Glitter Phone Charger

In an effort to satisfy my love for glitter, this week’s tutorial will be on glitter phone chargers!  I’m in love with all things glitter, and while I know there are already several videos and blogs online, I wanted to take things one step further by incorporating a few of the currently trending patterns. In the post that follows, I’ll show you have to do chevron and ombre patterned glitter chargers, and at the end, you’ll be given the opportunity to win a Phillip Lim inspired micro usb charger made by yours truly. Happy crafting!

You need:

• Phone charger - white works best for bright colors
• Mod Podge - I used the matte version so that it's easier to tell when it's still when enough to apply glitter
• Small paint brush - the more complex your design is, the smaller the brush should be
• Glitter! I bought two multi-color packages from Michael's to get the biggest color range for the least amount money. You'll want to go with a finer glitter (not one with super huge flecks)
• Skinny permanent marker
• Sealant - I used Mod Podge clear acrylic spray in the shiny finish, but clear nail polish will also work
• Tape

Pre-crafting preparation: To help contain the excess glitter, you can put down a layer of newspaper. You may also want to keep a small hand-held broom or vacuum close by. To prepare your phone charger, you can wipe it down with Windex – you’d be surprised how dirty these things get! If your charger is relatively new or clean, you can skip cleaning. The most important part of the preparation is wrapping the areas that will stay plain in tape – the usb port (this will get a small piece of tape over it to cover the hole), the metal prongs, and on the cord, both the usb metal and the first inch or so of the cord.

Step One

To start, you’ll want to plan out your pattern.  Note: the ombre patter is much easier to execute, and is therefore more beginner friendly. The chevron pattern requires more time, patience, and a steady hand. I will provide several step-by-step photos of the chevron pattern to help you along.

 Chevron: I first drew the design on a piece of scrap paper, and then cut it out to use as a stencil.  Next, trace the stencil onto your charger with the permanent marker. If in this step you make a mistake, you can “erase” it fairly well with nail polish remover – just make sure it dries completely before moving on to the next step. When considering what glitter to use, keep in mind that you’ll want one background color, and a few darker stripe colors.

Ombre: After selecting your two base colors (I chose gold and lavender), you’ll create two in-between mixed colors. One should be closer to the first base color, and one should be closer to the second base color.  I used the cut-off corners of a Ziploc to mix and then store my goldish-lavender glitter and my lavenderish-gold glitter.  

Step Two

In this step, we’ll be applying the Mod Podge. Keep in mind that this step will have to be done quickly and in small sections so that the glitter can be applied before it has dried.

Chevron: Using the small paintbrush, paint inside the lines of your base color stripes. This is the only step in which you can do multiple stripes without waiting in between – the base color will be the same everywhere, so it’s a little harder to mess up.

Ombre: Apply glue to the bottom quarter of your charger. The top edge of that section should be wavy instead of perfectly straight – this will help the sections blend together a bit better.

Note:  if you are using white glitter, any permanent marker lines will show through. Make sure that the white is just inside the lines, and that the darker stripes cover the lines. If your charger has a dark logo  that you don’t want to see through the glitter, you can cover it with whiteout before applying the glue.

Step Three

For both patterns, you’ll want to pour on a pretty thick layer of glitter. If you pat the glitter on, or dip the charger into the glitter, if will have a different look. You may want to play around with technique before you start so that you can figure out what you like best. After covering each section, you can tap the charger gently against your work surface to knock off extra glitter.

Chevron: Gently pour the base color glitter onto the sections you just painted with Mod Podge. After a drying period of about twenty minutes, you can repeat steps two and three for each subsequent color stripe. If you have large amount of excess glitter, you can tap it off in between each step - just be careful to only touch plain areas. Once the stripes are done, you can cover the sides and back of your charger - I used just the base color, but you can continue the chevron pattern if you'd like. 

Ombre: Pour your first solid base color onto the first quarter. After allowing it to dry, you can repeat steps two through three for each subsequent level. The next color to go on will be the mix that is closest to the first base. The third color will be the mix that is furthest from the first base (and closest to the second base), while the fourth color will be your second base color.

Step FourAfter allowing your charger to dry overnight, gently brush off any excess glitter that is in the wrong area (i.e. if there's pink glitter on a blue stripe) with a dry paint brush.

Clear Acrylic Spray: Because you need to avoid getting spray on other surfaces, you will want to find something to hold the charger. You can see my method in the photo above.  Following the directions on the can, apply two to three layers. You may want to do this outside, as the spray has a very strong chemical smell, and the charger will take several hours to fully dry.

Nail Polish: Carefully apply a clear topcoat in smooth even strokes, making sure to avoid removing the glitter with the brush by applying a moderately thick layer. Allow to dry overnight.

Let me know how it went for you! I’d love to hear your feedback on this tutorial.

Win a Phillip Lim Inspired Micro USB Phone Charger

Interested in winning this bad boy, made by yours truly?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We will select one random winner in the beginning of March. The winner will be notified personally via Facebook message, email, or Google+. Unfortunately, this contest is limited to residents of the continental United States. 

Good luck!