How-to: Googly Eye Phone Case

I love this case. And it’s so easy to make. You just need some uber adhesive, googly eyes, a tired phone case and household items to bring this DIY together. If you’re not feeling the googly eyes, you can substitute rhinestones or beads and still DIY a totally stylish phone case.

Supplies

googly eyes in several sizes
plain phone case
E6000 heavy duty craft adhesive
tweezers (optional)
static guard (optional)
rubbing alcohol (optional, but read on…)

Directions

Begin with a clean phone case. I read somewhere recently that phones are one of the most bacteria-ridden items we interact with on a daily basis, and I believe it. I keep my phone on hand on the train, work breaks, shopping, crafting, you name it. So douse that case in some rubbing alcohol to avoid gluing stuff to its outer layer of bacteri-dirt. Also, the E6000 packaging recommends use on a clean surface.

First off, the number one thing that drives me nuts about working with googly eyes is how staticky they get. They cling to the plastic they come in, to each other, to your work surface, and to your hands. A little spritz of Static Guard on your work table and even in the bag they come in goes a long way to maintaining your craft sanity.

Once you’re ready to get started and have your supplies organized, squeeze some E6000 onto the back if your phone case and spread it over the case evenly.

The next part is kind of like doing a puzzle. I started by placing one of the biggest googly eyes on my case and worked around it. You’ll want to save the smallest eyes in your collection for filling in tiny gaps toward the end, just FYI. What’s nice about the E6000 is that it doesn’t harden right away, so you can slightly adjust the position of your eyes as needed to make it all fit and fill in as many of the gaps as possible. Also, the tweezer will come in handy when placing tiny googly eyes in small spaces.

Pro tip: don’t use a super sharp tweezer. Sharp tweezers will scratch the clear surface of the googly eyes, which will be noticeable up close. 

A word of warning regarding the E6000. I got totally wacky from working with my face super closely to the adhesive… Like, I literally had to sit next to my dogs with the window open in 50 degree Chicago weather with my face sucking in air through the screen so I didn’t pass out. I guess I thought that the lack of strong smell from the E6000 meant I was fine, but I guess not. Despite my window being half open and my kitchen fan on full blast, I still got glue-wacky.

When your eyes are all set, let the case dry for 24+ hours.

PS: Sorry you had to look at my sweet tripod’s reflection in this tutorial. I totally didn’t realize until after shooting this how visible the reflection is!