Glitter HTV and Markers - make Unicorn Bracelets

Hello Janet here again.

Today I have a colourful children's project for you - jewellery, glitter  AND unicorns!

I made these bracelets using the Kid's Unicorn Bracelet file by Mini Lou, who has lots of files in the store which are great for kid's projects. These bracelets were made up using the Silhouette Faux Leather which is stronger and longer lasting than paper. The bracelets won't last indefinitely, but they should outlive a regular paper version. The colourful parts are made by hand-colouring Silhouette white glitter heat transfer material with permanent markers and then fusing it onto faux leather. The Silhouette brand HTV has a rougher glitter texture than some, and takes the colour well. The heat used to adhere the glitter also sets the colour. Rainbow colours were the obvious choice for these unicorns.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Silhouette Cameo® or Silhouette Portrait®
Unicorn bracelet pattern download (#102081)
White Silhouette Glitter Material
White Silhouette Faux Leather
Weeding Hook
Heat Press or Iron
Permanent Markers (e.g. Sharpies)


I made a few variations:

• Rainbow glitter bracelets with white unicorns
• White glitter bracelets with rainbow unicorns
• White bracelets with rainbow unicorns and a name

They all use the same basic method and I'll share here.


STEP 1: PREPARING THE FILES

Open the bracelets file, then ungroup and delete the bracelets you don't want. I just made the larger sizes.

For the glitter layer, work with the unicorn bands (coloured pink in the file). To make the glitter layer we'll need an internal offset of the unicorn band, but we don't want to include the unicorns and the slits - they are already the correct size. To do this release the compound path (select bracelets, open Modify > select Compound Path, Release).

Then select the outer shape and create an internal offset (select bracelet outline, Offset > Internal Offset  (options: Round, offset distance =1.5 mm for the larger and 1.1 mm for the smaller bracelet). Click Apply.

Select the unicorns, the slits and the new shape and make a compound path. 

Delete the outer shape (pink). Repeat for the smaller bracelets. 

At this stage you can mirror the pieces and you must mirror if you have incorporated any lettering (Object > Mirror > Flip Horizontally). 

STEP 2: CUTTING THE FILES

Place the material on a cutting mat with the shiny side to the mat.  Cut from the glitter material carrying out a test cut if you haven't used this material perviously. Cut settings for Heat Transfer Material Glitter are in the later versions of the Silhouette software only, but may require less pressure and blade depth. Ideally, the blade should cut through the top layer, but leave the bottom layer (carrier sheet) intact. My picture shows version 3.6.57.

Cut the plain bands (coloured blue in the file) from faux leather paper. I chose the default settings for Faux Leather Paper in the Cut Settings Window. The test cut didn't quite cut through, so I increased the blade depth by one (my mat has lost some stickiness). You may not need to, but do use the test cut function if you haven't previously cut this media.

Rather than place the faux leather on the mat as a roll, trim and attach a piece a little larger than that needed for the pieces and attach the edges to the mat with tape (otherwise it has a tendency to lift up from the mat).


STEP 3: PREPARING THE PIECES

Preparing the pieces prior to colouring is the same for all methods as follows:
(A) Weed the excess glitter material from around the bracelets.
(B) Trim the long sides closely by hand (this helps with alignment).
(C) Gently peel the non-unicorn part off the backing.
(D) Keep it in one piece and try not to stretch it.

If you decide to add wording, don't forget to retain the interior parts of any letters.


STEP 4: DECORATING THE PIECES

The glitter pieces can now be coloured. Choose whether to colour the background or the unicorns.

If you choose to colour the background, the glitter material should be coloured before it is applied to the bracelet. Place the pieces on scrap card or other surface that won't be damaged by the permanent markers. This is a great activity for kids (please heed any age recommendations and warnings on the packaging of the permanent markers).

If you choose to colour the unicorns, they are best applied to the faux leather bracelets before being coloured.

Colour the bracelets however you like. They are quite forgiving as the next layer will cover up any colouring over the edges.

NOTE: The colouring process is quite hard on the marker tips, so it's probably not worthwhile risking damage to your 'best' markers!

STEP 5: ASSEMBLING THE BRACELETS

Position the unicorns so that they'll match up with the background when it is applied later. This is easier if you have accurately trimmed the outside edge of the transfer backing before removing the non-unicorn part.

Apply the glitter transfer material to the faux leather with a heat press or iron following the directions on the pack.  

Now the bracelets are now complete! Have a go yourself - or get the kids to try it out at a crafting party or to keep them entertained during the school holidays!

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