chunky paper bangle

Bracelet week concludes with this project that's totally different from the previous three. It's kind of a faceted chunky bangle that I made with plain paper to act as a blank canvas for paints, markers, collage, or whatever you'd like. 

​First, make a quick bracelet to measure the correct length of your bangle. Cut a thin strip from cereal box cardboard, and wrap it around your wrist, leaving enough room to slide it off your hand. Mark the spot where the ends of the strip cross, and cut slits in each so you can slot them together.  Trim the ends, leaving a half inch or so from the slit on each end.

Now for the actual bangle. Start with a sheet of tracing paper (why tracing? it folds nicely and cleanly, and I like the translucency) and a strip of cereal box. 

Cut the cereal box cardboard into somewhat-equal rectangles. I have tiny wrists so I kept my rectangles kind of small. Cut enough rectangles to match the length of your measuring bracelet, with a bit of space in between.

​About an inch and a half from one corner, brush the tracing paper with a stripe of Mod Podge and add the rectangles. Brush more Mod Podge on top. 

Quickly fold up the edge of the tracing paper over the cardboard and smooth it flat with your hand. 

Brush more Mod Podge on top of the strip you just folded up, and fold it over again. 

One more time, brush Mod Podge onto the strip, and fold it up and over.

​You're basically rolling up the cardboard rectangles in the paper, with Mod Podge in between each layer.

Trim the excess tracing paper. 

​Flip it over so the printed side of the cardboard is facing up. (If it's already facing up, you're good!)

Use your measuring bracelet to find out where to trim the ends of your rolled-up strip, allowing for an inch or so of overlap. Curve the strip into a circle, keeping the printed side on the inside of the bangle. 

Use Mod Podge to glue the overlapping ends together. I sandwiched another rectangle of cardboard between the two paper ends, but that's purely optional. 

Wait for the glue to dry, and paint your bangle. Or collage it, or draw on it with markers, or dip it in paint... the possibilities are nearly endless! 
​

To decorate mine, I painted it all over with green and blue watercolor paint. After that dried, I lightly brushed on some metallic gold acrylic craft paint. It ended up with kind of a patina'd look. Neat!

xo!