https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/diy-crystal-cellphone-case • Posted by Spark and Chemistry
Here's a case design that you can create for yourself, or gift it to a special friend. It's like a piece of jewelry, or a cute accessory. Attach it to take to a special event, like a party. Depending on where you purchase your supplies, this case can get pricey. But I'll show you how to make it for less! So pull out all of your rhinestones, beads and crafty embellishments, pop in a movie and let's get started.
Here's a case design that you can create for yourself, or gift it to a special friend. It's like a piece of jewelry, or a cute accessory. Attach it to take to a special event, like a party. Depending on where you purchase your supplies, this case can get pricey. But I'll show you how to make it for less! So pull out all of your rhinestones, beads and crafty embellishments, pop in a movie and let's get started.
First things first: prep your case. You will need to prep your case before gluing anything down. Sand the back of the case down; and, if you want to fill in the sides as well, sand that down as well with the nail file. I typically only design the back of the case though. But it will need to be a course grit file. Now, don't be cute with this; really sand it down roughly, as you are trying to remove all the smooth shininess from the case. A rougher back makes a great base for the glue to stick to. It will hold up much longer if you do this step, rather than not.
Now that you have a good base for your phone case, you can start laying out your design pieces. Before gluing, you want to lay out the larger pieces first to get an idea of how you want it to look. The larger pieces make up the bulk of the design and will be glued down first; and the smaller pieces will fill in the gaps at the end. As you're playing around with the placement keep those design elements in mind- balance being one of the most important. Once you have placed the larger pieces the where you like, put a bead of glue at the back and secure them down.
Now you'll need to start filling in the case for a more complete look. I like to start around the edges. This will ensure that you have clean edges and you won't get the look of rhinestones falling off the edge. Run a bit of glue down the edge of the case. How much? Well, don't overdo it. If it's spilling off the edge, you probably applied way to much.
Use the "Pick Me Up" tool to grab a rhinestone and place it along the glue line. It has a tacky side, for picking up crystals, and a pointy end, for adjusting the placement once it's down. Let me tell you: this tool works wonders, especially for someone like me who makes cases often. You can try picking it up with your hand, but placing it in the exact spot can be a hassle. Before I bought this tool, I would use tweezers to place them. That worked, okay. But this tool is meant for rhinestone placement.
Place the rhinestones all around the edge of the case, making a clean line. Even go around the camera holes. You may have to apply smaller rhinestones around the camera hole.
Glue around the inner parts of the case and fill it in with rhinestones. Before you know it, you'll be finished! Change up the colors if you like, add smaller pearls, beads and other pieces that stand out to you.