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Nov 23, 2023

Friendship Day 2023: Rekindle the tradition of friendship bands with these sustainable DIY ideas

Friendship Day, once celebrated with vibrant friendship bands, has lost its charm over the years. This year, let's revive the tradition by crafting eco-friendly friendship bands using DIY ideas to

Friendship Day, once celebrated with vibrant friendship bands, has lost its charm over the years. This year, let's revive the tradition by crafting eco-friendly friendship bands using DIY ideas to cherish our friendships in a more personalized manner

As Friendship Day 2023 approaches, let's bring back the joy of friendship bands with a sustainable touch. Photo Courtesy: iStock

Friendship Day holds nostalgic memories for many of us, especially in schools and colleges, where exchanging friendship bands was a cherished ritual. There was added fun of reserving the more fancy and artsy ones for our best friends. It was a big deal. However, this heartwarming tradition has become rare in recent times. As Friendship Day 2023 approaches, let's bring back the joy of friendship bands with a sustainable touch. Here are some eco-friendly DIY ideas to create unique friendship bands for our best buddies. Akanksha Kaila Akashi, founder and CEO of REFASH, recommends sustainable gifting ideas for those who want to go beyond friendship bands. 1. Use any old bracelet that you have bought before as the base of the band, take a thick paper and draw something that is special to your friendship or just draw a heart/flower etc, and cut it out. Now using a needle and thread create two loops on either side and pull the bracelet through the loops for the paper artwork to be placed in the centre. You could stick it on top of the bracelet too if the bracelet is wide enough. 2. Take an old piece of fabric and cut it into 3 long pieces of fabric with a width of an inch or an inch and a half, roll the fabric pieces lengthwise and then knot it like a braid. You could also put some beads into this while knotting. 3. Take plastic bags and make plarn (a plastic bag that’s turned into a yarn roll) out of it. You can check out any YouTube video to know how to make a plarn. Use this plarn to again knot it as mentioned above. Using that you can create a friendship band. Kaila also suggests gifting ideas for those who want to celebrate the day with more than just a band. She says, “Sustainable gifting is not just about buying a present from a sustainable brand, of course, that’s good too, but it could also be about making something by yourself.” Think of things that he/she enjoys and try to make that for them yourself. If you want to buy something from a sustainable brand, Kaila suggests the following that are available at refash.in: 1. A mini hamper with goodies 2. An eco-friendly gift box containing pens, journal, scrunchie, etc 3. Upcycled belt and card holder 4. Upcycled roll-up kit for travel essentials 5. Customizable name cushions Alongside gifting, there are numerous other ways to celebrate and appreciate your friendships on this special day: 1. Go down memory lane and think of all the times that you’ve really connected with your buddy 2. Try out a restaurant you have been wanting to for a long time 3. Visit places where you and your friends might have spent some most memorable times 4. Make an impromptu plan and take your friends out for a drive or a picnic or even just ice cream 5. Visit your school/college to relive the good old days 6. Gather for a sleepover for old times' sake and create new memories Also Read: Check these Mumbai eateries to celebrate Friendship Day 2023 with your friends

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