Hey, friends! Welcome back to recycled craft times with Seen and Green! In a previous post, I showed step-by-step instructions for how to make bracelets from chip bags. This post provides detailed instructions for how to combine 2 of those bracelets to make a wrist cuff. (Use the medium-sized template as seen in the previous post!)
Materials
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- 2 bracelets made from chip bags (unfinished; without buttons or leather lace). Click here to learn how to make them.
- Hemp twine (1mm width)
- Credit card or similar hard plastic to turn into a “needle”
- Leather hole punch
- Strong scissors
- Leather lace OR buttons and ribbon
DIY Wrist Cuffs
1. Make Your "Needle"
To make your “needle,” cut an elongated, pointy triangle out of the credit card. Make sure it’s a credit card you don’t use anymore! (Sometimes I get non-active, fake credit cards in junk mail offers that work perfectly for this.) The length of the triangle needle will be about a half-inch. The width needs to be small enough to fit through one of the squares in your bracelet.
Using your hole puncher, punch a tiny hole in the center of the wide base of the triangle.
2. Punch Holes
Using your hole puncher, punch holes in each end of each bracelet.
3. Connect the Bracelets
- Cut about 2 feet of twine.
- Thread the twine through your “needle.”
- Start connecting the two bracelets together by following along the folded parts of each zig-zag pattern, alternating which bracelet you pass the twine through.
- When you reach the end, tie the twine together to secure it as shown in the pictures below.
4. Finish the Wrist Cuff
To finish the wrist cuff, you’ll need to decide whether you want to use leather lace or buttons and ribbon to close the bracelet around your wrist.
If Using Leather Lace
- Run the leather lace through the holes in the bracelet.
- Tie the knots to secure the leather lace to the ends of the bracelet.
- When you want to put your wrist cuff on, simply tie it in a bow around your wrist. (It is easier if someone puts it on for you!)
If Using Buttons and Ribbon
- Cut 4 pieces of ribbon, each about 7 inches in length, or longer.
- Take 2 buttons and run the ribbon through them as shown in the picture below.
- Tie the buttons to one end of the bracelet as shown in the picture below.
- At the other end of the bracelet, create 2 loops, one for each button.
- Tie the ribbon off as shown in the picture below. Make sure to leave enough room in your loop for your button to slide through.
- After tying the knots, burn the tips of the ribbon so they don’t fray. Be careful not to burn your bracelet!
- (This can also be done with hemp twine instead of ribbon!)
- To close the bracelet around your wrist, simply push the buttons through the loops.
Teach Others How
Chip bags, cookie bags, and other snack bags cannot be recycled. That’s why making crafts like these is not only fun but also important work! Teach others how to make recycled crafts! Let’s protect the only planet we’ve got while looking super cute!
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