Make Flowery Flip Flops for Summer
Here is a craft idea to make your flip flops look pretty and just a little different from everyone else. I’ve gotten so many compliments on my flip flops when I do this…and my friends all ask me to make them a pair of flip flops when summer rolls around. This is an easy, simple craft to do that doesn’t cost very much money. You can even give flip flops to friends and family members as a little “welcome to summertime” type of gift.
Do make flowery flip flops you will need:
a pair of flip flops
silk flowers
a glue gun
glue sticks for glue gun (ideally you will want high temperature glue sticks)
Tips for getting your supplies:
You can find silk flowers at most dollar stores, get a whole bunch of silk flowers for several dollars and you can make a dozen flip flops! A tip to you before you buy your silk flowers…and this is because you are making your flip flops with them, you are not putting them in a vase. Before you spend your money on them, pick up the flowers and feel them, feel their leaves also and run them over your hand and maybe even over your cheek. This sounds like a strange step doesn’t it? But do any of the leaves feel scratchy to you? Is there anything on the flower that feels poky and hard? If you like the flowers and want to make your flip flops out of them, you aren’t going to want anything that could bother your feet. Now this could be fixable, you may be able to trim some edges off, depending on if those edges will touch your bare foot. Remember that bare feet are very sensitive. Most silk flowers are soft and so are the leaves that come with them. But sometimes the spines they put into the leaves are hard because they are made out of plastic, and those can poke your foot if you glue them onto your flip flop the wrong way. So pay attention to how the flower feels.
Glue guns are easy to find as well, they are carried at just about every large crafts store. If you have never used a glue gun before it is good to know several basic tips. You will also want to protect any surfaces that hot glue could melt onto. A good way to do this is to use a piece of heavy cardboard under your glue gun. Keep a piece of paper towel to wipe away any excess glue from the tip of the glue gun. Remember – the glue gun gets hot and be sure not to touch the hot glue itself! Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for using the glue gun. Glue guns are not expensive, typically a basic glue gun costs under ten dollars. Glue sticks for the glue gun are also inexpensive and you can get a large bag of 100 sticks (which will last you for tons of projects) for like five or six dollars.
How to make flowery flip flops:
To make the flip flops begin by selecting the flowers that you like and removing the flower tops from the stems. This should be easy to do, just pull gently on the flower itself at the base of the flower. Then pull of some of the leaves from the flower. Put these to the side.
Plug your glue gun in and put a glue stick in it. Put the glue gun onto the piece of heavy cardboard. Also cover the area that you are working on the flip flops with a piece of paper like newspaper.
Once your glue gun is hot you are ready to glue the leaves onto your flip flop. Remember that typically you will want to put the flower itself in the center of the flip flop, and what will look most attractive is to have leaves surrounding the flower. So glue your leaves accordingly. Let the leaves set for a moment.
Then it is time to glue on your flower. Depending on the type of flower you have, you may be putting some glue on some of the petals as well as the base. You want to be sure that the flower has plenty of glue to stay on the flip flop, because remember – feet are in motion! Let the flower set dry.
It is a good idea to allow your flip flop project to dry overnight, or for several hours before wearing.
Then put those flip flops on and head out the door! You are sure to get lots of compliments on your fabulous new footwear!
