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04/27/2017

The Three-Minute DIY Leather Bracelet Cuff

Hey friends!  I have another CRAZY EASY jewelry tutorial for you today – a delicious DIY leather bracelet that you can make in 3 minutes or less, with just 4 tools and components.  Take a look at this fabulous arm candy:

3-Minute DIY Leather Bracelet Cuff at happyhourprojects.com

I can’t take credit for inventing this, I was shopping the new releases at Goody Beads the other day and I saw Tory’s fabulous take on the classic cuff bracelet.  It’s modern, it’s simple, it’s easy to customize, and of course I HAD to make some, immediately.  It’s a really basic concept: you glue the leather onto the base of the bracelet.  Yep, spoiler alert, that’s the WHOLE tutorial right there, haha!  But I tried a few different types of leather for this to really put the design to the test, and I’ll weigh in below about my experience and give you affiliate links to shop in the list below if you’re already in love!

3-Minute DIY Leather Bracelet Cuff at happyhourprojects.com

I tested out several types of leather, so you don’t have to!  The three types of leather that will work for this project are:

  • 10mm flat leather (7 inches – shown in the color Vintage Mocha)
  • 5mm flat leather (14 inches – shown in the color Pastel Turquoise)
  • 5mm round leather (14 inches – shown in the color Whiskey)

You will need a jewelry-formulated glue to adhere the leather.  I tried two kinds.  Both worked, but I did have a distinct preference:

  • Super New Glue (a liquid glue, which is normally my favorite, but NOT for this project)
  • Aleene’s Jewelry Glue (a thicker, epoxy-style glue which worked better)

You will also need:

  • A cuff base (which comes in several metal finishes)
  • Leather cutter or very sharp scissors

3-Minute DIY Leather Bracelet Cuff at happyhourprojects.com

So you know the old adage, measure twice, cut once?  This is a situation where that applies!  The cuff base needs 6 7/8 inches of leather, but the very best way to get the EXACT length it to ensure it’s all the way at the edge, and to wrap it tightly around the cuff allowing NO gaps.  You may wish to use a pen or marker to discreetly mark your cut line, but the key to a pro finish on these cuffs is to make sure the leather fills the base all the way to each edge without allowing any gaps, which can happen if your cut is off by even 1/8 of an inch too long.  Fortunately?  You can always cut it shorter!  You just cannot add length, so measure carefully.

The most difficult leather to use was the 5mm round leather, the type that’s shown above.  Because round leather has a smaller contact area with the cuff base, you need to make sure you have excellent glue coverage, and this is where the thicker glue was especially useful.  The Aleene’s glue can be spread on, and it doesn’t dry instantly, allowing you to move your leather around if necessary.

3-Minute DIY Leather Bracelet Cuff at happyhourprojects.com

I found it most efficient to glue from the halfway point to one side of the bracelet, hold the leather down until the glue held (which takes a minute or two) and then to glue the other half down.

You can also see above that the raw edges of the leather show when you use the round leather cords.  If you like the rounded look, it’s not hard!  But the flat leather was even easier!

3-Minute DIY Leather Bracelet Cuff at happyhourprojects.com

The pitfall to the 5mm flat leather was not NOT GET TOO MUCH GLUE on your base.  Unlike the round leather, there is a lot of contact area between the leather and the cuff, so a little glue goes a LONG way and you don’t want it to squeeze out between the strands or out over the edges.  The 10mm flat leather glued LIKE A DREAM since it’s just one strip, and you can make this bracelet with 10mm flat leather in like a minute!

3-Minute DIY Leather Bracelet Cuff at happyhourprojects.com

Hope you enjoyed this little project as much as I did – big thanks to Tory at Goody Beads for sharing the idea!  I LOVE IT!

Adrianne Surian

Filed Under: Bracelets, Fashion, Jewelry, Tutorials Tagged With: 10-minute project, accessories, bangle, beginner, bracelet, cuff, DIY, easy, jewelry, leather

copyright policy and terms of use

I love it when you love my work! All tutorials and photos published at Happy Hour Projects are copyrighted. If you would like to feature my tutorial on your website or share it on your social media you may use one photo to feature, as long as you provide a link back to the original post.

If you feature a photo, it may not be accompanied by the project tutorial or recipe, whether in my own words as it originally appears or paraphrased by you. This also includes personal sharing on social media and Pinterest. Publishing multiple photos from a project, or including instructions with an accompanying photo are not permitted and you will be asked to remove them.

I love to share my projects, and my tutorials, recipes, and e-books are ALL free for your personal use. However, photos and ideas that are published to this site are my protected intellectual property. You may print them at home, but please do not copy or distribute them. I also allow all designs to be made and sold at fundraisers, craft fairs, etc. If you are selling a piece made from one or more of my free tutorials in your online shop, I require that you use your own, original photography, and include a link back to my website to credit me as the designer.

I hope you enjoy what you read here, and please be fair when you share!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. golu dolls says

    08/18/2018 at 2:13 am

    wow looking good

    Reply
  2. kanchipuram sarees says

    08/16/2018 at 7:30 am

    nice post

    Reply
  3. golu dolls says

    08/16/2018 at 7:30 am

    looking good

    Reply
  4. Barbi says

    10/01/2016 at 9:18 am

    So with the round 5mm leather, how did you cover up the cut ends? or do you just leave them as is?

    Reply
  5. Kaylene @ The Links Site says

    05/02/2016 at 3:56 am

    Wow for something so easy they look really elegant! I’m going to have to make some of these!

    Reply
  6. Harriet Longley says

    04/27/2016 at 6:43 pm

    do you have where I can make earrings

    Reply
  7. Harriet Longley says

    04/27/2016 at 6:43 pm

    do you have where I can make earrings

    Reply
  8. Betty says

    04/27/2016 at 3:50 pm

    Hi. Really liked this. I’m all for fast and neat! Thanks.
    Betty Dalton

    Reply

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Hello, and welcome! I'm Adrianne, an artist, author, designer, and blogger in mid Michigan. I work from home, chase my two kids, and this once-city-girl is learning how to care for chickens and adjusting to life out in the country. I have a compulsion for daily creativity... sometimes it's jewelry-making, paper crafting, metal stamping, mixing and baking, or giving new life to recycled items. But with 2 young kids, time is short! My goal here at Happy Hour Projects is to share projects and tips that you can do in an hour or less. The ideas you find here are designed to add a little creativity in your day, no matter how much (or how little) time you have!

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