First Effort: Shoes

When I discovered the internet, a whole new world was opened. With this world came the realization that there are so many talented people in the world. With art and creativity everywhere I looked, my greatest desire was (and still is!) to join their ranks. The artistic group I've decided to jump into is the do-it-yourselfers. These people take everyday objects (or not so everyday objects) and make something new from them. My first attempt at a do-it-yourself project, before this blog, resulted in the tragic death of a gorgeous chocolate cake. Cake decorating is not for the faint of heart.

With this blog, I will chronicle my newest attempts at diy projects. I have decided to bite the bullet and risk something I treasure; my shoes. I have a pair of wedge-boots that are suede, so they're scuffed up because of the frequency I wear them. 

Unfortunately, the suede is coming off.

Because these shoes are already dead visually, it is not a risky project. If this is your first time with fabric paint and you're not sure what you're doing, I would not use your favorite pair of shoes.  What you'll need is:     

• A pair of shoes you want to refurbish
• Fabric paint of your color choice
• Spray sealant (found next to the paint in stores)
• Brush 
• Paint palette (or paper plate, anything goes)
• Good old-fashioned scotch tape
• The great outdoors

1.  First, use the scotch tape to tape off the edges to separate where you want to paint and where you want to leave the original shoe. If you're painting the entire shoe, you can ignore this step.

Yay, tape!

 2. Squeeze fabric paint into a section of the palette, or paper plate.

paint inside the tape

3. Once the paint is out in the open, take the brush and paint inside the taped off areas. Apply one layer, then wait for at least 10 minutes to apply a second coat. (two coats should be enough, but you can apply more if you want.)



4. When everything is painted and nice, peel the tape off the shoe.

5. When the shoe is completely tape-less, go outside or to a well ventilated area to spray at least the newly painted part with the sealant (I sprayed the entire shoe). Going to a ventilated area is very important for this because the sealant's smell is very strong and could be dangerous if there's no fresh air.

6. Wait for the sealant to dry and...

VOILA!

   Fabulous shoes resulted and everyone is happy. I painted a gold edge on mine freehand, which is completely unnecessary unless you want to do it. Overall, I am very happy with my first Do-It-Yourself Project. I think these shoes have a steam-punk kind of feel. More photos will come when I figure out what I'm going to wear them with!