I am obsessed with office supplies. I love fancy paper stores like Paper Source but there is always a thrill in making magic out of ordinary office supplies, the kind you find at Staples. Check out what we made!

After an improvised a paper clip jewelry project awhile back, I wanted to continue making jewelry from office supplies. This DIY jewelry project was partly for kicks and partly serious, I’m still not sure which….so off I went to Staples where I had a blast buying paper clips, brads, rubber bands and more in hopes of creating some funky jewelry! I have a feeling school-age girls would love this project, my three year old Clara was still a little young to get into it, instead she made up her own project: using poster tack and erasers to make figures. I loved her idea, too….so look for future post on Office Supply Sculptures!
Office Supply Jewelry
Materials:
I didn’t use everything pictured here…yet…but boy the color and shapes are inspiring, don’t you think?

And here’s what we made….

Butterfly Clip Necklace: Alternate standard paper clips with butterfly clips for pretty little metallic necklace.
Brad and Paper Clip Necklace: I’m not gonna lie, this one is a little painful! Alternate large paper clips with standard sized paper clips, then fish the brads through the standard clips for decoration. I used brads on the entire necklace but if you just use them only on the front and wear a turtleneck I think this could be a really fun piece to wear! It reminds me of a coral necklace I inherited from my mother….

Giant Paper Clip Necklace: I couldn’t resist buying these enormous paper clips. They are three inches long and gold! You don’t need to do much more than string them together for this simple, artsy necklace.
Rubber Band and Book Ring Belt: I loved these giant colorful rubber bands the minute I laid eyes on them! Just note that they do dry out and eventually break. Of course none of DIY jewelry pieces we are making here are permanent anyway. And I’ve just started with books rings….I see endless possibilities with these.

Braided Rubber Band Bracelets: Giant rubber bands are so fun to work with! I tried a bunch of bracelet iterations using these as the base; in the end I liked the braided look best. I used a colored paper clip to connect the ends together. Friendship bracelets anyone?
That’s the first installation of DIY Office Supply Jewelry…I hope to start using the erasers and tacks to make a studded piece…any ideas?
Enjoy!
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Cute idea! Do you think it would be acceptable for me to make these at work? 🙂
Thanks Lisa! These might be a less noticeable “work craft” 😉 Maybe that should be a new series….crafts you can do at work that no one will notice!
All those colourful supplies are so inspiring! And I love your bracelets.
Thanks Bella!
Fun ideas! I love playing with office supplies! Especially colorful ones!!
That’s very clever, well done!!
Esther.
Thanks Esther! I love your aesthetics so your comment is really appreciated!
This is really cool! How did you do the rubberband bracelets?
Hi Isabelle,
I braided three rubber bands together and added a paperclip on the end as a latch. Hope that helps!
Ana