CharmBarn Link Challenge

Back in July I signed up for a 'Link' challenge from Peggy of The Charm Barn.  I wasn't really sure what acrylic links were, but it sounded like fun.  We had to e-mail her if we were interested, and if we were one of the first 20 people to sign up we were in.  I made it!  She sent me 25 acrylic links with 3 weeks to create a jewelry masterpiece with them.  When I received my 25 black acrylic links I knew immediately what I wanted to do with them. It took me a little while to figure out how to link them. Actually, my daughter in law and son were here visiting, and she figured it out. I was afraid I'd break them, but she just kept working with them and got them linked. Once she figured it out (and that they wouldn't break) we went to town linking them together.  I wanted to wrap them with leather and then add some charms. I picked Teal, Purple and Green leather. I wasn't sure what I wanted to use as a clasp, but when we went to Hobby Lobby to get the leather, I thought, Hey, buttons would be great as a clasp with the leather.  It took a while to figure out the 'right' button to use, but I finally found it, a purple one to match one of the leather colors.  It was a little harder wrapping the leather around them than I figured it would be. I had to take it apart twice, since I kept wrapping it too tight and the links wouldn't lay flat or curve around my wrist.  Plus, I couldn't keep the links laying the same way as I was wrapping the leather.  Once I got one side finished (on the third go-around, LOL) it was easy peasy.  It was also a little bit of a challenge to figure out how to leave the loop in the leather for the button clasp without it getting smaller and smaller as I worked with the leather, but I finally got it.  The next challenge was what to use as charms/dangles and how to put them together and attach them. My daughter in law loves Ladybugs, so she picked out that one.  Then we saw this cute little silver envelope charm.  I found a little silver charm that looked like a letter/card to attach to it and some co-ordinating beads to use for the rest of the charms.  Then I made my own jump rings, wire-wrapped all the charms and attached them by the button clasp.  So without further ado, here's my Link Challenge Leather wrapped bracelet.  Please go to The Charm Barn to vote for my Leather wrapped bracelet, so I can get a chance to win a gift certificate to Peggy's Etsy shop for some more great components.  Not sure if I'll put this up for sale in my Etsy shop, KayzKreationz, or keep it for myself.

And here is the list of the rest of the participants, be sure to check out what they made:

Ilenia Ruzza - http://ile1974.blogspot.it/

Shelley Graham Turner  -  www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com

Tania Spivey -  www.moobiegracedesigns.blogspot.com

Ambra Gostoli -  http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/

Kashmira Patel - http://sadafulee.blogspot.com/

Linda Florian - http://lilysofthevalleyjewelry.blogspot.com/

Jami Shipp - http://celebratinglifewithdamamashipp.blogspot.com/

Terri Gauthier - http://terrisbloomingideas.blogspot.com/

Miranda Ackerley - http://mirandack.com

Mischelle Fanucchi  - http://thesecretlifeofmicheladas.blogspot.com/

Mary Govaars - www.mlhjewelrydesigns.com

Sarah Goode - www.pookledo.blogspot.com

paula hisel - http://simplybeadiful.weebly.com/simply-stated.html

Shai Williams - http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Reno - http://jenrenjewelry.blogspot.com/

Kay Thomerson - KayzKreationz (you are here)

Denielle Hagerman  - www.somebeadsandotherthings.com

Janeen Sorensen  -  http://wildvanilladesigns.com/

Emma Todd  -  www.apolymerpenchant.blogspot.com

Audrey Bélanger  -  http://esperianterra.blogspot.com/

Michelle Andrade - Micheladas Musings

Don't forget to vote for my bracelets, here.  Thanks.