Crafty Project: Bling Pens

It's funny how things intersect sometimes.  Right after someone gave me a handful of random advertising-imprinted pens, I happened to see some pictures online of pretty "bling" pens. 

Well, I knew two things immediately:
     1.  I was not inclined to purchase anything (you know:  tiny budget)
     2.  The pens I saw had big pieces of glitter and decorative stones all over them which would:
               a.  be uncomfortable to hold onto while writing.
               b.  fall off immediately.

Since I had those freebie pens, I decided to experiment instead.  I just used stuff that I already had at home.  And I liked my results:  Cute.  Comfy to hold.  FREE.

This seriously kid-stuff-easy (well, always assuming that you can trust kids with nail polish.....which you possibly shouldn't.) 

Here's what you need:

• freebie pen
• paper clip
• pliers
• nail polish in two colors (one should be plain, one glittery)

Disassemble the pen, gently pulling off the bottom piece and the clip top with pliers.  Bend the smaller section of the paper clip so that it stands up at about a 45 degree angle.  Push the barrel of the pen over the bent-out portion of the paper clip. 

Using the base of the paperclip as a holder, paint the barrel with the plain nail polish.  Allow to dry.  If you've bent the clip so that the base stays flat, you can use it as a standing holder--test this for functionality Before you paint or you're gonna have to hold the thing while it dries.  Apply a second coat of plain to get good coverage.  Dry fully between coats.  Then apply your glittery coat as suits your fancy--thin or thick.  I used crackle finish polish for this pen instead of glittery.

Just for fun:  Since I hadn't tried this on any other pen, I decided to add some large glitter polish at the top of the pen I made to take pictures of.  It was fine since the big glitter wasn't where I'd be holding the pen for writing.  But it was a little bit of a nuisance trying to dig individual bits of glitter out of the polish.  And I suspect that some of the glitter may eventually fall off even though I made sure it was well coated with the clear polish that was in the same bottle of polish.

When the pen barrel has dried well (overnight is good), reassemble the pen.  And enjoy your little bit of freebie bling.

Life is good.
And it's nicer when you can make pretty stuff for free.