"Playa" Bracelet Instructions & Sneak Preview of our upcoming Summer Series!

It's Summertime... and these projects are breezy!...

We've been busy little bees at Beadshop.com these past few weeks creating what Janice calls, "Sun Jewelry." 

What is Sun Jewelry? 

"...that bracelet or necklace worn all summer…in the water, at the beach, wherever! By summer’s end the leather will be all worn and old from too much water, too much sand, too much fun…but, it will be the best (piece) that never left your side…holding secrets and wonderful memories…”

It all started with the "Tahoe Bracelet" that Janice created last Summer. The idea of grabbing some leather, a clasp, a few treasured beads and fashioning a bracelet that would be your best friend throughout the Summer, distressed by exposure to the elements and rich with fun-filled memories by season's end inspired a movement. 

To celebrate, we've decided to bring you a sneak peek at what's to come! Below, you will find instructions to "Playa," a tribal laddered cuff that showcases our limited, but extremely fitting, Sand Cast Tribal beads. 

Since these beads were made in the 1950's, we cannot guarantee that they can be reordered again. However, this style of bracelet can be made using any barrel style bead that you treasure, as long as the holes are large enough to accommodate two passings of your Fine Weight C Lon. Please refer to our Tribal and Trade beads for more inspiration and ideas. Don't forget, you can certainly refer to our "Stackable Ladder Bracelet" Youtube video for detailed instructions on the laddering process. Free downloadable instructions can also be found by clicking here. 

Ingredients & Studio Essentials

 Let's Begin! 

First, you will need to successfully strap your project up to your design tray. We recommend reviewing our previous post on "how to set up a design board." 

Step 1 begins after the project is strapped up and ready to go...

* A Note on Measurements: The amount of material (beads, thread & leather cord) you will need for this project will vary depending on wrist size. Please measure your wrist, and use the following as a guideline: 

Length of 1.5mm leather cord: Wrist measurement x 2 plus an extra 6 inches. 

Length of 1.0mm leather cord: Cut 2 pieces, 12 inches in length for Silk Wraps. 

Length of C-Lon: 2-3 Yards for a single wrap bracelet (you will have extra left over)

Barrel Beads: 30+ (or less, depending on how long you want your bracelet to be)

Congratulations!

You have just completed the first of our fun Summer projects we created to honor the season. Make multiple versions using various colorful beads. Make one for your mom, dad, brother, boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, or even your pet!

From all of us at Beadshop.com, we wish you a very happy, fun and creative Summer! Stay tuned for our upcoming full length video release of our "Summer Series."