Weddingbee Blog

I DIY’ed my bridal shoes, and I have to say I could not be happier with how they turned out! Mr. Beanstalk has not seen the finished shoes. I not only want my dress to be a surprise for him, but I also want my shoes and accessories to be kept hush hush, too!

Mr. Beanstalk was there when I went to Michaels to get my supplies, and he joked that it seemed as though I was doing some sort of “arts & crafts” project! I laughed at his comment because with the assortment of goodies I bought it did seem very arts and craftsy!

Warning:: This post/tutorial is picture heavy. =)

So without further ado, here they are…my shoes!!!

Now for the tutorial…

What you’ll need:

• shoes
• 1 bottle of Mod Podge Gloss-Lustre
• 1 container of glitter (I actually bought three containers, each a slightly different shade of blue. I couldn’t make up my mind, so I got each one and mixed them to create a custom color.)
• a paintbrush
• a sponge brush
• a small bowl (Laundry detergent caps work great.)
• foil or plastic wrap
• painter’s tape*
• sand paper*
• acrylic paint* (I used Martha Stewart Pearl…it has a slight sheen to it.)
• Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer spray

*optional

Directions

• I used black faux leather shoes from Target. Take sandpaper (or foil crumpled up) and rub the surface of the shoes vigorously to create little lines and grooves. (This will help the glitter stick.)

• I really wanted to make my shoes represent me and our wedding, so I decided to paint the soles a bright metallic orange color. **If you do not wish to paint the soles, skip this step!** I took the tape and carefully covered the perimeter of the sole. Next, begin to paint the soles. Let the paint fully dry in between layers. This took about five to seven coats.

• When step 2 is complete and dry, tape off the soles so glitter doesn’t get on them. You can even cover the inside with paper or foil to ensure that they stay clean. Take your small bowl and cover it on the inside with foil or plastic wrap. (That way when you are done, you can throw the foil/plastic wrap away and keep the vessel for future projects.) Fill the bowl with some Mod Podge. (I eyeballed this.) Next, take your glitter and pour some into the same bowl. (You want a good amount of glitter…again, I would recommend eyeballing it so that you can add as you feel you need to.) Mix glue and glitter (adding glitter until it is a thick consistency that is predominantly sparkle).

• Take your brush and start painting your shoe. I alternated between the sponge brush and a paintbrush. The paintbrush is good for smaller areas and places where detail is important (like the embellishment on the toes). The sponge brush is good for covering large amounts of real estate. As you paint, you will notice that the concoction is white. Don’t worry, it will dry clear!

• Let the first coat dry and then paint another layer on (or two, depending how thick your mixture is). I painted one shoe, then did the next. Let them dry and then repeat the process.

• **Optional** I decided when I was done that I wanted the inside of the shoes to be orange, too. I painted the inside sole of the shoe, letting it dry between each coat. Next, I mixed up some more glitter mixture and then painted the trim of the inside sole so that it was blue glitter, too (and matched!).

• When shoes are dry, spray them with clear sealant to ensure glitter sticks. The Mod Podge does a great job already, and I didn’t notice any loose glitter coming off, but I took this step as an extra precaution.

That’s it! Pretty easy, right? The whole process took about week. I did a few steps at a time, let dry overnight, and then did some more either the next day or when I had some free time!

Now you all you know how Miss Beanstalk created her sparkly blue glitter bridal shoes!

Is anyone else a glitter lover? If so, how are you incorporating sparkle into your wedding?