Luxe leash for less

Latest dive into Pinterest project waters completed.  For a while now I've been obsessing over the rope dog leashes that are all around online.  I love how they look (no shock here, they are slightly nautical after all) and how they feel.  What I don't love is how much they cost! Here is one of the ones that was my inspiration but averaging $50 is out of my desired price range.

  

Now here's mine:

I am kind of obsessed with mine! I'm totally in love with the hardware and the rich look of the final product. It has weight and a great feel.  The only thing I added that is not in the photo is that I wrapped hemp twine around the top part of the handle loop to create a more visible handle piece. 

Forgive me for not taking photos of the process but I can give you a breakdown of the supplies and what it took to get the finished product which ran me an approx. cost of $13 for the leash and it's parts (though more out of pocket for the total amount of rope I actually purchased)

• The rope is a 1/2" diameter pure cotton rope from KarensWeddingShop on Etsy, it was $16.29 plus shipping for 25' of the rope (so I have a bunch left over!).  She uses hers for nautical decor projects but it is sturdy quality rope. This seller is based in Canada so the shipping was steep and brought the total to $36.00 but if you divide that for the amount of rope I used for the leash (approx. 5 ft) then we're still only talking about $7.20 for the rope used, with some left over for more projects. 
• Next were the rope clamps that hold the rope together where it's looped, which I found on Amazon.  They are most typically used for horse tack and to create lead ropes. I got the solid brass ones because they matched the look I wanted but they come in silver as well for a bit less if you want to go that way. They are about $3.00 each. I think you can probably also find these items at a horse tack shop if you have any of those local to you. 
• The last piece was the hook.  I found mine at a local ACE Hardware (one of my favorite places) and got a couple options, again in the brass/gold color. Remember to get one with a big enough loop on the end to fit your rope through.  These are around $2.00 each.

I love the white but realized the impracticality of it so I have plans to get some gray dye to have on hand if it gets too dingy but right now I'm loving it as is.  

Next I want to make a collar to match for Mabel but thinking I may want a narrower bit of rope because this does have more haft to it than would be ideal for a collar. Also, I need to figure out a better way to clasp/clamp the ropes. I'll keep you posted.

Also a next step is to make more using the rest of the rope and get it up on RadBaby.