DIY belt extension [leather hole punch]

Ever bought a belt that didn't fit? I have, loads of times, sometimes on purpose because the weird sizes go on sale. Alternatively, sometimes I buy a belt that I'd like to wear on my hips, at my waist, or under my chest, all of which require different lengths. Enter the leather hole punch tool (mine is from Amazon, and it costs $4.11, score!), which allows you to extend the wear-ability of your fave belts.

Looks like a torture device, works like a charm.

I'm going to give you a run down on how it works. I bought one with multiple hole punch sizes going from 2-4.5mm, and it fits every belt I have. Men may want to size up. Unscrew the arm that holds the hole punches in place and rotate it to the size you need- I figured this out by sticking it into pre-existing holes in the belt. Re-screw, so that the hole punch is in place- you don't want any slipping.

Yup, that size looks about right.

Squeeeeeze the handles together as tight as you can, and you should be able to feel the hole punch reach the other side. Once I have it all the way through, I twist the belt back and forth to be sure it's fully punched. Yes, you could do it multiple times, but then you have to worry about getting the exact placement. It's easier to just make sure you went all the way through your leather the first time around.

Do the twist.

Release the handles to get your belt out. At this point I'm almost always left with a little cork of leather, which I pull out with tweezers. It's usually not attached to anything and slips out easily. See how clean the lines around it are? This tool has worked fabulously for me, albeit the belts I've been working on have been pretty thin, genuine leather (J Crew). Let me know if you pick one up- you can do a LOT with these, I've seen bloggers use them for all sorts of arts and crafts projects.

Uncork it, and voila!

Hope you liked it! While I have your attention (ahem), you should go check out this tumblr, because her soundtrack is AMAZEBALLS. I've had it open all week and I'm diggin it. Haven't gone through the images, tumblr isn't my thing, but if it matches her music taste it's prob indie bohemian feminine awesomeness.