll give making one a try?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that a lingering sense of inadequacy is always present. Regardless of what stage of life you or I are in, we’ve probably felt overwhelmed and under-equipped at some point, if not at multiples times each day. As a mother I’ll often stop and think, what on earth did I do with my time before kids? But the fact is, I remember feeling overwhelmed and frazzled before kids. Is it just me, I wondered? I doubt it.

But lately I’ve discovered the magic of changing my morning routine to positively impact my mind and how I’m able to handle the rest of my day— as easy or as stressful as it might be. What’s my secret? Getting up earlier, actually! Who knew?

I’ve discovered that an extra hour each morning can work wonders for the rest of my day. Maybe this is no revelation to all of you morning people out there, but for me, it has taken a huge sacrifice each day to get there. To get up before a work schedule dictated the beginning of my day. To get up before Lucy was whining for me to make her breakfast, and then a different breakfast because she changed her mind. To get up just for the sake of having an easier morning has been no easy task, but it’s done wonders for the success of my days!

Let me tell you, waking up earlier will do nothing for you if you’re sleep deprived. So I suppose the first positive change starts the evening before— turning off electronics, saying no to “just one more episode” urges, and making needed changes to prepare for a restful night of rest in order to be able to function the next day.

But once I’m there in the morning (alongside my go-getter husband who has been my biggest inspiration), getting up earlier gives me much needed alone time to contemplate my dreams and goals (for life, or just for my day), or just to catch up on some reading. There’s nothing quite like being able to drink all of my coffee while it’s still hot, savoring its creamy deliciousness, and just sitting completely still if that’s what I feel like doing. This time makes me feel rejuvenated, but also starts my day with a sense of accomplishment and pride, knowing that I got started earlier than I actually needed to.

When I don’t carve out this time at the beginning of my day (which is the last thing I feel like doing when my bed is so cozy and warm!), I’m awoken by a screaming baby (who’s been crying for who knows how long?) or a yelling toddler (who’s awoken a screaming baby) who is ready with her list of demands for the day, starting with breakfast because she is STARVING (she’s probably yelling this in my ear which is covered with my bed sheets). Not exactly the chill and empowering start to the day I really crave, is it? This is what I try to remind myself during the mental battle each day to get my bones out. of. BED!

So I wake up early and make the magic happen. What do I do first? I’ll drag myself into the kitchen and get a pot of water onto the stove. As the water reaches its boiling point, I’ll challenge myself to accomplish as many little kitchen/home tasks I can in that amount of time. Usually I can get a load of laundry started, unload the dishwasher, and water my plants. Then, I’ll pour the hot water over coffee grounds in my french press and set the timer for another four minutes. Time to scurry around getting my gym bag ready, putting away a few stray toys, and maybe if I’m quick, I can clean a bottle or two. By now my coffee is ready and I already feel accomplished and ready to attack the day. But this is my moment. My coffee is ready. I’ve got my special Simply Pure Hazelnut creamer. It’s just the beginning of my day, but I have accomplished tasks already and can fully rest, relax, and contemplate my plan of attack as I sip my coffee in silence. I feel equipped to start the day on my own terms. I feel ready to adult! And it’s magic. Until I hear Lucy’s bedroom door squeak open and the chaos begins. But I’m ready. Bring it, sisters! What do you want for breakfast?!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Whewie, you guys! I have lots of closet cleaning to do, and bins of vintage to decide if I should continue to hoard, give away, or sell. My favorites are going up on Instagram over the coarse of the next week in a few installments, and the first set went up today!

Check out the hashtag #mandimakesavailable to see what’s left, and follow @mandimakesroom to catch each sale as it goes live! Turn on notifications if you’d like to know exactly when I’m starting up the next installment of my closet sale. And thanks to those of you who’ve made purchases! (Psst, the dress below is still available!)