A Craft Recycled look at old bike parts and high fashion

Last week, Beth talked about recycled shoes made from TVs instead of leather or vinyl, and I've been coveting them ever since. I love a good leather alternative, especially one that isn't vinyl, so you can imagine my delight when I came across Becky Stern's detailed video tutorial on making a headband out of a spent bike tube.

Her tutorial is based on one for making a chain link leather necklace, but in a stroke of genius she subbed a blown bike tire for the leather. The results are stunning! Check out the video:

I love that she compares making the links to the paper links you've probably made as a kid. Those were always so fun! To snag the template and for a helpful link to a video on changing your own bike tire, head on over to CRAFT!

Of course, now I'm wondering what else I could make out of bike tires. Etsy is full of cool bike tire crafts, from coin purses to belts. While perusing Flickr I also ran across this nice-looking set of bike tire chairs! Have you guys done any bike tire crafting? It sounds like the possibilities are endless!

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Becky Stern