Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, marks the unlikely victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla but, at least for Americans, it is a fun excuse to celebrate Mexican-American culture and drink margaritas. What a great way to kick off the month of May!

This month, we’re looking for fun things to make for Cinco de Mayo using authentic European crystal rhinestones. Don’t forget to check out our color and size charts to see the wide range of options for rhinestones. You have the ability to get creative, use a lot of bright, bold colors, and make some fun, exciting items to ring in this Mexican holiday. Read on for five things to make for Cinco de Mayo.

Luminescent Belt Buckles

Belt buckles. A classic standout accessory for the Tex-Mex crowd. Wearing a belt buckle is one the ultimate accessory pieces for cowboys, and one set off with colorful rhinestones is sure to become a statement piece that will easily jump start any conversation.

Belt buckles have the natural ability to draw the eye, so you may as well make it dance in the spotlight!

First things first, you need to find a belt buckle you like. It can be any style or size, but remember that the more intricate the design on the belt buckle, the fewer flat spaces there are to place rhinestones.

For a classic touch you can go with small, round crystal clear rhinestones—they fit across most surfaces and create neat rows and lines. Choose rhinestone shapes that accentuate the design—chunkier buckles may call for bolder, bigger shapes, while smaller belt buckles make take a daintier touch. Cover the entire belt buckle or use just a few as accent pieces.

If you’re looking to celebrate Mexican heritage, try using the colors of Mexico’s flag: green, white, and red. For wide, flat belt buckles, you may even have room for a small design made from very small stones. Consider the flag, a cactus, or maybe a chili pepper.

European Sombreros

Sombreros are already gorgeous pieces of hat making, and adding genuine European crystal rhinestones is the icing on the cake. Sombrero, the Spanish word for “hat”, specifically refers to a wide-brimmed hat that can be as plain as a straw hat and as intricate as an embroidered felt hat.

The wide brim and high crown give you ample surfaces upon which to embellish, making the light dance across the hat. Depending on the pre-existing design, use bold, geometric rhinestones to accent the embroidery, if it has any, or to create a brand new design. Coordinated or contrasting colors could be fun—the choice is up to you!

Use hotfix rhinestones on felt hats, and use E-6000 glue on straw hats; alternatively, you can use sew-on rhinestones on either.

Embellished Hat Bands

It’s hard to imagine Mexican-American culture without the presence of a few cowboy hats. One way to really make your cowboy hat stand out is by adding a hat band, adding rhinestones to create a “hat band”, or to embellish a hat band you already have.

Adding some sparkle to your cowboy hat is a fun way to use some of those great geometric shapes such as diamonds and squares. You can really get creative and add coordinating colors, or just use crystal clear ones for a classic look.

First, determine what type of hat band you’re going to be working with. Hat bands come in a variety of styles, colors, textures, and base materials. You can buy a band separately from the hat, but you may already have one. You can get simple, plain leather bands, or, at the other end of the spectrum, intricately woven or ornate bands that have a lot of texture. Depending on the flat surfaces available, you can place European crystal rhinestones of any shape on the hat band.

If you have a plain hat and you don’t want a separate band, simply add your own rows of sparkle to create a whole new customized accessory perfect for any celebration. Depending on your hat material, hotfix flat-backed rhinestones will work, or you can use sew-on rhinestones on fibrous materials.

Sparkling Stemware

It’s not a party without festive beverages. Make your party one for the ages by adding a bit of sparkle to your stemware. It’s simple to do once you’ve determined your pattern.

Making stripes is classic and is easy to accomplish. Assemble your rhinestones and E-6000 glue and applicator. Organize your rhinestones by color and have them ready, backside up. Start at the base of the glass and work your way around the glass, placing round rhinestones next to each other. Make one full circle around the base. Choose a different color and repeat the process above the first row. Repeat until you have reached the top of the stem.

Alternatively, you could make a more complex pattern of diamonds, squares, or anything else that strikes your fancy. If you have a set of glasses, make each one in a different pattern or a different color for easy identification.

Bling Clothing

As always, making rhinestone-adorned clothing is a great way to make something simple and wearable, even outside of the holiday season. It’s easy to find transfer templates online, but here are some pattern ideas for shirts, hats, and other clothing. Remember, hotfix rhinestones don’t take kindly to denim, so if you’re planning on using denim, you’ll need to use E-6000 glue without the hotfix application.

Once you find a design template you like, we recommend doing one of two things first: doing a chalk dot outline of the design, or use an iron-on transfer by tracing the design on transfer paper. Some of our favorite designs are:

Chili Peppers – use those greens and reds!
Happy Cinco de Mayo – share holiday greetings!
Cactus – the ubiquitous “tree” of the desert
Margarita Glass – unofficial adult beverage of choice

That’s our roundup for this month. Enjoy the lovely spring weather and have a safe a happy Cinco de Mayo!