A Sweet DIY: Let's Bake Up Some Bracelets!

Finally!

I can FINALLY show you guys that project I needed the fake sprinkles for!

Check it out:

A cakey icing bracelet!

I was first inspired by the amazing Shoe Bakery, but since I don't wear heels, I figured a bracelet was a more practical option. (Although I'll admit I've tried this technique on shoes - and it totally works. WOOT!)

Once John and I figured out the sprinkles, this little cutie was a snap to make, and surprisingly cheap, too. I bet a lot of you already have everything you need right in your kitchen & garage!

Hit the 'Read More' below for the tutorial, since John tells me all these photo-happy posts are killing load times over here. Heh. Oops.

Ok, let's bake us a bracelet!

Now, you COULD start with an existing cuff bracelet from the store, but why spend the extra bucks when you've got...

BAM! Ugly old PVC pipe!

These things come in a variety of diameters at your local hardware shop, and it just so happens that 2.5 inches is PERFECT for my little hobbit hands to fit through.

I recommend slices around 1.25 inches wide:

Next sand it down, paying extra attention to the sharp edges. You can do this by hand pretty easily, but if you have a palm sander around, that'll speed things up:

Just hold each edge onto the (running) sander, then hit the inner and outer edges:

 (Props to John, my hand model. Thanks, Sweetie!)

This whole process from pipe to bracelet took less than five minutes, and look how lovely:

I really like the matte texture of the pipe's interior; it feels awesome on, and has a nice heft to it.

Again, make sure you've sanded the outside of the bracelet, too; the original finish is too shiny, and your "icing" won't stick as well.

Now, before we ice, we need a way to work on the bracelet without touching it. Here's our cobbled-together solution:

And look how impressed Lily is.

That's another leftover bit of PVC pipe - small enough to fit through the bracelet - stuck into 2 shipping boxes on either side. Jam a little craft foam between the bracelet & pipe to make it snug, and now you can turn your bracelet without fear of smudging it! Pretty sweet, right?

Now, THE BIG SECRET. 

Drumroll, please, because that oh-so-yummalicious looking icing IS...

Acrylic house caulking.

That's right, the stuff you seal your baseboards with makes PERFECT decorative icing. It's cheap, durable, and easily tint-able with any acrylic craft paint.

If you want plain white icing, though, you can use that goodness right out of the tube. Squeeze out a glob right onto your bracelet:

And use a butter knife or small spatula to work it around:

You want a lot of texture here, to don't try to smooth it too much!

Work your way around, until you've covered the whole thing:

Try not to go over the edges on each side, though; that can get messy, and we'll be adding a border to cover any gaps, anyway.

Now, the fun part: SPRINKLES! But NOT real sugar sprinkles. Trust me. They'll fall out, crumble, and/or bleed. So definitely use fake ones. (Don't have fake sprinkles? Then go here for my tutorial!)

If you took a while to frost your bracelet, you may need to mist it with a little water to help the sprinkles stick. If it's within 5 minutes or so, though, they'll probably stick fine. Give 'em a little tap as you go, to help embed them in the caulking.

Ahh yes, there comes a time in every girl's life when she must face the big question: Is it possible to have TOO MANY sprinkles?

I'll leave that one for the philosophers. 

I've found that the key to extra-realistic sprinkles is to have lots of tiny pieces and various sizes, so I have a craft blade on hand to chop up some of the extra-long ones as I go:

And before those brown smudges freak you out too much - I CAN EXPLAIN:

 See? I made a chocolate one! 

(No tinting required; just buy a tube of the brown caulking they use for wood tones.)

You could actually stop there, if you like - and I think I will with the chocolate one. To really sell the icing look, though, you can't beat a colorful shell border. So let's add one.

All you need (other than the caulk & paint to tint it) is a parchment icing bag and a #16 Wilton tip. You can buy tips individually at craft shops for about $2, so don't worry, this won't break the bank.

It'll help if you have a little decorating experience for this next part, but if not, trust me when I say it's not that hard.

First, mix up your caulk & paint to make a pretty icing color:

Then assemble & fill your icing bag. (Here's how.)  Don't forget to drop the Wilton tip into the bag before you add the icing!

Have a wet paper towel nearby for cleaning off the icing tip.

A shell border is probably the easiest and most common icing technique out there, so I'd bet even total newbs will have it down with just a few minutes of practice. You're basically just squeezing out a small ball of icing, dragging down towards yourself, and repeating. 

Don't worry if it's not perfect; it's not supposed to be!

Pipe your borders right on the edge of your bracelet. It's ok if a little of the shell hangs over:

You can see my two stopping points in this pic. I used a toothpick to help tap them down into place. 

Let the caulking cure for at least 24 hours, and then spray your bracelet with a strong, water-based (so it won't yellow), satin clear coat. I used Minwax Polycrylic. This will help lock in those sprinkles, and also give the whole thing a convincing sheen. Without it, I found my bracelets looked too flat and clay-like. 

Don't use gloss or high-gloss, though, or your bracelet will look like shiny plastic!

My chocolate & blue bracelets are still curing, so here are some not-quite-finished shots before the clear coat goes on:

I'm really liking how that blue turned out! Next I need to make an orange one. :D

And here's the pink one again, which I sprayed a week or two ago:

Again, I found the clear-coat made a big difference, but I'm not sure how well it shows up in these photos. Guess you'll just have to trust me. :)

I hope this inspires some sweet new crafts for you guys! And hey, get creative, because you can use this on all KINDS of stuff: decorative boxes, scrapbook covers, hanging ornaments, hair clips, and of course faux cakes and cupcakes. Whatever you end up doing, be sure to share pics!


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