Friday Fashion: A Quick DIY Fix for Broken Zipper Handles

This morning I was running late for work and when I put on my boots the zipper handle broke on one of them!  I didn't have any time to do anything about it, so I just zipped it up as far as I could and went to work.  When I was at work I got an idea.  I have some earrings that I bought a few years ago and can't wear because my ears are allergic to them.  I thought they would be big enough to make great zipper handles and they match my boots.  Then when I got home I tried it out and they work great.  It's pretty easy to do this.  It is very important that you have sharp wire cutters to cut off the zipper handles (or whatever is left of them).  You also need pliers, charms or earrings to use as zipper handles, and two jump rings.

First you need to cut off the remaining zipper handles and throw them away.  Then take your earrings or charms and attach them to the zipper, where the handle was, with the jump rings.  Make sure you open and close the jump rings correctly, using this method.  If you are using earrings you need to remove the earring hooks before you can attach them to your boots.  You can either cut off the hooks at the loop at the bottom or twist open the same loop and remove the hooks that way.

This will work for any item with a zipper, not just boots.  I have used this technique to replace a zipper handle on a purse too.  It's helpful if you don't know how to sew on a new zipper, or just don't want to.  And this way you can keep using those items instead of having to throw them away and buy new ones.  You can also use this technique to customize items with zippers, even if the zippers didn't break.  Just cut off the zipper and then attach your own earring or charm in its place.