Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Sparkle, Slay and Shine in DIY Baddie Bling Sunglasses
Step up your accessory game with bold, bling sunglasses that instantly elevate any outfit. Discover the best bedazzled shades to channel your inner baddie, add sparkle to your style, and turn heads wherever you go. Using rhinestones and some letter beads, you can show off your inner baddie anytime you want and others will take notice. Read on to learn how to make my Baddie Bling Sunglasses.
I curated my look from my own closet
The Inspiration
After going through months of intense EMDR trauma therapy and years of trying to make some big life changes, a friend and I were having a conversation about it all. Feeling like I needed some additional encouragement, he said I’ve always been fiercely independent and used the word bad-a** to describe me.
My dress is a vintage prom gown
This made me think of the word BADDIE and knowing the word “baddie” refers to someone, usually a woman, who is confident, stylish and attractive (according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary), I liked it and it helped me confidently continue on with my creative passions.
My outfit in this post is one I curated from my own closet with a vintage 80’s prom dress I found while thrifting, layered with a black lace skirt, a green hoodie, and pink booties. My sliver “freckles” are here in my Amazon Shop.
Baddie Era DIY Bling Sunglasses
The Baddie Spirit Lives On
I follow @baddiewinkle (AKA Helen Van Winkle..check her out and I pray her family keeps it going as she amassed 3 million followers!) on Instagram and seeing her confidence be so HUGE at over 90 years old, I fell in love with her and her attitude.
Loving the vibe these sunglasses bring
She passed away in September 2025 and while I’ll miss all her new posts (she was working with cosmetic brands like It Cosmetics in her 90’s!), I will always think of her, her fun attitude, her bling sunglasses, and more when I think of the word BADDIE. I grew up in Kentucky like she did, so I feel like I should carry on a piece of her now more than ever!
View her Insta commercial for It Cosmetics below:
I figure if she can have such confidence and put herself out there and not worry about her age or how the world might think she should have shrunk and shied away from the spotlight with age yet she did not, then I can too! I wish to carry on a little bit of her fun soul with this bling sunglasses creation and I hope you’ll join me. Yes, I wear all the bling sunglasses I make and LOVE them and others always comment on how fun they are when I wear them.
See Baddie’s memorial post and her bling sunglasses here:
Other Bling Sunglasses
Don’t care for this BADDIE look? I have made tons of bling sunglasses over the years including the following (links out to all the tutorials on my website) that you may like:
Don’t feel like making any but still want to feel like a BADDIE? Try these cute BLING sunglasses I found:
Iridescent Bling Sunglasses, $9, Amazon
Gucci Bling Bling Sunglasses, $1,054, Saks Fifth Avenue
QUAY High Key Rhinestone Oversized Sunglasses, $75, Dillard’s
Feeling this creation!
Make a bling headband to match your sunglasses with my easy tutorial here or in my 1-minute video below via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Now for the tutorial. Here’s what I used to create my Baddie Bling Sunglasses:
Tools/Products:
Rhinestone and pearl mix (You’ll need several sizes and you can get a similar mix to mine on Amazon here and via Walmart)
Large, chunky rhinestone mix (Amazon)
Silver letter beads (Amazon)
Plastic spikes/acrylic bullet cone studs (Amazon or Walmart)
Liquid Fusion Glue (Amazon)
Wax Pencil Tool (the link will direct you to Amazon)
Pointy ended cotton swabs (the link will direct you to Amazon)
Hand towel (for keeping the sunglasses even)
Placing the letters
Directions:
1—Fold up your towel to the width of your sunglasses and wrap your sunglasses around it. This should help keep it flat.
Using a q-tip for glue removal
2—Use your fingers or a wax pencil tool (you can pick up the alphabet beads with the wax pencil or your fingers) to lay out the alphabet beads (mine spelled-out BADDIE ERA) around the rim of the sunglasses OR lay them out where ever you want on the glasses. I do this so I can understand what I want my design to look like before gluing.
Using a wax pencil to place the rhinestones
3—Once you know where you want to place the letter beads, start placing a dot of glue onto the back of each one and glue them onto the sunglasses.
Adding tiny rhinestones to the letters
4—If any glue oozes out, use the toothpick or the pointy ended cotton swabs to remove the excess.
Finishing the Baddie Era sunglasses
5—Add some glue (I just carefully squeezed it out of the bottle) around the letter beads and add your spikes, rhinestones and pearls, varying the size and placement of each one. I used the wax pencil tool to grab each one and place them on the glasses.
My pup Johnny Cash wanted to help me model my sunglasses
6—Add some glue to the letters add some tiny rhinestones.
I’ll be wearing these proudly!
8—Allow to dry for 24 hours then wear and enjoy!
Did you make this craft or something similar? If so, let me know in the comments below!
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Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.