Crystallizing your carnival costume with rhinestones and sew on stones really is quite simple, and also makes a fun project. By creating your own costume rather than buying one, you become the creative director, designer and the budget manager too! It is a cost effective, engaging and interactive DIY project that will leave you with a great sense of achievement.

Pinterest is a great place to start when looking for inspirational design ideas. Once you have decided on a design and colour scheme, we suggest you purchase a leotard, swimsuit or bikini that compliments your colour pallet.

This carnival costume is based on a grey base layer, made from a bikini crystallized with lots of Non Hotfix rhinestones, Sew on Stones, Pendant Drops, feathers and plumes. To recreate this look we recommend that you use our range of Zodiac AB crystals, they offer great value for money and ultimate sparkle.The large sew on peardrops can be either sewn or glued on to the costume. To speed up the embellishing of your costume we recommend that you use the larger Zodiac Sew on stones and SS34 (7mm) to SS48 (11mm) flatback rhinestones to fill in the gaps and make swirling patterns.

When crystallizing your carnival costume, E6000 plus is the best glue to use as it is flexible and adheres very well. Place a bead of glue on to the fabric, be sure that you don’t use too much glue, it is best that the bead of glue is slightly smaller than the crystal or rhinestone. Allow the glue to become tacky for a few seconds then place the crystal on to the bead of glue. Keep on repeating the process until your design is created. Why not add crystals and rhinestones to your hat, fishnets, gloves, shoes, headpiece or tutu and accessorize with some sparkly earrings. Now you are ready to party at the carnival.