Here we can see my old phone on the right versus my new phone cover on the left.
For the one on the right (my new one), I used stick n' seal only for the large pieces and super glue for the jewels. I used 2mm jewels and charms I bought from Yuki. (Hint - she ships from Japan to US, and sells GAL mags, just sayin'.)
Here is what I learned:
*For large parts, use a very strong glue. Super glue will not cut cut it.
*For smaller, detailed work, use a glue that doesn't dry too quickly. I used super glue, but epoxy would hold better. You will need to move and adjust as you go.
*Use tweezers - touch the tip to the glue (just so that a very tiny amount is on the pointy tip of one side of your tweezers) and use it to pick up and place jewels. It will stick to the tip, but once you place it in the glue on your surface, it will detach from the tip of your tweezer. I've tried special jewel sticks, manicure sticks... it just didn't work well.
*Lay out your large parts first and glue them down. Then glue the jewels around them.
*Be patient! My first phone only took me a couple of hours, but my second case took me several nights... probably 8-10 hours total. Its worth the wait!
What handy tricks have you discovered while deco-ing?