Quick Tips for Decorating Your Shoes
One of the quickest and cheapest ways to decorate a pair of pumps or heels is to simply use a clip-on earring and put it at the curved area in the front center of the shoe opening. Earrings come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and colors to suit any woman’s wardrobe. With the clip-ons you can change a simple black heel to a dazzling pair of formal shoes.
One problem with the clip-on design is that it’s meant to slip on and off so that you can change it at will, but for some women, the joint of the earring is bothersome. You can remove the hardware from the earring and glue the design directly to the shoe for a fabulous look but it won’t be interchangeable. For shoes you don’t want to change forever simply use a bobby pin for your design. Use wire clippers to clip the bobby pin down to a more appropriate size for your shoes. Use contact cement to secure the earring, without hardware, to the bobby pin.
Make all types of arrangements on bobby pins to slide on and off your shoe. Twist a small piece of half-inch lace into a circle shape and glue onto the pin. Add three white, pink or blue pearl beads to the center of the lace and clip onto shoe. Or wind strung gold or silver beads randomly on the lace for a totally different look.
Craft stores are full of tiny trinkets that will look cute on your shoes. A tiny golden key, a bitty dolphin, a mini domino or even a unique-looking button will give your shoes a completely different theme. You’ll also find a selection of rub-on appliques that will enhance most any shoe. Rub the designs on heels, around the shoe opening, or even on the top toe area. There are literally thousands of appliques from which to choose like flowers, butterflies, seashells, and much more.
Faux jewels and rhinestones can really dazzle the crowd and little will they know the shoes cost you much less than if they had purchased something similar. Glue tiny stones on the heel and around the lower perimeter of the shoe. Or arrange slightly larger stones in a pretty pattern on the top toe area of the shoe.
All designs don’t have to be elegant. You can dress casual shoes up to be just a different form of casual. Cut very thin fabric into shapes and use fabric glue to affix them to the shoes. Then use fabric paints to zig-zag an outline for the shape. You can also cut pieces and use them to completely cover the shoes. Make sure the fabric is extremely thin or this design will give you trouble. Simply place a shape on the shoe and smooth it down well. Put another shape on and do the same. Continue the pattern until the shoe is covered and some shapes are overlapping each other.
There are many other shoe designs you can do such as fabric paint designs on the shoes, use stickers then cover them with clear nail polish to protect, or even use stamp-on images with fabric paints. You’ll think of many more designs after you’ve had a little practice and once you get really good at enhancing your shoes you’ll have the most extensive shoe wardrobe of anyone you know.
