By Jana Ewy

Tools and Materials
Friendly Plastic® 3″ Designer Sticks Solid–Avocado, Black, Burnt Orange, Copper, Dark Teal, Fucshia, Gold, Lavender, Light Blue, Mauve, Orange Copper, Purple, Red, Royal Blue, Silver
Friendly Plastic® 3″ Designer Sticks Print–Gold Spectra, Green/Blue, Pearl/White, Silver Spectra, Swirl Blue, Turquoise/Blue
Friendly Plastic® 7″ Designer Stick Print–Cobra Silver
AMACO® Work Mat
AMACO® Needle Tool
AMACO® PolyBlade
Small dish of cold water with a few drops of olive oil
Griddle set at 200-300°F
Non-stick baking sheet that fits flat on griddle surface
Sealer: Envirotex Lite was used, but any high gloss acrylic sealer will work
Disposable mixing container and stir stick
Straw
Non-stick cookie sheet
Non-stick cookie mat
Matte knife
Acrylic ruler
Scissors
Heat tool

Step 1
Using a cutting mat, ruler, and blade, cut the plastic sticks width into random sized rectangles.

Step 2
Pre-heat the griddle. Place the baking sheet onto the griddle. One at a time, in the color pattern shown, or one of your own, place the cut plastic strips onto the baking sheet. Make sure each strip is stuck in place before adding the next. Try to press each tightly against the one before, to prevent any gaps. Continue until you have four sticks approximately 7″ long as shown. Allow the plastic to soften and seal together. Remove the baking sheet from the griddle and allow the plastic to cool. Use the needle tool to press under the edges of the cooled plastic and remove it from the pan.

 

 

Step 3
Place the cooled plastic back on the cutting mat and trim off any uneven edges. Cut these 7″ plastic sticks as well as the 7″ Cobra Silver stick lengthwise into random widths, until all sticks have been cut. You will be able to make several cuff bracelets with these, or save and combine into other projects.

 

 

Step 4
Play around with the different size sticks until you have the desired pattern approximately 1 1/2″ or 2″ wide (or however wide you want your cuff to be).

Step 5
Place the baking sheet back onto the griddle. One at a time, in the pattern you have arranged, place the plastic sticks onto the baking sheet. Make sure each stick is stuck in place before adding the next strip. Allow the plastic to soften and seal together. When all the sticks have sealed together, remove the baking sheet from the griddle.

 

Step 6
Place the cooled plastic back on the cutting mat and trim off any uneven edges.

   

Step 7
Place the trimmed piece on the non-stick cookie mat and place back on the griddle. Allow to soften, then pick up the mat and piece together and wrap around a bottle which is approximately the size of your wrist. Dip bottle and whole piece into the cold water to harden the plastic. Pop out the bottle.

Step 8
Mix the Envortex Lite sealer following the manufacturer’s instructions. Application: Place pieces on a non-stick cookie sheet. Once the Envirotex is mixed, pour it into a small squeeze bottle. The application will be more precise and much easier. Once the resin has been applied, blow softly through a straw over each piece in order to pop any bubbles that remain. Envirotex cures completely in 24 hours.

 

 

 

Variation: Try different color combinations, different geometric shapes (triangles, circles, etc.), or make different jewelry components such as earrings or pendants.