I LOVE flip flops and living in sunny Florida I live in them year round. So while shopping at a local store I picked up a few plain flip flops, turned the corner and then spotted the bedazzled version and quickly put the plain ones back. To my surprise when I got up to the register the bedazzled flip flops where almost double the price of the plain ones, and that's when I decided to go home and research the idea.
The verdict of supplies needed:
- the sandal (s)
- rhinestones
- glue
- wax (I'll explain later)
- beading tool (again I'll explain later)
Off I marched to the craft store only to be blown off my feet by the cost of the crystals & left pretty quickly... But as we all know, when something is wayyy expensive at the stores where do we go?? Online of course!
And B-I-N-G-O right away off E-bay I found 1440 count Swarovski flatback 10ss rhinestones for $36.99! IF I had purchased that amount at the craft store at their prices it would have cost me $250!
Next was glue, after some research it was quite obvious the best glue to use for this project is E-6000, I did find that at the craft store for $3.99 for a 2.0 oz tube. There is probably a safer glue out there but like I said I was looking for the best.. The back label is a little scary, the state of California states it causes cancer.. oh we gotta love our west coasters <3 But whatever, wear a mask, or not..
Anyways, the flip flops where a dead giveaway. The best quality and price easily comes from Old Navy, buying more then 2 they are $2.50 each and the quality is outstanding.
The two odd balls are wax and a beading tool ( I apologize but I forgot the name of the tool, but its basically a small thin metal needle like tool with a blunt end and a little handle ) FAR easier to use than a toothpick and it was only $3.99. The wax is used to put a small ball on the end of the tool to easily pick up the rhinestones. You can use any type of wax, I used the only one I could find at the craft store that cost me $2.99 for a small pot.
NOW that we have everything we need we can get started!
As far as designs and colors the possibilities are endless, for my first design I used a clear and pink rhinestone combination.
First lay out all the rhinestone pretty side up, THIS can be a pain in the rear end and WILL be the most time consuming part of the entire process. There really isn't an easy way to do, i just flipped them over with my finger nail.
Next apply and thin line of glue to the strap in the area you want to decorate. The glue is very messy but dries very clear, if you mess up just let it dry and it easily peels off. Only apply a small amount of glue at a time because it dries quickly, keeping in mind you have to wait aprox 10 seconds to let it set so it will be tacky enough to hold the rhinestone.
**Note - although it seems easier and less messier to dip each rhinestone in the glue and apply it to the strap this glue is far to stringy and it just makes more of a mess..
At this point your two odd balls should be ready, simply stick a little ball of wax on the end of the beading tool as pictured...
And that's pretty much it, just pick the rhinestone up and place it onto the glue and design away!
The glue dries pretty quickly but I recommend letting it sit overnight.
Some other side notes : You can use any crystal size you want but I found the 10ss size is a perfect medium between ridiculously small and too gaudy.
The glue really does stink.. Even though I joked about it I would wear one of those face masks next time because I did get a headache after every time I used the glue..
Lastly, you can use this process on almost anything! The back label of the glue explains some surfaces it does not bond with but when it dries it the best glue I have ever used. DON'T even think about it ladies you can NOT use it as eyelash glue, I know I already did... Just Kidding ! =)
