Ever After Bliss: shoe smithing

Summer calls for easy-to-slip-on-yet-incredibly-adorable shoes. Summer holiday (I get one of these, I'm on it right now!) calls for getting together with friends you haven't seen in ages because you moved to North Carolina but you get to spend some time visiting Utah for a few weeks. This is how it is in my life. Maybe in your life, you could use some summer shoes, too!

Rather than buy new shoes, we decided to make one-of-a-kind crafty summer shoes. Inspired by this post by Joy the Baker and my sister's recent shopping spree at Michael's, my friend Bre and I set out to create the perfect pair of summer shoes.

I absolutely adore mine.

Bre's also turned out fantastically:

HOW WE DID IT

and the pictures to prove it...

We started with these cute, unembellished flats.

Then we went to Michael's and browsed the aisles for sparklies, charms, and any other doodads that caught our fancy--man, I love that store! I could make ten different kinds of shoes with the plethora of delightful things they sell. I'm also always amazed at how organized they keep the place.

First, I sewed red lace around the top.

Then, using thin wire, I "sewed" this fabulous firebird charm

and a strand of red jewels to the fronts.

I have an avid affinity for all things sparkly,

so I took the time to glue little rhinestones

around my firebird.

The blue matches the glittery bird patch I sewed on the back side of the other foot.

These shoes are color-coordinated for style and extra flair.

I glued this little guy in place and then sewed around the edges to reinforce--because we don't want him falling off while we run around the streets.

I love the jewels in the back. Like surprise bumper stickers!

These I glued on using a hot glue gun, but about a week later, I worried about them beginning to come loose. So I re-glued them with Gorilla glue, and then left them overnight to dry. Now those sparklies will never fall off. Never, never-ever-ever.

Michael's had some black glittery ribbon tape for scrapbooking. I cut out three star-shaped pieces, glued them on, and then sewed them in place with bright thread.

There's a corresponding star sewn

on the inside of the opposite shoe.

At this point, about 2 o'clock in the morning, Bre and I have run out of apple slices smeared with maplebutter, topped with pecans and chocolate chips. We've listened to half of Carrie Underwood's albums. Are we finished? No, sir. That's when we started doodling. When you're this invested in a shoe, you don't quit until you're sure you've given it all you've got.