carnivàle sparkle sunglasses +diy

So if you frequent my blog you obviously have already acknowledged my obsession with gems. I've embellished shoes, hats, shirts, nails and more - but never sunglasses. Well, my friends, now is the time.



These faux Prada glasses (find them here) were kind of plain - and I needed a way to dress them up.So after receiving some of this great sapphire rhinestone chain from Pandahall,  I first thought of using it in a jewelry tutorial. But, why not change it up a bit? It's ability to lay flat and bend/turn made it great for gluing on these frames.



I also added Cousin M'bellish flat backs to fill in some spots, and add more glitz. You can grab these or any other flat backs at Michael's, JoAnn, AC Moore and Walmart.



So totally luxe-looking, they definitely stand out - feel free to mix up colors here. I stuck with clear crystals, but using multicolors would make for a total Carnivale-type look!



Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are sunglasses -you can get the SAME ones I used (faux Pradas) here!-, E6000 glue, a toothpick, rhinestone cup chain (mine from Pandahall here) and flatback crystals (mine from Cousin's M'Bellish line here). You could also use Swarovski flat backs, Crystazzi flat backs or other similar styles.



Step 2: Start gluing. It's super simple - with the toothpick, place a small dab of E6000 glue at the edge of the glasses frame (I started at the center of my swirl). Lay the first rhinestone on this glue- then, simply keep adding dabs of glue, and laying your chain down. Because of the shape of my frames, I did this swirl in one separate piece.



I added another piece to fill out the arms of the glasses. Repeat with other side.



Step 3: Embellish. I again glued down crystal flat backs with dabs of glue, adding a fan-like pattern to the edges of my glasses. I trimmed just the top of the lenses with another length of rhinestone chain. I cut all my chain after gluing it, to make sure I wasn't too short or too long with my cuts.



Are you digging them? I'd pair these with denim skinny jeans, a graphic tee and sneakers. Add a crystal bib necklace if you want to go all out!



I love the blue / silver combo here, adding a modernity to otherwise retro-type glasses. A black / gold combo would create a very luxe, more goth vibe. What colors would you choose?!



All photos copyright Allison Beth Cooling. DO NOT post or use photos without linking to me and crediting me.

If you use this tutorial to make your own pair of glasses, post a pic to Instagram and tag me @quietlioncreations - I'll repost you!