✦ STUDIO MDAZ BLOG ✦ Catch Debi's Latest Projects
Step-by-step tutorials, project reveals, painting techniques, and behind-the-scenes videos from Debi's studio.
Designer Ornament Hanger
A $1.25 Dollar Tree ornament hanger gets sanded, primed, stippled, and stenciled into a designer-inspired Gucci piece — proof that Dollar Tree doesn't have to look like Dollar Tree.
Orange & White Check Pumpkin
A cheap paper mache pumpkin, an odd number of ribs, and one clever colored-pencil trick turn into a gorgeous, antiqued checked pumpkin — plus a heartfelt reason a little dripped glue became part of the design.
Fun & Easy Ornament Tree
A cheap wood board, a candle holder, and a pile of mini ornaments turn into a glittering tabletop Christmas tree in under an hour — no special skills required. Follow along for the build, the chrome powder trick that changes everything, and the honest mistakes along the way.
Vintage Pink Santa Charger
A plain charger becomes a vintage pink Santa for the holidays — decoupaged, rhinestoned, and finished with chrome powder and glitter. Then UV resin throws a very real, very funny curveball. Follow along for the technique and the honest troubleshooting that followed.
Nutcracker Purse Makeover
A $20 purse, a nutcracker iron-on, and thousands of rhinestones come together in this fundraiser-event transformation — built live, auctioned off, and raised money for a sister battling blood cancer. Follow along for the transfer technique, the bedazzling tricks, and the sealing method that keeps it all intact.
Designer-Inspired Bedazzled Slippers
A $20 pair of plain garden shoes gets primed, painted, decoupaged with a McKenzie Childs napkin, and covered edge to edge in rhinestones until it looks like a designer piece. Follow along for the full technique, plus a peek at a bonus rhinestone Christmas tree and a stack of bedazzled 3D purses from the same session.
A Decoupaged Halloween Book Box with a Skeleton Couple
A thrifted book box, a cut-and-collage picture book, and two 30-cent Dollar Tree skeletons turn into the funniest Halloween keepsake on the shelf. Inside: a tiny coffin, a couple finally getting their flowers, and a running joke about "you don't bring me flowers anymore." Follow along for the decoupage technique, the gold paint trick, and the glitter finish that takes it all up a notch.
How to Check a Pumpkin from Scratch
A thrifted orange pumpkin becomes a gorgeous black and white checked showpiece with a $12.99 Marshalls figurine perched on top — bedazzled with crystal champagne rhinestones and gold bling trim. This tutorial covers the full check technique from first pencil line to last brushstroke, including why orange pumpkins bleed through your sealer (not your paint), the one-and-done paint that never needs a second coat, and the simple fix for a jerked line that nobody will ever notice.
How to Turn a Thrifted Metal Tray Into an Elegant Champagne Serving Tray
Turn an inexpensive thrift-store metal tray into elegant champagne and bar decor using paint, mulberry paper decoupage, an IOD transfer, metallic gold and embellishments. This tutorial shows you how to prep metal properly, layer images and transfers, blend custom colors and know when a project needs just one more finishing detail.
3 Blue and White Toile Decoupage Ideas
Turn inexpensive finds into elegant blue and white decor with three easy napkin decoupage projects. Learn how to makeover an LED candle, Dollar Tree burner covers, and a thrifted figurine using toile napkins, gold accents, bling, and professional finishing techniques.
Wind Spinner Makeover
A $15–$30 kinetic wind spinner from Amazon gets transformed with a blue and white toile bird napkin (using the burn technique), hand-painted blue checks on the back, chrome powder metallic accents, and a gold border — then sealed with VHT engine enamel so it lasts for years in any weather. This tutorial covers every step, including the dioxazine purple trick for matching blues and the outdoor sealer that car engine builders use.
Art Book File Box
A plain wood box from Goodwill becomes a funky, bedazzled storage piece for your art books, collage books, or grandmother's recipe cards. This tutorial covers freehand multi-color stripes, a pop art postcard with bedazzled glasses and UV resin lenses, navy-shaded harlequin diamonds that look genuinely 3D, and a warm sunset-orange interior that pulls everything together. It's a project that started as "let's not overdo it" and ended exactly how you'd expect.
Travel Jewelry Case
A $14 travel jewelry case from Amazon becomes a Chanel-inspired, bedazzled gift piece — with a free printed image, black stripes, diamond stenciling, rhinestone trim, and a Marilyn Monroe quote on the back. This start-to-finish tutorial covers every step from bonding primer to bling, plus two game-changing tricks: matte sticker paper that eliminates decoupage entirely, and an Everclear hack that brings dead brushes back to life overnight.
Marilyn Monroe Clutch Purse
A $6 Zara clutch from the Salvation Army becomes a Marilyn Monroe showpiece with decoupage paper, hand-mixed raspberry paint, multi-colored polka dots, and rhinestone trim — all in under an hour. This tutorial shows you the two-sheet trick for flip-top purses, how to mix two paint colors to perfectly match your paper, and why prepping with Bonding Boss is the step that makes everything stick.
Lemon Kitchen Decor Set — Tissue Box, Pepper Mill & Blue Checks
A Hobby Lobby tissue box, a pair of thrift store salt and pepper shakers, and a $3 cake plate become a matching lemon kitchen decor set — with Amazon lemon transfers, a French script stencil, blue and white checks on a round lid, and a metallic gold that will blow your mind. This tutorial covers everything from prep to finish, including the full technique for painting checks on a round surface and the one step you should never skip before applying transfers.
How to Paint & Bedazzle a Patriotic Tote Bag for Under $15
For just $3.99 at Hobby Lobby, you can have a tote bag that's ready to be transformed into something totally spectacular — and this patriotic God Bless America design is exactly the project to do it with. In this tutorial, we're covering every step from prepping and priming your canvas bag so paint actually sticks, to stenciling the USA flag silhouette, painting red and white stripes freehand, transferring hand lettering using tracing paper, and bedazzling the whole thing with Crystal AB, Navy, and Light Siam rhinestones sealed in place with Gem Tac and a diamond sealer. If you can hold a brush, you can do this.
How to Bedazzle Board Games, Dr. Seuss Books & More — The Ultimate Rhinestone Gift Guide
A $5.98 Candyland game from Amazon becomes the most unforgettable gift anyone has ever received — once you cover the entire board in rhinestones. This live tutorial walks you through bedazzling board games, Dr. Seuss books, purses, shoes, and notebooks, plus a full breakdown of the best rhinestone sizes, adhesives, and sealers for every project. Whether you're making gifts or just discovered a new obsession, this is the guide that covers everything.
Pop Art Matchboxes, Sassy Quote Notebooks & Bougie Bedazzled Gifts You Can Make Today
Boutique matchboxes run $6–7 each. You can make them for under $2 — bedazzled, funny, and one of a kind. This craft session tutorial walks you through five quick projects using free printable quotes, pop art postcards, adhesive rhinestone sheets, Stickles glitter glue, and designer-inspired pleather from Ming Fabric. Every single one makes an incredible gift, and none of them require a master's degree in crafting to pull off.
Tote Bag Makeover
A plain $25 Amazon tote bag becomes a hand-painted mixed media showpiece using tissue paper decoupage, acrylic color blending, gold leaf through a harlequin stencil, and decorative stamps. This full tutorial walks you through the 3-step prep process that prevents every purse fail, the "less is more" decoupage secret for zero wrinkles on ultra-thin paper, and the finger-tapping technique that makes everything look like it came with the bag.
The Complete Beginner's Guide to Bedazzling
Not all rhinestone tools are created equal — and some of them are a flat-out waste of money. This tutorial is the honest, no-fluff breakdown of what actually works for bedazzling shoes, purses, T-shirts, notebooks, and more. You'll learn which $3 tool outperforms the expensive ones, why GemTac beats the hotfix tool for most projects, and how to organize thousands of rhinestones without wanting to throw them across the room.