DIY: Glitter Sneakers

Guest post by Lisa of Studio Jewel (thebeadgirl.etsy.com)


I have to admit, sometimes I just LIKE sparkly things. And as a crafty girl at heart, glitter makes my heart pitter patter. So when I stumbled across a how-to make a pair of my own twinkly-sparkly shoes, I took the bait! Of course, I did it for my children.

Here is my version of these glitterful masterpieces. Be forewarned, glitter is NOT for the faint of heart!

What you will need:
a pair of sneakers - we each found what we loved!
fabric glue - tacky glue seemed to work the best
glitter - duh!
painters tape
paper plates
a shoe box
craft sticks or toothpicks
other metallic embellishments




First up, gather your shoes and supplies:


Take out your shoe laces. Pull out the tongue, don't stick it out....pull it out silly! And tape down the rest of the shoe with painters tape.





Apply your tacky glue with a craft sponge...or your finger. I'm a "get messy kinda girl" so I prefer the finger method myself! Liberally shake glitter onto the glued area...OVER A SHOE BOX!


Shake off excess glitter into your box, then pour it onto a paper plate to re-use for the next "gluing". (see we are even recycling when we glitter!) Switch shoes in order to allow the section you just worked on to dry for a few minutes.


Now start in on another section...using either a toothpick or craft stick to get around tough areas. You will be able to easily scrape the dried glitter off the grommets later, so don't worry too much! (see our lovely examples of the "glue experience"). Then repeat the glittery steps.


**Note** I chose silver and black glitter over grey shoes = easy. Tahlia chose pink glitter over pink shoes = SUPER easy. Anneke chose black glitter over white shoes = much more labor intensive, but oh-so-cool!




We did allow them dry for an entire day before we attempted to lace them up and wear them out! Last step I sprayed them with an art fixative "just in case".


End result? We LOVE them! And my girls discovered they love glitter too!

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See more of Lisa online at:

Jan Halvarson

10 comments:

Kate Jones said...

OMG I LOVE THIS! Do you leave a glitter trail as you walk? :) http://katejones.me/

W.D. said...

Fantastiche...c'è anche un altro vantaggio: che dove cammini lasci una scia di stelle! ;-)

Unknown said...

slight glitter trail...depends on how thorough you are with your gluing :)

Anonymous said...

Is there a product to seal the glitter from the top? I would think that the glitter would fall off in the creases of the shoes and just from normal wear and tear...especially kids!

Thanks
:)

Anonymous said...

Really great job! Super cute!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE this idea!!! Are the shoes stiff when you wear them?

Stella said...

Thanks for the tutorial!!
This is great!

Anonymous said...

Amazing great wonderful shoes! I will do this! :D Thank you so much for the inspiration! Oh and what exactly do you mean by "tacky glue"? The glue that is in a little jar?

Anonymous said...

I tried doing this with mod podge for a Halloween costume and the glitter flaked off in patches around the creases of my converse. :( I'm going to try again though using your method!

Unknown said...

Does this work with LED trainers? :)