Some boots are made for walking, but if you have loftier plans for yours, learn how to decorate a pair with rhinestones for attention-getting, sparkling footwear that says plenty about your fashion aesthetic. You may already have a design idea or perhaps you’ve been clipping pages from fashion magazines with photos of celebs like Jessica Simpson, Sienna Miller, Carrie Underwood and Jewel dressed in their own sparkling boots, but who’s got the bucks to buy those pricey kicks? Worry not. If you learn how to use leather decorating tools, you can put your own glittery spin on a pair and out-bedazzle those Hollywood fashionistas any day of the week.
1. Think first about whether you are willing to sacrifice a pricey pair of boots to the crafting gods or you could find yourself boo-hooing into your tissues halfway through your rhinestone-setting experience. Instead, snare a pair of gently worn boots at a resale shop or discounter in your area so no Frye or other pricey brand of boots are harmed during your first learning experience.
2. Choose the right rhinestones for your leather boot project and invest in serious rhinestone setting tools – not that $20 stone-setting kit you saw on the cable TV commercial that gave you the idea of adding glitz to your boots in the first place. Inexpensive rhinestone setting tool kits are made for lightweight materials; use one to decorate leather boots, and there’s a good chance it will break just a few minutes into your project.
3. Buy the right prong/mount sizes so you don’t wind up with incompatibility issues. Your faux stones must be the same sizes as the prong/tiffany mounts you choose to hold them in place, so be precise. If you don’t seat stones into mounts manufactured for specific stone sizes, you could bend the settings while you’re in the midst of your crafting project or lose the rhinestones as soon as you start wearing the boots. Buy extra mounts so you don’t wind up short if you damage a few.
4. Draw an outline of each boot so you can use it to delineate design boundaries. For example, sketch a spray of daisies and leaves on the paper in preparation for mounting petals of white, pear-shaped rhinestones, yellow center stones and green, marquise-shaped leaves. Once you’re satisfied with the design, transfer it to the boots using transfer paper and a stylus or sharp pen. You can use a single sketch for both if you flop the pattern horizontally when you work on the second boot.
5. Practice attaching stones to a section of cardboard before you begin mounting them on your boots or use an old handbag or belt as your leather guinea pig. Experiment with different tool settings and mounts to ascertain how much pressure it takes to penetrate the leather. No glue, please. One Texas Two Step down the road could leave more bling on the dance floor than remains on your boots — even if you used a highly recommended glue product.
6. Attach the stones to the boots by punching through the leather to install one setting at a time. Take your time using the rhinestone setter tool so everything’s precise. Fasten all of the mounts to the leather boots before you begin inserting gems and then crimp the prongs around rhinestones to secure each one. Admire your handiwork before taking those babies out on the town. Bring a calling card so you’re prepared for admirers asking where you got your sexy boots.
