So for my first day of BEDA I'm writing really late. *oops*
However, I am writing, and I've been busy a lot of the day preparing for this post.
I've seen this idea all over the internet: making your own shoes. Obviously you have to have the actual shoe first, but if you find an ugly, old shoe, you can revamp it into something really amazing.
For the past several months, I've been wanting gold glitter pumps. They're adorable and would have gone with my last dress and they'll go with my prom dress this year. Unfortunately, the only ones that I could find that weren't 5 inches tall were
these from DSW.
Unfortunately, those were $40, and I didn't feel like buying a pair of shoes for that much money. So I decided to go with the next best thing (or the best thing, depending on how you look at it): making my own. Like I said, I've seen multiple tutorials for making glitter flats, pumps, etc. So today I decided to make my own glitter pumps.
Yesterday I went to Goodwill in an attempt to find some summer clothes, and also in a final attempt to find some cheap pumps which I could fix up for prom. Prom is less than two weeks away for me, so I kind of needed to decide what shoes I was wearing. And heaven forbid I wear my awful silver shoes that don't fit. I went searching through the shoe department at Goodwill, and what did I find but these gems:
Yes, I realize that old, black pumps are not exactly the coolest things ever, but they were perfect for me. The heels weren't too high and they actually fit, which were my only two qualifications. They are a little bit pointy toed, which looks more business, but I dressed them up quite a bit as you'll see.
For these shoes, I only used four things:
1. Glitter (gold, of course)
2. Modge Podge
3. A foam brush
4. A bowl to hold the contents
I already had the Modge Podge, but if I recall correctly it's only about $4.50 or so. The glitter was around $2.50, I already had the foam brush and bowl, and the shoes, if I recall, were only $4.99 or so. So with the new contents that I had to buy, I only spent about $7.50. If you went and bought all of these at once, you might spend $10 or $12 on them.
Once I had all of my "ingredients," I mixed the glitter and Modge Podge into the bowl like so:
and began painting. (I would recommend using a
lot more Modge Podge and glitter, but this was my first mixing of the two, so I wasn't quite sure how much to use)
When you first paint it on, it looks a little like this:
My first coat looked something like this:
After letting it dry for about 15 or 20 minutes (I wasn't that patient...), go on to your next coat.
I realized by about this coat it was going to take forever if I actually painted on every coat. What I started doing is painting the Modge Podge/glitter mix onto the shoe, and then I would pour glitter all over the shoe. That way it got fully covered. You have to be willing to get a little messy. Some spots, especially with these pumps, were hard to get a good coat on, so I would have to use my finger to apply the glue and the paint.
Continue painting your shoe until you fell like you have enough coats. If I remember correctly I used about four coats, but depending on the shoe and how much glitter you use in each coat, you may need more or less coats.
So the finished product looks a little something like this:
I'm just a little bit proud. :]
So now I can brag to all my friends at prom that I made my own shoes. 'Cause I'm just that good.
I didn't use a finishing glaze, which I have seen recommended on a lot of these DIY glitter shoes, and it would probably be a wise idea since I'm shedding glitter everywhere I go when I walk in these. But if you don't mind spreading happiness, feel free to not use it.
So that is how to make your own glitter pumps! Let's see how many girls at prom think I bought them for $60.
