My daughter only wants to wear sparkly shoes at the moment. No doubt this is a common occurrence amongst 3 year old girls. The only problem with most available sparkly shoes is that they are generally covered in sequins which fall off and look tatty and they are not built for 'off road' wear.
So on our expedition yesterday to find a sturdy pair of sparkly shoes (as mentioned the odds were against us!) I discovered a pair of simple, 'off road' soled, pink canvas shoes at Kmart. They certainly weren't sparkly but with a little creative nous, I knew they could be! I forked out the whopping $8 for the shoes and made my way home.
I have a number glittery fabric paints (can be found at Lincraft/Spotlight) in my stash and knew they'd be ideal for decorating Ivy's shoes. They are quite a versatile paint - they can be washed, have a bit of flex when they're dry, can cope with a bit of wear and tear - so are ideal for a pair of shoes. I asked Ivy which colour she'd prefer and surprisingly(not) she chose pink. I had only intended to paint the shoes using one colour but Ivy insisted I use the blue and purple too - hence the hearts and dots. We put the shoes up high and out of the way of curious hands and allowed them to dry overnight.
This morning we got the shoes down and Ivy was really excited. She put them on straight away and said the dots looked like flashing lights. I was over the moon too. Who would have thought it was possible to have ended up with an 'off road' pair of sparkly shoes?? Don't you just love a happy, glittery ending?
23 comments:
Love them! I had a job one summer painting white canvas runners for Kmart. They had overstocked and hired 6 of us to hand paint a zillion of them. It was such fun. We drove to their warehouse in Cooleroo everyday and got high on the fabric paint fumes. Thanks for reminding me.
Wow! That's glittery for sure. Doubt there'll be a skerrick of glitter around these parts unless I get a hankering for it...
That's a much better idea than my glittery shoe experiment! My goddaughter wanted sparkly pink gumboots, but it was Christmas and there aren't a lot of gumboot options in summer. I found a plain pink pair at Big W and poured sparkly nailpolish all over them. The sparkles have mostly flaked off over time... hopefully not on my friend's carpet.
They look great Mel, Ivy would be wrapped with her twinkle toes, For $8 too! Yay.
What a fascinating job! Did they want to sell the runners in their stores? What kind of decoration did you do?
Well you never know! When my son was about 4 I made him a lightening power suit - black lycra with a band of silver lurex around the bottom of the legs and sleeves and a lightening rod across the front of the top. He didn't take it off for days. They served as daytime clothes and pyjamas. I still remember him riding his bmx with it on. Cracks me up thinking about it!
Thanks Chele. Gotta love a bargain! It was nice to know that if I stuffed it up, it didn't really matter! :-D
Yep, they sold the runners we painted in their stores. We had no
restrictions so we painted anything and everything;stripes, flowers,
hearts, stars, footy colours, scenes, fruit....It was a great job but
the fumes would get to you after a while.
That's still a good idea! I imagine it would be hard finding something that would stick to the rubber? I wonder if there is anything that does?
Love these! Niamh has a pair of pink sequin-y shoes which are strictly dress-ups box only, because they just don't fit so well (an op-shop find). Maybe I'll do her a custom 'off-road' pair as well.
(It was lovely to meet you today, btw :) )
That up there should say 'Melanie', because it's me. Oops!
gorgeous idea! so fun. i love them x
great to meet you today! what a fantastic idea, so simple & cheap. thanks, will definitely give that a try. :)
<h1><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oh wow Mel! They are amazing. When I first started reading I thought, "Where on earth did she find the perfect combo of sturdy AND sparkly" before I realised you had done it! I can only imagine Ivy's excitement! Oh and where can I place my order? :) </span></h1>
I'd be happy to make up a pair for you. What size is Sienna? Alternatively, you could send me a pair you find?
These are fabulous. A great idea. (don't think my two boys would appreciate them as much though)
They are Super Cool... love them. (Do you think I'm too old for a pair? he he)
It was lovely to meet you too Mel (he he he). I have now clicked where I know your online identity from - Twitter!!
It all fits together now...
It was great to meet you too Cathie!
Don't worry Kellie , there will be a time when they'll need glitter in their lives. It won't necessarily be pink but it will sparkle just the same!
certainly not too old for a pair. I actually considered the same thing myself. I am a glitter tragic
What vision you had! Hand done sparkles has to be better than store bought ones. They look perfect for walking and running and skipping and dancing and climbing and all those other important things little girls have to do.
These are absolutely awesome. I've got to get me some fabric glitter paint, stat!
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