Celebrate New York Fashion Week with a DIY designer-inspired cuff bracelet!  This easy DIY was inspired by a $400 Michael Kors cuff and uses an unexpected material – a can. You can completely customize this cuff bracelet with different papers or fabrics.

Project estimate:

• Can, on hand
• Duct tape, on hand
• Textured paper, about $1
• Fingernail polish, on hand
• Mod Podge, on hand
• Felt, on hand
• Spray adhesive, on hand

Total: about $1

Choice of can is important. A Hunt’s tomato paste can works best since it’s not too big and has a seam on both the top and the bottom of the can.

For this size can you will need to cut a piece of textured or patterned paper that is 3 1/16″ by 6 5/8″ and a piece of felt or similar fabric for a liner at 3 3/8″ by 6 5/8″. To save measuring you can use a template I uploaded at examiner.com.

Remove the paste from the can and make a marinara. Wash the can.

Remove the top and bottom of the can with a can opener.

Cut the can open along the seam using tin snips. (Careful. Your edges will be sharp.) Bend it open a little so that it will slip over your arm easily.

Duct tape the edges and corners as show below.

Paint the seams with gold fingernail polish or gold paint and allow to dry.

Mod Podge the can and apply the paper. You can stop right here with the paper if you want a plain cuff.

For a Michael Kors inspired coral snake cuff, paint the paper first using fingernail polish or craft paint. (Hot pink fingernail polish will appear coral when painted on black.)

Coat the paper with Mod Podge and allow to dry.

If you’d like a shiny finish, give the cuff a coat of acrylic sealer. Dry it on a broomstick propped between two chairs.

Use glue, Mod Podge or spray adhesive to line the inside of the cuff with felt.

Enjoy your designer-inspired cuff.

The post Tutorial: Easy, Designer-Inspired Cuff Bracelet appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Jewelry that serves an additional function is something I’ve always appreciated.  (Hence my love of lockets and the like.)  Our ever-so-crafty Malaysian pal PC from MeiJo’s Joy brings us a new twist on jewelry with storage space; her zipper cuff bracelet opens up to reveal enough space for some spare change, a folded-up note, or other small items.  It’s perfect for wearing with outfits lacking pocket space!  I’ve been seeing zipper accessories everywhere lately, so this idea is also the perfect addition to a back-to-school wardrobe.  [how to make a zip-up cuff bracelet]

Project estimate:

• Zipper, on hand or $1 and up
• Ribbon, on hand
• Embroidery floss, on hand
• Snaps, on hand or $1
• Beads, on hand

Total:  Free and up

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Whether the kids want to admit it or not, it’s getting to be time to shop for back-to-school supplies.  While parents will be concerned about making sure their brood has enough paper, pencils, and other necessities, for the kids there is one thing about the first day of school that is far more important than supplies:  the first-day-of-school outfit!  Whether you have a trendy teen or you know a teacher who enjoys quirky accessories, nothing screams back-to-school fashion quite like a pencil cuff bracelet.  And they’re so easy to make!

Project estimate:

• Pencils, $1
• Wide bangle bracelet, on hand or $1
• Saw or serrated knife, on hand
• Ribbon, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Sandpaper, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

Start by cutting your pencils into small segments.  If you don’t have a saw, a sharp, serrated knife should do the trick.  The length of your pieces will make up the width of your finished bracelet, so cut accordingly.  You can measure and cut them all to an exact length if you want, but I just went with pieces close to the same length to give it a slightly random look.

Tie a length of ribbon around a wide bangle bracelet.  This will be the form to which you’ll attach your pencil pieces.

Glue each piece of pencil to the ribbon.  (I used Amazing Goop because it bonds strongly and dries firmly enough to help the bracelet keep its shape.)  Make sure that each pieces is glued both to the ribbon and to the adjacent pieces of pencil, but be careful not to glue them to the bangle.  Use a cotton swab or toothpick if needed to clean up any excess glue before it dries.

Continue adding pencil pieces until you get almost all the way around the bangle.  It took me about 8 pencils each cut into 4 pieces to get around my bracelet.

When the glue has dried enough to keep the pieces firmly attached to each other, carefully slide out the bangle form.  Trim the ends of the ribbon to be flush with the last pieces of pencil on each end, then glue the two ends together to create a continuous ring of pencils.

After the glue dries completely, sand the rough pencil ends around the edges of the bracelet.  I sanded mine enough to smooth out the ends but left the pencil pieces slightly uneven.  If you prefer, you can keep sanding until all of the ends are even.  If you have problems with the graphite from the pencils getting on your clothing, you can seal it in with a couple of quick coats of spray polyurethane.  Now it’s ready to wear!

If yellow isn’t you color, you can also paint the bracelet to give it a different look.  If you feel the need to add extra strength and rigidity to your design, try coating it in a layer of polymer resin.

The post Back-to-School Fashion: Make a Pencil Cuff Bracelet appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It’s funny how easy it is to trace the origins of  both my craftiness and my pack rat nature.  I was reminded recently that I got both traits from my grandmother.  When she passed away about ten years ago I inherited her collection of sewing notions, and as as  part of my stashbusting this month I was surveying the random items in one of her sewing boxes.  I came across something that took me a moment to identify.  They were collars salvaged off of polo shirts.  I wrapped one around my wrist and immediately knew that I had to make a cuff bracelet!  After digging around in my stash a little bit more, I came up with everything I needed.  Here’s how I did it.

Supplies:

• Polo shirt collar, on hand
• Embroidery floss, on hand
• Cameo, on hand or $1
• Beads, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Hook and eye closures, on hand or $1
• Needle and thread, on hand

Total:  Free and up

Cut the collar off a collared knit shirt.  Wrap the collar around your wrist and measure so that it goes all the way around with a little bit of overlap.  Cut it to that length.

To give the edges a more finished look and help prevent them from fraying, I went around three sides of the collar with embroidery floss using a blanket stitch.  If you’ve never tried the blanket stitch, don’t be afraid; it’s SO easy to do, even if you have zero sewing or embroidery skills!  The fourth edge of my collar was scalloped and tipped in pink, so I didn’t stitch across it.  If your collar doesn’t have a decorative edge, blanket stitch all the way around.  [how to sew a blanket stitch]

Glue your embellishments to the middle of the cuff.  I chose a cameo and a few pretty beads that were hiding amongst my random jewelry making supplies.

Attach a pair of hook-and-eye closures to the ends of the cuff to finish it.  You could also use velcro to secure the ends together, but I have a ton of hook closures in my sewing notions and few occasions to use them, so I decided this was a good opportunity to get rid of a couple!

The post Make a Recycled Shirt Collar Cuff Bracelet appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’m forever picking up cheap leather clothing items at thrift shops to chop up for other projects.   We’re quickly coming up on April, which is stashbusting month, so I’m adding this adorable bow cuff by Melissa at IS•LY to my to-do list.  Don’t have much leatherworking experience?   Not a problem!  Her instructions include a printable pattern for the project, making it very quick and practically fail-proof to create.  [how to make a leather bow cuff]

Project estimate:

• Leather, on hand or $1 and up
• Printable pattern, free
• Button, on hand
• Scissors, on hand
• Hole punch, on hand
• Needle and thread, on hand
• Glue, on hand
• Clamp, on hand

Total:  Free and up

The post Make a Leather Bow Cuff appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The awesome zipper ideas keep coming from our Super Secret Stashbusting crafters! This time, Heather at Wax Eloquent came up with this brand new never-before-seen way to use zippers. She took some zippers I sent her (in a completely crazy envelope of mismatching stuff), and turned them into a great cuff. This is a no-sew project, and a great way to use up old zippers (I have a thrifted bag of zippers that weighs about ten pounds, so keep the zipper ideas coming, kids!) [click here for the zipper cuff tutorial]

Project Estimate:

• 4 zippers, on hand or $1 each
• Ribbon, on hand
• Cardboard roll, on hand
• Hot glue, on hand
• Elmer’s glue, on hand

Total: FREE and up

The post Make a Zipper Cuff appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Finnish designers Greta Muuri and Isla Myllys have done some interesting work with recycled materials, including some work with cassette tapes (and the tape that comes in them). I personally love recycled audio equipment crafts, and this is another great addition to the projects we’ve been collecting here on Dollar Store Crafts. [how to make a cassette tape bracelet]

You probably won’t find a cassette tape at the dollar store, but chances are you already have one on hand that you wouldn’t mind using for this project, or you can pick one up at the thrift store.

Project Estimate:

• Cassette Tape, on hand or about $.25 at a thrift store
• Cotton yarn, on hand
• Cotton scrap fabric, on hand
• Zipper, on hand or $1

Total cost: FREE and up

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