Hey friends! I love it when a plan comes together… I’m really excited to share the handmade leather accessory I made with my Sizzix Big Shot. That’s right, it cuts more than paper! I visited a local leather shop and picked up a few upholstery scraps that they sell by the pound in several colors. And with those, I die-cut some floral shapes to layer and mount on a barrette. Tadaa.
To make this sweet leather accessory, you only need a few things. (If you decide to order a Sizzix machine or these cute dies, using the following affiliate links supports my blog – so thank you!)
- Sizzix Big Shot
- Flower Layers & Leaf Sizzix Framelits die set
- Barrette blank
- Leather remnants
- Leather punch
- Brad
- Mixed media glue, like Aleene’s jewelry glue, Super New Glue, or Gutermann glue
Now, a quick note. Not all upholstery remnants are created equal. I did have a few that couldn’t be cut all the way through. That changed my color scheme ever so slightly, haha. But most did, though, so if you’re planning to use some leather scraps, be prepared that it needs to be quite thin to work with your dies. I was able to cut all the pieces for this barrette by positioning the die on the leather, and sandwiching it between the cutting plates, and rolling it through on both the #1 and #2 tabs of the platform.
When you’ve got your leather layers, punch them in the centers with a small punch. I actually used my metal punch for these, but if you have a heavy-duty paper punch, that would also work; it doesn’t specifically have to be for leather to work.
I assembled them together with a scrapbook brad, and die-cut a couple of leaves to finish it off.
Any kind of glue that works for both metal and leather will work for this project, like Aleene’s jewelry glue or Super New Glue. I picked up some Gutermann glue for another project, and it’s my new favorite glue for mixed media projects like this, though it’s not as easy to locate as Aleene’s or Super New Glue.
My daughter absolutely LOVES this little flower! (In fact, it was VERY hard to get her to stand still for a photo, haha.) But it’s such a sweet accessory, who could blame the girl?
Have you used your Sizzix to cut things other than paper? What kinds of things are you creating?
Very very cute!
This is a really cute project! It makes for a darling hair accessory, and I think would also be great for bag making!
I was curious to know if you found a local source for Gutermann glue (and are willing to reveal it!). I’ve looked at placed such as Hobby Lobby and JoAnn’s and I haven’t found it yet.
Do you like using E6000? That’s the one I’ve found that works the most consistently.
Thanks for the great idea.
Krista
Not locally, unfortunately. I got mine from this Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/whilebabynaps
I have used E6000, and that would work for this project. I find it to be a lot messier, though, and if you get it on the leather anywhere but where you want to glue, it will leave a dark spot. But everyone will have their favorites (plus, where they want to buy).
Thank you so much for your suggestions! :)
This turned out beautifully. I so need a sizzix!