DIY Pom Pom Tassel Keychains & Our Favorite Tea Collection Outfits

We’re back in school and getting back in the swing of things. This week the talk in our house has been all about their new classrooms, classmates, lunch and snack time and school supplies. When we were buying school supplies this year, the girls were a bit disappointed in their supply list. Except for a few folders and a watercolor palette, the list was mostly classroom supplies like paper towels and tissues.

To make it a bit more fun, they picked out stickers to decorate the folders and we made some bright keychains for their backpacks. We made keychains at Alex’s birthday party and after that, they were set on making some “brighter” keychains to add to their collection. Our favorites are these DIY Pom Pom Tassel Keychains. They were really easy and look cute on their backpacks.

Here’s how to make your own:

Supplies: key chains, string, colorful ribbon, beads and pompoms. You can thread pompoms onto string using a needle, but I recently found pompom beads at Michaels. They are so much easier to thread as there’s a little tube inside that makes the pompom like a bead.

Directions: Start by cutting a bunch of bright ribbon and knotting it around the string. Cut the ribbon short enough that they “pop out” a bit like a tassel. Next thread on the beads and pompoms you want. At the end, add the keychain and hang on your backpack!

The cute backpacks and clothes pictured are from a long time favorite: Tea Collection. Tea has been a top choice for school clothes in our house for years now. They are comfortable and great quality. My girls like “soft clothes” for school since they have to wear them all day and I like play clothes that hold up to school days filled with gym class, play grounds and playing outdoors when we get home.

Another thing I really like about Tea Collection for school is that you can mix and match so many pieces. My girls both like to dress themselves for school now. The more “mix and match” I have, the easier this is for them. For the first time, I tried out one of Tea Collection’s “Everyday Play Sets”. It’s a great deal and the set comes with a number of items to mix and match to make a few different outfits. We went with the Haiku Set for Alex (since she loves pink!) and then I added a chambray skirt and a cute panda tshirt. With just the one Everyday Play Set plus 2 extra items, Alex now has a ton of outfit options in her drawer that she can put together. She gets to pick her own clothes each day and Mom still knows she will match for school!

Maggie is a little pickier about what she wears, so I let her help me choose some “mix and match” items. I went off of what’s included in an Everyday Play Set and kind of created our own version. Again, I added a chambray skirt and a tshirt to the mix.

For school, play and even snuggling up with a good book, Tea Collection clothes are top notch. Keep an eye on their site for great sales and coupon codes this fall. They always have adorable new styles being added, so keep an eye out for those too!