How to Make Your Own Saint Bracelet

Saintly images on a bracelet can be posh.

Saint bracelets provide an understated, fashionable way to show your faith or simply keep your favorite saints with you all day long. Some saint bracelets just feature one saint, while others might depict the Stations of the Cross or events from the life of Mary and Joseph. The choice is up to you when you make your own saint bracelet. You can do the job by following a few straightforward steps.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• 1/2 inch square two-hole wooden beads
• Saint stickers
• Scissors
• Clear glaze
• Elastic string
• Scissors
• 4mm round beads (wood, gemstone or glass)

Instructions

1. Wrap a flexible measuring tape around your wrist and measure it. Add about 1/2 inch to your wrist measurement. Choose two saints for each inch in your measurement. For instance, if your wrist measures 6 inches around, you can choose 12 saints.

2. Spread out enough wooden beads for each saint you chose, or 12 beads in this case. Place a saint sticker on top of each bead. Do not remove the backing yet. You can get iridescent or matte saint stickers at many craft or religious stores.

3. Trim the stickers, if necessary, so they fit on the wooden beads with about 1/16 inch of wood showing around the edges. You can cut the stickers in ovals or rectangles, or alternate your shapes.

4. Peel off the backing to each sticker and smooth one sticker onto each wooden bead. Coat each sticker with a layer of clear gaze. This keeps them from peeling and falling off. Allow the glaze to dry overnight.

5. Cut two pieces of elastic string about 1 inch longer than your wrist measurement. In this case, you need two 7-inch pieces of elastic.

6. Slip the elastic string through the top hole of one of your wooden beads. Slide a 4mm round bead onto the string next. Continue alternating beads this way until you reach the end of the string. If you start with a square bead, you should end with a round bead so the pattern remains true.

7. Tie off the ends of the elastic string and snip away the excess. Push the knot in the string into the nearest bead to hide it.

8. Slip the second elastic string through all of the bottom holes in the wooden beads, placing 4mm rounds between each of the square beads. Tie off this elastic as you did the first elastic string and hide the knot.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can't find saint stickers, search clip art for appropriate images. Size them down to about 3/8-inch rectangles and print them. Glue them onto the beads and glaze them, as above.

References

• Saint Bracelets: Faith, Fashion and Healing
• Pony Bead Store: How to Make a Bracelet