I love DIYing stuff. Most of the time, you save money and gain the satisfaction of a job well done ... or at least completed. Wedding party gifts can get expensive fast, so I'm crafting the majority of them myself. I should note, however, that the DIY cuff links made from D20 dice was not my original idea, rather, the idea of this talented Etsy/Ebay seller, from whom I purchased a pair of cufflinks for Big Spoon. Through some trial and error, I think I have a nice finished product that is personalized to each guy in or help with our wedding.
Two of Big Spoon's friends are helping us with the wedding. They play D&D together on Friday nights and we want to give them each a gift that reflects the spirit of the game and can hopefully be worn again in the future. I also chose to make cufflinks for the best man, who is a UT Longhorns fan. (The only set I did not make are for my brother/groomsman, $5.99 with free shipping on ebay).
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Here's where the fun begins. Unless you are attaching some big honking charms or buttons, you will need 10mm cuff link blanks. The 10mm refers to the glue pad. At first, I ordered 15mm. BIG MISTAKE. I ended up losing money because I was dumb enough to send them back instead of reselling them. I do have two sets of 10mm cuff link blanks remaining for additional gifts or to make for resale.
Supply List:
10mm cuff link blanks (10 pieces on Etsy)- $7.75
Longhorn scrapbook charms (12 pieces on Ebay) - $3.39
Orange buttons (3 pack at Hobby Lobby) - $0.98
D20 dice (4 @ $0.80 each at Game Keep) - $3.50
Epoxy - on hand in art supplies
Toothpicks
Step 1: Mix epoxy. This stuff dries fast, so work fast, but carefully, so that you do not get glue on visible areas.
Step 2: Apply epoxy with toothpick to cuff link blank.
Step 3: Attach cufflink glue pad to object and allow to dry for at least 5 minutes before moving. Depending on the object, it's a good idea to hold it in place while it dries. **
** For the UT Longhorn cufflinks I glued the charm to the button with epoxy first, allowed it to dry and then glued the entire object to the cufflink blank.
Total supply costs (plus my $5 screw up): $20.62
Aren't the UT Longhorn cufflinks adorable?
Total supply costs (plus my $5 screw up): $20.62
Cost of gift per person: $6.87
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