Glittering 101 :: How to Add Sparkle to Those Signature Throws

Glittering 101 :: How to Add Sparkle to Those Signature Throws

I’m a member of the Krewe of Cleopatra, the 3rd largest riding krewe in New Orleans based on membership, with 3,250 ladies in its all-female krewe. Cleopatra is one of the most beautiful parades, and long before I was a member, it was one of my favorites to watch. While I was lucky in the past to catch some of their unique hand-glittered signature throw cups at the parade, I now have the honor of making them.

When I first started glittering, I was very intimidated and put it off as long as possible. I am so glad I eventually got over my fear because I found one of my most beloved hobbies.These days, I not only make cups for myself but also sell some to other riders who’d rather buy their throws than make them.

This year, I’ve convinced my sister and two friends to join me in the Krewe. I’m beyond excited because Cleo Friday is the best Friday of the year! Since they were also anxious about getting started with their glittering, I made this guide to help them.

There are two main parts of most signature throws: the item itself and the designs that decorate it. The item will be your krewe’s signature throw, so a cup in my case (other krewes glitter shoes, eye masks, sunglasses, grails, bras, plungers, the list goes on!). The designs are where things get creative. The most beautiful glittered throws usually have what we in the glitter world call transfers — a glittered word or image that is made on a surface like a Ziploc bag or page protector and then removed once fully dried and applied to the signature item. Depending on your throw, you may also be able to add in things like feathers or props (cups and shoes lend themselves especially well to this).

I’ll take you through how I personally glitter my throws and make transfers.

Glittering Your Item

You will need:

• Signature throw (plastic drinkware, sunglasses, shoes, etc.)
• Glitter (my preference is fine or extra-fine glitter because it gives the best coverage, but chunkier glitter is great for accenting) (the link is to the original set of glitter I purchased, but Nola Craft Culture is an EXCELLENT local source for glitter!)
• Mod Podge – my preference is Glossy
• Sponge paintbrushes
• Optional: a chip brush (stiff paintbrush)
• Optional: aerosol hairspray (Aquanet is a cult classic for glitterers)

1. Prepare Your Throw: If your cups come in multiple pieces (like a base and a stem), I like to glue them together with E6000 first and let them dry fully before glittering them. You can use acetone or nail polish remover to remove any logos on the cups. If I know I will be using a light colored glitter like white, it helps greatly to paint the cup white with acrylic paint before glittering it. Some people choose to paint all of their throws with a base coat of acrylic paint the same color as their glitter. Let it dry fully before glittering.
2. Set Up Your Workstation: I set up my work station like this: plastic tablecloth on the table, a large sheet of parchment paper used like a placemat, a manila file folder (or letter-sized piece of paper folded in half like a birthday card) opened up and laid flat on the placemat, a paper plate to catch drips, a dish of Mod Podge and sponge brush on the paper plate.
3. Get Your Mod Podge On: With your throw in one hand, grab your sponge brush with the other and dip it into the Mod Podge. Brush on a thin coat evenly over your throw. Any thicker strokes or drips may be visible once glittered, so check your work. Since my experience is with cups, I like to slide my hand into the cup so that I can paint the entire cup (you WILL get Mod Podge on yourself, be warned). I try to keep my hand over the paper plate to catch any drips.
4. Get Glittering: Working quickly, hold the sticky throw over the manila file folder and sprinkle the glitter evenly over it, rotating the throw as you go to cover all sides. Let the excess glitter fall onto the folder. Once the throw is covered, set it to the side to dry. I like to dry mine on parchment paper to prevent sticking. Dump the excess glitter back into its container.
5. Let Dry: I try to let my cups dry overnight between coats, but if you’re in a pinch, an hour or two should be fine as long as it’s dry to the touch.
6. Glitter Again: Once the first coat is fully dry, you can do your second coat. I like to dry brush my throws with a chip brush to get any excess glitter off before I get to applying the Mod Podge. The steps are the same: Mod Podge, glitter, dry.
7. Don’t Forget to Glitter the Inside: If I’m putting a prop of some kind inside the cup, I usually only glitter the inside as far down as will be visible. Same steps apply.
8. Seal Your Dried Throws: If you’d like to seal them afterwards, you may. Most people use aerosol hairspray to seal, but some use another coat of Mod Podge (and some don’t seal at all). Sealing is beneficial so that the finished throw doesn’t shed glitter everywhere. And that’s it!

Making Glitter Transfers

You will need:

• Plastic page protectors or Ziploc bags (what I personally use are the slightly textured page protectors)
• Glitter (my preference is fine or extra-fine)
• Tulip Slick Paint or Tulip Puff Paint, or Scribbles brand paint (I use mostly white Slick paint for my designs, but I have also used the same color paint as the glitter – it’s up to you)
• Mod Podge (I use Mod Podge for just backgrounds on my transfers but some use ONLY Mod Podge for the transfer)
• Print-outs of what you want to trace sized for the throw
• Toothpicks
• Optional but recommended: fine-tip bottles
• Optional but recommended: a chip brush (stiff paintbrush)

1. Prepare Your Paint: Decant your paint or Mod Podge into fine-tip bottles, if desired. The fine-tip bottles allow for more precise tracings.
2. Set Up Your Workstation: I set up my work station like this: plastic tablecloth on the table, a large sheet of parchment paper used like a placemat, a manila file folder (or letter-sized piece of paper folded in half like a birthday card) opened up and laid flat on the placemat.
3. Ready Your Print Out: Slide your print out into the page protector.
4. Get Glittering: Working with one color of the design at a time, trace your design in Slick/Puff paint and then cover fully with glitter while it’s still wet.
5. Remove the Excess Glitter: Lift the page protector very carefully and dump the excess glitter onto the file folder. VERY CAREFULLY flick the back of the page protector with your finger to knock off the excess glitter but not too close to your design or you may mess it up. Pour the excess glitter back into its container.
6. Dry: Place your page protector on a flat surface for a minimum of 24 hours before moving onto the next color.
7. Next Color: When you’re ready for the next color, gently brush the dried design with the chip brush to remove excess glitter from the page protector. Trace your image with your next color and let dry 24+ hours. Repeat the process for the remaining colors. Some people prefer going from lighter colors to darker colors, some prefer going from darker to light. My preference is mostly to work from the inside out of a design.
8. Removal: When your transfers are completely dry, you can keep them on the plastic until you’re ready to attach them to your throw. When you want to remove them from the plastic, use a toothpick or a straight pin to gently lift the edges off the page protector until it’s enough to peel off completely. Patience and gentleness are key here! If the underside of the transfer touches another area of underside, it could stick together, potentially ruining the transfer.
9. Placement: Use Mod Podge or clear E6000 glue to attach to your throw and let dry fully. You may need to touch up some areas with same base glitter afterwards.
10. Optional Seal: Some people choose to seal their transfers with aerosol hairspray. When I’ve done this, I’ve always waited until it’s attached to my throw.

NOTE: Some people use Mod Podge instead of Slick or Puff paint for the glittering of transfers. I use both. I prefer the thickness of Slick paint for the bulk of the design and the Mod Podge for “background” colors.

Speaking of background colors, I like to connect the fine lines of most of my designs with a “background” of Mod Podge and glitter the same color as the throw it’s going on. This way, removing the design is like peeling a sticker instead of dealing with a bunch of separate fine lines tangling like spaghetti. Another benefit on this method is that spacing of letters remains as intended — no crooked letters!

Do you have any glittering tips you swear by?