12 Projects of Christmas: Vintage Button Bracelet

Okay, so as promised here is my second project of the day.  I must have been on a button kick this week because both of my projects involved them!  Wanna see the other one?  Check out my Button Tree Pillowcase (no sewing involved).

I got inspired to make this after seeing a gorgeous version of this at Anthropology, but it was sooo pricey!  I immediately realized that I could probably make it myself and that it would be a great gift for any of my girlfriends.  You can make it with any kinds/sizes/colors of buttons and make the width of the band to your own liking, but I chose to keep the colors/size as close to the Anthro one as I could because I really liked the look of it.

Start with our materials:

1/8 yard material (or any scrap material you have leftover from another project)
2 metal snap sets
Various buttons of your choice (I went with antique-looking white and gem colored ones)
Hot glue gun and glue
No-Sew
Iron and ironing board
Matching thread and needle

You want to figure out how big to make your bracelet, which I did by eyeballing the material against my own wrist.  Make sure to leave enough around the edges for the hem.  Make sure to cut 2 matching pieces.

Turn your material inside out and use No-Sew around the edges to "sew" 2 of the long edges and one of the short edges.  Turn your bracelet inside out, fold the un"sewed" edge under and use No-Sew to hem it closed.

Sew on the snaps.

First, place your larger, colored buttons on where you would like them and attach them with hot glue (you can sew them on if you want, but I'm trying to keep these projects fast and as sew-free as possible).

Then fill in the rest of the spaces with the small, white buttons.  I like the 3D look of the bracelet so I stacked some of my buttons, but you can keep it flat if you like.  This is your project, so make it fit your style! :)

Here it is on:  

I love the look of this, and I can't wait to make another one for myself.  It was so easy, and I just keep thinking of all these color-schemes to match my wardrobe!  :)

Cost breakdown:
Buttons:  $5
Snaps:  $2
Material: Used scraps from my Button Tree Pillowcase
No-Sew: Already Had

Total Cost:  $7 (a savings of $13 from the Anthro one!)

I think I love this project, not just because of the savings but also because of the amazing ways you can tailor this project to the tastes of the person you're giving it to (or to your own taste if you're keeping it--sometimes we all need to gift something nice to ourselves!)  :)
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xoxo, Melissa

Tutorial: Necklace Holder/Display

If you're anything like me, you have a bunch of necklaces stuck somewhere, probably on a hook in your closet/bathroom, that you really love but tend to not wear very much because you forget they are there. Sound familiar? Yup.

So I started thinking: what can I craft that will be classy, keep my jewelry organized, and make it easily available so I'll actually wear them once in a while? I've been on kind of a frame-kick lately, so I started looking up ideas about using frames for jewelry holders/displays. Voila! Here's what I came up with!

Super easy, and super cheap :)  First, here's what you need:

1 frame (I got mine for $1 at Goodwill)
Spray paint - I used cheap white that was less than $1 at good ol' WallyWorld
Open-ended eye hooks
Brown acrylic paint
Fine-grit sandpaper
Drill with a drillbit that's the size of the threads on the eye hooks

 First I painted my frame with the spray paint.  It was wood, but I wanted to distress it, so I painted it.

 Next, I used the sandpaper to slightly sand down parts of the frame.  I focused on the corner embellishments and some parts in the middle of the frame sides.  Don't sand all the way through the paint or you will see your wood frame underneath, unless that's something you want.  I wanted a little of the wood grain to show through, so I did it lightly a little bit at a time until it was exactly what I wanted.

 Next I mixed a little bit of the brown paint with the water to create my own stain.  I didn't have stain, and I didn't want to spend the money on it (trying to do my craft as cheaply as possible).  I took a paper towel, dipped it in the paint/water mix, wiped it on sections of the frame, then wiped it off with a dry paper towel. 

 You can see, it gives it a tea-colored stain.  You can use this as much or as little as possible, whichever suits your taste.

 Once it's all dry, lay out your eye hooks so you can gauge how many you can fit in your frame.  My 11"x14" frame held 12 hooks down the 14" side.

 Next, use a marker to mark where each hook sits on the inside of the frame so you can see where to drill your holes.  Carefully drill the holes in the frame (I probably should have made H hold the frame while I drilled, but I did it on my own and it turned out pretty good!)

 Screw in your eye hooks so each open end is facing out.

Find a good place to hang it (mine is now hanging on my bedroom wall by my dresser) and use a couple small finishing nails to put it in place.

Here's the breakdown:
Frame:  $1
Eye hooks: $1.96 (2 packs @ $0.98/pack)
Spray paint: $0.96
I already had the acrylic paint, sand paper, and drill.

Total cost for new jewelry holder:  $3.92.  Success!

I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with how well this turned out!  If you try it, make sure to tell me how yours turned out! 

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