DIY Bangles Made with Mod Podge

Hi there!  I'm Amy from Mod Podge Rocks.  The topic of my blog is my craftastic disorder - an obsession with Mod Podge.  I consider it to be completely healthy, because it allows me to be featured on wonderful blogs such as this one.  It's my pleasure to be here!  It's actually going to be a regular occurance for 2011, so I hope you'll get used to me.  I like the color blue and sock monkeys, pumpkin bread and road trips.  I also like chunky bracelets, hence the project you see above.  I typically only wear silver hoop earrings, but I've expanded into some additional fun jewelry as this spring approaches.  Come join me on the wild bracelet ride.  Here's how to make these.

Gather These Supplies

For both bangles:
DIY Bangles - the blue floral bangle is the flat exterior and the brown bangle with green beads is the pentagon
Mod Podge in your choice of formulas (I used Gloss)
Scissors or Craft knife and mat
Pencil
Craft glue
Paintbrush

Blue Floral Bangle with Beads
FolkArt Acrylic - Forest Moss, Teal
Paper scraps - I used Carolyn Gavin's Greenhouse collection from K&Company
Martha Stewart Microbeads in Brownstone

Brown Distressed Bangle with Beads
FolkArt Acrylic - Hot Pink, Real Brown
Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
Paper scraps - I used Sultry from Basic Grey
Martha Stewart Microbeads in Peridot
Tissue paper or vellum
Tape
Candle
Sandpaper

You need to do some preparation for the pentagon bangle, since you have five flat areas to cover with paper.  Using a vellum scrap and a pencil, I rubbed around the edge of the shape to make a template for cutting paper - kind of like pencil rubbings you did when you were little.  Do you only do one?  No - I recommend doing all five sides and then numbering.  I like my paper shapes to fit exactly.

Tape the vellum down to your sheet of scrapbook paper and then cut out the five separate shapes.  The way I kept track is with numbering.  If you write a number onto the bangle and onto the back of the scrapbook paper, you'll never see it; it will be Mod Podged down.

 At this time, cut paper to fit your flat bangle as well.  Set all the paper aside.

Basecoat your bangles according to the colors listed in the instructions.  For the blue floral bangle I used Teal as the base color and then Forest Moss for the inside.  I painted the brown bangle with a layer of Hot Pink to start.  Give at least two coats and allow to dry.

The brown bangle is distressed.  You can distress easily by rubbing a wax candle all over the bangle, especially on the ridges.  Rub firmly and then brush off any extra wax chunks that are left.  Remember that the more wax you add, the more distressed the bracelet will be.

Paint your second color directly over the wax and the first color.  Paint until the first coat is completely covered and allow to dry.

Rub a piece of medium grit sandpaper over the top of the bangle - you'll see the areas where the wax is just rub away (quite easily), and you can see the first layer color beneath.  Isn't it super cool?  Sand more for more distressing.

Add the paper pieces to your distressed bangle with Mod Podge (also Mod Podge the paper onto the blue floral bangle).  Allow to dry for 15 - 20 minutes, then give them a top coat.  Add a few coats of Mod Podge to seal the bangles. 

Time to add the beads.  To do this, paint Mod Podge around the edge of your paper and sprinkle the beads onto it.  You'll see here that I used Mod Podge in an old Dimensional Magic bottle so that I could get more control (I have a very shaky hand).  If you don't have an old bottle, use a smaller paintbrush and drag the Mod Podge around the edge.  Sprinkle the microbeads on, allow to dry and then rotate and repeat.  When dry, your blue floral bangle is finished!  You still have one more step on the brown distressed bangle. 

Once the beads are completely dry, add Mod Podge Dimensional Magic to the oval part of the bangle, right on top of the paper.  Unfortunately this is a slow process, but only because of dry time.  The good thing is that you can add the Dimensional Magic and leave it to dry (DM side up).  Come back later and then rotate the bangle, add more DM.  Total application time is about 15 minutes, but total dry time means this project is at least going to take overnight.  Once the Dimensional Magic is dry, your bangle is done.

Thanks to the team here at CL and S for featuring me.  I can't wait to show you more fun projects with Mod Podge!  I would also love to give away one of these today:


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1. Comment on THIS blog entry.  What would you do with this starter pack?
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Contest will close this Sunday, February 27th at midnight (EST).
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Thanks for the visit, and come check me out at Mod Podge Rocks whenever you get the urge to glue!

*UPDATE* - winner of the starter pack is Veronica.