D-I-Y Bracelets

I got the idea for these bracelets from Happy Hour Projects blog. One post I looked at was this one on a beaded love bracelet. I got the courage to try from watching a couple of video tutorials over at Make Bracelets blog. She makes it look so easy!

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the results. None of the bracelets were very difficult to make. The hardest part was selecting the beads!


This one is for one of my nieces - it's made with a package of Swarovski Elements crystals. I can't remember the name of the color, but it had 3 shades of blue and a slightly tan/peach color. I added some round silver beads and a couple of different silver spacer beads (all 4mm).


This one is for another niece. It was made with a silver bar stamped with "Peace", miscellaneous purple beads, two silver 2-strand rectangular beads, a few silver spacer beads, and two sizes of round silver beads (all 4mm, with one round silver 3mm).


This one is for yet another niece. This one has a silver bar stamped with "faith", black aurora borealis beads, silver spacer beads, and silver round beads (all 4mm).


This one was my first attempt at a braided wrap bracelet. I used black 4-ply waxed Irish linen and 3mm silver round beads. The bracelet is about 30" long, and is just wrapped around the wrist 3 times, then fastened with a button closure.


When I showed the bracelets to Lulu, she immediately asked me to make some for her. That's when I knew they were a success! If your 21 year old daughter wants some for herself, then she really likes them, LOL!


The easiest closure to do is a button closure - you just make a knotted loop at one end and tie a shanked button on the other. Once waxed linen is knotted, it isn't letting go, so a knot or two is all you need. The other closures weren't terribly difficult, but they do require more tools and a steady hand.


Most of my supplies were purchased a few at a time from Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann's. I watched for their 50% off sales on beads and jewelry findings - and I used their 40% off coupons (sometimes 50-70% off at Jo-Ann's) for things that don't usually go on sale. I did pick up a few items from Consumer Crafts. In general, their regular prices are the equivalent of 40% off at Hobby Lobby, but they do carry some things that Hobby Lobby doesn't. Their shipping is usually a little pricey - around $8 - but if you sign up for their emails, you get a 10% off code - and then watch the emails, because this past weekend, shipping was a flat rate of $1.97.

I swear, I've got the bracelet-making fever now!! These would be great stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, or just-for-you!