Painted Faux Leather Jewelry

DIY jewelry made from painted faux leather  —

After making Halloween costumes last year I ended up with a huge leftover piece of faux leather and it worked out perfect for some lightweight and kid-friendly jewelry. I bought a whole yard on sale for around $9 but all you need are a few small scraps. (Most large craft stores sell bags of real leather remnants too.) Mixed with some embellishments I pulled from my craft box the faux leather worked great. I love that it looks almost like the real thing, is easy to cut with fabric scissors, and paints well with acrylic. 

MATERIALS

– faux leather
– heavy duty hole punch
– fabric scissors
– acrylic paints
– beads + elastic cord
– embroidery thread
– fabric strips

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: Start by cutting out your leather shapes. I marked off a 3 inch circle and cut in half for the necklaces. For bracelets I cut into strips ranging in width from 1/2” to one inch. Measure to wrist and cut length accordingly (allowing for about an inch overlap).

STEP 2: Punch holes with a heavy duty punch (I used a Crop-A-Dile for a 3/16” hole).

STEP 3: The leather can be painted (on the shiny side) with acrylics. If you want to change the overall color of your leather (while letting the texture show through) create a wash with watered-down paint. Brush it on in thin layers to build up the color, making sure to let each layer dry before applying the next.

STEP 4: Once completely dry your pieces can be embellished with sewn-on beads, buttons or whatever you happen to have. I used strings of beads and braided embroidery thread to create the necklaces. And for the bracelets just tied the ends together with thin fabric strips.
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Note: Our pieces have held up well, but not sure how the paint would last on bracelets getting wet, so test that out if you like to keep your jewelry on 24/7.