DIY Bracelets – The Pretty, The Funky, The Manly

I’ve always been intrigued by the creative craftsmen – the ones who are able to transform something absolute ordinary, or in some instances worthless, into an exquisite gem of an item. My fascination for fashion also lands me on endless sites of do-it-yourself fashion revivals, making it possible for me to completely revamp my wardrobe – now if only I have the time. That shouldn’t stop me for sharing the love though.

“It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.” – Napolean Hill

Organisation is in order, so this post focuses only on my favourite blogs that feature funky bracelets that you can make with minimal costs. Click on the images to learn how to make these statement pieces.

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DIY Zipper Bracelets – by BRIT + CO

Check those out! I never thought zippers could be made so cool. There was a trend a few years back of zipper pouches (lots of zippers sewn together), which I personally thought were tacky. Yes, they were a novelty for a bit, and quite fun to have around, especially since you can open the pouches with any one of the hundred zippers of your choice. But tacky it still was, and it has ingrained in me the purpose of zippers – which was it’s functionality, and not it’s beauty. I have been gladly been proven wrong. These bracelets, especially the ones on the top (the black with gold zips on the right and nude with swirled zips on the left) do not look like zippers at all!

The best part is how low the cost of making these are. You probably already have zippers from lying around the house from clothes you’re planning to donate. And if you don’t, they are barely a dollar each (a dollar being daylight robbery for a simple zipper). Perhaps the only real costs are the little clasps and pliers you might want to invest on if you’re thinking of making more accessories.

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DIY Beaded Bracelet – by Style Me Pretty

You can’t exactly make this from scratch since you require a bare metal cuff, but I love how you can wear the one with the big crystal-like beads to quite an upscale event. Your choice of beads determines the style of this one. With small beads, it pairs better with a casual weekend look. This DIY tutorial is so simple, it’s highly impossible to go wrong. All you need is a glue gun, or some strong glue, beads, a cuff, and you’re done!

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DIY Hinge Bracelet – by Love Maegan

That is made out of a hinge and some gold chains. How cool is it that you can literally walk into a Home-Fix store for some jewellery. You know, because going to a girly beads shop is too mainstream. I like how this particular hinge looks like some sort of medieval torture device – something like the head of an axe – but smaller. Imagine juxtaposing this with a pretty pink floral dress. It’s so unassuming.

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DIY Hex Nut Bracelet – by Honestly…WTF

Check out that bracelet at the bottom – made with twine and hex nuts! Just add that to your shopping list with the hinge for the tutorial above. Perhaps it’s worth looking for random parts in that tool box that hardly gets open. You never know what other types of jewellery pieces you can make with random scraps of metal.

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DIY Knot and Chain Bracelet – by I Spy DIY

This looks similar to the hex nut bracelet, and quite a lot simpler. And  if you’re feeling a little adventurous, you can go wild with the different types of knots and colours.

DIY Chunky Copper and Neon Bracelets – by Scraphacker

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Oh, wait. There’s more. Hardware shops going to earn so much money from all these jewellery makers. This tutorial is exceptionally descriptive as it showcase several different types of bracelets you can make with the same materials. More bang for the buck!

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DIY T-Shirt Bracelet – by Hot Polka Dot

Perfect if you have the odd t-shirt lying around, that doesn’t fit you anymore, but has patterns/designs/colours that you can’t bear to part with. Personally, I feel that it is a little bulky, but perhaps with smaller strips of cloth, it would make a really nice accessory. And also, you don’t need to go to a hardware store for this one. Phew.

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DIY Paracord Bracelet with Buckle

I am well aware that the bracelets featured so far are very feminine. So here’s one that is all masculine. Just check out that buckle! That is ingenious. If you scroll down to the bottom to the comments section of this DIY tutorial, there are more ideas of different types of hooks and knots that could replace the buckle. And I imagine that the comments (with pictures) are provided by buff, tanned, manly men in construction, back from being out hiking with their equally buffed men-friends. I might have an overactive imagination. But hey, there’s nothing feminine about that bracelet.

Now that I’m inspired… maybe I should start ransacking my dad’s toolbox…

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Why is DIY real good?

On top of now owning absolutely gorgeous one of a kind statement pieces, repurposing and upcycling unused items maximises the function of that single item, preventing wastage – all the better in trying to minimise the impact of the throw-away society that we live in, spawn out of uncontrollable consumerism. Every little bit of reducing, reusing and recycling we can add to our daily lives, helps save Mother Earth.