leather jewelry Archives

Cue the Coachella Playlist and Make these Earrings

May 17, 2016 By candiecooper 3 Comments

This post is sponsored by LeatherCord USA. Thanks LCUSA for making awesome leather and sponsoring this post! All opinions shared here are my own.
I’m still sad I missed Coachella. But there’s always next year!

And there’s also more music events to go to this summer. After this post, I’m officially locked and loaded on summer style earrings made with LeatherCord USA round leather.
For these earrings, I’m using 1 to 2mm diameter leather in pretty metallics. Here’s what else I had nearby so I could whip these up. End findings for leather where the inside diameter matched the diameter, Loctite Gel adhesive, ear wires, head pins, extra beads and charms, wire cutters, chain nose pliers, and round nose pliers.
First, determine how big you want the teardrop leather shape. Cut two pieces the exact same length.String some beads–these are large holed spacers from Tierra Cast.Glue the end finding on the end of the leather. Connect the two ends together with a jump ring, adding the ear wire before closing up the ring.

Seriously.

How long did that take?

Five minutes?

It looks cute to add beaded dangles like this for a variation…
I love the hammered silver beads with the silver metallic jewelry making leather.
I’m wearing another pair that I added a beaded dangle plus a feather charm on the bottom.
Visit LeatherCordUSA.com to get the goods!

See me make these earrings in this video, but first, you need to know I filmed this video live which means I interact with comments as they come in on my Facebook page. You know, just in case I was talking to my imaginary friend. If you’re watching the replay you can always fast forward to the 8-minute mark where I start to make the leather earrings!

Catch more live videos on my Candie Cooper Facebook page!

Filed Under: Leather

This and That: DIY Scrappy Multi-strand Leather Bracelets

April 29, 2016 By candiecooper 2 Comments

This post brought to you by LeatherCord USA.com–all opinions are my own. Thanks, LCUSA for helping me keep the lights on here at CC.com.Yum. Yum. Leather. Wow!

Like I’ve mentioned before, I had the best time on my visit to ArtBeads.com with my sponsor LeatherCordUSA.com. We filmed several videos and these bracelets are definitely one of my favorite projects from the filming. I love mixing and matching all the different textures and types of leather. Cynthia at Artbeads sent me a fun selection of charms to use with the cords from LeatherCord USA. I used Tierra Cast bails to hold everything together. The large holes on the bails make it EASY to connect bits and baubles. The beauty is that you can add lots of charms and dangles or keep it simple and just let the leather love shine like this one! LeatherCord USA’s “royal blue” is one of my favorite colors and I used various leathers like: flat braid, printed/stitched, and round.The DIY leather jewelry clasps are all from LCUSA too. OR ArtBeads has a fun selection. Just use the Loctite gel to glue them into the clasp finding. Man, I need a case of that stuff it’s so goo!

LeatherCord USA has the most delicious mix of cords with all kinds of textures! Check them out on LeatherCordUSA.com or ArtBeads to get some ideas.

Here’s the video where sweet Cynthia and I make these bracelets!

Filed Under: Jewelry, Leather

Ride ‘Em Cowgirl! Make an Inlaid Leather Cuff Bracelet

April 19, 2016 By candiecooper 6 Comments

This post is sponsored by leathercord USA–all thoughts and opinions are mine.Saddle up, cowgirls and boys because I’ve got a saucy DIY leather cuff bracelet I think you’re going to love. It uses leathercord USA’s braid, round and bolo leathers which are set down in a silver cuff. It doesn’t take too long to make, but you do need a touch of patience because super glue dries fast and there are a lot of cords to keep organized.

Ok? That’s your warning.Meet the natural dyed leather look from leathercord USA. It is my very favorite because the dye is more transparent. I always love using earthy brights in my jewelry and these leather cords fit the bill. When you visit the lcusa website, look for the word “natural” in front of the color.Select a couple round cords (1 to 1.5 diameter), bolo cord (3mm), and flat braid (3 strand-2mm) in colors that make your heart sing. The cuff blank you can get from me–two sizes large and small. Email or comment for details! To prep the cuff, I used my chain nose pliers to open up the little ridge of metal so I could push the cords down in.You can lay out your leather cording or you can wing it like I did. I actually think I got very lucky how well these fit down in the recessed silver cuff area. Use your trusty Loctite Gel Adhesive to secure the leather jewelry cords to the silver cuff blank.Press and hold the cords down a bit in between–this is where you need the patience because sometimes the glue oozes out and you have to be quick!Trim the cords and put some glue down in, behind the silver flap, and tuck them in.

It was at this point where I thought to myself, I think I was a little inspired by my skirt! Haha. And that I have a pink problem–it’s a go to color as of late. This was a super fun project loaded with instant gratification.

Be sure to visit leathercord USA to check out the natural dyed leather lines and style for all your jewelry making needs. leathercord USA to check out the natural dyed leather lines and style for all your jewelry making needs.

Filed Under: Leather

Moonlit Owl – DIY Leather Bracelet

February 19, 2016 By candiecooper Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by LeatherCord USA.We’ve had a break in the weather today—-perfect for you know what this weekend! Yes! A cozy fire in our new fire pit.Sitting around a fire in nature is so restorative for my soul (not to sound dramatic, haha). I just love the ambience of it: the sounds, being outside, toasty hoodies…. We like to make sandwiches and treats in our pie irons for these winter picnics. It is these simple pleasures that make life sweet.

Today’s project is brought to you by LeatherCord USA.com I put this little DIY owl bracelet on my Instagram feed (@candiecooper if you want to see behind the scenes in real time) and had a few people ask about buying it! I love that. I’ve worn it a few times and gotten compliments too so I think it’s worth sharing so you can make your own.

The secret is having large holed beads that work perfectly with the 1.5 diameter natural blue round leather cord. You can braid and weave the leather easily through beads like this to get a solid look. These beads are from Tierra Cast and the owl from Green Girls Studio.Once you get the beads in place, it’s time to CAREFULLY measure. Michelle at leatherCord USA and I have a joke about measuring many times before cutting–somehow we always make things too small. I want to show you a trick so you can get yours to fit just right.

Do as I say…not as I do. Haha.These are leatherCord USA’s Glue and Go findings. They come in all different diameters, styles, and metal colors. The key to sizing your bracelet is remembering to account for the recessed area inside the finding.Measure this piece end to end and subtract it from your finished bracelet size, then add 1/2″ (1/4″ on each side) for the recessed areas and this is what length you should cut your leather pieces.

Clear as mud right?You can always shave a little off at a time and test the fit as you go.When you’re positive you have the right length, use the Loctite Adhesive to glue the ends in.The natural leather finishes are some of my very favorites. With the earthy fashions this spring, these leather cords for jewelry making are going to be hot! You’ll find them on this page at the bottom of the color chart–look for natural before the color name.

Get fine leather and the special Glue and Go findings from leatherCordUSA.com.

Filed Under: Leather

DIY Painted Leather Cuffs That Will Knock Your Socks Off!

February 15, 2016 By candiecooper 2 Comments

This post brought to you by leathercordUSA.com. Candie Cooper demoing in the LeatherCordUSA booth at the To Bead True Blue All last week, I worked in the leathercord USA booth showing mixed media techniques to use with leather at the To Bead True Blue Show in Tucson. Holy cow. I painted cuff after cuff and after each one, I fell a little more in love with the process. These are some of my new friends I made as well as Michelle and Que that work at LCUSA. It is lovely visitors like these that make my job fun. If I didn’t say it at the time–thank you from the bottom of my heart for stopping by and watching, asking questions and chatting. YOU are my favorite part of these gigs.We were hoppin’ at the LCUSA booth and people were really digging the new metallic gold and silver gecko printed and stitched leather (it really is magical looking–you get lost looking at it). The tassels were also hot sellers!If you do art shows or craft festivals, you know that displaying work can be a challenge. I overheard compliments on the frames of leather over and over in the booth. It really is a great idea.

Now onto some techniques!

If you love artsy jewelry and building up layer after layer (or making artsy messes in my world), I think you’ll find this post right up your ally because I’m going to show you some new ideas on how to paint and embellish leather.

Do you remember that post that was all about painting leather tassels? That’s one of the first leather surfaces I tried adding Ranger Patina paints on. These are a few tassels I splashed some metallic paints on with a stiff bristle brush.

Here’s a peek at my demo area in the leathercord USA booth–there’s a little bit of everything, no doubt!
Remarkably CLEAN and tidy by my standards though. I don’t trust an artist with a clean work surface 😉 Haha.
This is a detail of one of the cuffs. Believe it or not–these take about 10 minutes to create, start to finish. Tracy at Tierra Cast put the rivets on for me (thanks Tracy). I love these simple little details that add so much!

leathercord USA makes the cuffs in all different sizes and finishes. You can see them here.
Que at leathercord USA filmed me painting one. This is me talking in the video. If you like it or have questions, let me know in the comments.

Have fun! (useful supply list at end)

LeatherCord USA cuffs (wholesale order on site or ArtBeads.com has them)

Stencil1 Stencils

Sakura PenTouch gold pens

Ranger Patina paints

Stayz On Ink pad

Leather hole punch

Tierra Cast rivetables

Filed Under: Jewelry, Leather

Eden: Gemstone Necklace with Round Braided Leather

January 8, 2016 By candiecooper 6 Comments

This post brought to you by LeatherCordUSA.com It’s raining here today. This doesn’t bother me in the slightest when I have the joy of staying inside and making jewelry.

Yesterday was gorgeous. Today it’s overcast and drizzly. Yin and Yang.

So with this gray day, I’m presenting a piece that is lush in gems and texture.It started with a pile of this unique round braided bolo leather from LeatherCordUSA.com. I can’t tell you how much I’m intrigued with this stuff. It comes in different finishes and diameters. Really really amazing quality.I opted for the natural finish for this piece. It’s thick and perfect to support the weight of the gem section in the front. Speaking of gems…I’ve had these hanks of gemstones hanging in my studio for two years. They were inexpensive so I bought a lot. The time had come to use them and as is because the odd bead shapes together made my eyes happy. The only thing was I felt it needed a tiny bit of contrast yet something to unify the group so I added tiny copper colored rondelles to each strand.I used Beadalon gold 15 strand beading wire so it blended with the stone colors, then crimped them to a wrapped wire loop with #1 crimp beads.Then I strung the large bead cone onto the wire with a few beads and finished with a wrapped loop. Nice and tidy.Nothing but colorful goodness.Once you have the gemstone section secured, cut the leather to the desired size and glue end caps to the Glue and Go findings. I removed the clasp that came with the end findings and connected it to toggle rings which were then connected to the bead cones to create a decorative element.My plan is to wear this as a layering necklace. I will create some shorter chain and pendant pieces to go with it.

Visit LeatherCord USA for more inspiring leather jewelry ideas.

Filed Under: Bead Love, Leather, Tutorials

DIY Leather Bracelet

December 18, 2015 By candiecooper Leave a Comment

Yesterday, I spent eight hours at the hospital waiting for a procedure to be done on one of my family members.Hospital waiting rooms. Quite possibly one of the most nerve-racking places for me on the planet. As a highly sensitive person, I try really hard not to soak up what’s going on around me (or else I might not get out of bed. Ever.). Yesterday’s group wasn’t too bad. But, my mom said, bring something for us to work on…so I did.

Leather cuffs from LeathercordUSA.com to doodle on. It was the perfect waiting room craft.We used Sakura markers–Pen-Touch in gold, black and white. We like the extra fine and fine tip ones.This is my moms that I doodled on top of with the black.

I made the black and gold one (took me about five minutes).

The end verdict was, we want to make more for ourselves and think this would be a great teen craft. I even whipped up a slide show while I was in that waiting room–let me know if you like it!