Simple Autumnal beaded bracelets

This Autumn I have challenged myself to work on five different craft projects, which I batch prepped back in August ready to work on when I had the chance. 

Welcome to the first completed craft project!

These Autumn themed stretch beaded bracelets are a really simple project that I had been putting off for a long time. Most of these basic coloured beads were purchased on our last trip to the US - which was nearly two years ago. I added them to my bead stash and just didn't get around to using them which was a real shame because in the end it took me just one evening to make this set of eight simple bracelets.

Here are the supplies which I gathered together to make the bracelets, along with some superglue for finishing. The beads that I bought were sold in long strings and mixed together, so I had to sort out the different shapes and colours, but luckily that didn't take too long. Then I went through my remaining bead stash and pulled out a selection of beads that were similar sizes and matched my Autumn colour scheme of red, orange, brown, green and gold.

For stringing bracelets I always use Stretch Magic 0.7mm which works perfectly. It's a clear plastic stretch cord which fits most smaller beads and is really easy to tie tightly. I've never had a problem with it breaking.

This project is about working through my stash, so I made an effort to prioritise smaller quantities of beads that I could use up. I didn't have much of a plan apart from that, other than picking beads that looked good together and trying to space the more decorative beads evenly, like the gorgeous gold rose beads. 

I also made a couple of 'filler' bracelets that use random combinations of smaller beads, a great way to use up the odd beads. 

To finish a stretch beaded bracelet you just need to tie a few tight knots in the elastic and then add a small blob of superglue. Cut away the loose ends, and the knot should be pretty much hidden by the beads. 

Eight bracelets felt like the perfect number - I love how they all overlap as you move around, and so it looks different every time you look at it. 

I'm really pleased with them and I'm so happy that these stashed beads are finally seeing the light of day. I'm planning to wear them a lot this Autumn!

If you liked these bracelets then you might also like my ocean themed stretch beaded bracelets which are very similar but using blues, greens, and pretty sea glass style beads. I still have plenty of beads left in my stash, so I'll soon be planning some more sets in different colour combinations!

Some simple ocean themed stretch beaded bracelets

A few years ago I didn't buy a bracelet in Accessorize, and I've regretted it ever since! It was something like this one - Beaded Stretch Bracelet - a selection of different simple beaded bracelets that are complementary and worn together. When I was shopping the craft stores in the US this summer I found myself in the bead aisle, and my thoughts turned towards making myself something similar.

I've not really done jewellery making before so I wasn't quite sure what to buy. But I was really pleased with the Stretch Magic cord that I ended up with. I bought the .7mm size which is small enough for the tiny beads. The beaded part of each of my bracelets measures 20cm, so allowing a few extra centimetres each side the 5m pack should be enough to make at least 15 bracelets. It is also available to purchase in the UK, and you can see it here (affiliate link) - Stretch Magic elastic cord. 

I bought three strings of smaller beads which I was able to mix and match with the beads I already had in my stash. The glass beads on the far right were chosen because they look just like sea glass. Then I bought one large string of coloured beads and one of shiny beads. It was a bit of a pain sorting out the colours, but it was worth it as it made making the bracelets much easier!

I wanted to make a bracelet with a sea/ocean theme so I went through my stash and gathered together all the beads I could find in different shades of blue, turquoise, white and silver. I had some small pearl beads, large shiny glass beads and lots of tiny beads. I made eight bracelets in total, some follow a strict pattern and some are more random. 

To make the bracelets I just threaded the beads onto the elastic, which was quite easy as it's so stiff. When I'd reached the right length, which for me was 20cm, I tied a simple knot and pulled the elastic as tight as I could. Then I sealed the knot with a blob of superglue before cutting the ends. The hole in the beads wasn't big enough to hide the knot inside, but because it is transparent you can hardly see it. The bracelets seem pretty secure to me, hopefully they won't all fall apart!

I had such fun making these and I'm so pleased with them! It was quite addictive in fact, and as I have plenty of beads left in my stash I'm very tempted to myself a couple more sets in different colours. I think next up might be an autumnal theme with reds, browns and golds. 

And this is another of my ten craft projects that I'm aiming to complete by Christmas - I'm really working through them!