Old soles

I am very loyal to my shoes.  Once I find a pair or style I like, I cling to them.  Maybe it's because I'm always looking for that perfect combination of comfortable and sassy.  Boring shoes are for boring people. 

Now these Cloud 9s (made by Nine West) wouldn't set the world on fire, but I could walk for miles in them and they do have a kicky little ankle-strap.  When they started to look a bit worn, I decided to put them aside for a project.  I thought I might need them for a Halloween costume or some other worthy sacrifice. 

Instead, I ran across Craft's Shoe Issue and decided they could become something new.  I didn't want to get all crazy with the doodads and the artsy-craftsiness.  I wouldn't end up wearing them if they looked sloppy or homemade, so I pondered things for a bit.  Finally I decided I needed a pair of metallic sandals.  They'd dress up a regular work dress, but could look great with a pair of jeans or peaking out from long pants. 

I had some high-pigment load metallic acrylic paint just sitting in my drawer and thought a few thin layers would do the trick.  As you can see, my materials were very basic: 1. Shoes cleaned with a little nail polish remover, 2. Part of an old sponge and 3. Metallic paint. 

I discovered that starting with a thin coat was very important.  I actually used the paint more like a polish and just started rubbing in small amounts with the sponge.  I dabbed the sides which created a matte effect and painted the insoles as well. 

The final result was better than I expected.

I've done a bit of additional work on the sole to even out the finish, but I'm very happy with the pewter color of the leather.  So far there haven't been any cracks or flakes.  I'm thinking they could probably even be polished with a neutral oil or saddle soap.

Note to self: it's really really time for some new linoleum in the kitchen.

Comments

[Carrie]

VERY cute...and just in time to save some shoes I was planning on taking to the goodwill store...

high pigment load metallic paint, huh....can you find that at a regular craft store and will it say that right on the jar?

Thanks for the post!
Carrie

[Anne]

Thanks Carrie!

You could definitely try some craft paints (the little 99 cent bottles) and see if you like the results. I bet metallic stencil paints would work well since they're meant to be applied in thin layers. As long as you're quick, you can use soap and water to remove anything you don't like.

Let me know how it goes!