I love Swarovski crystals and how they sparkle like precious gems.  Given the chance, I would use them to bedazzle everything, from bra straps that are worn to be seen, to writing pens, to cell phone cases.  My shower screens are adorned with snowflake patterns outlined in clear Swarovski crystals.  When I was still a nursing student, our school had very strict policies against wearing any other piece of jewellery other than a watch.   I simply unravelled a strand of small, round white Swarovkis and strung them on my shoelaces as a discreet yet glamorous touch of sparkle.

    With a baby in tow, I had to give up my beloved crystals for a while, rather than risk scratching my son’s delicate skin.  Now that he is mostly running around, I am back to my old bedazzling ways.

    One concession that I had to make was to limit myself to only round-shaped crystals.  Hearts and cubes are strictly out of the question because of their sharp corners.  Nevertheless, variety in designs can still be achieved by using different sizes and colors.  Read this article to learn creative and baby-proof uses for Swarovski jewellery.

    You can make tug-resistant bracelets and necklaces by using double (or even triple) strands of nylon thread to string beads together.  An even better precaution would be to knot the thread after each bead, just like stringing real pearls.  If you have a string of authentic pearls, examine them closely, and you will see that a knot keeps each pearl from touching the next.  This is to avoid the pearls from scratching one another.  With crystals, this technique will ensure that the beads will not scatter every which way even if the strand should be broken.  Another baby-proof material that you can use is dental floss.  In fact, dental floss is ideal if you would like to make a nursing necklace out of Swarovski crystals.

    You can also incorporate crystals into your wardrobe; formal wear is actually well-suited to this application.  You can substitute buttons with crystals, as long as you use crystals that are of the right size to maintain good closure for your clothes.  A particularly cool way to embellish dresses is to line crystals all over spaghetti straps, or around the edges of the hem, the neckline and the sleeves.  This is sure to give your dress an instant designer appeal.

    Joana Chrystal Ventura-Moises is also our resident expert on plumbing and shower screens.  When not making Swarovski jewellery, she spends most of her spare time conceptualizing her dream bathroom.