Easy and Cute Button Charm Bracelets Craft

When I was a kid I could rock a charm bracelet with the best of them. In the ’80s, at least in West Texas where I grew up, they were a big, big deal. Every birthday meant a new charm from each friend. After a few years, my dad informed me that I had to take some of my least favorites off because I was running out of room. That sucker was heavy but I’m telling you I rocked it daily for many, many years.

One of the best things about the charm bracelet fad was the fact that whenever you had 20 different friends with birthdays, the cost was going to be minimal for a present. For just a few bucks (and I mean less than ten most of the time) you had a cute little silver kitten, pointe shoe, or rotary phone in a teeny tiny box to give. And guess what? It was appreciated even as small of a gift as it was. I’m sure parents of girls today wish desperately that the charm bracelet would come back for that reason alone!

Since it has gotten nice and warm here in Oklahoma I’ve had my windows open and have been enjoying watching some of my trees start to get pretty and all of my daffodils opening up. It seemed only right that a spring craft project is on the menu for this week. So in honor of all of the women out there who once were girls rockin’ charm bracelets, this post is for you!

For this project you will need:

• Buttons
• Large jump rings (I used 12mm)
• Chain long enough for a bracelet
• Closure (I used a lobster clasp) & one small jump ring
• Pliers

If you’ve been accumulating a stash of buttons dig on through and find ones that are pastels or bright springy colors. You can use small ones, big ones, and everything in between. Pick out just a few colors of having totally random buttons for a funky vibe.

I picked out only buttons with four holes because they look more “buttony” to me. I also dug out orange, yellow, pink, purple, teal, and green. In the end, I wound up only using the largest green and pink, and medium-sized purple buttons.

Take your chain and wrap it around the wrist of the wearer and cut it to size.

Add a lobster clasp to one end using a small jump ring. If you are making the bracelet for a small child who may have a hard time with a lobster clasp, I’d look into using a medium-strength magnetic closure so that they can easily put it on without assistance.

Take your big jump rings, mine was 12mm, open and slide a button onto them. Insert the end of the jump ring into a link on the chain and close up.

Continue until you get the bracelet as full as you’d like it but leave about half-three quarters of an inch of chain on either end free. I put my large buttons in first, eyeballing the spacing in between. Then I went in with my medium-sized purple buttons and added them until I felt it was good and finished!

Go ahead and try your bracelet on for size, hooking the lobster clasp into the last link of your chain. If it is a bit too long, cut links until it fits well.

Isn’t this fun accessory perfectly spring-like? Hoping you have a happy week!

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.