How to Dazzle Up Your Jeans

Jeans are one of the most comfortable and versatile options when it comes to pants, so there's a reason why they are an essential wardrobe piece in many closets. However, after a while, plain, old denim can get a little boring no matter color, style or cut your jeans may be. You don't need to hit the store and spend a lot of money to find more exciting denim options, though -- with a little creativity, you can dazzle up your jeans at home and transform ordinary denim into a bold, eye-catching piece for any outfit.

Add Some Bling

When it comes to making your jeans more dazzling, the classic approach is to add some bling in the form of rhinestones, crystals, gems or beads. At your local craft or fabric store, you can find a wide range of glittery stones that are ideal for dressing up a pair of plain jeans. Specialty tools are available for placing rhinestones and other embellishments on fabrics, but a hot glue gun or fabric glue work just as well for adhering the stones. Place the gems on your jeans in a random pattern or trace on a design on the denim ahead of time so you know exactly where to place them. Keep it simple by just embellishing the pockets or create a more flashy effect by adding the stones all over your jeans' legs.

Go Rock 'n' Roll

If you have an edgier style, adding some hardware to your jeans can give them a dazzling rock 'n' roll feel. Metal studs, eyelets or grommets add a little shine to your jeans but still have a tough look. You can find kits at the craft or fabric store with all the hardware pieces and tools necessary to add the metal to your pants. As with rhinestones, though, its a good idea to trace the pattern that you want for your studs or grommets ahead of time, so you know where to place them as you work. If you want a simpler look that still adds some rock 'n' roll cool to your jeans, add some safety pins to your jeans use them around rips or tears or just add a row of them to the back pockets.

Sew Cool

If youre handy with a needle and thread, adding a few well-placed appliques to your jeans is another easy way dress them up. Any fabric can work as an applique, but look for materials that provide a striking textural contrast with the denim lace, leather, velvet and satin are all attractive choices. Use fabric scraps from your sewing basket or purchase pre-made appliques from the fabric store. To really make your jeans stand out, cut your appliques in whimsical shapes like flowers, stars, moons or hearts and sew them onto to your jeans to instantly make them a little more stunning.

Stamp 'Em

With fabric paint, you can use stamps to add a dazzling pattern to jeans. Stamps are available at the craft store in a wide array of shapes, ranging from letters and numbers to animals and flowers. Stamp a pattern all over the jeans or focus the shapes in specific areas like the pockets or down the sides of the legs. If you dont want to purchase stamps, you may be able to use items from around the house to create simple patterns on your jeans. For example, with a simple bottle cap and some fabric paint, you can give your jeans a polka dot makeover.

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