Charm
bracelets have come back in fashion and are used for recognition through the STUDIO 2B program
for older girls. Should your girls like to make charms for a bracelet of their
own, check out the below ideas shared by WAGGGS-List leaders and compiled by
Theresa who is a Cad/Sr Advisor in Utah*. After making a bracelet for
themselves, girls might like to make a matching bracelet for their mother as a
Mothersı Day gift. As you read through the below ideas, keep in mind too
that many of the suggested charms could easily be adapted to make a unique
SWAP!
Make
simple charms from Shrinky-Dink plastic. Cut out a trefoil shape and use
a Dremel tool to put a hole in the top of the trefoil before baking.
After they cool, use a gold paint pen to color them and put a jump ring through the hole.
Trace
the Girl Scout Ways Try It onto Shrinky-Dink plastic, color it, cut it out,
then use a paper punch to make a hole on the top. Do the same with mini
versions of the girls' badges.
You
can shrink special plastic that you've run through your color printer. (The
regular Shrinky-Dink plastic DOES NOT hold printer ink.) This is great
for making keychains, swaps, etc. I used graphics of the cookies last
year and made necklaces for our cookie coordinators as a sort of gag gift. Two
brands are Avery and Transfer Magic (see links below)
You
can use something like the oven curing craft clay to make tiny trefoil beads or
round flat beads. Depending on your and the girls skills, the beads can
have a design on them, or be plain.
Make
tiny trefoils out of Fimo clay and poke a hole in it before baking to add a
jump ring later. The glittery gold clay turned out pretty. Shaping
those can be a bit of a hassle. Inexpensive charm, but girl-labor involved.
If
you have antique stores around, you may want to check for old type faces, I
have a couple that have the official Girl Scout Trefoil (eagle) in different
sizes. A Cadette troop I had in Germany (NAGS) made swaps for their trip
to Our Chalet, stamping clay with the engraved type faces. (could also make an
impression using the traditional GS membership pin)
Many
craft stores have four leaf clover designs around St. Patrickıs Day. Cut
the fourth leaf off so that the clover resembles a triangle -- instant shape of
the Girl Scouts of America Trefoil.
Remove the fourth leaf altogether and a darn near resemblance to the
WAGGGS trefoil.
Download
a good image of the trefoil, and using a graphics program, copy the mini-images
to fill-up a page. Keep the size of the repeating image 1/2 inch or smaller.
Print it out and glue a couple layers of paper to make a paper bead.
Look
for inexpensive charms at the bead stores rather than the charm stores.
The charm stores run a lot more. The bead stores sell charms as
part of their jewelry makings. They also do not come with a ring so you will
need to either buy rings (fairly cheap) or clasps (more of course).
Make
a cute 3-bead
angle charm.
Making
Friends has a pattern and directions on making GS Trefoil Charms.
I-Heart-GS square
beads or round
beads, and I-Heart-GS
kits to make 30 bracelets are also available through this source.
Put
GS letter beads & colored beads in film canisters with embroidery thread
(or elastic string) as make-your-own-bracelet kits.
Prayer Boxes
A prayer box bracelet or necklace is another idea that your
girls might be interested in. By writing a short prayer and slipping this into
a mini charm box, you can keep the prayer in your thoughts all day. Girls might
like to choose a patriotic theme by adding red, white and blue colored beads to
their piece and insert a special prayer for our military troops overseas.
Ideas for bracelet designs are
available at The Prayer Box website.
If a prayer box charm is not available at your local Michaels or JoAnn
craft stores, check Shipwreck Beads for an
inexpensive option (type in "prayer box" in search block), or for
sterling silver charms check: The
Prayer Box or Cuddle
Babies.
Secure
Charms
Donna,
a leader in California, shares that her ³daughter has ordered lots of charms
from Blue Mud and they are great for the
price. She has also had all of them soldered on her silver charm bracelet.²
Soldering is the best way to secure the charm permanently, but the cost runs
around $5 each (more than the charm). A less expensive option would be to
replace the jump ring on the charm with a split
ring (designed like a key chain) to attach the charms. This would keep the
charm secure while allowing you the option of moving it in the future. Split
rings in various sizes are available at Blue Mud or can be found at your local
crafts store in the jewelry section.
Bracelets With Meaning
A
bracelet making activity with symbolic beads can reinforce many program themes.
The below selection of activities was shared by Karen in Texas:
·
Beaded
Conversation Bracelet
·
Learning
the GS Law Bracelet
·
Circles
of the Earth Bracelet
·
Morse Code Bracelet (click Camp
Theme Book II and go to page 68)
·
Bead Game Simulation
(learning economics)
· Breast
Cancer Awareness Beaded Bracelet (adapt from necklace design)
·
Bead Positive Chain (breast
cancer awareness)
Paperclip Jewelry
³Consider
the humble paper
clip: Itıs just a thin piece of steel wire bent into a double-oval shape,
but over the past century, no one has invented a better method of holding loose
sheets of paper together.² Your
girls might enjoy some of the below paper clip art; then, just for fun,
brainstorm all the uses for these little metal wonders (check the 101 Uses to get started).
GS
Program Links
Making
charms could be tied to: Art to Wear try-it, Art to Wear badge, Jeweler badge or Just Jewelry IP.
More
Resources
* Note I unfortunately do
not have a listing of all the leaders who submitted ideas for the charm
compilation. Our thanks to all for sharing!
Updated
April 2008