From Stale to Statement: (Nail) Polish Up a Pair of Sunglasses
One of my favorite parts of crafting is using materials that aren’t typically designed for DIY. It sheds an entirely new light on an item, opening up the door for so many possibilities. Besides, nothing is more resourceful than giving something that has more than one purpose!
This project uses nail polish to add fun and flirty dots to a pair of plain sunglasses. Your nail polish doesn’t have to be expensive or anything special — any brand and any color will work great for this project.
Supplies
- Nail polish
- Toothpicks
- Plain sunglasses
- Recommended/Optional: Nail polish remover and cotton swabs
Before starting, use a cotton cloth to wipe away any fingerprints or dust particles from the sunglasses.
1. Dip the toothpick into the nail polish. Don’t over saturate the tip; a little will go a long way.
2. Starting on the sunglasses’ arm, create a single dot. The trick is to lightly tap the toothpick until gravity pulls down the polish. The consistency of the polish should cleanly form a circular “glob.” Try to refrain from actually drawing a dot or dragging the toothpick. Gravity will do the work for you!
3. Using the same method, repeat until you have created a single row of dots. Work straight across the arm, leaving about .5 inch (1.27 centimeters) in between each dot.
4. Above and below, create additional dotted rows. Use the original row as a guide, placing the new dots in between the initial dots.
5. Continue adding dots onto the frames. Let dry completely.
6. Repeat on the other side, and let dry.
How easy is that?
The nail polish remover and cotton swabs are useful for removing not-so-perfect dots as you go along. Lightly dip the cotton swab into the remover and gently wipe away the dot. As with the nail polish, take care to not over saturate with remover. Otherwise, you may accidentally remove nearby spots.
If you don’t have a particularly steady hand, feel free to practice on scrap cardboard or paper. Keep in mind that the dots don’t have to be perfectly aligned, nor do they need to be precisely uniform in shape and size. The overall finished visual is what matters the most! Soon enough, you’ll be rocking a customized pair of dotted sunnies.
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