This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s senior fall editorial intern Dalal Daher. Find her on Instagram at @dalalllldaher. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Let’s face it. Like it or not, your phone case is one of your best accessories. Since modern life means we have our phone on us at all times, your phone case is one of the only accessories you carry with you 24/7, and it should truly reflect your vibe! Of course there are tons of different options you can buy… but what if you could make your own? If you want a phone case that really matches your energy, and is unique to you, a decoden phone case should be your next DIY project.
My own decoden phone case.
What is decoden? Originally from Japan, decoden crafting is embedded in the Harajuku and kawaii aesthetic subcultures. This style, which started in the 2000s, is based around decorating using cute charms, rhinestones, and other glitzy items as adornments, and was initially used to beautify flip phones. A lot of decoden crafting uses silicone whipped cream as the base and a frosting-like decoration for your craft. Essentially, decoden crafting is an ornamental, maximalist and vibrant aesthetic of adorning phone cases and truly personalizing them, and as it’s risen in popularity has been applied to different kinds of objects.
So how should you go about making a decoden phone case? Depending on where you live, you could go to a DIY studio and try out this aesthetic in a workshop-style environment, such as Los Angeles’ Pinku DIY Studio that allows you to bedazzle not only phone cases but jewelry boxes, claw clips, photo frames and more. Londoners can enjoy a hands-on learning experience at Omo_diy, while Monster DIY in New York offers a workshop where you can beautify phone cases alongside other products, like Airpod cases or even clocks. Las Vegas-based Cutie Design Studio and Philadelphia’s Happy DIY studio are also great locations to take a decoden workshop! And if you don’t see your city on this list, try searching for decoden workshops near you via Instagram or TikTok.
If you haven’t found a decoden studio near you, or prefer to take on the trend in the comfort of your home, here’s a basic list of things you need to start: firstly, an adhesive like craft glue or epoxy glue, for gluing down embellishments. Next, buy some silicone whipped cream. Using a makeup spatula or palette knife, you can spread the silicone whipped cream evenly as the base for your design, and in classic decoden style you can also use piping bags to pipe it alongside your design like icing.
Next up- the fun part! Once you have your item covered in the silicone whipped cream, it’s time to bedazzle. Decorate your phone case with charms, gems, beads and other cute embellishments, aka cabochons! I’d recommend using the keywords “flat back charms” or “decoden cabochon” and searching for packs on Amazon or Etsy. Sites like sophieandtoffee, AliExpress and even Shein have charm options as well. The beauty of decoden is you can truly add all the customizations you want, so you can also look into nail charms or jewelry chains and charms for more inspiration. Once you’ve applied your charms to your case, either via glue or just by sticking it onto the whipped cream, add some clear sealant to keep it shiny (clear nail polish also works in a pinch).
Don’t forget the item you’re going to decorate! You can buy packs of phone case and claw clips on Amazon, or go to your local dollar store to find low-cost items like packs of photo frames. Some other helpful items that have helped me in decoden are first and foremost, painters tape. I used this to delineate where I’d put my fake icing border on my decoden phone case, putting painters tape on the edges of my phone as I decorated the middle. This added an extra layer of precision to my phone case. While you can add embellishments to your phone case by hand, investing in a pair of craft tweezers may help you with smaller charms, and some crafting trays will help you keep your workspace neat.
While decoden crafting definitely requires a bit of a start-up cost, the good news is most of the materials will last you multiple decorating sessions, especially when you’re buying packs of beads, cases, and silicone whipped cream. Although you can buy all of your products online, if you’re feeling thrifty try going to your local arts and crafts store- while they probably won’t have designated decoden products, they will have ribbons, bows, beads and other charms you can incorporate creatively into your design, and might even be on sale! There’s no limit to what you can add to your design, so think outside the box.
Decoden phone cases are the perfect DIY for you to express yourself uniquely! It’s a fun activity for you to do alone or with friends, and the best part is once you start it, you can add a decoden flair to any object (preferably something flat though). Take your aesthetic into your own hands and try making a decoden phone case. Trust me, you’ll be obsessed with it.
Are you going to try the decoden phone case DIY? Let us know in the comments below!
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