How to Rhinestone Shoes

My first DIY post and I'm so excited to share this one with you! 

Okay, so anyone who knows me, know that I LOVE to add bling to just about anything.  But, what most people don't know is just how easy it is!  Love those rhinestone heels, but not in your budget?  No worries...I'm here to help show you how to make your own!  For this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to rhinestone your own heels, so here's a photo of mine.  I bought them on ebay for $20.  They have some glitter to them, but that doesn't really matter because I'll be covering that up with lots of stones! 



Next, glue.  This is essential!  I have used different types of glue, but of them all, GEM-TAC by Beacon has proven to be my favorite.  You can purchase this at your local craft supply store for just a few bucks.  I have used Jewel-It by Aleene's and that works fine, but I've had more success with stones not falling off with GEM-TAC.  Do not use E-6000!!!!  Though it's a great glue for many things, it's often too stinky, stringy and just down right messy for most projects!  GEM-TAC goes on white, similar the old school Elmer's that we are used to using as kids, but dries clear.  I like it because when working with shoes especially, you can move the stones around as you are working because it doesn't dry instantly, which is good thing for this project.  The spray adhesive shown in the last photo is great for adding glitter to the bottom of the sole or heel.  Just spray on and dump the glitter onto the surface. Make sure you lay down paper underneath to catch the excess glitter that falls so you can continue to reuse it!
 

Next, you'll need your stones.  How do you know what to get?  Well, it all just depends on budget and project.  If you have a tight budget, then the acrylic rhinestones are perfect for you.  They aren't the most sparkly, but they are cheap and will still give off some glimmer when on stage.  I like using inBloom by Bead Design.  I purchased this one pound tub at Hobby Lobby for $9, thanks to coupons!  They sell them in all sorts of colors, sizes and shapes.  I usually just get the variety pack of round ones and have purchased in clear and colors.  For these shoes, I'm making them for a Valentine's pageant, so I'm going with reds, pinks and purples.





RGA stones in ab crystal and jet ab

If you want a more "expensive" look, then Swarovski is really the way to go.  I will warn you, though you can typically buy them in bulk, they can be a bit pricey.  So, the cheater version are RGA stones.  I use these often.  They are less expensive, but give the same effect and actually, for stage and longer distance viewing, they tend to be better because their surface cut is typically larger, so picks up the light nicely.  If you are working on something that will be viewed up close, then Swarovski is still the best option.  Here's two bags of RGA stones that I currently have.  I found them online, 1440 stones for just $15! 


Now it's time to stone!  The glue has a nice needle nose tip, so you can either apply the glue directly to the stone or directly on the shoe.  I usually use my fingers, but it can be messy, so tweezers are good to have on hand.  Don't worry about applying too much glue because remember,  it will dry clear.  I'm kind of an over-gluer, but it's never failed me!  When stoning with colors, I usually just place them randomly so they create a nice multi-color effect.  You'll want to use different sizes to cover the whole shoe and sort of fit them in like a puzzle...find the size that fits the area you are working.  The toe, especially if more pointed, can be the most difficult part of the shoe, so I usually use the smaller stones to fill in that area.  Continue until the entire shoe is covered.  You can create patterns, stone the heel, don't stone the heel, stone parts of the shoe...it's YOUR custom creation, so do what you want! 

Once you are done creating the look you want, it's important that you let them dry overnight.  Set them somewhere where they won't be bumped into or bothered so they can fully dry, untouched.  And...THAT'S IT!  Yep, that's right....it's just that easy!  So basically for under $40, I have my very own custom rhinestone heels.  I've done these even cheaper with less expensive shoes because it doesn't really matter what they look like on the outside as you'll be covering them anyways, so this is also a perfect way to re-furbish old shoes and bring new life to them!  Here's my finished product...

You can take these tips and really stone just about anything!  When adding rhinestones on fabric, you won't be able to move them around in place though like you can with shoes, so I suggest laying out your pattern ahead of time and then adding the stones one-by-one in their exact spot. 


Check out the other things that I've rhinestoned!

Rhinestone swimwear using blue RGA

purple acrylic stones in various sizes

jet ab RGA stones on lace

rhinestone gown using red and ab colors

randomly placed Swarovski stones on nude peep toes

crystal acrylic stones

acrylic



Made these for my friend, a breast cancer survivor.
I just used smaller stones to spell out the words!



Still not sure if you can do this on your own?  Contact me and I'd be happy to custom stone for you or help answer any questions you might have! :)  Happy Blinging!