Ilene Baranowitz - Create Your Own Bling: Add Glamour to Your Favorite Accessories

Create

Your Own

Bling

By Ilene Baranowitz

@2007 by Ilene Baranowitz
Published by

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The following trademarked terms and companies appear in this publication:

Art Accentz Terrifically Tacky Tape, B-D Foil-Wrapped Swabs, BeDazzler, BeJeweler Stone Styler, BlingKits, Bond 527, Brisk-Set, Crafters Pick Jewel Bond, Crystal Crafter, Czech Preciosa, Decorative Touch , E-6000 Craft Adhesive, ebay, GeMagic, Gem-Tac, Goodwill Industries International, Inc., Kandi Corp. Kandy Kane, Mill Hill, Mylar, PCStitch, Rhinestone Pickerr-Uperr, Stitch Painter, Swarovski, Teflon, Valspar Goof Off, Wonder Tape

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2006925060

ISBN-13: 978-0-89689-437-2

ISBN-10: 0-89689-437-1

eISBN-13: 978-1-4402-2104-0

Designed by Heidi Bittner-Zastrow and Emily Adler

Edited by Erica Swanson

Acknowledgments

Id like to thank the following:

Susan Ray, for being a terrific friend and connecting me with the wonderful people at F+W Publications.

Candy Wiza, for believing in my concept so much and championing it to the rest of the staff at F+W, and for all your help when things felt overwhelming.

Susan Sliwicki, for all your help during the transition between editors.

Sarah Brown, for your help in the initial stages of editing.

Erica Swanson, for being the greatest editor an author could want, and for stepping in when I really needed it most.

F+W Publications staff, illustrator and photographer for making this BLING come to life.

Mister Nailhead on eBay and Swarovski, Inc., for your help in making the projects a reality.

Abby Riba at Kandi Corporation, for your assistance with answers to many of my questions and your kind donations of materials.

Cochenille Design Studios for Stitch Painter, and M & R Technologies, Inc. for PC Stitch Pro.

Phil Brandt, the Rhinestone Guy, for the use of his fantastic color chart and all the wonderful rhinestone information available on his Web site.

Arthur Baker, for all of your help and encouragement always.

My parents, Alex and Thelma Kolotkin, for always being there for me in good times and bad

To my sister, Gayle, my brother-in-law, Marc, and Hunter, Gavin and Ciera I love you all!

My sons, Linn and Logan, and their wives, Jill and Lena, for being the greatest family a mother could ask for you make me so proud.

Garrett, my first grandson, born while the book was being written I love you so much!

And mostly, my husband Dave for being there for me and always believing in my crazy ideas.

Thanks,

Ilene

Table of Contents

Beginning
to Bling!

Imagine yourself all decked out for a night on the town carrying a precious minaudire that you embellished yourself. You could turn heads wherever you go! Thats what Create Your Own Bling is all about teaching you how to design a dazzling new look that will make you feel like a Hollywood star.

Items encrusted with crystals and rhinestones are just as popular as ever. Judith Leiber, the grande dame of handbag design, has been creating jeweled handbags for four decades. Her bags command prices in the thousands and they are worth every penny! Her purses are in the permanent collections of some of the finest museums, and she has designed for First Ladies, starlets, and the rich and famous. On the red carpet, there is an unwritten rule that designer gowns accented by million-dollar diamonds must be accompanied by a Judith Leiber purse. Those lucky enough to own one of her creations know that it is a prize to be cherished. These glistening status symbols can be found anywhere from runways to state dinners, and they are available in chic boutiques as well as high-end department stores.

My first encounter with a Judith Leiber purse was at an expensive department store in a very upscale shopping mall in Northern Virginia. You know the type of mall I mean they are more like museums than retailers, and they might as well be museums because you cant afford to buy anything there! I was drawn to the purses displayed in a glass case, and their dazzling beauty took my breath away. From that day forward, I found myself going to the mall just to admire them and the more I looked, the more crystal-embellished items I found.

To honor the creator of these masterpieces, I have adapted the technique of applying crystals to evening bags. If you have the patience for meticulously placing individual rhinestones on evening bags, you can fashion a beautiful satin treasure. Although these homemade accessories may not compare to the uniquely molded shapes and styles of Ms. Leibers bags, usually referred to as minaudires, the effect can still be quite stunning. With a little imagination, you can find many vintage and current evening bags to decorate. Your bargain hunting skills will come in handy at thrift stores, flea markets, dollar stores and garage sales and dont forget eBay!

In addition to evening bags, consider decorating other accessories shoes, clothing, accessories such as compacts and lipstick holders, perfume bottles, pillboxes, mirrors, eyeglass frames and, of course, cell phones. The possibilities are endless!

I have become addicted to the thrill of the hunt and transforming my bargain finds into sparkling crystal studded creations and I know you will love it too!

Sparkling Stones

Within the plethora of flat-backed crystals in all price ranges, from the brilliant Swarovski and Preciosa Austrian crystals to less expensive acrylic rhinestones, there are various sizes and a multitude of colors to meet your needs. In addition to crystals, there are flat-backed pearls and metal nail-heads in many colors, shapes, sizes and styles.

When choosing which rhinestones to use, bear in mind the expense of covering the desired item. It may look spectacular to cover the entire surface of a bag with Swarovski crystals, but those high-end stones may add up to an expensive endeavor. Check the color and size charts for ways to determine the quantity of stones you will need for any project.

Types of stones available:

Crystals

Swarovski crystals

The name Swarovski has become almost synonymous with crystal flat-backs or rhinestones. The brilliance and clarity of the stones, due to the high lead content, provides the most spectacular bling of all the products on the market. The crystals are faceted with great precision, resulting in tiny prisms on the surface of the stones. Until recently, these crystals contained 12 facets surrounding the flat center panel on each stone. Swaroski recently introduced a new Xilion Rose cut with 14 facets, which add more brilliance and sparkle. In addition, the glue on the back of the hot-fix stones (application described on on page 15) melts at a lower temperature for faster application.