Crystal Innovations Swarovski Value Packs, Rhinestones and Beads

I love rhinestones, I love how I can turn a dull plain t-shirt into a work of art, where people are complementing and asking, 'where did you get that shirt?' I love watching their jaws drop as I tell them I made it myself.

Why stop at just clothing though, with rhinestones I can turn my cell phone into a sparkling rainbow, I can add some flair to my old shoes, heck I can even deck out my computer screen.

Rhinestones though as I noticed begin to fade. Most of them available on the market now all fade and loose their color in due time, what angered me most was that I had spent quite a few bucks on collecting all of them in different sizes, shapes and colors.

However while browsing a local hot spot of mine, I discovered that I could buy packs of Swarovski flat back crystals. These crystals however were much smaller, yet would sparkle like no other rhinestone I had ever seen. One set back though, one pack of only 20 cost nearly $6.00. Perhaps though, spending more would mean better looking items, and non-fading.

I picked up 4 packs of Crystal Innovations Swarovski flat backs, 2 in pink, and 2 in white. I was planning on gluing them down to my wallet in a candy cane striped pattern. In all I had 40 of each color, and it looked as if this was all I would need. I only planned on striping the middle anyway.

The hardest lesson learned about flat backs is the type of glue to use so that way the stones stay put and don't peel off. I find that using an extremely small amount of Gorilla Glue and water work like a charm.

When I got home, I took out my wallet and placed a very small drip of glue on to the wallet. I then used a paper towel drenched in water to spread the glue. You have to be very careful not to use too much glue or it will bubble! This glue takes 24 hours to harden, so you have plenty of time to work with your crystals.
I used a pair of tweezers, and placed each crystal on to the wallet where I wanted it. After about an hour of strategic placing, and using steady hands, I was done. It looked fabulous, and best of all the Swarovski rhinestones really make a difference compared to cheap plastic ones.