What Not To Walk In

I love shoes, there's no denying that. When it is time to do those inevitable clothing purges the one thing I have an issue getting rid of is shoes. It kills me to just get rid of perfectly good shoes, even the ones in decent condition. My first instinct is always to see if I can give them a makeover. So, that's what I did here.

First are my black booties. I had been wanting new black booties, and these ones replaced my last ones. That was until one day I found some new super dope ones to replace these. In the donate pile they were about to go. Then I decided they were still good booties, in good condition. Why not face lift them instead. 

I contemplated a full on change, but decided to just add a little color to them instead. I grabbed a silver marker and carefully drew a line to add color to the tip and to the back. Then colored in the sections with silver Angelus Leather Paint. 

However, once I added the silver I didn't really like them. It was too light, and did not go with the gold zipper. So, I changed it and went over the silver with gold. 

I was hesitant about the gold because it's so common now, but I like it. I like it A LOT!

This next pair I did sometime last year. I got these boat shoes from Old Navy. I had been looking for some shoes to paint. These were only $3 on clearance. I think because there was some sort of random pink stitching on them. I got to the checkout line and they were an additional 30% off. $2 project shoes...I'll take it. 

I had these shoes for months trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with them. I had absolutely no idea. Then one day I made it a priority, and just did something. This is what I came up with

I originally wanted something colorful, but then went with the basic black. To give them some sort of flair, I added a little pop of color to the heel. 

I absolutely LOVE these shoes. Since I made them, I literally wear them all the time. They have become my go to sneakers. 

For my final pair of shoes I decided to update these red suede like heels. I've had these for I don't know how long. I wanted something fun and printed, so I knew I was going to cover them. 

I started off by using a gold paint marker to give the heels and platform some color. 

For the fabric I found this multi-colored print at Hobby Lobby. 

I slathered on a layer of Aleene's Fabric Glue, and then proceeded to apply the fabric. 

As you can see it didn't really work. The fabric was not thick enough. I also was having trouble getting clean edges. It was kind of a mess. So, Plan B. I decided to go with paint. I painted each shoe white using Angelus Leather Paint. 

It took about 3 coats to get full coverage. 

Then I grabbed a pencil and sketched stripes. I measured each line, so I could assure symmetry. 

I filled every other line with black until I had 2 complete shoes. 

I liked them, but I was going to take it a step further. For awhile I have had this idea to make fun shoe clips. I just needed to find the right shoes to do it with. I bought a few packs of shoe clips from JoAnn's.

For the first pair of clips I used these cute metal bows I got from Hobby Lobby. I have been eye balling these for a few weeks. I've just been contemplating the perfect project. I bought a pack of gold ones.

I pulled out a bow and dabbed some super glue on the back, and then added a clip.

I let the glue dry for 24 hours before handling. 

The next pair is the idea that sparked the shoe clips. I wanted 2 contrasting ones, of a moon and a star. I bought a roll of silver sequins. I cut each shape out of metal sheet material I had from a previous project. The metal came from Home Depot. Then I glued the sequins down using hot glue until I covered the entire surface. I finished by adding clips to the back. Now that I'm writing this blog, I'm thinking of making some of these in a deep royal blue. That could be awesome and fancy.

For the last pair I wanted sparkle. I used the remaining 2 bows from the pack, and spray painted them red. Then while they were still wet, I sprinkled them with red glitter. Once it was dry I didn't think it was enough. So, I went in for a second round. This time I sprayed each bow with spray glue, and then bathed them in more glitter. I waited 24 hours for them to dry. To protect the glitter and keep it from getting everywhere, I sealed each bow with a layer of Mod Podge. 

The finished product looked like this.

I personally love the red bows. They make me feel like I'm walking Wizard of Oz. I will say since finishing this the super glue has turned out to be a terrible adhesive choice. It was not a good metal adhesive in this instance, and a bow popped right off the clip as soon as I handled them. I wore them to work last week, and was completely defeated when I knocked a red bow off getting in the car. I was SO mad. The hopes and dreams of my cute outfit had been ruined. Oddly enough though, I received lots compliments on just the black and white shoe. So, I guess I did something right. I went to the craft store and purchased some metal epoxy. Hopefully, that works out better. (Crossing my fingers)

 What do you think? Which is your favorite face lift. I hate throwing away good shoes, so I love being able to repurpose them into something new and fresh. 

Until then...It's on to the next project.