A Guide to Revamping Old Shoes

Like a lot of women, I love shoes and have a sizeable collection. As a single mother I rarely have the money to go out and buy a nice new pair of shoes, especially since a lot of the time I will only wear them once and put them away at the back of a cupboard. I decided to combine my love of crafting with my shoe obsession and came up with a way to revamp your old shoes for under ?20! Painting your shoes is a great hobby and it gives you beautiful, unique shoes that will be the envy of all your friends.

What you will need:

· An old pair of canvas or leather shoes (or a pair from a thrift shop or some super cheap ones, it doesn't matter if they look boring, as long as you like the shape of them. Fake leather also works well.)

· Nail polish remover and cotton wool balls

· A cheap set of acrylic paints, can be found in craft stores for ?10

· A bottle of clear acrylic varnish, also found in craft stores

· Paint brushes, if like me you are on a budget you can use make up brushes. Liquid eyeliner brushes are great for painting details.

· A fine tipped permanent marker to outline details (optional)

1. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area before you start. Lay down some old newspaper on your work surface before you start and make sure you wear old clothes as acrylic paint does not wash out.

2. Soak a cotton wool ball in nail varnish remover and begin to rub it all over the material of your shoe. This will clean off all dirt and also strip away the waxy protective layer. You may want to repeat this step a few times, it is very important that you get all of the top layers off so that the paint will stay. Make sure that you get in to all the creases, the shoe should look dull once the wax has been taken off.

3. Now it's time to decide what you want the base colour of your shoe to be, you could leave it the original colour, paint it a whole new colour or maybe even get adventurous with stripes or another pattern. Whatever you decide to do, you need to remember to use more than one coat of paint, this will ensure that there are no gaps or lighter areas where the paint has been spread thin. Make sure the paint is fully dried before starting the next step.

4. If you are good at drawing you can paint all sorts of designs and pictures on to your shoes, this is where a clean liquid eyeliner brush can come in handy. It can also be useful to carefully trace your design on to each shoe with a pencil first. It is important to look for where the most creases are on your shoes and avoid painting designs there, these are places where your shoe bends while you walk and designs painted there can easily be ruined. Be sure to let each layer of paint dry before starting a new one, you don't want to smudge your gorgeous new creations! You can use the fine tipped marker to outline any drawings, it's much easier than trying to paint a thin black line.

5. Once your artwork is finished and has had time to fully dry, you need to coat the shoe in clear varnish to stop any damage being done to the paint. Your new shoes will need two separate coats of varnish, usually leaving 24 hours in between each coat to give the layers a chance to dry. Once the second coat is dry, your new shoes will be ready to show off to the world!

The best part about this whole project is that once you have bought the paints and other items needed, you can use them over and over, producing up to ten newly spruced up shoes. Why not try experimenting? You can use glitter on your shoes before applying the varnish, you could use metallic paints, stick on jewels or even use a hot glue gun to apply small items such as fake flowers or other decorative pieces. Whatever you choose to do, painting your shoes in a fun, addictive hobby with the best reward - new shoes!

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Choosing Paint for Shoes

Paint for shoes? Many people don't even know such a thing exists. Well doesn't the shoe come from the factory already printed? Uh, yes in many cases. But for the millions of people who would like to add their personal touch to their footwear there are numerous brands of shoe paints available on the market.

Now not just any old paint will do for your absolutely amazing new painted shoes. Did you know that the best paint is one made specifically for the type of fabric your shoe is made from? For instance, if your shoe is leather, then you need to check the paint label to see if your paint is suited for the material. There are some paint pens on the market that are developed specifically for leather while others are designed for use on fabric or canvas type shoes.

Some folks also choose to use fabric dyes, especially for uniformity when coloring shoes for a group function like a bridal party. But even this can get real jazzy if you want to take your shoe to another level of design by adding other paints to the design.

There are also some artists who experiment with different types of paint on a variety of surfaces but if you are new to the art of shoe painting then it is safer to stick to the paints that were specifically designed for shoes. These paints can be flat and smooth to touch or raised for a multi-dimensional look. They are also available in opaque or translucent finishes. In any event, fabulous designs can be created with either style paint.

In addition to the texture, the shoe paint which is essentially fabric paint, comes in a broad range of colors, shades and finishes. If you love soft colors, look for the pastel selection. There's also glossy for the vibrant in your face, bold designs; pearlized, glitter and even metallic for the little zing you want to add to your shoe.

These paints can be applied with just about any creative instrument you may have on hand. A sponge, a paint brush, sprayed, your fingers or even squeezed directly from the container. The effects are also numerous. What you do with your paint for shoes is limited only by your creativity or sense of adventure.

When painting on shoes keep in mind that it's only paint and if you don't like it, then when it dries paint over it again. Each time you paint you will learn something new and improve your techniques. If you are a little timid, that's okay too. Practice painting on a similar piece of fabric to your shoe.

Buy a bunch of inexpensive sneakers or paint or your old ones. Whatever ones you choose to paint on though, you should ensure that it is clean first. Not all paint completely covers stains or dirt. But in the event that you do need to cover a few unattractive spots, use an opaque white primer as a base coat for your design. Then paint your designs on top of that when it has completely dried.

Teri M. Bethel specializes in creating painted fabrics for designers as well as teaching do-it-yourselfers how to paint fabrics with texture. She is the designer of Teri Monique Handbags, a line of custom made art purses for ladies.

Visit us at: http://www.paintwithtexture.com/paint-on-shoes-paint-for-shoes/

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Painting On Bridal Shoes - Beyond the Traditional Dye

A bride dreams of looking like the ultimate princess from head to toe on her wedding day. Nothing is left to chance in preparation. Whether it's the headpiece, the dress or the jewelry- every detail is a significant one right down to her "Cinderella slippers". Today's bride is equally enthralled with her shoe as she prepares to meet her "Prince Charming". The plain shoe has become a thing of the past as brides are willing to step out in their creativity and embrace their individual style. This is quite often done by painting on shoes.

Custom painting a bridal shoe is not a new thought but it is certainly a unique means in getting the exact style, color and look to complement the wedding dress. Some brides are so confident in their dressing that they no longer wear the traditional white on white, but opt for the bold embellished shoe painted in the oh, so funky colors. Others simply color and accessorize their shoes to coordinate with their bridal parties colors. Although this can be done professionally, many opt to purchase their art supplies to paint on shoes. This makes for a treasured keepsake for years to come.

This concept is also being embraced by brides who would like to wear their shoes beyond the wedding day. In addition to the painting of shoes, these brides have also sought to paint and embellish their purses for their honeymoon travels. Both the ready-to-paint or dye-able shoes and purses are available at most bridal stores.

This is not a difficult task at all even for those who don't yet know how to paint on shoes. Most bridal shoes come with several test swatches. Practice applying the fabric paint to those fabric swatches before putting the final color on your shoe. If you are using white paint you really can't go wrong; your effect will be brilliant especially if it is accessorized with flat back gems and pearls. Another absolutely stunning fool-proof look is painting with a variety of gold paints and studs.

Any look can be achieved with this style painting and, oh just for the record- Cinderella has nothing on you.

Teri M. Bethel specializes in creating painted fabrics for designers as well as teaching do-it-yourselfers how to paint fabrics with texture. Teri has been involved in manufacturing painted garments, handbags and fashion accessories for over two decades. She is the designer of Teri Monique Handbags, a line of custom made art purses for ladies.

Sign up for Teri's free "Designing Fabrics With Dimensional Paints Mini-Course" today.

Visit us at: http://www.paintwithtexture.com/paint-on-shoes-paint-for-shoes/

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