DIY Glitter Phone Case

Looking for fun and simple ideas on how to decorate your phone case? In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to glitter a phone case to make a sparkly, custom look!

Materials:

Extra-fine polyester glitter (pink perfect blend, fuchsia, regal red, pumpkin orange, emerald green, medium blue, Canadian blue, deep ocean blue, deep purple, gunmetal grey, black ice)
Ultra-fine polyester glitter (sky blue)
Fine polyester glitter (deep gold)
Large polyester glitter (gold square glitter, pink heart polyester glitter, ice blue hexagon glitter)
Phone case(s)
Mod Podge
Foam brush
Sand paper
Tray or shoebox lid and paper to catch glitter

How to Glitter a Phone Case

Once you’ve collected your materials, you’re ready to create your own unique diy glitter phone case! First, lightly sand the case in order for the glue to adhere to the case. If you’re using a clear phone case and would like part of the phone to show through in the design, don’t sand those areas (since you won’t be applying glitter there and it will make your case appear scuffed and scratched).

You’ll also want to have a shoebox lid or other shallow cardboard box to protect your work surface. Inside the box or lid, place a clean piece of paper which will allow you to catch the glitter so that you can return it to the container each time.

Lightly sand the phone case (only in areas where you would like to apply glitter).

Next, apply Mod Podge in the area where you would like the first layer of glitter. If you are just using one color, cover the entire phone. But if you’d like to add stripes, scales, or other designs, just add glue to one area at a time.

Apply Mod Podge with a foam brush to the area you would like to glitter. Use a shallow box or lid and paper to protect your work surface and catch any excess glitter.

Next, shake a generous amount of glitter over the glued area, making sure to cover all of the glue (don’t forget the sides). Shake excess glitter onto a piece of paper. Tap the case gently to help remove any excess glitter. Set aside to dry.

Pour a generous amount of glitter over the glued area, then shake off excess.

Then, slightly fold the paper and use it to pour the excess glitter back into the jar. Shake any remaining glitter off the paper into a garbage can. You can reuse this sheet, flip it over, or use a few different sheets for each color of glitter. This will reduce the cross-contamination of glitter colors, if using more than one color.

Use the sheet of paper to pour excess glitter back into the jar.

Allow 10-15 minutes or so to let the first section dry before you apply the next color of glitter. Follow the same steps for each section.

Glitter each section one color at a time. For an ombre look, use different shades of one color. (Colors: extra fine polyester glitter in black ice, deep ocean blue, Canadian blue, medium blue)

Once you have all your sections covered and they are dry, apply a second layer of glitter to each section, one color at a time (allowing each section to dry before going on to the next). This will give you brighter, bolder colors and give your diy phone case so much more sparkle!

Apply a second layer of glitter to ensure full coverage.

When the second layers of glitter have dried, apply a coat of Mod Podge to the entire glittered areas of the phone case with a foam brush. Dab the glue over the glitter, do not brush the glue across. If your design has an area of the case that is not glittered, you can leave that area alone, but just be sure to go a little bit past the glittered area to seal it off.

Apply a final coat of Mod Podge to seal in your glitter design.

Pattern Variations

Creating a color-block pattern is simple! Just brush on Mod Podge in triangle and rectangle shapes, and sprinkle different colors of glitter for each section.

Create a color block pattern with triangle and rectangle shapes. (Colors used: gunmetal gray, deep purple, pink perfect blend)

To create a geode pattern, brush on Mod Podge in various sized, irregular shaped stripes across the case, with different colors of glitter, one color/layer at a time. Mix in some large glitter shapes like the pink heart glitter and gold square glitter. When applying the larger glitter shapes, add each piece one at a time rather than pouring it for a more precise and clean look, overlapping the shapes to conceal the case. Use a clear case to have the color of the phone show through and become part of the design!

Colors used: fuchsia, deep purple, deep gold.

For scallops, polka-dots, or other shapes, use the foam brush to apply the Mod Podge as if you were painting it on. Brush on one section at a time (for example: start with the red scallop in the corner by brushing on Mod Podge and sprinkling on red glitter. Let dry and move on to the orange section, and so on). Experiment with various sizes of glitter to create interesting textures!

Try painting on shapes with Mod Podge (left) or playing with varying sizes of glitter (right) Colors used: extra fine Canadian blue and medium blue, ultra fine sky blue, large ice blue hexagon shapes, fine deep gold).

I hope you enjoyed learning how to glitter a phone case! Have fun choosing your colors and designs to create a unique, custom diy phone case!

by Nicole Austin

Nicole Austin is a mixed media artist and instructor. She has taught art to people of all ages and skill levels. Her style is layered, colorful, messy and fun and she enjoys sharing her creative knowledge and joy with others.