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DIY Leather Word Bracelets

DIY Leather Word Bracelets

With Valentine’s looming just around the corner, I’m sure you are looking for a fun DIY project to make for a friend. Or perhaps you participate in the challenge to choose one word for the year. Either way, this is the jewelry making tutorial for you! Why not embellish a leather bracelet with a word, a name, or be rebellious and add a date to your band? It’s easy and fun to make these DIY Leather Word Bracelets. Ready to learn how?

A big thank you to Arrow Fastener for sponsoring this tutorial. To be truthful, I’ve never owned a rivet tool before, but after making these bracelets I’m hooked! Not only is a rivet tool perfect for making leather jewelry, but it’s also great for gutter repairs, home decor projects, and more! To make these bracelets you’ll want to invest in an Arrow Rivet Tool.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Arrow Rivet Tool RH-200S
Leather Band
1/8″ x 1/8″ Rivets
Safety Glasses
Ruler
X-acto Knife (or Scissors)
Cutting Surface
Awl
Hammer
Needle-nosed Pliers
Jewelry Clasps
Scrap of Wood
Metal Leather Stamps
Paintbrushes (small and large)
Water
Enamel or Acrylic Paint

How to Make DIY Leather Word Bracelets:

Grab your coffee and watch this three minute video to learn how to make a stamped leather bracelet. Or keep reading for the step-by-step tutorial.

Instructions for Constructing the Leather Bracelet:

Step 1. Cut your leather into strips or bands approximately 1/2″ wide. (If you purchased pre-cut leather strips, skip this step.) Using a sharp x-acto knife, and a ruler as a guide, make several passes with your knife until the blade cuts through the leather.

Step 2. Taper one end of your band by cutting off the corners.

Step 3. Position your leather band on a scrap piece of wood. Using your awl, poke a hole into the leather band at the tapered end. Hammer the awl until it punctures the leather.

Fold over the tapered end and poke the awl through the first hole and into the band again as shown below. Use the hammer to strike the awl and punch the second hole.

Step 4. Feed your jewelry clasp through the tapered end.

Step 5. Insert the short end of the rivet through the two holes. If the rivet won’t fit, try widening the holes by working the awl through the holes.

You can also try using pliers to help squeeze the leather over the rivet.

Step 6. Feed the long end of the rivet fully into the rivet tool.

Put on your safety glasses. Squeeze the rivet tool handles multiple times until…

…SNAP! The long end of the rivet will automatically snap off when the rivet is set.

Step 7. Wrap the bracelet around your wrist, mark the length that’s comfortable for you. Subtract the length of your clasp from this mark then add 1/2″ back to account for the fold over.

Now you can cut the band to length.

Repeat steps 2 – 6 above to secure a jump ring to the other end of your bracelet.

Instructions for Stamping Leather:

Wet the leather to soften it. Let it sit a minute or two to allow the water to penetrate the leather.

The easiest way to center a word on your bracelet is to start with the middle letter(s). Set the metal letter stamp in place and strike it lightly with a hammer. For a crisp letter, roll the stamp and hammer it lightly several times.

Continue stamping letters to the left and right of the middle letter(s).

You don’t have to paint the letters, but I like how the word shows up better. You can use any acrylic or enamel paint to fill in the letters. The key to crisp letters is a steady hand, a good fine round brush (size 00 or smaller), and moving the band around to comfortably fill in each stroke (no need to be a contortionist). If you screw up, use the x-acto knife to lightly scrape up the paint.

If you want, you can paint the rivets with enamel paint.

Allow the paint to dry.

What word would you put on a bracelet? Do you choose a word to define your year?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Arrow Fastener. I was not told what to write. All words and ideas are my own. I am very particular about the brands I work with, and only partner with companies that provide quality materials and/or services.

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to *subscribe to my YouTube channel!

*My followers on YouTube get sneak peeks of some of the projects I’m working on, so subscribe today!

Thanks for joining me for this little jewelry making craft today. If you liked this tutorial, you’ll love these copper ring necklaces:

February 5, 2019/3 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, decor, Decorating, Home Decor, organizational tips, storage

How to Make a DIY Wood Wall Organizer

Hello, Pretty Handy Girl Readers! I’m Karen and I’m the blogger behind Decor Hint and a new member of the Pretty Handy Girl contributor team. I’m so excited to be here today. Today, I’m going to show you how to make a simple DIY Wood Wall Organizer. There is something about the New Year that always motivates me to clean up and organize my home. I’m always looking for new ways to organize my things but I still want to have it look polished and well decorated. Only I’m not interested in spending a lot of money. (Which is why I tend to DIY everything!) I’ve been seeing these cute wall organizers everywhere and I thought: “I could totally make that.” So here I am with a new project! Let’s get started, shall we?

Materials:

Wood Garden Stake –
- This cost me a buck from my local hardware store! You could also use a regular piece of scrap wood and cut it down to the size you need. For dimensions, my garden stake is 2 inches wide by 24 inches long
Wood Glue
Wooden Clothespins
Q-Tip
Tape Measure
Spray Paint (Optional)

Wood Wall Organizer Tutorial

Step 1 :Take your tape measure and mark where you want your clothespins to be on your piece of wood. Two inches apart and alternated top and bottom is a good pattern.

Step 2 : Attach the clothespins to your piece of wood or garden stake using wood glue. Use your pen marks as your guide. Squeeze a little wood glue on your wood piece and a little glue on your clothespins.

Place the clothespins onto the wood piece and press firmly for a few seconds. Make sure the “mouth” part of the clothespin faces out. If excess glue squeezes out, use a Q-tip to remove the excess. Repeat this step with each clothespin. Allow to dry overnight.

Here’s what it looks like so far! Pretty cool, right?

<Step 3: Once the wood glue is dry, it’s time to paint it. Of course, if you prefer the natural look of your wall organizer, you can keep it natural. If you decide to paint it, move outdoors or to an area with good ventilation while you are spray painting. Place your wall organizer in a large cardboard box and spray paint it. This will save you from having white spray painted grass! A lesson I’ve learned many times – although mine was pink grass! My husband really loved that project! 🙂

You don’t want to spray too much paint on your wall organizer at one time or it will get drippy. It’s best to spray several light coats in a sweeping motion to get smooth coverage. Allow the paint to dry overnight.

Step 4 : You’re done! Now it’s time to hang your new wall organizer! I use mine to hold and organize stationary, photos, postcards, and my kids artwork. I don’t plan on hanging anything too heavy on it so 3M velcro sticky tabs work perfectly. You could always hang your wall organizer with a good ol’ hammer and nails too if you feel you need the extra support.

And that’s it! A stylish wall organizer that was made for just a few bucks. You can’t beat that!

I love having a wall organizer like this that can help organize my papers. However, this isn’t just for stationary! The DIY Wood Wall Organizer could be hung in your closet to hold necklaces or ties. Or try hanging it in your laundry room to hold all those socks with the missing pairs. Make one for Christmas and use it to display all those Christmas cards from loved ones. I was even thinking this could hold spools or ribbons or washi tapes.

I hope you guys enjoyed this easy tutorial and I hope it gets you a little more organized this year! To see more of what I’m decorating and DIYing, I’d love for you to visit me at my blog, Decor Hint. I’ll be back next month with a new project for you!

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint. I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths, sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands. I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

January 16, 2019/2 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

arts and craft, Crafts, Decorating, DIY, Upcycling

21 Ways to Reuse or Upcycle an Old Sweater

Decorating for winter doesn’t always have to mean decorating for the holidays. Have you ever thought about reusing an old sweater to make winter decorations? Sweaters represent warmth and coziness. Implementing them into your decor can bring those same attributes to your home. Here are some fantastic ideas on how to reuse or upcycle an old sweater to make something new!

Ideas:

DIY Sweater Snowman Create this adorable Snowman for your winter decorations using a sweater and bags of rice.

Give the gift of wine wrapped in an awesome upcycled sweater.

Make Your Own Fall Wreath from a goodwill sweater Create a Fall Wreath from a sweater to add a cozy feel to your decor.

Shrink a wool sweater in the dryer and use it to create felt roses.

DIY Sweater turned into a lampshade Make a gorgeous chic lampshade using an old sweater with a cool design.

10 minute tooth fairy pillow Create this 10-minute Tooth Fairy Pouch from an old piece of sweater.

create garlands out of wood sweaters Make these gorgeous wool garlands from old upcycled sweaters.

How cute is this sweater vase for a winter centerpiece on your dining table?

sweater covered pot Use a patterned sweater and repurpose it into this cute plant pot cover.

Cover lampshade with sweater cover Create some coziness in your room by covering this lampshade with a white sweater.

no sew sweater pumpkin These no-sew sweater pumpkins are quick and easy additions to your fall decor.

turn sweaters into pillow covers Create some DIY pillows using old sweaters and have endless variety of pillow designs.

ottoman from sweater Makeover a storage ottoman with a nice old sweater.

Cushion your camera strap with this upcycle sweater idea.

Here’s a tall version of sweater wrapped vases.

christmas ornaments made from sweaters Use old sweaters to make these adorable christmas ornaments.

diy felt rug from sweaters Create a psychedelic rug using sweaters cut into strips.

diy sweater sleeve into pumpkin Turn sweater sleeves into these adorable pumpkins for your fall decorations!

Or if you still want to wear that old sweater this fall and winter, here are a few creative ways to re-use them:

upcycle goodwill sweater Re-size and Dress Up a sweater from Goodwill with felt flowers.

Make leg warmers really quickly from a cute old sweater.

Turn an old sweater into a winter hat in just minutes!

I hope you enjoyed all of these ideas on how to reuse or upcycle an old sweater. They are such creative and fun ideas! Please be sure to save this post on Pinterest so you can find it easily again and share via social media if you would like. Here’s a great photo for Pinterest:

Hi, I’m Sheri from Hazel + Gold Designs. Here are a few fun stats about me: I ~~like~~ love chocolate and peanut butter (together of course.) If you like stats, I have been crocheting for about 16 years, crafting for 20, and woodworking for about 4 years. I found a passion in making and being creative and began documenting my projects online at Hazel + Gold Designs.

When not working on projects, I enjoy spending time with my husband, four children, perfect dog, and ornery cat. You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

Read all of Sheri’s tutorials.

~Find more of Sheri’s projects here ~

October 31, 2018/3 Comments/by Sheri

accessories, arts and craft, Crafts, decor, garden flag, Home Decor, Landscaping

Fall Leaves Garden Flag using a Dollar Store Placemat

Make an inexpensive (but beautiful) Fall Leaves Garden Flag using a Dollar Store Placemat! Pull out your sewing machine (or skip the stitching and use your iron and some hem tape instead.) You can have a gorgeous fall garden flag in an hour or less. Plus, this is the perfect activity to do with the kids before school starts.

Sure, we’re in the thick of a heat wave here in Raleigh, NC. But luckily fall is around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about fall decorating! I like to create a beautiful garden flag for each season using a few simple supplies from the Dollar Store. Ready to make one? Great, let’s get to it.

Materials:

*Optional: hand sew or use hem tape if you don’t have a sewing machine

Instructions:

1. Fold over the top of your placemat 2 inches. Stitch across the edge. (I used a decorative stitch, but a straight stitch is fine too.)

2. Create a stencil using a Silhouette, other craft cutter, or use pre-cut letter stencils. Adhere the stencil to the placemat. (Place centers of letters if needed.)

3. Squeeze out a small amount of fabric paint onto a paper plate.

4. Pounce or use a stencil brush to dab paint over the stencil. For more colorful letters, use yellow on one side and orange on the other. Let the colors overlap in the middle.

5. Remove stencil. Allow the fabric paint to dry.

6. Arrange and pin silk leaves onto garden flag.

7. Stitch leaves onto the flag along the “veins”.

8. Trim the excess threads off the flag.

9. Lay flag out on a flat surface.

10. Paint on glittery curly trails to simulate the path of a falling leaf.

When the flag is dry, thread it onto a garden flag stand and place it by your entryway. At the end of the season, store the flag flat to keep it looking fresh for many years to come.

If you liked this tutorial you may like my other garden flag tutorials:

Summer

Winter

Valentine’s Day

I hope you enjoy this fall season and experience beautiful fall weather soon!

August 10, 2018/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Gift Ideas, Très Frugal, Upcycling

DIY Back to School Pencil Vase

Last year my son’s teachers asked for a pack of pre-sharpened pencils. Instead of just giving them a box of pencils, I wanted to give his teachers something prettier than a box of pencils. When I found a colorful package of pencils, I knew I was on to something. After some sharpening pencils it was time to get creative.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Pencils
Double-Stick Tape
Non-Stick Scissors
Rubber band
Washi Tape
Recycled jar or bottle (non-flare shape will work best)

Instructions:

Remove the label and clean your recycled glass bottle. Dry it thoroughly. Apply double-stick tape to the top and bottom edges of your bottle.

Lay one pencil onto the bottle vertically. Press it against the tape for a temporary hold.

Continue adding pencils around the bottle. At about 1/3 – 1/2 coverage, slip a rubber band around the middle of the bottle over the pencils. This will help hold the pencils in place.