DIY Painted Shoes

Yesterday I realized that I had some brand-new, never-been-worn, purple Keds. They were hideous. Instead of throwing them away, I decided to paint them. I had nothing to lose. Here's how I did it, and you can too.

Materials:
-Shoes made out of canvas or some other paintable material
-Paint brushes of various sizes (I used a very small one for all of the flowers.)
-Acrylic Paint (If you get black, white, red, blue, and yellow you can mix any color you want.)
-A few hours (It took me like five, but I was watching TV and eating too.)

1. Paint over that ugly purple (or whatever unfortunate color your shoes are plagued with). I decided to use a light, baby pink as my base color. It took three coats to completely mask the offending color. You don't have to be that careful about getting paint on the eyelets or rubber parts because it will just scratch off. Don't forget to paint the tongue of the shoe.

2. Then pick a pattern for inspiration. I picked a vintage floral wallpaper as mine. If you pick an intricate design your mistakes will not be too evident.

3. Mix the paint colors that you are going to use. I advise mixing them and not using the colors straight out of the bottle because it adds more of your own flair and is just more fun. Use one color at a time and copy the design. You don't have to copy it exactly, just use it as a guide. If you do a pattern similar to mine, just paint a few flowers at a time.

4. Add more details to the initial design that you have made. 

5. Keep painting and don't give up. Take breaks when you need them (don't forget to put your brushes in water so they don't dry out, though!) I just filled the front part of the shoe with the floral. I also decided to paint the piping and seams of my shoes with the contrasting light coral color.

6. Paint the other shoe and do not give up! This is the worst part because you want to be finished. Just keep with it; it's not so bad, I promise!

This was my finished result. I can't wait to wear them! I might put lacquer on them to make them more stain resistant. Good luck if you are going to paint some.

Until next time, happy crafting,

Maya :)