DIY Leather Cuff Bracelets - Now With Old Keys!

In addition to making more key necklaces, I've also been playing around with some new leather cuff designs, made from old belts.

I made this one for my friend Renee's birthday earlier this month - and it's also my favorite:

I filed off the charm loop from the owl, placed the teal gems, and then drilled small holes in the leather so I could stitch the owl in place with strong hemp twine.

Next I bent the two side filigree pieces into a curve, glued in all the little gems - which are nail art gems, if you're wondering - and stitched those in place, too.
 

This is made from a thrifted Gap belt, and I love that orangey leather color. Here's the back:

I've realized that two snaps look a lot more polished than one, so that means double the work and double the noise. Heh. I set everything by hand on my kitchen table at all hours, so I'm sure my neighbor is my biggest fan right now. ("Smash it with a hammer!")

Final beauty shot:

That cuff was actually my second attempt at making Renee a gift, because John claimed my first one:

The hardest part for this design is bending that key, which I managed through the time-honored tradition of brute force and colorful metaphors.

Once the key was bent to shape, I marked my holes, drilled them with the Dremel, and then stitched the key in place with hemp twine, which I knotted & pressed into the leather on the back:

I used the existing belt buckle post to fasten this one, so I just had to add an extra hole-with-a-small-slit:

Not my best work, to be honest. You should be glad John claimed it, Renee. ;)

That one's a little too tight on John's wrist, though, so next I set out to make him a better - and larger - version:

This one used the holey end of the belt, but it's kind of a neat look - and more ventilated. Plus the double snaps look a lot more polished:

You can seal the cut ends of your leather with a little satin or semi-gloss black paint. The paint's sheen will help it match the existing finish on the belt edges, so your new edge won't be so obvious.

And since I just happened to have enough leather left to make one more cuff, I did:

These old keys were a gift from a reader, and since making those cuffs I've managed to snap two more while trying to bend them. EEK. Now I'm getting paranoid! I guess that old metal just gets brittle over time, so if you decide to give this a whirl, have a couple of different keys on hand as backups - and preferably in different styles, since some metals are more brittle than others.

Ok, my fellow DIYers: go forth and tinker! Hope this gave you some new ideas!

(I'll probably experiment with stitching on smashed pennies next. Fun fun!)

 ******

UPDATE: Oops, nearly forgot to announce April's randomly-selected art roundup winner! So congratulations to... Isles Island! Please e-mail me your mailing address, Isles, plus your choice of art from my Pinterest art give-away board!