Rubber bracelets are a popular fashion accessory, particularly for teens and pre-teens. They often have phrases commercially pre-printed on them, such as "Florida Rules," "Best Friend," or other generic sayings that appeal to young wearers. These simple little items are available from just about any retail store, including grocery, department and discount stores. This is a fun project that even pre-teens can do with little or no supervision. They will be thrilled with their own creations, and proud to show them off.
Step 1
Put on an old t-shirt. Dyes can be messy to work with. Also, if you have sensitive skin, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
Step 2
Choose a flat surface to work on, and cover it with plastic food wrap. Then stack a thick layer of old newspapers on top of the plastic wrap. This will protect the surface of your work area from the dyes that you will be using.
Step 3
Use a separate disposable bowl or cup for each different color of dye that you wish to use. Prepare the dye according to the instructions on the container.
Step 4
Choose wide rubber bands that feel comfortable on your wrist. Wider rubber bands provide a stable surface to write on. Drop the rubber bands into the prepared containers of dye. Leave them in the dyes they have reached the depth of color that you want. Use tweezers to lift them out of the dyes and periodically check on their progress. When you are satisfied with the color of each dyed band, use the tweezers to remove them from the dye containers and place them on paper toweling to dry.
Step 5
Place a dried rubber band on a cookie sheet. Make it as flat as you can, and tape it to the cookie sheet to keep it from moving around. Use the stencil and permanent fine-tipped markers or glittery gel pens to begin to write on the bracelet. Allow the ink to dry for each letter before writing the next, if you're using a stencil. Otherwise, the stencil could smear the ink that you're writing with. When you're through writing, leave it taped until you are absolutely sure all the ink has dried completely.
Step 6
Remove the tape, and prepare for the most fun part of the whole project, decorating it. Glue on beads, sequins, rhinestones, pieces of broken jewelry and glitter. Pretty rocks, shells and interesting bits of wood or bark can be added, too. Hang charms, tassels and chains from the bracelet. Most of all, just have fun with it.
Skill: Moderately Easy
Ingredients:
- Old T-shirt
- Disposable gloves (optional)
- Plastic food wrap
- Old newspapers
- Paper towels
- Disposable cups or bowls
- All-purpose dye
- Wide rubber bands
- Tweezers or small tongs
- Cookie sheet
- Glue
- Tape
- Small alphabet stencil
- Fine-tipped markers or glittery gel pens
- Beads, sequins, rhinestones (optional)
- Charms, shells, studs, glitter (optional)
- Old or broken jewelry (optional)
- Pretty rocks, chunks of wood (optional)
Warning: Be very careful with the dyes. They are messy to use, and will permanently stain just about anything that they come into contact with.
Keyword: bracelet rubberbracelet wristband rubberwristband
