Fun Connectors for Bracelet Making

                                     Bracelet Bar Stained in a dark brown

Lately I have been hungry for the color brown.  Maybe it is because winter has come to our area so late that the brownness of all the trees in the newly fallen snow just looks so pretty and rustic.
The bracelet bar pictured above is one of the  pieces I have made. You can see more pieces in my Etsy shop.  For today’s post I thought I would try out some connectors that  have been calling my name for some time with this rustic bracelet bar.

They are called Short Cuts and that is just what they are.  I bought them some time ago at Michaels but have only tired out the thin bracelet connector above.  For today I am going to make a bracelet with the one with all the chains.( on the left in the picture above.) I will use it as a base and add on some pieces from my stash to personalize it a bit.

Supplies:
1. Multi chain connector from Micheals–Blue Moon Beads.  You can also purchase these online as I am doing now that the Lake Effect Snow Machine has me locked in away from the Big Box Stores like Michaels. Search Blue Moon Beads and they will pop up.
 2. a 6 inch piece of teal colored chain from Miss Ficklemedia–open link is best– it is about 1 or so  inches too long.  Easy to shorten since the links are not soldered shut.

3.  several small ceramic charms and jump rings to fit–about 5mm

5. 2 Large 11mm jump rings to match the ones on the connector or you could connect the lobster claw clasps directly to your bracelet bar. I am using jump rings so that they move easily on the ceramic stringing holes.

Tools
2 pairs of chain nose pliers to open and close the jump rings.

Bracelet Assembly
1.  Use your chain nose pliers to open a chain link on each end of your chain and attach the chain to the jump rings that the other chains are attached to.  I suggest putting your chain piece in about the middle.
2.  Use your chain nose pliers to open the smaller jump rings to attach the small charms to different pieces of chain.  I suggest a total of 3 but you could use more.

3.  try on your bracelet and see how it fits.  It should fit a 6-8 inch wrist. If it is too big you could shorten all the chains by removing links.

  or as a wrap bracelet with a laser transfer poly clay bracelet

                                   leather bracelet wrap  art bead bar by Mary Harding

I hope this look at these Short Cut Chains and Wrap Connectors  have given you some  ideas for making some fun bracelets of your own using art beads.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Mary