DIY Safety Pin Bracelet

A couple of months ago I was in a boutique with my mom and daughter just browsing around.  As I was looking I came across some beautiful bracelets on the bottom shelf of a glass case.  Instantly I was intrigued.  I had never seen a bracelet like that before.  What was even more intriguing was that it looked like it was custom made.  I looked more closely and realized that it was made from beads and safety pins!  Wow!  What a cool idea.  I studied it a little longer and determined I would try to make one myself sometime.   

Hence the safety-pin-bead bracelet.

The supplies are simple.  I used 80 safety pins, a little bag of blue beads and a little bag of clear beads. I also used about 22" of elastic cording to thread the pins together.   I wanted to give it a little interest so I decided to alternate the color of the beads on the pins.  One half were a blue combination, and the other half were clear.  The assembly is really pretty simple.  Layer the beads on the pin, enough beads so that the pin just barely closes.  A word of advise:  hold the beads tightly when you begin to close the pin.  If you don't, and lose your grip, beads will fly everywhere.  Believe me, I almost gave myself a heart attack as I wasn't expecting it.  :0)  I made sure I held them tightly after that so as not to repeat that catastrophe. 

After you have beaded all your pins....it does take a little while, but if you expect that to be the case it won't overwhelm you, you can just work on them a little at a time..... thread them onto two elastic strings- about 10 inches each.  You do want it to be elastic cording because it must stretch to get over your wrist.  The key when threading them is to alternate the colors and the tops and bottoms of the pins.  First right side up, then right side down.....continue that pattern.  This will enable the bracelet to keep a consistent thickness.  Otherwise the top or bottom will be wider than the other.  (See picture below)

When you have finished, tie the beginning of the top string to the end of the top string.  Then tie the beginning of the bottom string to the end of the bottom string.  Tie them both securely.  Cut the excess strings and you're done!!  You now have a beautiful bracelet to wear or give as a gift.  Happy creating!

Many more great ideas to come!

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