I knew I wanted to make my own bling iphone case about a month ago. I was reading my favorite blogger Gala Darling's diary about her adventures in Chicago and in one of the photos she is holding up this fabulous gem encrusted iphone cover she bought. It is sparkly pink, hearts, and pearls, and oooh I wanted it. (I have a thing for pink sparkly stuff, maybe I am still just a teen girl at heart). But instead of caving and searching all over for one to buy, I decided I would make my own version. I wanted to see just how hard they were to make, because I could see that they would make outstanding gifts.
This is not a typical Rebel Crafter project as this project takes a few hours to create. I still give it a big thumbs up for the time invested because when you are done you get to hold that little work of art in your hand all the time.
For supplies the blank iphone cases are sold at dollar stores. I went to my dollar store but they were sold out. They said they get them in periodically and to check back. I ended up buying my cases on Etsy for $7, so try the dollar store first. The cabochon trinkets can be found at the craft stores or on Etsy under cabochon in the "supplies" section. You can be creative and recycle stuff too. Many of my trinkets are scrapbooking stickers that I peeled the adhesive off the back before gluing down. Also, consider Gumball machine trinkets, charms for necklaces, earrings, and buttons with the shanks removed. Or skip trinkets and do an all over gem look. The flat back gems are pretty inexpensive. I bought most at Michael's where they have an area devoted to flat back gems and each container is about $2.99. I also bought a little bag of flat back pearls on Etsy.
This project ranks pretty easy (just takes time). You need:
Plain Hard Plastic iPhone cover (soft flexible does not work well) (check Ebay, dollar stores, and Etsy)
E-6000 Glue
Toothpicks
Gem Pick Up Tool Like "Quick Stick" or a Wax Pencil
Flat Back Gems in a couple sizes and colors (you do not want adhesive gems, do not buy the sticky kind) (Check on Ebay, Etsy, also sold at Michael's and other craft stores)
Flat Back Pearls (optional) (Find on Ebay, or Etsy, sometimes sold in craft stores like Michaels but often as stickers. If they are stickers you wil need to remove the adhesive backs)
Cabochon trinkets, refer to our Rockin' Hair Pins for ideas Ideas include dimensional stickers, large plastic gems found in kids crafting area, earring and necklace findings, and charms. If you always use your phone in your pocket stick with smooth gems like the pink case. Pronged gems may catch on your material.
Start by laying out your large trinket pieces on your iphone case until you like the placement.
Glue those down with E-6000. If the trinket is an adhesive plastic sticker make sure you peel off all of the adhesive back before gluing down as adhesive stickers would never hold up to the iphone use.
Next start filling in your gem background.
Take some E-6000 on a toothpick and spread out about 1/2-1 inch area. Do not spread more than 1 inch as the glue dries too quickly.
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Use your gem pick up tool or wax pencil to pick up a gem and start placing them. I like to spread out a variety of the gems on my work surface so I can pick up random sizes. Like a puzzle you will have to think about what size works best along corners etc. Decide if you want a pattern (like the border of the pink phone case), or random. I think in some ways the pattern is easier than random.
As you fill in an area stop and take a look to make sure you like everything before moving on.
Continue until your entire front is covered.
Let the cover dry for the evening, or at least an hour or so before continuing down the sides.
Lay out a few gems on the side to find the best placement for the narrow width before gluing down. Again this project is like a small cross stitch, it takes some time, but when you place that last gem on celebrate...you just rocked your iphone!
Let your cover dry for 24-48 hours before using or giving.
Continue until your entire front is covered.
Let the cover dry for the evening, or at least an hour or so before continuing down the sides.
Lay out a few gems on the side to find the best placement for the narrow width before gluing down. Again this project is like a small cross stitch, it takes some time, but when you place that last gem on celebrate...you just rocked your iphone!
Let your cover dry for 24-48 hours before using or giving.
Now is the perfect time to start making these little gems for Girlfriends, Sisters, Daughters, and Grand Daughter's. I think any girl would love one of these cases to rock their phone. I sure love mine!
XOX,
The Rebel Crafter
My Husband's before and after Nerium photo at 6 days. Click on the photo if you want to check out my Nerium page. It is a great product with a money back guarantee. Use it for the month and return it on day 29 if you don't love it. But if you are like all my friends you will love it!
Love this! The detailed instructions and really clear bright photos make this tutorial even better!
ReplyDeleteHi! I think this is just awesome! Would you like to be a guest poster with this tutorial tomorrow on my blog? I would love to have you!
ReplyDeleteEmail me at: courtney@betweenuandme.com
www.betweenuandme.com
this is amazing! The perfect thing which i need for my iPhone casing :) I would Love to try this any day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the directions :)
Can I ask about the wax pencil? I have never heard of this technique before. I would love to do this for my iphone! :) aileenbell@cox.net
ReplyDeleteThis came out sooo great!! I love them!! New follower here. Would love it if you would stop by and share this at my linky party :) http://everything-underthemoon.blogspot.com/2011/11/bedazzle-me-monday-7_6572.html
ReplyDeleteAlso, PRETTY PLEASE stop by and check out Random Act of Kindness Week going on next week! I would love it if you could participate!! More info here:
http://everything-underthemoon.blogspot.com/2011/11/kindness-and-thanksgiving.html
I got the wax pencil for $1 on Etsy under "supplies" as a gem pick up tool. It is basically a sticky pencil, but it feels like a waxy ink to me. I am not sure what it is made of though. There are gem pick up tools too. I have one from Archivers scrapbooking. I liked the pencil better though! You just need something sticky to pick up and place the little gems since they are so little.
ReplyDeletedo u happen to know where ide get the big bows and plastic roses?
DeleteThis is so cool! I'm so going to have to try this on my cell phone cover. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'd LOVE to make this for my daughter! She does not have an iphone, but another android. I just want to double check: this is a HARD case you are using, not one of the rubbery/silicone type. Is that correct?
ReplyDeleteIf any other crafters know, please feel free to answer my question! Much appreciated!!
Yes you want a hard plastic case. The silicone rubber will not work as well. I got my two covers from Etsy under the supplies section. They were called "blank" plastic cases. They may sell them for other brands. If not look for a plain color plastic case. The dollar stores sometimes have them. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!! I thought it would be a hard case, but for some reason I thought iphones had the silicone type! I'm all over this project this week!!!
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get the crazy cool skull pieces? Were they buttons? Or jewelry charms?
ReplyDeleteThey usually are rubber so I totally understand your confusion! I think the plastic cases are getting more popular, so hopefully you will find one at the store. If not Etsy should have them in the supplies area of their site. Just make sure to select "supplies" to see the "naked" choices :)
ReplyDeleteThe skeleton charms are Jolee's brand dimensional scrapbooking stickers. You get maybe 12 to a pack so they are on other projects of mine. I always remove the adhesive sticker from the backs just by rubbing them off. Now that Halloween is over if they are gone, you may have to buy them online. But hey you can use the extra ones for the Rockin' Hair Pins project :)
I LOVE it!! What a great idea!! Thanks for linking it!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of creating your own DIY bedazzled case!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, awesome!!! I, too, have a thing for pink sparkly things!! But this is great.. I'm really thinking I'm going to have to do this soon! My phone cover is hot pink.. but when I get sick of it.. I'll be referring back to you! Thanks! I'm also following you now!
ReplyDeleteI love the bling!! love love love! Just wanted to stop by and let you know that you were featured! Check it out and grab a button! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thekurtzcorner.com/2011/11/features-no14-link-party-no15.html
Thank you for linking up to our party show and share #13. come back this week.
ReplyDeleteA mommy's life...with a touch of yellow
tyandwhitneyulrich.blogspot.com
Love that bling. It makes my iPhone look like a Plain Jane...
ReplyDeleteI featured you at Creative Juice today. Great tutorial!
Wow, this is so cool! I like the skull one :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm going to tweet about this because it is just too cool. Nice going!
ReplyDelete*smile*
@scrapcollectr
Thanks I appreciate the tweet!
ReplyDeleteThis is beautful. I am always on the lookout for embellishments. I make Phone covers, jewelry and basically anything I can cover from vintage findings, swarovski crystals, pearls, semi precious gemstones. You can check out some of my work on my FB group chryssies jewelry. All the best to you, and thanks for the leads :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen these on ebay and I don't have an iphone but I'm going to ROCK MY DROID.... hehehe Just as soon as I can get to Michael's!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnother idea for a wax pencil, is to just use a crayon, it works great when transferring gems onto any project!!
ReplyDeleteExcellent Tip, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous! I love the bowl and the skull too cute!!
ReplyDeleteWould you consider making and selling your iphone covers?? I would be very interested! The pink one is just too cute!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment! Glad you liked it enough to buy one! At this time I am not selling them, but if that changes I will post. I would check Etsy to see if anyone is selling some similar. Gotta love Etsy! :)
ReplyDeleteOh my! how did I not see this post on your blog before?! Just fantastic and def on my to-do list xx
ReplyDeleteAre these for sale??? You would make a lot of money by selling them!!! Genius! i would be VERY interested if you would sell them!!
ReplyDeleteFound through Pinterest! AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I don't sell them but if I change my mind I will put the info on my blog I promise!
ReplyDelete*FYI I was at the dollar tree yesterday 1/8/11 and they had $1 plastic iphone cases in stock.
What section of dollar tree did you find them? Were they with the office supplies? So far I haven't been able to find them at the dollar tree where i live. :(
DeleteOh, this is totally cute! Thanks so much for linking up! Don't forget to come again next Monday!
ReplyDeleteDo you think it would be possible on a 3GS case? They aren't square like the iPhone 4 but I love this idea!!
ReplyDeleteI have used the flat back crystals..I don't have any luck with the glue..I have used E600 and others...the back melts and then it looks cloudy from the front...any sugestions?
ReplyDeleteYou can bling any case as long as it is hard plastic. The soft flexible rubber does not work well. :)
ReplyDeleteI find the clear crystals to not look as good as the colored ones. The crystals I bought on Etsy under "supplies" were more faceted and definitely looked and worked better. I think the quality must be slightly different than the Michael's ones. I would get some faceted crystals from Etsy. Try those and use more of the flat back pearls and large gems and you might like the look better. Also consider a colored case instead of clear or white one. I like the pink plastic case project better than the white case by far. You get more of a color showing through to light up the gems better.
ReplyDeleteYour phone covers look great!
ReplyDeleteomg i cant tell you how much i love this! i did one for myself and love showing it off and now i have many requests to make more! thank you so much
ReplyDeleteUmmm are you kidding me?! This is flippin awesome!
ReplyDeletemaxwellhouseinteriors.blogspot.com
A definite must try !!!
ReplyDeleteThat is totally awesome! How creative you are!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking it up at Tell it to Me Tuesday @ Creatively Living!
--Katie
great tutorial :) i blogged it today!
ReplyDeleteWow! That is seriously cute!
ReplyDeletehttp://fitcraftystylishandhappy.blogspot.com/
I hoped you would come back again. Your whole blog kind of embodies the "Drab to Fab" theme. Thanks for showing us this tutorial. How cool and fun to personalize an iphone case. I love this, and I know my readers did too! Thanks for linking girl!
ReplyDeleteAmy
U should sell these!!
ReplyDeleteHow cute and sparkly!
ReplyDeleteI'm featuring this and your $ store favor box makeover tonight on Tell it to Me Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteCome on by and grab a button,
--Katie
@ Creatively Living
That is some serious bling on your iphone. I love black and pink together (those are the colours on my iphone case, though of course it isn't as awesome as yours). Thanks for linking it up to our LInk It Up Thursday party.
ReplyDeletethis is SO cute! where did you get the roses??
ReplyDeleteI got some roses on Etsy under the "supplies" section and some are from the scrapbooking area at Michael's. You just have to remove the sticker off the back of those :)
DeleteMy cousin and I just did this!!! We had so much fun and love the results! Thanks for the idea and the how-to. Here's a picture of mine. (Just the back is done!)
ReplyDeletehttp://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/405485_10150534181643458_502158457_8877135_525268083_n.jpg
Oh I love this! It turned out great!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing with me!
Any chance I can buy the black or even both???
ReplyDeletet2c3c6dsgt@yahoo.com
I don't sell these cases as I have been using them :)I may put together a phone kit if anyone is interested. (a bag with all of the gems and cabochons needed to make one). Any interest let me know. If so I will add the kits to my site. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this!!!! I'm going to buy myself an iPhone so that I can do this too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this on The DIY Dreamer :)
I would purchase a phone kit! I have an HTC phone and it is very hard to find a case already made like this for it. I went hunting for all the jewels and had no luck finding any that I like. I would buy the jewels online, but now I don't know how many of each. I bought a case and the glue but still don't have the jewels :/
ReplyDeleteIf you decide to put kits together please email me @ bridget_danielle57@yahoo.com
Thanks :)
beautiful! i so want to try this!!! totally awesome!
ReplyDeletewww.aloveleemix.blogspot.com
I would recommend getting your gems on ebay. Yeah they take awhile to come from (china MOST of the time) another country but its worth the cheap price. Just search around. Can also buy cheap trinkets on there too. Or wholesales of necklaces, break off the loop, and go from there. Losts of ideas. Btw i've heard the best glue to use for there type of projects is gs hypo cemement. It has a detailing nosel therefore you could use it without making a mess like e6000. And you could get a plain iphone case (or any simple case) for about 1 dollar on ebay as well. Everythings usually ALWAYS cheaper there. :) If you're having a hard time finding gems. Look up "Nail art rhinestones" or "Flatback rhinestones" Or you could also use "Flatback pearls" plus more. Just usually put in flatback or nail art. Because its usually sold under there catagories. 1.5mm gems are the smallest and they are TINY! So if you want the gems above go for about 4mm or so. Hope that helps alittle :)
ReplyDeleteThis is great info! I had not checked Ebay! I am going to add this to my blog post!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this! It turned out great. Too bad I don't have an iphone. Thanks for sharing at Terrific Tuesdays.
ReplyDeleteRachel
This is so cute. I love it.
ReplyDeleteTranae
www.becomingfab.com
ADORABLE! What a great great idea! Thanks for the tutorial!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! Great idea and easy too!
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS SO CUTE! I always love the bedazzled phone cases but they are $$$$! I definitely want to do this! I would love for you to come by and link this great project up at our Naturally-Nifty Linky Party!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.natural-nester.blogspot.com/2012/02/naturally-nifty-linky-party-4.html
This awesome bling is being featured this week for Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy! Thanks for linking! I can't wait to see what you have this week!
ReplyDeleteThe cases were not by pens and pencils etc. but on a different aisle with misc. stuff like ear phones. Definitely ask if they sell them. Apparently they sell out really fast when they get them in. The last one I bought had a sticker on it which I peeled off. You can also buy them on Ebay or Etsy under "supplies".
ReplyDeleteThanks--I actually ended up finding a couple at the 3rd dollar tree i went to yesterday. They both have those 3D type flicker stickers on them, which I'm hoping I can peel off. I just wish I could find one that's pink instead of white. I checked etsy and could only find white, black or clear. I asked the people at the dollar tree stores and they looked at me like I had 3 heads--LOL! I'll keep checking back there now that I know they're in with the headphones and flashlights and stuff. THANKS! :)
ReplyDeleteIs there any way you could make the skull one again to sell?
ReplyDeleteplease email me at lauren.harmon94@gmail.com
I make and sell these cases for all phones email me for more info Kelly_gordon 1@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for linking your projects up to our Friday Block Party. Funny I was in the mall today cursing at the $50 price tag of the phone cases and thinking of how I could save so much by doing it myself. Im going to have to give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration. Have a great weekend and hope to see you again next Friday.
ReplyDeleteTami @ Curb Alert!
This is absolutely gorgeous! I looked at some phone covers similar to this and they were very pricey. These could be made exactly the way I would like it for half the price. Thank you so much for this tutorial. Do you mind if I pin this to Pinterest?
ReplyDeleteCan you please make these and sell them lol i really want one but not that creative!! lol
ReplyDeleteI really should sell these! :) I may make up kits, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Soon I think. They are easy to make though :)
ReplyDeleteDoes the E6000 glue "crackle" the backing of your crystals? I have had terrible results with that and the glue I used.
ReplyDeleteYou can see on the up close shots of the phone that some of the gems get a little crackled or blurry. It isn't very noticeable though when you put that many crystals on the phone. I found there was a difference in the quality of the gems. Some have better backing material so you wouldn't "see through" to the back. The better quality gems were off of Etsy. I also think a colored phone case is less noticeable then on a white case. One reader preferred GS Hypo cement. Try that possibly. I can't recommend it because I haven't tried it. Also Ebay sells crystals too.
ReplyDeleteHi. I was wondering where you got that huge pink bow? I LOVE it.
ReplyDeleteI got it on Etsy. When you go on Etsy search by first clicking on "supplies" at the top. Then type in "bow cabochon" and you will get all sorts of plastic bow options. I can't remember if mine was a medium, or large plastic bow though. I love the bow too! :)
Deletehey love your idea. its totally awesome. the detailed instructions are very clear and informative. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletePhone Cover
I got my hard plastic cases from DX.com for just $1.60 ea. with free shipping :) Can't wait to get started!
ReplyDeleteI make these iPhone cases and other cases. Email me at i2heart29@yahoo.com
ReplyDeletedo you do anything to seal the gems after gluing them on?
ReplyDeleteHi! I have loved this case since the first time I saw it! I have entered it in a gallery page called “Ways to Deck the Halls with Glitter”, linking full credit back to your blog, of course. I would love for you to review it and please let me know that I have your approval. Otherwise I will take it off of the page immediately.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tami @ Curb Alert!
http://tamicurbalert.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
Wonderful site and huge information. The information present here is helpful for the readers I'll come back to this blog for sure!
ReplyDeleteCrafting Tools
Sensational! Can't wait to bling and glitter my phone. Thanks for the fantastic ideas! c-:
ReplyDeleteDo you think you can use this same method to decorate a PS3 controller?
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteSo sorry I missed this comment! Yes any phone cover or remote etc. will work. Hard plastic though. Soft flexible plastic can be tough. You can use this same concept on ipod cases, laptops, readers etc!
Helllo i have a ?.... Why do my rhinestones get cloudy with the glue?, i use e-6000... Is there another better glue for rhinestones?....... Tnkx
ReplyDeleteXoxo
Hi,
DeleteSo sorry for the delay!!!! I was out of town. The clear ones can get cloudy. The weird thing is not all do though. The ones I purchased from Etsy didn't, but the cheaper dollar store ones did. There isn't anything you can really do. When you look at my pink case you can see some of the stones are cloudy, but the overall look will still look good :)
This is awesome. Nice idea and so easy. I like it. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYour phone case is so lovely. I followed all your instructions and I found out that it is very easy to do that beautiful Rhinestones phone case. Thank a lot really. Continue to share your knowledge because this blog is so useful and a big help for us readers.
ReplyDelete