How to Make Rubber Bracelets

By Adele Caelia, eHow Contributing Writer

Rubber bracelets are the new fad among pre-teens and teens. These simple little bracelets can be found everywhere from the grocery store, mall, and even on the counters at the local pharmacy. Rubber bracelets usually feature a catchy phrase or word that expresses the personality of the wearer. You can bring out your own personality by creating stylish rubber bracelets on your own. Follow these steps and you will be well on your way to being a fashion diva.

Instructions

Step 1 Cover your work area with layers of old newspaper. You may need to layer this a couple of times to prevent the dye from soaking through to your work surface.

Step 2 Prepare the dye in a separate container for each color you wish to use. Set these to the side where they will not be easily knocked over.

Step 3 Choose a rubber band that fits your wrist well. Make sure that the rubber band you choose has enough room to write on if you wish to add text later. Place the rubber band in the color of dye you want. Keep the rubber band sitting in the dye until the color is the desired density and then remove it to dry.

Step 4 Lay the rubber band in front of you as flat as possible. Tape down the ends to prevent movement. Place the stencil over the rubber band and, using a permanent marker, begin to write the desired text.

Step 5 Remove the tape. Allow the bracelet to sit for a few minutes to ensure that the marker is dry and does not smudge.

Tips & Warning

If you have nice handwriting, try printing the text without the stencil

Glue on glitter and other decorations to make your bracelet a real fashion trend.

Be careful with the dye. It is very messy and will stain easily.

Source from http://www.ehow.com/how_4516227_make-rubber-bracelets.html

Rubber Band Bracelets Or Silly Bandz - A Fun Collectible Craze No Matter What You Call It

Have you ever heard of silly bandz? How about shaped rubber bands? If you have child from tween down to about five, you may have heard of them. If not, let me introduce you. As a member of the Sandwich Generation and a granny nanny to half my sweet grand kids, I am growing extremely knowledgeable about these fun little gizmos as each day passes!

I first noticed them at the airport a few weeks ago. They looked vaguely interesting but I found other grand kid gifts I preferred. Two months later, I discovered they were the newest craze for tweens on down and we hit the airport running - for the same airport gift shop and for those now, very cool rubber band bracelets! After all, cool grand kid gifts at reasonably cool prices equal a semi-cool grandma!

One grandchild now has over 75 and the number is growing. As soon as they met up after a month apart due to vacation, they were delighted to discover their friend has a growing collection as well.

Basically, a shaped rubber band bracelet is just a plain old rubber band in the shape of something. The shapes seem to be almost unlimited. There are animals, fish, western motif, princesses, words, phrases, musical instruments, and so much more. You can wear them in your hair, around your wrist, around a pencil, or anywhere a rubber band goes. When you take them off, voila - they go right back into their same shape.

Kids are trading them right and left, up and down. In fact, some schools have even taken the step of banning them or limiting them, due to the distraction they can cause. It's also important to know that there are some safety concerns connected with these cute little silly bandz rubber band bracelets.

But with a little common sense, you have can have delightful shaped rubber bands treats for your grand kids or kids without hurting the pocket book too much. Not only that. If they save some til they are my age (yup, that would be 40-50 years), I'm betting they'll join the ranks of old-fashioned lunch boxes, Pog milk bottle caps, Russ Berrie Trolls Dolls, and baseball cards! Meaning they'll be a nice little nest egg for them in their old age. How's that for giving a gift that keeps on giving?

Where do you get these, besides the airport, you may be asking? And well you should. SandwichINK went on a hunt to find out where to get the cheapest shaped rubber bands and you can find out all about them, along with more details on the safety concerns at http://www.SandwichINK.com.

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