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Monday, May 05, 2014

InspirationFX: Pink Punk Princess


InspirationFX 
Get your creative juices flowing



Pink Punk Princess

by: Dwyn Tomlinson

A pink, rhinestoned, multi-wrap bracelet that would make the heart of any sweet sixteen go pitter-pat.

Super easy and quick to make - and while not inexpensive - easy to recycle when the trends change too!

And the best part of this is: you don't need fancy tools to make it!

Well - ok - you need a leather punch to make the holes in the leather - but you can set the rivets with a pair of flat nose pliers!

Check your length first - I used about 2.5 feet of leather, and about 22 inches of the cup chain, which made a triple wrap bracelet - with the clasp adding about 2.5 inches. If, for instance, you were smaller and wanted just a double wrap - you could drop about 10 inches of leather and about 7 inches of cup chain.

You can use matching rivets to the cup chain, or go for contrast. I did both. ;-)

Start by making a hole in the leather, about a quarter inch in from the end, and another about a 1/2 inch further along. Fold the leather in half, lining up the holes. You can put the large jumpring into the fold, or open it and add it later - either way is fine.

Take the rivet head (with the crystal) and push it through the holes, holding it in place, with it sticking out the other side (this gets a bit fiddly, but persevere!). Line up one of the rivet backs (the brass donut thingy) so that the tiny little feet on the stem of the rivet go into the trough on the rivet back. Now, carefully squeeze the rivet straight down into the rivet back. It takes less pressure than you think. I used a simple pair of flat nose pliers, and while it didn't feel like it moved at all - it actually worked! I was worried about chipping the stone - but it was fine - I didn't use that much pressure! Do the same at the other end, to secure the jumpring there too. Add the hook clasp to one jumpring, and hook into the other for the closure.

Take about as much wire as you can easily handle (1 full arm's length), or work with it off the spool. You can always finish off one piece and start another. I used black to go with the dyed edge of the leather, but you might want to choose a gold brass colour to go with the cup chain, or pink to go with the leather, etc.

Centre up the cup chain on the leather, then start wrapping the wire to secure it at one end. As the wraps are visible, try and keep the spacing fairly even. Wrap all the way to the end, and finish off with a few extra wraps of wire. Squeeze the wire flat and into place with your flat nose pliers again.

That's it! Enjoy!



























 

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

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