Ann Taylor Loft inspired bow cuff bracelet

Last week I was browsing around Ann Taylor loft for jewelry and fashion inspiration. I saw this cuff bracelet. In case no one has noticed, I'm into big chunky jewelry right now.

It's not a bad price, but I still thought that I could make one for less and that it would be fun to do also. So I did. Here's my version:

Mine does not have rhinestones. And to tell you the truth, I didn't notice the rhinestones in the Ann Taylor loft version to begin with.

I'm not a good tutorial writer, but I did take a few pictures of the steps and will try to explain.

I ordered a 2-inch aluminum cuff blank from here. I got a 99-cent fake leather belt from the Good Will. (I'd say this is a fabulous upcycle for this belt.) You'll also need some black felt. It was already in my stash, along with Beadalon medium curb silver plated chain.

I cut off a portion of the belt and glued it to the cuff blank with Fabri-Tac adhesive. Cut it a little wider and fold the edges to the inside. I used some binder clips to hold my "leather" on while it dried.

I glued some felt on the inside. I cut two strips from the belt a little narrower than the cuff. I cut one strip longer than the other. I stitched my strips together so they formed bands.

Then I stacked the shorter one on top and pinched them together. I wrapped them with a piece of the chain. I actually stitched the end of the chain to the back of the bows with needle and thread to start and then stitched down the end when I finished wrapping. I then glued my bow to the cuff. It was fairly quick and easy!

Here are couple of self-portraits of me modeling my $7.00 cuff. (Really it's cheaper that that because I still have part of the belt, some felt, and chain left over for other projects.)

Thanks for looking.