Shine on, you crazy diamond-lover
If you want to dabble in bedazzling this holiday, check out Kyle Farmer y’s top tips
Put down the hot-glue gun
“Do not use a hot-glue gun for rhinestoning!” Farmery warns. “It doesn’t bond to the surface very well, and all your hard work may end up falling off.” Farmery’s go-to glue is Gem-Tac by Beacon, a nontoxic glue he discovered after trying “every possible glue you can think of — even nail and super glue.”
Perfect precision
For wall-to-wall, zero-white-space looks on large surfaces, Farmery suggests coating the object you’re working on with a thin layer of glue, using a paintbrush. Let it dry before applying a second coat (“Wait 30 seconds for it to get tacky,” he says), and then start applying crystals. “If you’d like to do more of a spread-out, dotted technique, you can use the applicator the glue comes with or, for smaller dots, fill a flat needle-tip syringe with the glue. I’ve even used beeswax on the end of a chopstick to glue dots,” Farmery says.
Buying bling
Farmery’s favorite place to buy crystal rhinestones is Looking Glass Gems, an online shop out of Baltimore that sells “affordable glass rhinestones,” Farmery says, and one of the only companies that “can create custom glass rhinestones in different shapes, colors and sizes.” The company also makes Amanda Lepore’s exclusive crystal hearts. In New York, Farmery frequents B&Q Trimmings in the Garment District.
Avoid velvets and suedes
It’s too thick and porous to be a good rhinestoning surface, Farmery says, and “the glue will seep into the fabric.” If you must use tricky fabrics such as velvet, felt or suede, opt for the Hot Fix brand of crystals and applicators. “Their crystals hold quite well to troublesome materials,” Farmery says. “I use it to decorate Christmas stockings!”
Give shoes new life
“A good way to revamp an old pair of high heels or boots is to paint them with acrylic paint, and then rhinestone them with whatever color crystals you’d like,” Farmery says. “Acrylic paint won’t peel.” Farmery prefers Lumiere paint from Jacquard.