Spring is such a beautiful time of year, it’s so nice to be able to swap cosy winter layers for something a little lighter. This spring I’ve given an old bangle a pretty floral makeover to wear as the weather warms up and my arms are no longer covered with cardigans, jumpers and coats all the time!
Hi, I’m Julie, back again from Sum of their Stories to share a simple and thrifty jewellery idea with you today.
I came across this bangle a while ago in a charity shop for just 50p.
I knew it was just right for a makeover project. Inspired by something similar I’d seen on pinterest, at first I thought I would cover it with comic book paper like I did for this pen pot.
Then I found some old sheet music… then the pages of an old book left over from another project…..so many options! Finally I settled on this beautiful Cath Kidston writing paper.
You can see I’ve used it for craft projects before – mostly card making – but as it’s a little bit pricey I’ve not thrown away even the smallest scraps. Perfect – for this project little scraps of paper are just right.
Fancy having a go? This is what you need:
- An old bangle
- Scraps of paper
- Mod Podge or PVA glue
- A small paintbrush
- Fine sandpaper
- Clear spray sealer (optional but recommended)
First give the bangle a quick going over with the sandpaper, just to rough it up a bit. Then tear the paper into strips like this.
Working a section at a time, cover the bangle with Mod Podge and apply the strips of paper.
If any strips are wider than 1cm just make a few tears in the sides so they fit the shape of the bangle better.Overlap the paper strips and brush a layer of Mod Podge over the top too.
When 3/4 of the bangle is covered you are going to have to pause and let it dry for an hour or so. I left mine to dry like this using a chop stick whilst I made a cup of tea!
Then you can just carry on and fill in the gap.
Whilst I was waiting for it to dry I cut out some flowers from more paper scraps using my craft knife.
Then I just Mod Podged them on to any areas that looked a bit plain or where there was a slightly unattractive wrinkle.
Let the whole thing dry thoroughly (I left it overnight to be on the safe side) then give it a couple of coats of clear spray sealer. I used this one from PlastiKote which works well but kind of stinks so do use it outside!
The sealer is optional but without it you risk the paper and Mod Podge getting wet when you wash your hands, not a chance I was willing to take!
And that’s it, finished! A pretty new additional to my spring wardrobe that cost me 50p and an afternoon plus drying time.
If you were making over a bangle you already had the costs come down even more! You could use writing paper like I did, or magazines, sheet music or book pages (as previously discussed) tissue paper, wrapping paper…oh the possibilities!
Once again it has been an absolute joy to be here sharing this little project with you, thanks for having me Kimber.
If you like this project you might like to take a peek at some of my others too, over at Sum of their Stories
Kristina & Millie says
so cute! love the extra flowers pinned on top but can sympathize! I know how hard it is to cut out details with those exacto knives! Lovely bracelet though so well worth the effort. Welcome Spring!! Thanks for linking with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday!
Kimber says
It is adorable! I always appreciate things so much more when they are handmade and extra effort on the details is always what makes it most special!