BelleJewelryDesigns: DIY Bracelet Display Using PVC Pipe

I’m participating in a really great craft show soon. The Eleventh Annual Women’s Expo. For local people: it will be held at Middle Country Public Library in Centereach (101 Eastwood Blvd.) from 11 AM - 6 PM on Thursday, October 6, 2011. I don’t do a lot of craft fairs. They’re a ton of work and not always a lot of return on the investment. Kind of a crapshoot. You just don’t know what kind of crowd will come. My stuff is expensive—I get it. I don’t sell volumes like some of the other booths do. This craft fair is different—they really cater to women-owned businesses. They have people help you unload your stuff and carts to bring it in. They advertise the heck out of this thing and you would NOT believe the crowds. So, when I was sent a letter asking if I’d like to come back I yelled, “Mais, OUI!”

I needed some more displays for the jewelry. I don’t want to go and plunk down tons of cash on store-bought displays. Seems counter-intuitive since I don’t do a lot of craft fairs.

I went looking through the garage for scraps (hey, look at me recycling!) and hit the local Michaels store. I had some 2x2 pieces laying around and some 4” PVC pipe. I asked the husband to get out his saw (he’ll do anything to fire up the power tools. If I attempt to use the tools he gets very anxious. I’d like to point out that I DID get an A in wood shop. Whatever.)

Assembly

I had husband cut the pipe in half so I would wind up with two semi-spheres. Is that a word? It should be.

Then I assembled my supplies. Hot glue gun, really cool sheets of felt, scissors, and glue sticks.

The sheets of felt are really nice. They’re thicker than the usual stuff (and more expensive at 99/sheet) but they’re still cheaper than buying a $10 display at the store. They also match my business cards that I just had done by the fabulous Heidi Antman at Faboographics.

I wanted the edges to be covered so I cut the felt leaving me about an inch of overlap.

I applied hot glue to the PVC pipe and rolled it back and forth to cover the base with felt. Be careful—the glue is hot. I know, that seems like a dumb thing to say right? However, I lost some of the skin on my thumb today. DOH!

After doing the base I did the ends and then the sides. The ends are easy. Apply glue, fold over. The glue dries pretty quickly (which is why it’s so perfect for this little project.)

The other sides were a little trickier since the fabric was thicker and I want the edges to be perfect. Who will look under the displays? No one you say? Well, I will know—and that’s why I have to have them as close to perfect as possible.

I needed to use a lot of glue (this is actually when I burnt my thumb). So, get a pencil or something to use to push the fabric down instead of your finger. Live and learn. I did the ends first by folding in neatly and putting a lot of glue. I used these large clips to hold the fabric in place until it dried.