We love our water colour paint sets. I mean, we really love them.
I don’t think a week ever goes by when someone doesn’t get out the water colours for a little painting. One of the big kids got them out on the weekend, and before long all four kids were busy filling the paper with colour.
With so much painting, there is always a pile of artwork in my study and recently I remembered a fun way to use it. Cleaning out some paperwork I came across an ancient photocopied sheet of instructions for making folded paper bracelets. I remember making these as a teenager, and I knew my kids would love to transform their paintings into wearable art so we got out the pile of paintings got to work!
To make a folded paper bracelet you need to begin by cutting lots of strips of paper. The strips need to be 12cms x 3cms (bigger or smaller as long as the size ratio is 1:4). We worked on our math skills counting by threes to rule up the paper and then I cut the strips with a paper cutter to make quick because you need a lot of strips! For each bracelet you’ll need between 16 and 22 strips, depending on how big a braclet you want to make. We used 18 strips to make one big enough to fit over my ten year old’s hands.
Begin by folding your strips into the basic shape, my six year old was good at this process.
Then you need to learn the basic construction technique. This is a little tricky but with help and supervision my girls (aged ten) were able to master the process after some learning time.
Once you’ve got the hang of it, keep adding strips. I suggest making the loop part of each strip a little on the large size when working with kids, it will look a little less neat and symmetrical when finished but it makes it much easier for kids to insert the next strip.
Keep adding strips…
And eventually you will have enough to make a bracelet, remember it needs to fit over your hand when it is done, so don’t make it too small!
Our folded paper bracelets turned out even better than I remembered! The colours of the kid’s paintings looked fabulous all folded together.
They would make an unusual and one of a kind gift don’t you think!? We are working on folding a really big one to make a crown!
Kate Lloyd says
These are AMAZING! I’ve never seen them before so I can’t wait to try it out myself. Such a great way to use kid’s artwork. The water colour makes these bracelets look so pretty!
Mary says
I have a question for you that I hoping that you can help me with. I have signed up to receive your blog for a while now. Well recently I haven’t been receiving your updates. I come to your posts and see that you have posted, I just have received them. I thought I was maybe “timed out”? So I have signed up (again) to receive your posts, I get the message that I am already signed up. Your posts aren’t going into my “junk” pile. I have just stopped getting them. I don’t know much about the computer, I thought maybe you could help me to receive your great posts again?
Thanks.
katepickle says
I’m sorry you are having trouble Mary, maybe it is glitch with the service I use to send my updates.
Can you contact me via my contact form (link up the top right of my blog) so you can privately tell me the email you subscribed with and I will manually have a look and see if I can sort it out. :)
Veens says
Oh WoW! These are Gorgeous :) Pinning it!
Lynda - all about mama says
These are a fabulous idea. We have a heap of paintings/artwork that I haven’t really known what to do with, I didn’t want to throw them out. Some of them the kids stick up on their bedroom wall and I thought I’d start using them as wrapping paper for gifts. Thanks for another idea for what to do with them.
Cynthia harvey says
When I was a kid I used to make these with gum wrappers. How nice to see it done upcycling their paintings.
Deborah says
We used to make the with gum wrappers also! I was just telling my granddaughter that last week! Wow! Talk about the good ole days! Lol
Kadi says
Just made one of these! I am from Australia but currently living in working in Uganda and was craving a crafty moment! The kids I live with here love it! I can see that I may be roped into teaching them how to make them also. Pity I can’t comment with a photo for you. Thanks for your tutorial! Love Pinterest!!!
Linda Man says
these are amazing. Can’t wait to try it and amaze my co-workers. Thanks.
Cassi says
I love that you used the kids artwork to make these, they are gorgeous! I’ll be featuring them on The Crafty Crow soon :)
angela - mammaemamme says
simply wonderfull….. I’ll try to make them with my kids. I love them and linked your post in my blog.
hilke says
What a super instruction!
Ehglish. teacher says
U r creative !!! Thank u very much . Proudly pin it.
Phyllis at All Things Beautiful says
I remember making these out of chewing gum wrappers when I was young. Yours are much prettier.
Carly says
I love this idea! I’ve always made these with Starbursts wrappers but I don’t eat Starbursts anymore and I’ve been wondering what else I could use. Artwork would work great!
Kelly says
Wow! Your kids make beautiful water colors. You might should consider giving them plain white cotton fabric yardage to paint with dyes and use the fabric for quilting or even sell it on etsy. I’d buy some for sure!!!
Natalie,The Educational Tourist says
What a GREAT IDEA! I Soo love it!!
This would also be wonderful on a road trip or long airplane trip. Fantastic idea.
Thanks for sharing
Deborah says
Does anyone have any ideas on making DIY water color? I know there must be a way! Thank you :-)
Lois Bailey says
I use to make these with the wrapper from my sticks of chewing gum when I was in junior high. We made necklaces out of them. It was lots of fun. Now I’m teaching my granddaughter to make them out of construction paper, old wrapping paper, or old magazines.
VALEISNTBEST says
Nice it took me some time to understand though
farhana says
supperb…………… i try to do it
Kimi says
This is too cute. :D
Trina says
I love this. Takes me back to highschool when my mother taught me how to do this with gum wrappers. Can’t wait to show my daughter.
suhani says
super cool and easy !!
Lesley Brough says
Thank you for this bracelet instructions. I am thinking of doing it with my 6 year old Great Granddaughter but using old road maps. They go out of date so quickly that this is a great way of recycling them.
Grace says
I have started to make one but im stuck. Ive done the first few instructions but after tucking in the pape after folding it the second time, i cant figure out how to turn it and carry on. can you help?
thanks :)
katepickle says
A blogging friend of mine made a video of the process… this might help – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVAb3yF7Dzo
Heather says
These are absolutely brilliant. I’m off to try them with my Girls Brigade girls. Great photos and instructions which makes a potentially tricky craft that little bit easier.
NouNouLili says
I love !! Its beautiful !!
thank you
Lili
April says
Do you think two strips could be sewn together to make bracelets sided?
katepickle says
I’m not sure what you are asking?
But I think if you sewed paper together it would make it very think and super hard to fold.
Lynn says
I remember making this with the wrappers from wrigley’s gum sticks as a kid! Brings back great memories…. one I think I’ll share with my granddaughters, but I’m thinking it will be with cut up artwork. How cool!
abhishek satija says
I like it it is so helpful
curiouscobo says
Oh my goodness what an AWESOME idea!!!! I absolutely love this, so creative and so fun! I work at a preschool and I know our kids would love this too!!! Thanks for the inspiration!!!