Mother's Day Bracelet

I have a new project posted at Mama on the Fly - this time, a simple gift for Mom. And it's not too late - you can make one of these in a couple of hours tops!


Let's make a beaded bracelet for Mom this Mother's Day. Here's what you need:

Wire snips or an old pair of scissors

Needle nose pliers
Jewelry wire
A package or two of beads (your choice of color and shape)

*Keep in mind  - if you buy two different packages of beads, they should be somewhat similar in size and watch out for beads that might be too big and bulky on a bracelet.

A clasp of some sort - I prefer the toggle clasp (you can see what it looks like in the pictures below)

A package of crimp tubes

* All of my supplies were purchased at Hobby Lobby

I spent about $13.50 on the above supplies (I already had the tools) and I had enough product to make 2 bracelets.

Start with a length of wire. My bracelet size is 7 1/2 " so I started with a piece of wire measuring about 8 1/2 ".  If Mom is petite, you might only need to start with 7 1/2 " or so but I'm a bigger gal so I need that extra inch :)

 Start by threading one end of your wire into a crimp tube first and then into the loop on one piece of the toggle clasp.

 Now bring the wire over the loop and insert it back into the crimp tube.

Pull the short tail of the wire until the crimp tube is snug against the loop of the toggle piece. Grab your pliers and pinch the crimp tube so it flattens. This will secure the wire in place and keep it from slipping out of the crimp tube.

Now, depending on the beads you purchased, you might want to lay them out on your work surface in an arrangement that you like so threading them onto the wire will be quick and easy. This is the arrangement I started with:

I did have to make some adjustments to this arrangement as I was working on the bracelet because I had more beads than wire but you can adjust as you go.

Once you have an arrangement you like, start threading beads on the wire. This is the part that the kids can definitely help with! Remember that little tail of wire you had when you attached one piece of the toggle clasp? Just slide it inside the first bead or two to hide it.

Continue stringing beads until you have about an inch of wire left. Leave enough wire to work through a second crimp tube and the other half of your toggle clasp. Run it around the loop of the clasp and back into the crimp tube again, just like you did when you started the bracelet. Pull the tail of this wire snugly so there is not a lot of empty wire showing in your bracelet. Once it's snug, pinch the crimp tube with your pliers.

And your bracelet is done!

Here is a picture of the 2nd bracelet I made using the same supplies, just a different color combination of beads:

 

I hope you enjoy this project - I'm sure Mom will love her gift because who doesn't like jewelry? Thank you for stopping by! For more Mother's Day ideas, be sure to visit Petite-Party Planners and check out my review of Iron Man 3 at Are You on the Fence!