Thursday, January 7, 2010

Valentine's Day Idea #3 - Quick and Fun Bracelet + Bonus Giveaway


Only 38 days until Valentine's Day!


I liked what Tish did with leather cord and her Rings & Things blog partner lampwork beads so much that I decided to make a bracelet along the same lines. I used memory wire (the link takes you to a gold-tone wire, I used silver-tone, purchased at Michael's) and rubber tubing instead of leather, but the same Rings & Things lampwork beads and two small black glass beads to keep the headpins from slipping through the rather large holes.



I was only able to get one half of the wire through the tubing at a time, so the tubing is in two pieces - maybe you'll have better luck. I also trimmed off just enough tubing at the ends to expose about 3/4" to make loops to hang the dangles from. You should file the exposed ends smooth before making the loops, because memory wire is sharp after cutting and can scratch your wrist.

This is a quick and easy way to make a fun bracelet. It only requires knowledge of making a simple loop on a headpin for the dangles. The only tools you need are scissors to cut the tubing, round nose pliers to make the loops, and flush cutters for the memory wire.

Be sure to use a heavy duty memory wire cutter, because you'll ruin your regular wire cutters otherwise.

If you're worried about it coming off, you can add a small piece of chain with a spring ring clasp attached to one of the looped memory wire ends and a jump ring to the other for a safety chain.



I'll give away this bracelet to a random commenter who comments "Enter me in the bracelet giveaway" on any post between now and the end of the month. If you're on Twitter and RT any of my tweets this month you'll get another entry. If you're a fan or become a fan of Dawno's on Facebook and leave a comment on any post there with "Enter me in the bracelet giveaway", you get another entry - so there's a total of 3 entries you can make towards the giveaway.

Random drawing will be held on January 31st - and if selected, you'll get the bracelet in plenty of time for Valentine's Day!



FTC compliance notice of material connection: The lampwork heart beads, as noted above, were provided to me for free, to be used for design purposes, or for a statement of my honest opinion of them, by Rings & Things.

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8 Comments:

Blogger Just A Tish said...

this is really cute! i never thought about using the tubing over the memory wire! great idea!

January 7, 2010 at 7:47 AM  
Blogger ohdawno said...

Thanks, Tish! I wanted to make a bracelet that complimented your necklace but 1) don't have any leather cord & 2)even if I did, I know I would have spent hours figuring out how to finish and clasp it. This seemed like a pretty easy way to get the look.

January 7, 2010 at 7:58 AM  
Blogger Dave Robertson said...

Your tubing + memory wire design looks swell and must be fairly durable. I expect the winner will have many happy wears.

:) Dave
at Rings & Things

January 7, 2010 at 8:08 AM  
Blogger ohdawno said...

I think you're right, Dave - thanks for dropping by!

January 7, 2010 at 8:21 AM  
Blogger Just A Tish said...

finishing leather is easy. make a coil, crimp one end of the coil to the leather, bend out the last loop on the coil to a 45 degree angle. that is your connector. you can use a jump ring and attach a clasp - 1 - 2 - 3.. easy peasy!

January 7, 2010 at 9:57 AM  
Blogger ohdawno said...

That's true, Tish, it's not that it's difficult to do, but it's more a matter of me wanting a specific look and being pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get there :-)

January 7, 2010 at 9:59 AM  
Anonymous Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor said...

Hi Dawno, I just thought of something that might work for getting the wire through the rubber.

Maybe if you slipped a piece of fine wire through first as a needle to pull a heavier cord or small pipe cleaner covered with cornstarch. This might coat the inside well enough that the memory wire would slide through the rubber better.

I'm thinking it was just grabbing too much and eventually wouldn't go any further.

If that doesn't work, maybe WD-40 would work?

Just a thought. Don't have any rubber cord here, or I would try it first myself.

January 7, 2010 at 12:06 PM  
Blogger ohdawno said...

Cindy, that's brilliant! I'm going to try those and report back. Thanks.

January 7, 2010 at 1:19 PM  

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