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How To: DIY Glitter Pumps

Friday, December 6, 2013

My wedding dress and I fell in love immediately, but I spent some time trying to figure out what shoes I want to wear when I get married. Our ceremony is going to be outside and Rob is quite a bit taller than me, so I knew I needed high heels that were substantial enough for me not to sink into possibly damp grass. I thought about wedges but never really found any I liked enough, and I kept coming back to my favorite pair of leather pumps I used to wear to work every day. "If only I could find a pair exactly like these, just a little more special," I kept saying.

I have a brown pair and a nude pair of these pumps from J.Crew, and the nude ones have been worn to pieces. I had actually stopped wearing them because they looked so bad, and when I was about to throw them away I decided to try a little craft on them first. So with a bit of Mod Podge and a whole lot of glitter, I now have the perfect wedding shoes.


I'm going to show you how I did it because I am really not a craft person and I just loved every minute of it. I'm saving these for my wedding, but they'd make perfect holiday party shoes. (And the supplies only cost me about $15!)


Supplies:
An old pair of shoes
Mod Podge Glue, Gloss Finish
Glitter (I went with a larger glitter in silver)
A paintbrush
Masking tape
Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer


  
1. Tape the soles with masking tape--you don't really have to do this but if you're worried about getting glue on the bottom, it makes life a little easier for you.
2. In a paper bowl, pour some Mod Podge and mix quite a bit of glitter into it. I didn't measure and just kept adding glitter until I could tell that there was more than just glue in there.
3. Brush the glitter-glue mix onto each shoe. Do two or three coats. Let it dry overnight. Remove tape.





4. The next day I felt like they looked pretty good, but I wasn't completely happy with the amount of sparkle. I added another coat of Mod Podge (glitter-less, this time) and then just poured loose glitter on each shoe. That did the trick.
5. Use the acrylic sealer to spray a coat or two on top of the final layer of glitter. If you're wearing a short dress, you're good to go, but since my dress is long, I've been adding a few extra coats here and there so that the rough glitter doesn't snag the lining of my gown. I'm also going to pop some new insoles into them before the wedding since the original ones are looking a little worn and kind of gross.



They're exactly what I had in mind--I've never felt more crafty in my life!

16 comments:

  1. These are so fun! My boyfriend is also a giant and I find that I often wear boots (or something with a slight heel) when I'm heading out with him. This is a really nice way to recycle some well loved shoes.

    The Rambling Fangirl

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  2. What a great idea! Not only do they look awesome, but you will guranteed be comfy as well, since the shoes are already broken in. Genius!

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  3. What a great idea! Not only do they look awesome, you will be comfy as well, since they are already broken in. Genius!

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  4. That's awesome! I'm guessing you originally got those at the J.Crew clearance store? I recognized the little permanent marker line inside the shoe ;)

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  5. These are amazing. Please come over and glitter all of my shoes, thanks!

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  6. These are SO fun! Please come over and glitter all of my shoes, thanks.

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  7. i think i already told you this, but this was how i made my first ever paid of Dorothy slipper at age 14. I just coated a pair of cheap black heels in glue and dunked it in loose red glitter--they were so perfect and held up for about 7 years (i wore that costume for several consecutive halloweens)! I didn't seal it though, but they wore really well even without it!

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  8. Ahhhh those look like so much fun and now I want to glitterize all of my shoes! The only problem is that I can't remember the last time I wore heels. Crap. But I have a lot, so maybe if I made them "new" I'd wear them!

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  9. holy crap this is impressive. would you like to come over and help me dye my wedding shoes burgundy? I will pay you in wine.

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  10. Love them! I cannot wait to see pictures of you in your dress. I know you will be so beautiful!

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  11. These are adorable!! Perfect wedding shoes!!

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  12. Super beautiful, Freckles! These will be gorgeous with your wedding gown! Brilliant!

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  13. Super beautiful! These will be gorgeous with your wedding gown! Brilliant!

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