DIY Jewelry: How to turn an ordinary pendant into something extraordinary Rhinestones have the power to transform anything plain and ordinary into an eye-catching sparkly creation! After searching through the clearance rack at a craft store, I found this plain plastic pendant for only 1$. While a nice piece, that is nothing special about it until I decided to turn it into my next project and transform it into a blinged out pendant. For this project I used: 1 plastic pendant on clearance from the craft store E6000 12ss crystal, black diamond and jet hematite rhinestones Wax tipped tool or tweezers The pendant is a dark brown color. I decided on a scatter pattern with crystal rhinestones outlining the outside edge of the pendant, black diamond outlining the inside edge of the pendant and jet hematite filling in the middle of the wider spaces between the crystal and black diamond rhinestones. E6000 creates a nice strong bond when gluing rhinestones to plastic so this is my adhesive of choice for this project. Make sure you use this glue in a well ventilated area and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. E6000 tends to be a bit gloppy so when I use E6000, I like to squeeze a bit over a paper plate and use a toothpick to scrape the amount of glue needed. I began with gluing all crystal rhinestones around the outer edge first. I began at the top placing the rhinestones touching and as I went down the pendant, spaced the rhinestones out from one another. Place a drop of glue slightly smaller that the rhinestone on the pendant and with the wax tipped tool or tweezers, pick up a rhinestone and gently press it into the glue drop. I glued the black diamond rhinestones with the same spacing as the crystal: starting at the top placing the rhinestones next to each other and spacing the rhinestones out as I continued down the inside edge. The pendant is wider on the sides and the bottom so there was some spacing that needed some sparkle. I glued jet hematite rhinestones in this area with random spacing between. When done gluing the rhinestones, allow to dry for 24 hours. What a noticeable difference in pendants! The original piece was bland and boring, with no glamour but this new piece is fun, festive, sparkly and perfect for that casual outfit or formal dress that needs an extra touch of sparkle!
Rhinestones and wax tipped tool are available from: www.RhinestonesEtc.com
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Instructions for a diy rhinestone magnet This Mother’s Days don’t go overboard with an expensive gift she’s never going to use. Why not put yourself into it and make a special handmade gift for her? This simple DIY magnet with rhinestone embellishments is an easy Mother’s Day craft that is sure to put a smile on her face. For this project I used: 8 wooden Craft sticks Hot glue gun White craft paint and paintbrush 39 Fern green 9ss rhinestones, other assorted colors and sizes Gem-Ttac wax tipped tool or tweezers Scotch tape Wax paper Felt (various colors) Magnet Large wire cutters Sandpaper I found that using large wire cutters does a good job of cutting wooden craft sticks. Begin by cutting the sticks in the following lengths: 3.75 inches – 2 sticks. 3.5 inches 2 sticks, 3.25 – 2 sticks. 2.75 – 2 sticks. Take the 3 smaller lengths of wooden sticks and cut one end at an angle to form ascending slats. If you wish, you may sand the edges. Paint the wooden craft sticks with the white craft paint and allow to dry. Lay the craft sticks out so that the sticks peak in the center. Using a hot glue gun, glue the 2 longest craft sticks across the others near the top and the bottom. In order to get the spacing and size right on the rhinestone “Mom” I laid out the rhinestones on a piece of wax paper. Once I got my size and spacing correct, I took a piece of scotch tape and pressed down over the tops of the rhinestones. Peel away from the wax paper. The rhinestones will stick to the tape. Squeeze glue onto the bottom of each of the rhinestones on the tape, just slightly smaller than the rhinestones and tape this to the top horizontal craft stick. DO NOT use a hot glue gun to adhere rhinestones. Use a recommended adhesive such as E6000 or Gem-Tac. Allow to dry for 24 hours. In the meantime, cut out flower and leaf shapes out of felt. Glue different size and color rhinestones to the center of the flowers. Place a drop of glue (E6000 or Gem-Tac) about the same size as the rhinestone and using the wax tipped tool or tweezers, pick up a rhinestone and gently press it into the glue drop. Allow to dry. After 24 hours, peel the tape off the rhinestones. Hot glue the flowers to the craft sticks in varying positions around the rhinestone “Mom”. Hot glue a magnet to the back of the craft sticks. With rhinestones and a few other easy to get supplies you too can make your mother a special gift that she’ll always treasure. The sparkle of the rhinestones will catch your mother’s eye each time she sees this beautiful DIY magnet, putting a smile on her face as she thinks of you.
Rhinestones and wax tipped tool are available from: www.RhinestonesEtc.com Embellishing with metal studs Some time ago, I posted instructions on how to embellish a pair of leggings with metal studs. After the project, I stored the leggings at the bottom of my drawer since I had nothing to wear with them. Months later, I found a plain tee shirt and with a little creativity, I was able to create the perfect embellished shirt to pair with my leggings. While this product requires sewing skills, it is still basic enough for beginners to learn. For this project I used: Tee shirt Thin fusible facing Sewing maching with single and twin needle and thread Scrap material about 1/2 yard Metal studs: 6 mm silver round and 7 mm silver square Hot fix tool or iron For the bottom two pieces cut the same shape whether you want square edges or rounded. For the length cut each piece about 4 inches longer than the width shirt and about 10 inches in length (or whatever length you want to add to the shirt). Cut a square piece for the pocket. Cut a piece of fusible facing the same size as the pocket. Following the manufacturer's instructions use a hot iron without steam to fuse the facing to the pocket. Fold down the pocket ¼ of an inch from the top part of the pocket and stitch. Fold ¼ inch at the bottom and sides and baste into place. Position the pocket on the shirt and baste into place. Check the position of the pocket to make sure it is straight and in the correct position and stitch into place. Remove all basing stitches. Cut the bottom part of the tee shirt off along the hem line. Using a serger or narrow zigzag stitch edge the bottom piece to prevent fraying. If you prefer, you can hem it. Sew the two bottom pieces together from the top part that will be stitched to the shirt to about 4 inches down, sewing in reverse at the bottom to lock the stitching. Mark the center of both the bottom piece and front and back of the tee shirt. With right sides together, pin the bottom piece to the tee shirt, matching side seams. The bottom piece should be bigger as we cut it 4 inches longer than the tee shirt. You will be stretching the tee shirt as you sew to match up with the center and side seams. Baste into place. Baste again about ¼ of an inch above the first basting line. The next step involves a double needle which when sewn, will allow the tee shirt to stretch without breaking the thread. If you use a straight stitch, the thread will break as the tee shirt stretches. Using the double needle, sew on the top (right) side of the tee shirt between the basting stitches, tucking the seam underneath towards the top of the shirt. I wanted to incorporate the same design from the leggings on to the pocket of the shirt. I positioned some square and round metal studs in a similar pattern to the leggings. Use the flat attachment for the hot fix tool and heat up. Gently press down on the metal studs for 12-15 seconds. Repeat process. If you are using an iron, set iron to the hottest setting without steam. Place a piece of white paper over design to prevent scorching. Gently press down for 10-15 seconds. DO NOT SLIDE the iron as this may move your metal studs. Allow to cool. Once too short, my top is now the perfect length to pair with leggings, not to mention that it matches my outfit perfectly! But don't stop there! Why not experiment and combine this shirt with your favorite pair of jeans for a fresh and edgier look.
Metal studs are available from: www.RhinestonesEtc.com |
KarenI have been adding bling for over 20 years. Through my projects, I hope you find inspiration. Categories
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