Monday, October 17, 2011

Dorothy's Shoes


I have always wanted a pair of sparkly red shoes just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Unfortunately they are really hard to come by outside of child size 6. Little known fact, however, is in the original story Dorothy has silver shoes. Actually a lot of the story was changed in the film. I guess MGM wanted to make more of a statement. Sorry L. Frank Baum I prefer the red shoes!
To make these shoes you need a few ingredients and a bit of patience.


Ingredients:
  • Shoes - any type will do. I happened to have some awesome pumps that needed some TLC.
  • Red glitter - $5 8oz jar at Michael's
  • Fabric glue or Jewel glue - make sure to get a kind that dries clear.
  • brush
 Brush a liberal amount of glue over the shoe and spread with the brush.


Cover that area with glitter


Make sure to put down newspaper or something because you will make a mess!


You can work in patches or do the whole shoe at once. I used the heel to hold onto as I worked then I covered it afterward. You will notice after one full coat that you can still see the shoe underneath. 


Let it dry for at least a couple hours (or until you can rub it without messing it up) before you add another coat. I added two full coats and I am really happy with the results.


Now I have red, sparkly, glittery, heels! This was really easy and cheap! Because I had shoes and glue already, I only paid for the glitter. Which means I made fabulous shoes (I would price at $40 respectively) for $5. Amazing, 3 clicks and I am home.


It was really hard to take a picture of my own feet!



The only problem is wherever I walk I leave a discreet trail of red glitter. If that is the only problem I have then there's nothing to complain about :) Plus who would'nt want to leave a trail of glitter wherever they go?

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35 comments:

  1. Would spraying them with aerosol hairspray help keep some of the glitter on?

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  2. Ooo maybe! I think it will eventually stop falling off as the loose glitter falls off. The glitter stuck to the glue should stick. Thanks for the idea!

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  3. I love these! They are awesome. I think I will make them for Halloween this year!

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  4. Thanks! Please share pictures!

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  5. Two or three coats of clear acrylic spray would seal all that in perfectly.

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  6. i very much love what you've done, what a clever way to jazz up old shoes. there might be a pair or two in my closet that need this little touch up :)

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  7. Alternatively, use some glossy Mod Podge. It will really keep everything on there without making it sticky.

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  9. I NEED to try this! I been looking for red shoes like this to wear during Christmastime forever!

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  10. doing this for my brides maids shoes!! they all love this!!

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  11. Oh I am so glad you like the shoes! Please post pictures! Congratulations on your wedding!

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  12. absolutely amazing! Im so doing this tomorrow!

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  13. Wow this is awesome! Just found you through pinterest, love your blog - will definitely be trying this out over Christmas. You've got a new follower :) xxx

    www.southmoltonststyle.com

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  14. So crazy! I did this same thing for my wedding because I'm obsessed with the wizard of oz! I sprayed a clear lakard (sp??? U get it in the paint section to seal paint) and it worked awesome! Some glitter was still lost but a lot less then without the clear coating! Love them!!

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  15. I had an old pair of shoes that were gold glitter already... over the weekend i decided to just experiment and see if i could touch them up a bit since i LOVE them and they are SOOOOo comfortable. I just used Mod Podge and it worked amazingly... NO glitter follows me when i walk (Even though i LOVE the idea of that) so instead of using the glue.. i would recomment mod podge from the start.

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    1. I was just wondering if Mod Podge could be used because I do have that at home :-)

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  16. try painting a layer of modge podge to seal the glitter better. :)

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  17. If you use modge podge it will dry clear, and will hold the glitter better. It stops you from also leaving a trail of glitter. :) they come out beautiful either way though!

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  18. I'm going to have to try this. I love seeing glittery things but they are so expensive. TY for the great tip

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  19. Another thing that helps, is a coat of clear spray paint. I did this to a pair of my little girl's shoes for st. patrick's day, but in green. It's so much fun!! Yours turned out beautiful!

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  20. I have a pair of shoes just like these and yes I always feel like Dorothy when I wear them! - Suzy

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  21. Instead of the fabric/jewel glue could you use mod podge?

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    1. I have seen a couple blogs that have used mod podge. They mix the glitter into the mod podge and apply in coats. It is a smoother texture in the end.

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  22. I did this very thing a while back, with a similar pair of shoes. One thing I did differently was I first painted the shoes the color I was glittering, in case there was to be any glitter fallout while walking, that wouldn't be so obvious. I also sprayed them with 2 coats of acrylic sealer, but a word of caution to any doing this: some colors of glitter ran after spraying them, dulling the glitter a bit (specifically the pink glitter I used,) but it might have been because I may have sprayed too close so one might hold the can back farther. I also noticed even with using gloss sealer, the finish on the glitter changed (dulled a bit more than just the glitter alone) so thats another thing to think about. I think next time I'd seal them, then go over with one last glitter coat to keep them looking perfect but still managing to keep the glitz intact!

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  23. Nice shoe color and you've made a lot of effort to make it look livelier. Congratulations. I wish I also have such unique talent.
    Thanks,
    online shoe store

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  24. Mod podge, where can u buy that?

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    1. You can buy it at Michael's Store or Joanne's Fabric store

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  25. Great idea! Im bout to do that today! Ive been looking for red glitter shoes everywhere For my halloween costume and no luck! So im going to buy some cheap heels and buy the glue n glitter and make them my self..

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  26. This is absolutely awesome. I too am a Wizard of Oz nut and it is way to hard to find adult ruby slippers. I have found a few but they are outrageous in price and don't look half as good as what you did here. We go to Oz Fest every year in Chesterton, IN and I can't wait to make my own pair to try out. Thanks for the wonderful project, love it.

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  27. Hi! I love your tip! I hope it was OK to borrow your idea to my Swedish blog?

    Of course I made a link back to you as the owner of the pictures and the source of the tip!

    /Jemima
    http://www.smartavardagstips.se/2012/12/hemmagjorda-glitterskor-till-nyar.html

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  29. Darling shoes. Something I would totally get into. A friend, covered some heels with glued on fabric, of her choice.

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  30. To avoid getting glitter all over when you decorate shoes, add the glitter to your modpodge / glue rather than painting on the glue and then pouring on the glitter. This means it will stick without ever leaving a trail ;-) Consequently it lasts much better, too ! xx

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  31. This is well great post, I was looking for it since for a while.

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