diy bracelets

I am always itching to make something.  How about you?  Most of my creativity revolves around art and crafts or fun DIY for the home.  Kristin, who is the most creative in the kitchen, comes up with fun and exciting food ideas you see here on ZiggityZoom.   But either way, it isn’t too often that we come across a fun, new creative product that we want to share with everyone.  We recently discovered an exciting new product called InstaMorph.  It’s a container of little white plastic beads that are super moldable when heated in water.  This stuff is almost indestructible and you can make tons of different things with it.  And really … kids, moms, dads … it’s a fun and creative material for both fun and functional uses.

The kids started making little objects and figures and Kristin started making bracelets.  We love this stuff for all the possibilities of making unique jewelry.  How great this is going to be for making gifts!  We only played around with making cuff type bracelets to start with but … wow, all the possibilities!  One of the really nice things is that you can make a bracelet to fit any size wrist and the plastic has a bit of give so they are easy on and easy off.  Shown below are the bracelets after our initial shaping and cooling.

diy bracelets

 

So far, we have only experimented with metallic spray paints but there are lots of possibilities for fun finishes.  If you do use a spray paint make sure it says right on the front of the can that is “bonds to Plastic.”  Some do and some don’t.  You don’t want to use a paint that scrapes right off!  Gosh, we love these little plastic bracelets!!  And I’m thinking … what a fun gathering to have a Moms Only DIY Night … such a fun project to go home with … after a bit of wine & cheese and fun conversation!

Before starting, we suggest only pouring about 1/4 cup of the plastic beads into the hot water at a time, at least to start with.  It helps to play around with the softened plastic first to get a feel for what you can do.  On our first attempts, we poured way too much into the water and it was harder to mold.  Instructions on the container say to heat water to about 150 degrees, but once again, do a few trials. The really nice thing is that you can reheat the plastic over and over again if you don’t like your finished product!

What You Need:

  • InstaMorph
  • Large clear bowl or Quart Measuring cup
  • Candy thermometer (optional)
  • Tongs
  • Paper Plates
  • Scissors
  • Metallic Spray Paint (bonds to plastic)

What to Do:

  1. Pour about 2 cups of water into your clear glass container.  Heat in the microwave for approximately two minutes.  If you have a candy thermometer, test the temperature of the water.  You are initially shooting for 150 degrees.  If you don’t have a thermometer, then do a trial by pouring a small amount of beads into the heated water.  If the beads turn clear and stick together, they will be moldable.  (you can just reheat the water and test the same beads a second time if necessary.)
  2. Remove the transparent blob of beads with tongs and gently shake off any water.  Plastic will be hot at this point so use caution.  Within a minute, you should then be able to start pressing and shaping the plastic.  We found that we had better results using smaller amounts of the plastic at a time.  For a bracelet, you will be pressing and stretching the plastic to get a thin long piece.
  3. The plastic will cool rather quickly, so once you have a long thin strip, cut off uneven edges with scissors and round the ends.  Make sure the strip isn’t too long by trying around your wrist.
  4. Shape into a circle, or oval, depending on your preference.  We made some bracelets thin and some wide.  Also, one of our bracelets, we just used a more organic edge, not cutting it at all.  So it’s really a matter of playing around and preference.
  5. Now … while you are still shaping your bracelets, if they need more work, just reheat the water and put your bracelets in to make them more workable.  (Don’t put 2 in together or if you do, don’t let them touch, as they will want to fuse together.)
  6. Once the bracelet is how you want it, curved and all, let it cool in this position for a few minutes and it will start to harden.  This stuff is so great!
  7. Spray paint your bracelets in an area where you have good ventilation or open windows.  Let dry thoroughly!
  8. Wear and enjoy!

 

 

 

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