Travel Charm Bracelet

September's DIY Project

Charm Bracelet

Brought to you by The Charm Hunter

 I love to travel and always save memorabilia, currency and coins that from around the world. What a wonderful idea it is to a charm bracelet using these coins and charms to remind you of your travels, like a scrapbook on your wrist!

Original design by The Charm Hunter
Custom made to order on Etsy

The supplies are pretty basic....

Supplies:

• Coins, tokens, travel charms
• Chain link bracelet (I used an old one I had on hand!)
• 9mm and 11mm Jumprings
• Small square of scrap wood
• Clamp

Tools:

• Hand Held Electric Drill 
• 1/8” Pilot Point drill bit (or drill bit specifically for metal)
• Needle nose pliers (Jewelers pliers would be even better)
• Brass or Copper polish (optional) OR ketchup!

Step 1

Heads up! This project involves power tools and other sharp objects. Please use precaution and style yourself up with the proper safety gear (like goggles or gloves) when necessary.  Proceed at your own risk!

Look for drill bits specifically made for metal.
Either 3/32" or 1/8" makes a good hole size for charms

First you’ll need to identify where you’d like the hole in your coin and then position it accordingly.  I used a small block of wood and clamp to help stabilize coin.  Carefully and slowly begin drilling the hole through the coin.  Be patient, this may take a full minute and several intervals to drill through the coin.  You'll know it's gone completely through when you feel the bit hit the wood block beneath the coin.  Repeat with remaining coins.

 Some metals are thicker than others

Step 2

Once all of the holes are drilled, you can polish up your coins if you want to! Some of these were a little grimy, so a quick clean up really helped! You can use store bought cleaners such as  Brasso, but you could use any formula meant to clean metals.  Make sure to use gloves and do this step in a well ventilated space.  BUT, did you know that plain old ketchup works too?  Ketchup is a great metal polish!  Squeeze on tarnished copper and brass, rub with a cloth and the brilliant metals should shine though in a few minutes.  Just rinse and buff.  Silver coins can be soaked in vinegar for a few minutes, rinsed and buffed as well.

Step 3

Assemble jumprings to each coin, token and travel charm.  If you are not familiar with using jumprings, view this quick and easy tutorial first. You can use two different pliers, a screw driver or dull knife.  Play around with this step and be patient.  Two pliers work best.  Repeat with all the elements you wish to add to your bracelet. 

Step 4

Lay your bracelet out and lay then out your coins and charms in different patterns to determine the final look. Play around with the placement and remember the bracelet will form a circle, so you will want to alternate colors and sizes.  You can use all coins or a combination of coins and travel charms.  Once you're happy with the placement, using the same jumpring technique in Step 3, attach them to your bracelet links.  Consider having the same amount of space (link spaces) in between each charm

You can use only coins for a simple look OR add travel charms as I have 

.

Wallah!    YOU can do this!

See more handmade charm jewelry here

You could do this project with a combination of so many little things! One reader on facebook suggested guitar picks! The sky is the limit! Just make sure you use the proper drill bit and allow one or two of your “charms” for trial and error!

As always, I would love for to share your travel charm bracelet with us here.

Warmest aloha, Susan

aka The Charm Hunter

Visit my website                Visit my shop

Vintage Watches

AUGUST JEWELRY DIY

brought to you by The Charm Hunter

"Vintage Watches" Bracelet

"Vintage Watches" Bracelet

This month's inspiration came from a jewelry catalog that featured a similar bracelet

for $190 !   I was like, what?!  I think I can make something similar for far less...

You know how I always stress NOT to EVER throw away broken or mismatched

jewelry or stuff that's just out of style.  You can re-use all those pieces into new creations,

which is what my blog exemplifies.  Vintage Assemblage.  Reusing, Recycling and

Repurposing Vintage jewelry pieces into beautiful new jewelry!

Supply List:

• 5 watches, working or not
• 20 gauge wire, silver or gold
• 1 toggle closure
• Scissors, Pliers, Wire cutters

Instructions:

1.  Remove straps and watch bands. Leather ones can be

simply cut with scissors. Some metal bands are thin and

can also be cut with scissors. 

Thicker bands will need to be cut with wire cutters 

and plied off with pliers.

Some watches have a tiny "tension" bar.  If this falls out while removing the straps, it's very easy to "snap" back into place.

The end result that you want is the watch face center

with open ends for reattaching:

2. Repeat with remaining four watches.  Remove bands.

3. Using your 20 gauge wire, cut 3 inch strips. Fold into a 

loose " U " shape and weave through one end of watch face:

4.  Weave the other ends through the second watch face:

5.Pull through enough to leave about a half inch distance

between the watch faces.  With this excess of wire that

you've pulled through, use your pliers to do a simply

yet tight wrap, and just keep wrapping until there's no

more wire to wrap. Just pull and continue to wrap the wire

around and around.

Continue above steps until all watch faces are connected,

EXCEPT for two ends.  It's OK if the watch faces are NOT all

in the same direction.  This way it doesn't matter which way

you put the bracelet on...

6.Once you reach your two ends, assemble your toggle ends

using the same wire wrapping technique.  Remember, Wire Wrapping

101 is nothing difficult, just a simple twisting of wire.  Your

end result is NOT perfection, but a simple wrap around.

Whallah! 

How clever is this?

Wallah, wrist fancies!

A pretty gold and silver mix from a varied assortment

I hope this has inspired you!

See more at TheCharmHunter.com

Visit my shop here

Your questions and comments are always welcomed.

Warmest Aloha, Susan

JULY JEWELRY DYI

Brought to you by The Charm Hunter

A beautiful yet easy layered charm necklaces
Purchase Project Necklace

Supply List:

• 6 strands of chain 
• 1 rhinestone strand/necklace
• 2 10mm jumprings
• 3 charms
• 1 clasp set

Instructions:

1. Pull out those unwanted chains and necklaces 

that you never wear, OR purchase some from your

local craft store.

2.  For this project, I chose six brass chains,

two of each style in lengths of 20 - 22 inches each.   

3.  Gather all the ends together and connect onto 

one jumpring.  If you are not familiar with using

jumprings, view this quick and easy tutorial first.

Repeat with the other ends of chain with the second

jumpring.

  4.  Attach necklace clasp.  Now you will have a 

    layered necklace strand of varying lengths.  

  5.  I added a rhinestone necklace to the strands

    for some added bling.  You can attach it to the

    jumrings or just wear as is on it's own resting on

    the layered chain necklace.

  6.   Last step - Add charms!  For this necklace

     I chose charms of Faith.  A Vintage crucifix, a wooden

     cross, and for the focal point, an antique metal saint

     charm.  This is a beautiful Italian religious charm I            recently found at an Antique Mall, which is a great

     shopping source to find the most unique jewelry elements

     to create your own jewelry assemblage projects.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I hope you've enjoyed this month's jewelry assemblage project!  Bookmark my blog and check back next month for more...

Visit My Shop Here

Learn More About My Process Here

♥*¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)(¸.•´ (¸*´¨(♥ (¸.•´Thank you for visiting my blog. ¸.•´♥Read more about me and my jewelry at www.TheCharmHunter.com

Warmest Aloha, Susan

It's Graduation Time!

CONGRATULATIONS!

              Brought to you by The Charm Hunter           

June's DIY Project:    

Easy to make Graduation Money Lei

by One Charming Treasure 

Well, this is a different sort of "accessory", but I've had so many people asking me

how to make these leis that I decided to post instructions for June's DIY...

This is my handsome husband with our friend's son.
Congrats TJ !


CASH is always a popular gift for graduates.  In Hawaii, 
leis of flower, candy, Kukui nut or Ti leaf are also popular.  
So when I saw a photo of someone's "money lei" I thought 
how perfect is that; to combine them both into this unique 
gift idea that any grad would be happy to receive.  So, I 
gathered a few simple supplies and started the trial and error process of figuring out how to make these great leis of cash.

This particular lei was made with FORTY $1 dollar bills and came out very nice and full

Supply List:

• 40 Dollar Bills (use any denomination or combination of denomination)
• Curling Ribbon (consider using the school's colors)
• Scissors
• Black Cardstock for Grad Hat Label Cutout (optional)
• Approximate time:  45mn for each lei

Instructions:

I began by scrunching the center of each bill and then tying a 12" piece of

curling ribbon very tightly in the center.  Only one tie is needed as opposed to

tying a double knot.  Use varying colors on each one of the forty bills.

Once you have all your bills center tied, begin connecting them with

alternating colored ribbons.  Take one ribbon from the left side of one bill 

and one ribbon from the right side of another bill and tie one single

tight knot.  You will want the bills to overlap slightly as you cinch the knot.

It looks best if you arrange the bills facing the same way, slightly

layered and cascading downward as you continue to add more.

Pretty soon you'll have a very long centipede looking stringer of

bills.  When you're at the end, simply tie one end to the other to

make your "lei" complete.

After tying the ends together, I made my own graduation cap

card out of cardstock.  This of course is optional, but this way

at the end of the celebration, the grad will know who gave them

THE BEST LEI EVER!

You can cut and copy this simple pattern or

download one here

Congrats Tayler!

Check out these popular graduation gifts:

Two Sided Hand Soldered Pendant

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Graduation Charm Bracelet

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Visit my online shop here for more graduation gift ideas!

                   

             Read more about The Charm Hunter here

I would love to see images of YOUR money leis!  Post them here for all to see :)

Warmest Aloha, Susan