Tuesday, February 22, 2011

How to Add Bling to Shoes- for cheap!

I am so excited to share this project with you. It is darling and has brought lots of joyful sounds to our household!

My daughter wanted Sketcher Twinkle Toes for her birthday and I just wasn't finding any for a great price. So I decided to make them.

If you go to Old Navy or Children's Place they often clearance their canvas shoes for just a few dollars.

Here's what I bought:
Old Navy- Shoes
Joann's- 3mm Rhinestone's, Jewel-it Glue & Fabric paints (use a compound instead of Jewel-it*)
Dollar Store- Glitter laces

Because I didn't have time to bargain shop...her birthday is this week...I ended up spending $15 (still half the retail price).


1) Let's get started with the rhinestones:

Make sure you have everything together before you start.
You will need:
rhinestones
glue
a plate
tweezers
a piece of paper/plastic
a toothpick
a pen

With the pen mark the spots where you want to place the rhinestones.

Squirt some glue on the paper/plastic.

Get a dot of glue on your toothpick and place it on one of the marks you made (don't get too much glue or it will squeeze out from the sides of the rhinestone).

With the tweezers pick up your first rhinestone and place it on the mark. Gently press it into place.

Repeat with all the rhinestones. Let dry for 24 hours.

2) Now let's move on to the fabric paint:

You will need:
fabric paint (I just used two colors of glitter paints)

Paint the designs you want and let them dry overnight.


I painted around the eyelets and then simply filled in all the green and pink hearts with glitter.

3) Test the stones:

Before you add the laces you'll want to shake, knock, tap and rub the rhinestones to make sure they are there to stay. If any fall off, now is a good time to replace them (rather than in a few days when you've put all the supplies away)!

4) Finish them off by adding the glitter laces.


I was amazed at how dramatic the laces made them look!

VOILA!! Easy, cheap, fun, cute...blinged shoes!

*I would recommend a compound instead of the Jewel-it glue. Some of the jewels fell off on the first wear and need to be glued with something stronger.

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