My local athletic club was giving out complimentary stress balls one day, which I thought looked wonderfully minimalist - fist sized, polished black, with a discreet white logo. Being more the fashionista than the health enthusiast, I made it into a necklace. Arguably, the project cost nothing, since the ball was free and I had all the tools on hand from previous efforts. But to enumerate, I used: a huge beading needle ($1), fishing line ($4.00), a magic marker ($2?) [to overdye the logo], and a fine aluminum pipe (3 for $1.39) - well within the budget.

Putting the needle exactly through the center of the ball was the hardest part. I pushed the needle out with the aluminum pipe, then threaded the fishing line though the pipe - figuring the fishing line without the pipe would soon rip the stress ball. Tie around the neck with a simple knot to the desired length, and tuck the remainder into shirt collar.

This has gotten rave reviews from strangers. People ask if it's heavy, and then gasp with surprise when I squeeze it to demonstrate how light it is. - Valerie