I've been having so much fun making accessories and sharing them with you. Today, I've made not just one look for less, but two.
In my last post, I made my inexpensive version of this Bauble Bar Tribal Chroma Strand Necklace that was featured on the Refinery29 Valentine's wish list. If this necklace isn't quite your style, then maybe you were wishing for this Hey Murphy Pyrite White Leather Cuff (but preferably in a non-leather version).I was admiring this "rock"-in' bracelet, but knew I could make it for far less than its $88 price tag. Inspired by the show "The Look for Less" (I'm not sure if it is even on anymore; I just have fond memories of watching it and trying to come up with my own looks for less), I decided to create a similar non-leather cuff out of materials purchased from the craft store, as well as an even less expensive version made out of items I had around the house.
First up is the glitzier look, assembled out of a plain metal cuff, crystal rock pendant, soft velour ribbon (kind of resembles a mock suede) and jewelry & metal glue. The closest thing I could find to the stone in the original was this purple pendant that I thought really popped against the white ribbon. Lucky for me, I had a coupon for 50% off, so I purchased it for about $7.
Since it was originally a pendant, I used my trusty 3-in-1 jewelry tool to cut off the loop and then smoothed the area with sandpaper. Then, I scuffed up the center of the cuff with the sandpaper at the spot where I planned to adhere the stone. I glued it on with the jewelry & metal glue, which bonds rather quickly.I also used the glue to attach the end of the ribbon to the cuff. I tightly wrapped the ribbon around, mimicking the the leather wrapping on the original. Then, I tacked the other end down with another dot of the glue. Here's the finished look:
If you're really anxious to make an even less expensive version of this cuff bracelet, you'll only need a toilet paper roll, some duck tape (I selected a gold shade, as decorative duck tape is all the rage), whatever thin white ribbon or shoe laces you have on hand, scissors and an interesting looking stone (Hayden, Jacob and I found this one on our walk back from the bus stop the other day, which makes it extra special).
To turn these items into a bracelet, you'll need to cut the toilet paper tube into three rings with the same desired width. Then, cut a slit in each one. Layer them on top of each other and adjust to the right size and shape for your wrist.
Cover the cardboard cuff in duck tape to first bond it together and then with another layer to improve its appearance. Now your cardboard cuff looks metallic.Use a small loop of duck tape to adhere the rock to your cuff. This is mainly to keep it in place until the ribbon or shoe lace anchors it tighter. You'll also need to stick the starting end of the ribbon or shoe lace to the inside of the cuff with a tiny piece of duck tape, and wrap the ribbon or shoe lace in the same fashion as the other bracelet. Attach the finished end piece with more duck tape.
Here's how this look for even less turned out:
You can use this cardboard tube and duck tape technique as the base for other cuff bracelet ideas, too. Let me know what you do :-)
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On another note, I just wanted to wish a very happy birthday to my sister, April. Happy b-day!
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Oh, and remember my "It Girl" post, where I mentioned wanting to share some other facets of my life? Well, if you are interested in signing up for Julep Maven, you can sign up via my invite link. Use the code "SHAREONFEB" and get your first box for $1 (I believe that code is only for this month, but I'll share more codes as I get them in the future).
