Elastic button bracelet {a tutorial}

A few weeks ago when I posted about my bracelet endeavor for Craft Hope I asked if any of you wanted a tutorial on the new button bracelet I made. Some of you did, so here it is!

I made several of these little button bracelets to put in the box I sent over. I have to say though, I like my {original button bracelet} better. I love the soft clanking noise it makes and how fun it is. But, I love that these ones are much quicker and easier to make! Plus they use less buttons.

To make one, you will need:

• Crimping tool
• Crimp beads
• Thin elastic cord
• About 30 buttons, depending on your wrist size

Before you start, stretch out that cord a little bit. If you don't, when you put it on it will stretch out and it won't fit anymore. Oh and I don't cut the elastic at all, I've yet to figure out the exact science to the measuring of this one. Thread a button onto your elastic.

Thread it through again, in the opposite direction. If you threaded up, thread down through the second hole.

It should look something like this.

Thread on another one. If you are using a button with four holes instead of two, just thread two that are diagonal from each other. Don't worry about getting the buttons to lay nicely on top of each other like that, it will do it automatically.

Keep going, they really will lay down nicely like that. If they don't, just give them a little push.

Keep going until you've got enough buttons to go around your wrist. The elastic will help it stretch over your hand.

Now, you could absolutely tied the two ends in a knot, put a drop of super glue on it and call it a day. I just happen to like crimp beads better when it comes to elastic beading so that's what I do.

If you've had experience with crimp beads, you can just skip the rest of the tutorial. If not, I'll walk you through the two step crimping process. Thread the two ends in opposite directions through a crimp bead.

Crimp tools have two different sections to them. Use this one first, the one that has one side that looks like a half moon and the other side that looks like two smaller half moons.

Line the crimp bead up with that section and make sure the elastic is where you want it. Squeeze the pliers hard, and smash that crimp bead.

See how the tool smashed the bead into a C shape? That's exactly what you want.

See the other section that creates a circle when closed? That's the second step.

You want to guide the C shaped crimp bead into that section, so that when you squeeze, the C folds on top of itself and essentially closes the crimp. Squeeze hard to ensure the bracelet won't come undone! Trim the excess elastic and you are done!

And you are done! Show off your fun new button bracelet. And don't forget to see all the places I link  up.