Quick Craft: Easy Leather Cuffs, Plus a Give-Away!

This craft is so easy some of you will probably be rolling your eyes at me, but I want to show all those "non-crafty" types out there how simple it is to make awesome bangle cuffs with nothing more than a hammer, some snaps, and an old belt.

First, you need an old belt. Preferably one with a pretty design on it, like this:

I grabbed this at a GoodWill last week for a dollar. The orange and blue flowers caught my eye - of course.

The belt had two embroidered patches on it that just happened to be the exact length needed for a cuff bracelet, so I used one of my other cuffs for a template and cut out each section:

If you don't have a template, just round the edges however you like. (You could leave them square, but I find the edges tend to scratch a bit if you do.)

Now all you need is the $8 "Anorak Snap Setting Tool" from the craft store (like this), some snaps, and a hammer.

First you use the tiny little tube to punch a hole:

And then follow the instructions on the package to set the snap ends:

It worked out for these that the snap ended up right in the middle of the green flower on the end. Nifty, right?

You're not quite done yet, though: next you need to seal the cut edges - especially if the belt you use isn't real leather, like this one. The synthetic stuff is made up of layers which will quickly start to peel apart.

I used a simple white craft glue, but I think you could also a vinyl glue or clear fabric glue:

Once the glue dries you can either paint it with a matching color, or color it in with a matching Sharpie marker. I tried both ways on these, and found the paint was a little too light and too matte (ideally you'll want to use a satin or semigloss paint), while the Sharpie one is glossier and a bit darker than the leather. Here's the painted one:


It's not bad, but John says the Sharpie one looks better, so that's the one I'm going to give away.

But first, a couple more beauty shots:

These two cuff bracelets are virtually identical, so whoever wins my extra one will automatically become my bestie. FAIR WARNING.



[NOTE: The contest has ended, and the winner is....Amanda Mead! Amanda, please e-mail me your mailing address!]

To enter, just leave your name and favorite movie quote in the comments on this post. There is no point to the movie quotes except keeping me entertained. (WHAT.) I'll ship anywhere, so anyone can enter. I'll pick someone tomorrow night, and announce the winner both here, on this post, and on the Epbot Facebook page. (You are following me on FB, right?) Please watch for that update, so I don't have to go hunting you down to get your shipping address, k?

I hope this inspires some of you to go belt-hunting! Now, go comment, and happy quoting! 

NOTE: I'm moderating all your comments, guys, so please only enter them once, even if you don't see it go through. It might take me a little bit to get it published, but I promise, I'll get to it!