Here’s a sneak peek at a project my daughters and I are making for Christmas this year for their friends!

Sleek, simple, sturdy—in basic black, these bracelets complement any outfit. It’s also fun to reuse stuff that was headed for the trash and make something cute from it!

Supplies:

  • Bicycle inner tube
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Button (optional)
  • Paper puncher (optional)

Directions:

  1. Cut your inner tube into a 9-inch long strip. Make its width 1.5 to 2 inches, and cut in a straight line. Now put your inner tube on your wrist and pull around to measure how tight you want your bracelet to be. Add a 1/2″ onto your length for closure areas to meet together.
  2. Once you have your inner tube cut to fit your wrist, start creating your design on your bracelet. Fold your bracelet in half longways and start cutting tiny little holes into the rubber. I like to cut a lot and cover the bracelet with holes. You can create a pattern with them or just randomly cut. You can also use paper punchers and hole punchers to create other patterns in your bracelet.
  3. Your closure can be made with either a button or rubber ties. To close your bracelet with a button, simply choose your button and sew it onto your inner-tube bracelet. Cut a small slit on the other end of your bracelet where it will close. Remember to cut your slit small as the rubber will stretch.
  4. To close your bracelet with rubber strips, cut two small pieces of rubber from your tire. I cut mine very thin and 7″ long. This looks cute when you tie it closed and they dangle from the wrist. To close, cut four slits total—two on one end and two on the other end—where the ends will meet. Loop your strips through the two and then close into your other two slits and tie.

Enjoy!