How to Make It — DIY Guide

Build your own badge reel — pipe it, press it, wear it.
Built for 12-hour shifts, made to be you. ✦

ReelCute decoden badge reel worn on scrubs

✦ What's in your kit

Everything's in the box — nothing extra to buy. Your tray has four sections:

1

Reel base

Retractable clip reel + scalloped acrylic base ×1

2

Charms + letters

Theme charm, heart charms & a full A–Z letter set

3

Beads + sprinkles

Sparkly rhinestone beads & pastel sprinkles

4

Cream + tip

Two cream colors in piping tubes, plus a piping tip

Everything in the ReelCute DIY kit, numbered by tray section

✦ How to make it

About 15–20 minutes to build, then air-dry. Work on a flat, clean surface.

Plan your look

Dry-arrange your charms on the base and spell your credential (RN, LPN, CNA, RT…) or name with the letter tiles — before any cream.

Prepare the cream

Attach the piping tip to the cream tube. Squeeze firmly and pipe a swirl onto the acrylic base — just like icing a cake. Mix the two colors however you like.

How to prepare and load the cream piping bag, step by step

Press in your pieces

While the cream is still wet, gently press in the charms, letters, rhinestone beads and sprinkles.

Pressing a charm into wet decoden cream with tweezers

Let it cure

Lay it flat, undisturbed. The cream firms up in a few hours and fully cures in 24–48 hours. Keep it in a well-ventilated spot; don't touch until fully hard.

Attach to the reel

After the base is fully cured, use the round adhesive pad to attach it to the retractable reel.

Attaching the finished decoden base to the retractable reel

Clip & wear

Clip it onto your scrubs or lanyard — and shine on your next shift. ✦

Cream glue tips
  • The cream is a non-toxic, water-based resin glue — not food. Please don't eat it.
  • Leftover cream? Seal the tube in a zip bag with the air squeezed out. Unclog the tip with a toothpick.
  • Charm fell off after drying? Re-stick it with a dab of fresh cream or a little super glue.

✦ Care

♥ Keep it dryDon't submerge in water. Wipe gently with a soft, slightly damp cloth.
♥ Mind the sanitizerHand sanitizer and alcohol can dull the finish — keep them off the charms.
♥ Store it flatRest it on a flat surface, especially while the cream is still curing.
⚠ Safety
  • Adult badge accessory — not a toy. Contains small parts (charms, beads, sprinkles) that are a choking hazard.
  • Keep away from children and pets. The cream is non-toxic but not food — do not eat.

✦ Cream piping patterns

Same cream, different motions. Practice on scrap paper first, then pipe on your reel. Your kit's star tip makes all of these.

Shell border piping pattern

1 · Shell Border

Tip: open star tip

Hold the tube at a 45° angle. Squeeze so the cream fans out into a shell, then ease off the pressure and pull down into a short tail. Start each new shell right over the tail of the last one.

Pearl border piping pattern

2 · Pearl Border

Tip: no tip

Hold straight on at 90°. Squeeze a smooth round ball, stop, and pull straight away. Keep the pearls the same size and just touching. If a little point sticks up, pat it flat with a slightly damp fingertip.

Swirl border piping pattern

3 · Swirl Border

Tip: open star tip

Hold at about 45°. Keeping steady pressure, move in small continuous loops along the edge, each swirl overlapping the last — it builds into a twisted, rope-like line.

Star border piping pattern

4 · Star Border

Tip: open star tip

Hold straight on at 90°. Squeeze in place, then lift straight off without dragging — that gives a flat little star. Pipe them in an even row; great for filling gaps too.

Dollop border piping pattern

5 · Dollop Border

Tip: large open star tip

Hold straight on at 90°. Squeeze and let the cream build into a full, tall dollop, then release and pull straight up to a peak. Bigger and more three-dimensional than a star.