jewelry display Archives - Pretty Handy Girl

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, Crafts, jewelry display

DIY Boho Style Earrings

“Boho” or Bohemian style jewelry is the rage now and you see this style everywhere. You can easily make your own Boho style jewelry with just a few items from the craft store. Whether you decide to make colorful beaded bracelets, tassel necklaces or Boho fringe earrings, you will have fun knowing you were the jewelry designer behind your creation. Who knows? Maybe you will have so much fun, you’ll be motivated to start your own Boho style jewelry company!

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.)

Instructions:

Select the color(s) of cording you want to use for the fringe. You need three strands of cording.

Measure and cut each strand at six inches.

Slide a large jump ring over the three strands and position in the center.

Bend cording in half over the jump ring and pull snug around the jump ring. You now have six strands of cording after bending in half.

Slide the D-Ring over the six strands of cording. To make it easier for the D-Ring to slide, use pliers to squeeze the D-Ring into a larger opening. Slide the D-Ring to the top where it meets the jump ring. Straighten and align the cords so they lay flat against the jump ring. Use the pliers to flatten the D-ring into its original shape.

Step 6:

Open the small end of the fishhook earring using pliers. Slide the hook over the jump ring. Close the wire hook back up with the pliers to ensure it stays in place.

Once you have everything in place, trim the ends of the cording straight across with scissors. Make them as long or as short as you like.

Pretty fun and easy, right? Give your new boho style fringe earrings as a gift or enjoy them for yourself.

Want more gift ideas? Visit Diane and Dean.

We are Diane and Dean of (surprisingly) Dianeanddean.com, a DIY Home and Garden Blog. We love to DIY together. Some of our favorite projects have been this DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Farmhouse Table and a fun Cement Succulent Planter. Sometimes we take on huge DIY projects like this Backyard Gabion Wall.

Dean is a Landscape Architect, Sustainability Director, Master Gardener, Public Speaker, and former DIY Network co-host for Grounds For Improvement.

Diane is a writer, Certified Health Coach, Calligrapher, and she also has a Florida Real Estate license.

Together we want to inspire you with some achievable DIY projects! Feel free to join us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

See all of Diane & Dean’s tutorials here.

Liked this tutorial? You’ll love these fun jewelry making tutorials too:

DIY Copper Ring Jewelry

Gear Bracelet

June 20, 2018/1 Comment/by Diane and Dean

arts and craft, jewelry display

Concrete Jewelry Dish

Hello! This is Lindi, visiting again from Love Create Celebrate. I was here a few weeks ago sharing something I made from old milk bottles I found while cleaning and purging. Now I’m back sharing something I made to help organize my life after all of the purging! Concrete projects always seem a little bit intimidating, but this Concrete Jewelry Dish Jewelry Holder can be made in a hour! It’s the fastest concrete project ever!

The big secret?! It’s Makers Mix! This stuff is unbelievable! A simple concrete project is made and sets in less than an hour!

(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.)

Materials:

*You could create this project with a couple of greased plastic bowls, but the Makers Mix mold makes it so much easier.

Instructions:

Start by mixing your “concrete” with a little bit of water according to the directions on the container.

Grease both sides of your mold with vegetable oil, and pour your Makers Mix mixture into the mold. Fill until you achieve the desired height.

You’ll notice I only filled the container part way. Place the vegetable oil bottle inside of the bowl while it sets to make sure the top of the mold doesn’t rise.

In about 40 minutes, your bowl will be fully set. Yes, 40 minutes! Use concrete sealer to seal and protect the dish if you wish. This is especially important if your dish is at risk of being exposed to water.

Paint your dish any color you like. I used my favorite Fusion Mineral Paints and painted the inside with Midnight Blue, and the rim with Champlain.

After the paint dries, grab your gold leafing pen and etch a design into the bowl. You can free hand a few straight lines, but polka-dots would also look amazing!

In no time at all you have a beautiful homemade jewelry dish! Put it on display in a bathroom, or at the kitchen sink to store your rings while baking.

Your friends will definitely be impressed and ask how to make their own.

This jewelry dish will look perfect in my newly renovated closet! If you haven’t seen the full closet reveal yet, check it out here!

For more chic DIY inspiration visit Love Create Celebrate.

~ view more projects by Lindi ~

January 25, 2017/1 Comment/by Love Create Celebrate

arts and craft, Gift Ideas, jewelry display

DIY Copper Ring Jewelry

The holidays are here and you know what that means: It’s time to check off items from your gift list. I don’t know about you, but I detest braving the mall traffic and chaos. I’d much prefer to stay indoors and make gifts for the ones I love. Not only is it more peaceful DIYing gifts, but it saves money too! Why not make beautiful DIY Copper Ring Jewelry for the bling lovers on your list. Or you could use a ring or two and make a unique key chain fob.

I’m honored to be part of the Bernzomatic Torch Bearers program. Bernzomatic has sponsored this post to help you with your holiday gift ideas.

This fun project is sure to keep you warm and cozy with a little fire and heat using a Bernzomatic ST2200T Detail Torch. The ST2200T is a great torch to start with if you’ve never used one. The small size fits in the palm of your hand and produces a small fine tip flame that’s perfect for jewelry making (among other small projects.)

To make the copper ring jewelry, you’ll need a few supplies. You can pick most of them up at your local hardware store or online.

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.)

Bernzomatic ST2200T Detail Torch
Bernzomatic Butane
Bernzomatic Flux & Lead Free Solder
Soldering Board (or non-flammable surface to work on)
3/4″ Copper pipe (1-2 foot is plenty)
Copper wire
Safety glasses
Gloves
Pipe cutter
Pliers
Sandpaper for metal
Metal file
Jewelry chain or leather cording
Jewelry clasps
Rub n’ Buff in Copper or Gold

Instructions:

Use the pipe cutter to cut several rings (approximately 1/8″ thick) off the end of your copper pipe. You may need to cut several to get ones the same thickness. (For more details on how to use a pipe cutter, you can watch my video here.

Select the rings you wish to use for the necklace.

Use the metal file to file off any sharp edges on the copper rings.

Sand the edges until they are smooth (I turned my power sander upside down in a clamping table and turned it on while holding the rings onto the sandpaper to speed the process of sanding.)

Start by laying two rings side-by-side.

Apply a generous amount of flux to each ring where you wish to join them.

Start your Bernzomatic ST2200T torch and heat the rings where you added the flux.

As soon as the flux melts, touch the solder wire onto the spot where the flux was. (Make sure the rings are still touching. If not, nudge them back together with the pliers.) Hold the solder in place until it flows onto the copper rings.

Let the rings cool (or drop them in a container of cold water.)

Solder the next ring by following the steps above (add flux, heat, and solder.) If you mess up, you can reheat the solder to remove it and start over.

Curl a piece of copper wire to form a circle.

Cut off the copper circle.

Open the circle slightly. Add flux to the wire ends and the copper ring where you want to join them. Heat the area, let the flux melt and touch the solder to the ends of the copper wire. (This step may prove a little difficult to control the solder. If you are having trouble, try to add the solder to the copper ring, then guide the wire into the molten solder. Hold the wire in place with pliers until the solder hardens.)

To hide the shiny silver solder, use copper Rub n’ Buff on the joints. Or coat the entire necklace pendant with gold Rub n’ Buff for gold jewelry.

Feed a chain through the loop . . .

. . . or sew some suede leather cord to the loops.

Then sew clasps to the other end.

Behold beautiful new necklaces that you made yourself!

These necklaces would look great with any bohemian or casual outfits.

They are super fun to make and will surely delight anyone who loves jewelry.

What could you make with a Bernzomatic Torch and some copper pipe? The possibilities are only limited by your mind.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Bernzomatic. As a Bernzomatic Torch Bearer, I was provided complimentary torches and was compensated for my time and efforts. I was not told what to write. All opinions are my own. I am particular about the brands I represent and will always let you know when you are reading a sponsored post.

Want more frugal gift ideas for the holiday season?

Pin for later!

November 25, 2016/6 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Crafts, jewelry display, organizational tips

DIY Jewelry Holder

Hi everyone! This is Lindi, visiting again from Love Create Celebrate. I admit it, I’m a hoarder. Aren’t all DIYers? I have trouble throwing anything away that could be “useful” one day (wine corks included!) When I was trying to plan out some DIY projects for my Master Bedroom Closet Renovation, I saw the old corks in a mason jar on my counter and was immediately struck with inspiration. Maybe my DIY Jewelry Holder will inspire you to keep your corks too!

I finished this entire project in just a few minutes! It’s amazing what you can do with a few old corks!

(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.)

Materials:

Tools:

Drill with 1/4″ drill bit
Pliers (at least one needle-nose pair)
Saw (to cut dowel)

Instructions:

Grab your pliers and eye hooks. Use the pliers to open up some of the eye hooks so that you can hang jewelry on them. Use one set of pliers to hold the eye hook in place. This is much easier than trying to stabilize the hook with your hand.

Using the needle-nose pliers, pull the eye hook open. You only need an opening of approximately 1/4″.

Grab your drill and drill a hole into the center of the corks (as shown below). You can just eyeball it because it doesn’t have to be perfect. Two of your corks should only be drilled half way through (they will be the corks on either end of the jewelry holder.)

Once your holes are drilled, you can put the eye hooks in place. Twist an open eye hook into each cork. For the end corks, twist two closed eye hooks into the top of the corks.

Line up the corks side by side and measure their total width. Measure the length of dowel you need and use a saw to cut the dowel to the correct length. Slide the corks onto the dowel rod. Cap the dowel off with the two end corks.

Tie a piece of rope into the closed eye hooks for hanging your jewelry holder.

Wouldn’t this make a great gift? Sometimes our family has a DIY gift exchange at Christmas time. I just might have to make a second one to throw in for some family members that would love it!

This DIY Jewelry Holder is going to find a permanent home in my Dream Closet. I’m in the middle of the six-week long Dream Closet Renovation, and I’d love for you to come check out the progress!