DIY Glitter Wedding Shoes

Dad and I on the big wedding day!

DIY WEDDING!

So, again with the seemingly current pattern of my posts, our wedding was on a tight budget and about 99% of EVERYTHING was a DIY project. My dress (seen left) was made by my aunt, who also did all of the ties (see my dad's tie in the same picture to the left) even all of the bride's maids dresses! The flower girl's dresses were also DIY by my mother-in-law who also made the blue velvet cupcakes, that were delicious!

Boring black pumps

I needed something BLUE and I always knew that I wanted that to be my shoes. Because, unfortunately, there was no way I could afford those Carrie Minolos (you know the ones, from the movie). So this is what I did, and they turned out pretty awesome!


I started with a pair of bland and truth-be-told, ugly shoes that I found at Fred Meyer in the clearance section for only $14!! I knew by this point what I was going to do and that I would be making super sparkly delicious shoes out of these tragically droll black things. What was the best part was that they were actually comfortable, I should have, in all honesty, gotten a taller heal since I have short stubby legs, but they worked just fine.

Besides the shoes, all you need is:
*Mod Podge (the miracle worker)
*Glitter (of course I used Martha Stewart stuff)
*A paint brush
--A bowl to mix everything together in, I used a paper bowel since a real one would have been ruined.

Finding the right glitter to Mod Podge ratio can be kinda difficult. Too much glitter and it will come out clumpy and sloppy looking. Too little and you will have to paint WAY TOO MANY layers of your glitter concoction which will result in sticky and sensitive shoes. Sensitive to anything that touches them may get a little stuck or imprint its texture into them. So it is something that you may have to play with a little to get the desired effect.

Then start painting!
This part can take for what seems like an eternity, for those of us who are impatient and want instant results. Because you MUST wait for each layer you paint to dry thoroughly, to keep the glitter from moving around and keep the glue from bunching up and looking messy. The idea is to get the shoe completely covered in glitter, so that will take several layers, several hours, and some patience. It was a cold spring when I was making mine so I put them in front of the little space heater to dry faster between coats.

Drying. Also good to wait for each coat to be completely dry
so you can get a better idea on where to concentrait more or less glitter.

 I decided to do it this way over the "glue first then dump your glitter on top" method because I wanted to keep the glitter on the shoes, unlike what you mostly see in the stores where the glitter is constantly flaking off and leaving a fairy trail everywhere you step...and glitter is NOT easy to clean up off of the floors (or anywhere for that matter). But I have a modification to that method I want to try on something bigger than my earrings, I will post that when/if I ever get to it.

The rhinestone details. Very sparkly something blue shoes!

On my shoes, there was that little strap that goes across the toes and I wanted to add some extra detail there for some extra pop. Keeping Carrie's shoes in mind, I got these rhinestone stickers from the scrapbooking section and Mod Podged those beauties across there. I think they turned out pretty cute and I want to make more soon!

<3 My DIY wedding shoes! Finished product.

Repurpose: Tin Can into Planter

Image1.
Repurposed tin can to mod planter

UPCYCLING IS FUN!

It is that time of year again, where all I want to do is sow my seeds and grow some food and beautiful flowers. The calm that washes over me tending to these delicate things and creating new life is blissful, as it is for so many of us.
Unfortunately, if you're anywhere near the same boat as I am, getting pots is so expensive, and when you have a tentative living situation and/or are a renter/apartment dweller, it isn't always so simple to just plant away.
It almost defeats its own purpose, well, at least part of the purpose, that is to save money by not having to purchase expensive  fresh produce.
I ran into this problem today. I went to the store and they were having an excellent sale on seeds, I intended to buy some but just could afford the pots to put them in. How awesome it was that  I had come across THIS on Pinterest, and it hit me...why not a planter?
I had just finished a can of coffee and it would be perfect for this project.
Here is my whole process:

Image 2.
Supplies

Here's What You Will Need:

*Tin can, coffee or soup will work

*Paint (I used Martha Stewart's any surface acrylics

*Sheet of paper

*Exacto blade

*Paint brush/sponge brush

*Hammer

*Nail

*Spray adhesive

**Alternate**Hot glue gun

1. Grab your can and paint your base color

Image 3.
You will probably need to paint several layers, and you may be like me in that you lose patients with letting each one dry properly. But hang in there.

2. Once the paint is completely dry hammer in the nail around the bottom of the can.

Image 4.
In all reality it probably should
have been done first. But I did it
second and touched
up the paint.

Don't hammer the nail in all the way you may find it difficult to pull it back out. These holes are your drainage spots for excess water. I put in four for good measure.

3, 4 & 5 Adding the "Love":

Image 5

Image 7
Placing the stencil

Write your word on the sheet of paper and cut it out with the exacto blade. Be sure to also cut out the center of each letter As seen in Image 6. 

Keep the centers, that's what you are going to be using. Cut around the word from the sheet of paper as seen in Image 7. 

Image 6

Take that sheet and the centers you cut out in the previous step and spray the wrong side with the spray mount. Let it dry most of the way, you want to create a temporary tacky surface not permanent. After it is mostly dry, stick it on the can wherever you want it to be. (Image 7)

Take your paint brush, and fill in your stencil.

Image 8
Fill in the blanks

 6. Finishing Touches:

Once you have touched up the paint from the stencil, like I had to. Your planter is complete and ready for dirt and seeds!

My stencil turned out a little less than perfect but I like that fact. It almost looks like it was written in chalk. Which may be a future project!

***Alternate***

For my second can, the stencil was a disaster. I was far too impatient and didn't wait for the paint to dry nor did I give the spray mount proper drying time. So, when I peeled off the stencil, it took the paint with it...FAIL!

So, I took an idea from another pin I found utilizing a hot glue gun.

Writing with the glue gun was a little more difficult than I had initially thought. It turned out a bit sketchy, but considering the general feel I was going for, I think it works.

Then paint your base color over the glue once it hardens.

Plant your seeds and add your marker. 

COMPLETE!

TOTAL COST: $0.00

I already had all of the supplies and dirt. You could include the cost of seeds which was $1.00

I will continue to practice this and put some variety of can planters up on my Etsy shop soon!

Also coming soon...

Garden Markers!!

I have several variety in mind and will get them up as quickly as I can make them!