You Will Need ...
  1. Duct tape

  2. Scissors

  3. Work surface or a board covered in fabric

  4. Ruler (optional)

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Step 1: 

Start by tearing off a two-inch square piece of duct tape.

Step 2: 

Next, fold it into a "house" shape. Fold one corner in on the sticky side of the tape, and then fold in the adjacent corner, as shown in the picture.

Step 3: 

Now, you're going to need quite a few of these "house"-shaped pieces! 30 seems to be a good number for making a bracelet for most people. Save yourself some time by making them all at once. You can use more than one color of duct tape to form patterns, so be sure to make pieces with every color you want!

Step 4: 

Lay your first piece sticky-side down on your work surface. Take your second piece and lay it down on top of the first. You want to line up the sides of the pieces, but leave a 1/4" gap from the first to the second. You want your pieces to be staggered, as shown in the picture.

Step 5: 

Keep going, overlapping piece after piece until you have a long chain of pieces all stuck together. At this point, you can wrap the chain around your wrist to estimate how long you need it to be. Add more pieces, or cut pieces off if necessary.

Step 6: 

Flip your chain over so that it's sticky-side up.

Step 7: 

Starting on one side, fold the side of the chain in toward the center.

Step 8: 

Fold the other side of the chain in toward the center. You'll have covered up most of the sticky side.

Step 9: 

Take a separate piece of duct tape and cut a length that's as little longer than your bracelet. You'll only need a narrow piece, so rip off a strip that's only about 1/4" wide.

Step 10: 

Lay that strip down the center of your chain, at the seam where the two folded-in sides meet. This is to cover up any exposed stickiness, and to reinforce your bracelet. Be sure to leave some of the duct tape strip hanging off the end!

Step 11: 

Take the flat end of your chain. This will be tucked into the opposite pointy end, but in order to fit, you'll need to take your scissors and snip off the corners so that the flat end is now pointy too.

Step 12: 

Bend your chain into a circle, and insert the cut point into the opening in the middle of the opposite end, as shown in the picture. At this point, smooth down your strip of duct tape so that it covers the joint.

Step 13: 

For extra reinforcement, you can take another strip of duct tape and wrap it around the joint.

Step 14: 

Be sure to tuck the strip underneath the "scales" to hide it.

Step 15: 

And there you have it! A beautiful bangle bracelet with the exotic look of fish scales!

Age: 
School-age
Tween
Teen
Adult
Senior
Craft Length: 
5 - 15 minutes
Difficulty: 
Use your noodle! (challenging; focus required)
Duct Tape: 
Jewelry and wearables
Prep Time: 
5 minutes or less
Supervision: 
1 adult per 2 children
Variations: 

Here are some more bracelets we made. We love trying out different patterns and colors!

Variation Photos: