DIY: Blind them with Brilliance

So, if y'all don't know, I am a bling a-holic. I'm pretty sure I was born to be a DQ. I'm that girl that loves sparkles and getting dressed up, but also totally fine to go muck some stalls in the rain and get dirt under my nails. 

I've been meaning to finish this craft for say...hmm..TWO YEARS NOW. I started this in 2014 and promptly forgot how to function. Now that I'm starting to figure out how to work, horse, and life, I've unearthed the poor relic. So let me show you how to upgrade your boring pad into something sparkly!

DIY: Upgrade your pad

Step 1) Acquire said pad. Here I am using a Centaur Dressage Pad. I like this pad because the spine length is long enough for 18" saddles with a half pad. But use whatever you have around looking sad or whatever is on sale. 

Avoid letting your cats use the pad as a bed

Step 2) Measure the perimeter of the pad. Add a few extra inches for good measure. I definitely am not adding that little tid-bit because I didn't measure right and was like half an inch short. Nope.

Step 3) Acquire piping and Swarvoski crystals. I went to JoAnn's Fabrics for this. The pad itself doesn't have cord/piping and that is blasphemy. Again, add a few extra inches in length so you don't hate yourself later. I went specifically with Swarvoski crystals because you want them to shine and not look cheap af. This is similar to what I purchased and I used the 40% off coupon so price isn't an excuse. I also used this glue because I don't have the hotfix tool (but tbh I probably will get it at 

somepoint) 

Kittens are so annoying helpful. 

Step 4) Sew piping onto pad. I don't have a sewing machine so I hand stitched it. I started by wrapping the thread around the end of the cord so it didn't unravel and then tied it in a knot and secured it to the edge of the pad. I started on the top of the pad in the center on the rear facing part. I figured this was a good spot so if my sewing looked rubbish you wouldn't notice it easily. I then began sewing the cord down, it fits nicely between the pad and the binding naturally. I have no idea of technical names but I came in with the needle through the underside of the pad so the needle was on the inside of the pad and the piping was on the outside and then crossed over the piping. My stitches were about every half to a quarter inch. I had pre-started this in 2014 and maybe spent half an hour starting it. It took me an hour to finish sewing down the cord. 

Judge will be too distracted by sparkles to notice my sucky riding

Step 5) This was a gift and I'm super lazy so I used the same gem pattern that I did on my last one. I probably could have done something cool but I had a picture of what the design was so I was able to get it done quickly. Originally, it took me some time to figure out how I wanted the crystals and to come up with a pattern. I put a blob of glue on a plate and used a wooden stick (this was a cuticle pusher but a toothpick works good too) to put a small dot in the middle of a square on the pad. I went in a diagonal fashion and started with the biggest gems and let it fade it to the smaller ones. It is super easy and looks like it would be hard to make perfect but I kind of rushed through it and it still looks good. The glue dries clear but I would avoid excess glue and any on the crystal as it will make it foggy.

Step 6) Admire your handiwork! In just a few hours your pad went from drab, to fab!