The Leather Scout Bracelet

This post brought to you by LeatherCordUSA.com.
Jewelry Making-leather stitched bracelet on @candiecooper blogGood morning, campers!  Autumn is here and the mornings are brisk, making that hot coffee taste extra amazing.  I call this the scout bracelet because of the colors, textures and the fact that it seems kind of multi-purpose:  you can wear it as a bracelet, a necklace, or tie the tent pulls together (you know, if you need too).
LeatherCord USA leatherWhere do you find inspiration?  For me, it’s often in the materials.  I was collecting and gathering things around my studio to use with the LeatherCord USA  suede and 10mm wide deertan lace.  It comes in a ton of colors, but this green and brown combo was perfect for a fall statement bracelet.
Jewelry Making  Stitching on leather - Steampunk JeweleryI really didn’t want to cut this nice long piece of lace so the first thing I did was experiment with stitching the two leather types together.  The pair has a nice contrast with the matte suede and smooth deertan lace surfaces.
Sewing on leather with LeatherCord USA strap and suedeNot going to lie—it was tricky keeping the leather and stitches in the center.  I slowed the machine to “as slow as it would go” speed.  This is an all purpose needle, but I plan to put a new one in before I start piecing fabric together again.  After a yard of sewing leather, it’s sure to be dull.
Making a leather bracelet with a rivet and buckleNot in the photo is this buckle clasp and rivet from Tierra Cast.
Riveting Leather in Jewelry MakingYou’ll need to hole punch the leather so it fits perfectly with the rivet diameter.  Put the skinny part in through the layers back to front and top with the mushroom piece.
Riveting leather together how-toI changed the buckle piece up a bit by adding the wood ring to make the bracelet a little more chunky.  Place the rivet section on top of a steel block and tap the top of the rivet with an eyelet setter or simply a plastic mallet.

Tip-seal the back side of the leather at the end with Fieblings Leather glue to keep the stitches from unraveling.
Jewelry Making-Wrap Around leather braceletWrap and roll.  I love lots of wraps, but you could do a couple and trim the leather exactly how you want.
Steampunk Jewelry Idea with leatherLeather wrap around bracelet with LeatherCordUSA.com leatherDid I mention I love lots of wraps?
Steampunk Jewelry Idea-Wraparound stitched leather braceletHere’s another experiment with zig zag stitching and colorful leather.  Only a couple wraps here…and you don’t have to “walk the line” while sewing!  For the free spirits in my life.
The Scout Bracelet- Steampunk Jewelry IdeaThis would make a great steampunk jewelry accessory piece too.

Visit LeatherCord USA for great leather products and more ideas.

DIY Printed Leather Jewelry Idea

This post brought to you by LeatherCord USA.DIY Jewelry Making Printed Leather Bracelet from Candie Cooper and LeatherCordUSA.comThe other day I was walking out to the car and I heard a new, but old familiar sound—leaves crunching under my feet.  Persimmons are also dropping all over the yard.  They are a really pretty orange color (not so pretty when mashed under your favorite cowboy boots, but….).  The crisp mornings just make that coffee taste better and better and I find myself gearing up for pumpkin decorating and trips to the orchard.  Are you finding yourself inspired by the colors and feelings that fall brings?LeatherCord USA Beautiful printed leather for jewelry makingHere are some printed stitched leather pieces I brought home from my LeatherCord USA visit.  The texture in this stuff.  I LOVE IT!  It also comes in a beautiful palette of colors.  Click the link above to see all of them.Large Clasp from JesseJamesBeads.com for printed leather from LeatherCordUSA.comI’m using an extra wide magnetic clasp so I can fit a whopping seven cords in it.  Play around with the order of your cords so you get it just right.Cutting printed leather from LeatherCordUSA.comDetermine the fit and then cut the cords with wire cutters or a razor blade.  Glue the leather in the magnetic clasp finding like usual using the Loctite Gel adhesive.  Can you tell I really love this technique?!  It’s new to me and I’m ready to take on the world.  For reals.  What else can we glue leather onto?Making Leather Jewelry with printed leather from LeatherCordUSA.comIt’s perfectly beautiful like this, I think.  But, just for fun, I wanted to play with some of these large holed beads I found at Michaels.Large holed beads from @MichaelsStoresI love the metal finishes with the center beads, but felt like it conflicted with all the leather colors.Printed leather from Leather Cord USAInstead, I opted to slide the bead/bail pieces on, one or two per leather strand.Printed Leather from LeatherCord USA with Swarovski charmsI then connected a leaf charm and Swarovski dangle to the bail piece with a jump ring.  This was nice because it added some movement (and sparkle!).DIY Leather Jewelry idea from @candiecooper using printed leatherJust a really beautiful addition to your fall wardrobe and easy to create.

*Leather and adhesive from LeatherCordUSA.com

*Beads and charms from Michaels craft store

*Magnetic Clasp from JesseJamesBeads.com

Easy Leather Jewelry

This post brought to you by LeatherCord USA.LeatherCord USA Jewelry Making with Leather BraidWhat’s a girl to do with a pile of delicious flat leather braid that she brought back from her visit to LeatherCord USA headquarters?  Make hot bracelets.  That’s what.
LeatherCord USA  fast bracelet making with flat leather braidIn this post we are climbing on the gray and gold fashion jewerly train to make this slick bracelet.  Like it?  You’re really going to like it when you see how easy it goes together.
LeatherCord USA Jewelry Making materialsHere are the basic  supplies needed:  razor blade, gold Glue and Go magnetic clasp, 9 strand braid in natural gray, and Locktite adhesive.   LeathercordUSA.com is a one stop shop for the supplies (sans blade).  LeatherCord USA Flat braidThis is the 9 and 5 strand flat braid.  You can use this clasp with the 5 strand braid.  If you’re shopping the LCUSA site, look at the bottom of the page for the product dimensions to help with matching clasps and cords.
LeatherCord USA Jewelry Making How-to  Easy Leather BraceletsThe bracelet is so easy to make, I feel guilty!  Grab your Locktite adhesive for leather and metal joining.  Put a bead of glue along the backside edge of the leather braid.
LeatherCord USA Jewelry Making with flat leather braid and glue and go findingsSlide it in one side of the metal clasp.  The braid and clasp are off in size by 1mm, but it doesn’t matter because the braid can “smoosh” a little to fit.
LeatherCord USA Glue and Go claspI stuck this shot in for a detail of the clasp.  It’s pretty.  Not too shiny and just the right amount of texture for a great designer look.LeatherCord USA Jewelry Making  How to cut leather easilyCheck the fit of the bracelet and then cut with a fresh razor blade.  Do not use the one that has scraped windows with a lot of paint on them during a rennovation project just because it’s near by.  Stop.  Get up. And go get a fresh blade.  I might be talking to myself here.

A note of safety:  Carefully dispose of razor blades or store in a safe place…for obvious reasons.
LeatherCord USA Jewelry Making with Leather Glue and Go magnetic claspPut a line of glue on the back edge of the leather and slide it into the other side of the magnetic clasp.  Guess what?
LeatherCord USA Jewelry Making  Easy magnetic clasp braceletWe’re done.
Now do you see why I feel guilty?

Let the adhesive sit up according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
LeatherCord USA Jewelry MakingChic in gray and gold or brown and silver…
LeatherCord USA DIY Braided BraceletAre you making Christmas gifts this year?  Need an idea for how to make some extra cash?  This is it.

LeatherCord USA for the goods