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OK, so the 1999 Lil’ Wayne song that inspired my subject line today is really an aside…
I have been in love with crystal cake toppers ever since I found out that there was a company that would make them for me! I was reading The Knot one day and found out about Toppers With Glitz, a company that would custom-create a monogram cake topper covered in Swarovski crystals for their clients. However, even as much as I go ‘Zilla and pay crazy prices for relatively small things, my wallet seized up at the $100+ cost of the topper.
So, I DIY’d!
I ordered the crystals from Tami’s Place and the glue and initial from Craft Cuts.
End result…
I thought I wouldn’t have the patience to complete a task like this, but it went surprisingly quickly! It only took about 2 hours of work and I did it while I watched TV one night.
For those hoping to DIY one of these bad boys, instructions are as follows…
(1) bag of 20 ss crystals (I used fuschia) — used all of them
(2) bags of 16 ss crystals (one in rose, one in light rose) — used almost all of them.
(2) bags of 12 ss crystals (one in rose, one in light rose) — can probably order only one ’cause I had a BUNCH left over!
Place a small amount of glue on the letter and place down 2 rhinestones around the same time. They’re incredibly small and hard to pick up. I skimped and didn’t buy the rhinestone tweezers. Really, a regular pair will be fine, especially when your fingers get covered in the glue at the end. Also, it works best to do some sort of design or pattern with the crystals because they look more polished that way.
If I were to do it again, I’d use more 20 ss crystals because those were relatively easy to handle, and less 12 ss crystals because they were too tiny and consequently, I used less. I also had a bunch left over, though it was better to overbuy than underbuy.
And now, I have a cake topper in shades of pink to go atop our chocolate ganache-covered cake. More of those anal meticulous details :).
Wow, very pretty. I like those very much. Except I’m not changing my name, so we’d have to have two initials with an ampersand in the middle! That’s a lot of crystals to glue.
How do you arrange all the colors? Or is it a guess as you go kinda thing?
that looks really nice! its always cool when you figure out how to make something look just as awesome, if not cooler, than the expensive piece you modelled it after. tre cool miss pearl!
gorgeous! & I don’t think you’re anal…I think you just know what you want 
it looks great. I had the same question as valeqt, did you arrange it a certain way or start in a particular area first?
So what was the total cost of the DIY project?
wow, looks great. everytime i see a bejeweled cake topper, i want one for myself!!! (mmm, and i would also like to know how much the project total came out to be. thanks)
impressive! Most people say it takes a lot longer than 2 hours to complete!
The total cost was as follows:
$38 for the letter
$40 (approx) for the Swarovski crystals
$6 for the glue
Total cost = $84.
Lowest price quoted = $125
So basically, a $40 savings.
However, I now have enough leftover rhinestones to add to other parts of wedding DIY (maybe to accent placecards or something). I could have bought less crystals and still finished the letter completely (thus lowering the overall cost).
Also, I did arrange the crystals in a particular way. I started with the fuschia 20 ss crystals lining the edge of the letter. Then the second row next to it were the rose crystals, then the third row (accent) were light rose. It might sound complicated, but it’s really not (just kind of hard to describe).
fun! i might look into this too! we may have our monogram in an oval piping but this is a great second option!
That is very cute, but I’m not so sure I’d be patient enough to do that. However, I am considering something similar…
Your pearls of wisdom are fantastic.
If you’re in L.A. you should hit up the bead store in downtown. It’s so much cheaper than Tami’s Place.
Bohemian Crystal
812 S. Maple Street
Phone (213) 627-9553
You need to get there early b/c they are always packed. Make sure right when you walk in, get a number straight ahead of you so that you just don’t end up standing there.
If you can’t make it there, another store in downtown has an online store that’s just as afforadable
http://buttons4u.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=REGCOL
The tweezers at the 99 cents store works just as well if you don’t want to use your tweezerman.
For my pattern, I too used the slanted rows. Somehow it just looks much more uniform and prettier. I tried several patterns before I started to glue. I’m anal like that.
Wow, that looks amazing Miss Pearl, great job!
what size letter did you purchase?
Your monogrammed looks GREAT! I, too, had been contemplating ordering a topper from Topper with Giltz, but could not justify opening my wallet for that amount - would have been $200. I thought of doing it myself. I have been searching and searching for the DIY steps. Thanks for posting!
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Mrs. Pearl, Los Angeles Age and Occupation: 26, High school history teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 37, Software engineer Engagement Date: No official date, we just decided :-) Wedding Date: July 2007 Venue: St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Church, Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel About Me: Mr. Pearl and I have been together for about four and a half years now. We've been "engaged" since 2004 and were originally supposed to get married in June 2006, but postponed the wedding to July 2007. I love shopping for housewares and office supplies, music, reading chick lit, football, and the diverse world of Los Angeles dining.
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Great work! I’d be interested in knowing how much it cost as well. 
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