If you’re planning to staying home this weekend but still looking for an adventure, why not curl up to a book! We have this wicked DIY idea taking metal bracelet blanks and making them into bookmarks! Plus, you can customize it with your own metal stamping design or verbiage and top it off with embellishments like leather, tassels, links and more!

What you’ll need:

• 6 Inch Stamping Bracelet Blanks:
  • Silver in widths of 1/4″ (A018033), 3/8″ (A021496) or 5/8″ (A021497)
  • Brass in widths of 1/4″ (Z001850) or 3/8″ (Z001851)
  • Copper in widths of 1/4″ (Z001852) or 3/8″ (Z001854)
  • You can also try other short rectangular blanks.
• Hole Punch – A011781
  • Or Metal Punch – A018983
• Letter Metal Stamps
• Bench Block (A011605/A014415) and Hammer (TL00277/TL00235)
• Enamel Marker (Black/Gold/Green/Brown)

Bookmark Tutorial

Bookmark Examples

‘Bead a Book’ Brass bookmark: Z001851, A022076, WAF8RDLH-M-8, TL00191

For this bracelet, we used 12″ of leather cord and slid the leather cord through the hole. Center leather and make an overhand knot or Sliding Knot (Use this Tutorial). Add a large-hole gemstone to each leather end with knots.

Maya Angelou, Silver bookmark: Z018033, A008128, A001529, Z008860, Z004947, TC01253.

We wanted to add a fun quote and used “Still I Rise” a poem title by the famous Maya Angelou. to embellish, we attached a 3 inch piece of chain with a jump ring. Open eyepin, and attach other end of chain and close. Add Czech bead and make a simple loop. Open loop and add tassel.

This week’s tutorial from ImpressArt is all about metal stamp texturing. Texturing adds an extra dimension of design to your metal blanks. It also adds an organic look for your metal stamping needs. Here are some product you may need to get you started on texturing:

• Texture Stamper Hammer (TL00266): This innovative tool creates unique, one of a kind textures using your metal stamps as texture heads. You can also interchange the stamping head with this hammer.

• Ball Pen Texture Stamper Head (TL00313): This hammer head creates an organic, hammered texture look to your metal blanks. It is to be used with the Stamper Hammer.

Texture Bracelet Tutorial

Using last week’s tutorial on Bracelet Bending, texturize the bracelet blank first before bending the blanks to create a bracelet.

You’ll want to wear these gorgeous earrings everyday after seeing how easy they can be made with Vintaj Patina.

Components in tutorial: Z015971, TCZ0139, TL00297, TL00287

Vintaj Patinas are opaque inks specially formulated by Ranger to adhere to metal. They can be used on a variety of surfaces like metal, leather, wood, etc. Check out our previous blogs on painting them on various metal components and Sizzix leather.