Make It : Rope Bangles

Looking for a clever, inexpensive DIY Holiday gift for your friends? I think I've got you covered. Spend an afternoon making unique bangles from what other than... rope! 

 water-resistant fabric stiffener and metallic paint!

Rope from the hardware store, nothing fancy. Basically any rope 1/8" or thicker will work. With thinner ropes, use multiply strands in your 

Squirt a dime-size amount of hot glue onto glue pad. Line up ends of thin cotton rope and press into hot glue. Let cool. 

Twist, braid or knot rope in the design you prefer. Loop your design to make sure the inside diameter measures about 2 1/2 inches (small), 2 5/8 inches (medium), or 2 3/4 inches (large). 

 Mark end point with finger. Squirt another dime-size amount of hot glue onto glue pad; press rope into glue where your finger is holding the end. Let cool to secure. Trim excess glue with scissors after it cools.

To get a seamless connection between ends, add hot glue on the back side of the start end of the design, if necessary. Let cool. 

Snip through the middle of the glue... 

Your design should be the proper length now...

Use a dab of hot glue to connect the ends to each other.

Pour fabric stiffener into bowl; submerge rope bracelet.

Remove bracelet from stiffener and use fingers to remove excess. 

Place bracelet over cup and push down to form into a circle; keep in place for one minute.

Remove and place bracelet on a flat surface and press down to level it. Make sure you don't disturb your circle shape. Let dry 2 to 12 hours (use a fan to speed up drying time).

 
Paint with metallic paint.

Create a bunch of different bangles that you can wear together.