This Instructable will guide you through the simple process of making your own real stone-covered cell phone case! Your phone will be well-protected - probably better than any commercially-sold case around!

Step 1: Materials for Stone Phone Case

Materials Needed:

Plaster of Paris & Disposable mixing bucket or bowl & mixing utensil
Modge Podge & Paint Brush to brush it on
Small Stones (I dug out all of mine from my front yard near my flower garden)
Basic Phone Case Shell (Simple phone case - nothing fancy)
Tacky Glue or some other type of Craft Glue
Disposable Gloves (optional)

Step 2: Wash Stones & Prepare Plaster

First, wash all of your little stones the best you can. I put them in a colander and washed and rinsed them with hot water. Next, you will need to prepare the Plaster of Paris. I used one cup of Plaster of Paris and a half a cup of water. I mixed that together and every few minutes would mix it again to check the consistency. It takes about 30 minutes for the plaster to set - but this can vary more or less, so it's important to check it by mixing it. You can't use it when it's too watery. But once it's thicker, at a consistency similar to frosting, you can then use it.

Step 3: Spreading the Plaster & Placing Stones

Once the plaster is ready, take your spatula and spread it on like you would icing on a cake! Be sure to have a thick enough layer - a quarter of a inch is good. Be careful to avoid getting it on the sides of the case (unless that is the style you are going for). Either way, avoid areas where there are buttons on the case. Once spread, then take those stones and drop them onto the phone or place them however you like. But, work fast enough because the plaster will dry! Once you have it how you like it, you'll need to let it sit and harden.

Step 4: Glue and Modge Podging the Case

At this point, I had an issue when making my case. It dried beautifully and the plaster and stone cover just slipped right off of the plastic shell it was on. Please check if it has truly adhered or not before proceeding. If not, then you will need to glue the plastered slab of stones (the cover you made) onto the plastic phone case.

After that, take out your Modge Podge and paintbrush, and spread the Modge Podge all over the phone case. Spread it in between the stones and also onto the sides of your case. Be sure to clean up any areas that seep into the inside of the case. It's important to spread it on the sides of the case as well as the top - to really secure it and bind it to the case.

Once dry, you'll notice that the Modge Podge has given your case a nice shiny beautiful look. Feel free to do several layers of the Modge Podge if you want your case even more solid.