Super Simple Halloween Bracelet

If you've been avoiding making jewelry, but want to, this is the perfect project to start with. Especially the bracelet - you don't even need any special tools for it - $10 or less in supplies and you'll have what you need for more than 1 bracelet. As soon as I saw these tiger's eye green beads, I knew they'd been fun for halloween-time. I'll post the tutorial for the earrings next week...

Materials:

• Stretch Magic - this is the elastic material that you'll string the beads onto
• Super glue or "bead glue" - seriously, all bead glue is, is super glue. (But if I bought super glue, my husband would have eventually put it in the junk drawer and I wouldn't have it when I needed it. "Bead glue - he'll leave alone.)
• Beads
• Tape measure
• Scissors 
• Scotch tape
• Pictured above is a beading tray - they are under $5, but you don't really need it. Just lay down a towel to keep your beads from rolling away.

Step 1 - Measure your wrist. Your finished bracelet will be this measurement plus half an inch.

Step 2 - Cut the Stretch Magic to the size you want, plus 4 inches:

Step 3 - Secure one end of the elastic with scotch tape, this will keep the beads you string from winding up on the floor. 

Step 4 - Plan out your beads, I didn't like my first attempt, their was too much of a difference in the size of the beads. I ended up using a 8mm black bead to go with the 10mm green. 

10mm green with 6mm black - didn't like it.

10mm green beads with 8mm black - that's better.

Step 5 - Begin stringing your beads onto the elastic, keeping an eye on your finished size.

Step 6 - When you've reached the size that determined you'd need, secure the end with tape and try it out on your wrist just to be sure. The size of your bead can impact the size you need for the finished bracelet, the bigger the bead, the larger the bracelet will have to be.

Step 7 - tie a square knot with the 2 ends of the elastic.

Step 8 - Take 1 end of the elastic and thread it back through one of the beads so that your two ends of elastic come out of the opposite sides of same bead - but keep the knot visible, don't pull it through - yet.

Step 9 - Add a drop of glue to the knot and then pull the end of the elastic through, into the bead and allow it to set for 3-5 minutes.

Step 10 - Trim the ends of the elastic and you're done.