14 Ways to Revamp Your Shoes

Click on the squares above to find the project's original source.

Out of all the DIY fashion projects I've made, upcycling shoes has always been a go-to project for me. I never really realized how many pairs I've glued, decoupaged, beaded, stitched, or painted until I made this graphic-- most of the projects above are mine. (I can't decide if all those projects were time well-spent or just spent time? :)) Maybe the real explanation is that Imelda Marcos is one of my long-lost eighth cousins or something and my problem is hereditary... Ha. I doubt the long-lost relations theory as much as I doubt that my shoe projects will stop anytime soon. ;)

1. Anthropologie-Inspired Scarf Flats: Use a vintage scarf to make a bow on a pair of flats.

2. Floral Fabric Boots, via A Beautiful Mess: With some fabric, glue, and some Mod Podge, you can make a pair of weathered boots look new again. :) (PS-- A Beautiful Mess is one of the best DIY blogs around.)

3. Rosette Shoe Clips, via Brydferth on Etsy: Use my tutorial to make a fabric flower and glue the flowers to some earring backs like this and you've got shoe clips!

4. Chanel-Inspired Cap-Toe Wedges: A simple DIY with fabric paint.

5. Anthropologie Dipped Skimmers: Not a DIY (yet) but take a pair of flats and paint the toes yellow for a more budget-friendly option.

6. Painted Converse Sneakers: Favorite pair of sneakers looking a little drab? Paint them!

7. DIY Jeffrey Campbell "Tick" Shoes: You only need thumbtacks, a pair of wedges, some paint, and glue!

8. Mini Bow Shoe Clips, via No144 on Etsy: Stitch some ribbon bows onto clip on earring backs like this. Or you can just sew a ribbon bow to your flats.

9. DIY Saddle Shoes, via Bleubird Vintage: White sneakers + some paint= Voila!

10. Scalloped Leather Boots: Use some leather scraps and some superglue to upcycle a pair of boots.

11. DIY Glitter Boots, via Sprinkles in Springs: With some fabric paint or Mod Podge, add glitter to accent a pair of boots!

12. Beaded Cowboy Boots: Add some spunk to a pair of cowboy boots with some seed beads.

13. DIY Button Heels: One of my oldest DIYs-- and a favorite. :) Take some vintage buttons, a needle, and a thimble. (A thimble is very necessary for this project unless you want some wounded thumbs. :))



14. Magazine Collage Shoes: To make these shoes you can use either Mod Podge or Shoe Goo to make a collage stick to your shoes. I used Shoe Goo on this pair because it is more flexible than Mod Podge. Honestly, when I made these shoes it was one of my first experiences with decoupage techniques. I do recommend Shoe Goo, though. It is good stuff. :)



:)

DIY Two-Tone Cardigan

I saw this two-tone cardigan over on The Clothes Horse a few months back and I just had to make one for myself. The split colors remind me of something a court jester would wear.:)


(I'm also wearing my DIY Anthropologie-inspired scarf flats in this photo.)

Supplies for the two-tone cardigan:

♡ Two cardigans. I bought mine at Target.
♡ Double-fold bias tape (Here is a print-out you can use to make bias tape.)
♡ Straight pins
♡ Sewing machine (You can sew by hand if you want, it will just take a bit longer.)

Step 1:

First you need to take your cardigans and cut them down the middle. I found it helpful to cut along the line of the knit.

Step 2:

Next, line up the cut ends of the cardigan together and unfold the bias tape. Pin the bias tape and the cardigans together.

Step 3:

Then stitch up the bias tape line. After you have one side stitched, fold over the bias tape and then stitch down the other side, securing the cut ends of the cardigans inside the bias tape.



And that's it! You've got a unique twist on a traditional wardrobe staple. :)



*Update: (For Killustrator's comment, here's an inside shot of the sweater.) :) I didn't leave room for a seam allowance, I just sewed a 1/3'' seam over the cuts. Hope this helps!

Project 365: Week 4 + How to take Through the Viewfinder Photos

This post is part of my Project 365 where I am taking one photo every day for a year. Click here to see all of my photos in the series-- and if you want to join, feel free to do so anytime! :)


20/365: ISO: 800 f/1.8 Shutter Speed: 1/60

1-20-12 Curling up with a new book before bed. I just started reading a book on flash called Sketching Lightby Joe McNally. I really love his writing style-- he has a clear and funny tone even when he talks about something as technical as flash.

Polaroid Post: Glamby the Deer

I took this Polaroid last fall when I was still in school-- it's hard to see, but behind all those dripping Polaroid chemicals there is a leaping, rhinestone encrusted deer. Last year when I was the editor of a literary review at DePauw, I took this Polaroid to introduce the art section of the book.

One thing I like about this photo is the fact that it's a bit twisted from the messed up chemicals. Usually it really peeves me when my film doesn't work correctly, but for this photo it fits. You see, this sculpture titled "Fits and Starts" created quite a bit of controversy at my school before I attended there. It was donated to the school in 2005 by a foundation-- the foundation paid $60,000 for the sculpture. Opinions divided over the glittery deer, but a few students took their opinions too far and vandalized ol' Glamby. (They sawed off his antlers, among other things.) Professors and students exploded over the immaturity and intolerance of the art-haters and there were such strong feelings about the incident that the legend of Glamby still prowled the dorms and halls of the university by the time I got there in 2007. There's even a documentary. (Check out the screen shots of Facebook from the time. Crazy!)



Somehow the craziness of my camera and the unpredictable nature of the Impossible Project film captured the essence of Glamby's fame and infamy. Sure, as always with art, you can argue that I'm seeing what I want to see. Tea leaves and all that nonsense. But accident or not, this photo is symbolic of what that bedazzled deer means to everyone who knows the story.

*Photo taken with my Polaroid SX-70.

How to Make a Toothbrush Bracelet

It seems that I'm into things made of household items-- from fork bracelets to pushpin shoes, there's a trend there. ;)

What you need to make a toothbrush bracelet:
♥Toothbrush
♥Pliers
♥Pot and stove




The first thing you need to do is put the toothbrush in boiling water. I recommend the cheapest toothbrush you can find, whether that's at the Dollar Store or wherever-- just as long as it is the simple kind. I tried this with a Snoopy toothbrush for kids and it did not work. You need the clear plastic kind.



After you have let the toothbrush boil for about a minute, (or until it gets soft) you can easily pull out the bristles with your pliers. After you've pulled out all the bristles and those weird little metal pieces, stick the toothbrush back into the boiling pot until it becomes as floppy as Harry Potter's boneless arm after Professor Lockhart accidentally "healed" him. (Yeah. I went there. But it really reminds me of that scene in the book! Try it. You'll see. ;))

Bend the toothbrush until it fits your wrist. You might have to put it back into the boiling water to adjust sections, but if you have the right kind of toothbrush it should work well. Don't burn yourself!



Ta da! The dinosaur toothbrush is a toothbrush bracelet I made when I was in junior high-- and if you have a middle-school-aged kid, this bracelet is quite a hit among that age group. ;)

DIY Pom Pom Corsage

Two things my wardrobe is never and has never been short of: bright colors and accessories. On my first day of high school, I wore this hot pink skirt with these hot pink fishnet tights and hot pink sneakers. (eep.) A girl I played basketball with told me months later that the first day she met me, she actually thought I was some sort of a "pink gothic" girl or something. I also ran cross country for 7 years and I used to run at practice in these long dangly earrings. Occasionally I wore these glittery blue sunglasses, too. Sure, I was teased (often) for the things I wore... one cross country teammate, a boy, asked me every time I wore my zebra-print running tights if I robbed the zoo. He would walk away giggling in a Quasimodo-meets-high-school-boy style.

I want to make clear that I was never bullied or anything, the teasing rarely bothered me... and honestly when you French braid Christmas tinsel into your hair for school, you deserve to be picked on. (Yeah, I also did that.) About a month ago I asked my boyfriend if he was ever embarrassed to be around me in high school, (we've been dating since then) and he paused a bit and said,"Not really... Weird girls are cute too." Hahahahha. Thanks. Thanks a lot. ;)




That being said, I am really working on my tendencies to over-accessorize. Take these little pom pom corsages I just made. I took OFF my necklace and earrings because I thought a cluster of little poofs was enough accessorizing for this look. I truly am working on my accessory hoarding, but it sure does NOT help that I work for a scarf store. ;)

To make these little pom pom corsages, you need:

♥Fabric (I like using cotton or thin fabrics for this. The plasticky fabrics are hard to sew through.)
♥Scissors
♥Thicker fabric like felt
♥Needle and thread
♥Hot glue gun
♥Safety pin or a broach pin


Step 1: Start by cutting a bunch of little circles out of fabric. I would say at least 10 for one pom pom corsage.


One easy way to cut out circles is to fold a square piece of fabric in fourths and then making a round cut from corner to corner. After you have the circles, you can fold them back into fourths and stitch the pointy corners together.


Fold the circles in fourths like this. Then you need to add more and more folded circles until your poof is fluffy enough.


Stitch the folded circles together in the middle. Once you let go of the little circles, they will fluff up like petals. Add more and more folded circles until you get a pom pom flower that looks full.


Step 3: I used this furry fabric for the backing of the corsage, but you can use anything thick like felt. I stitched broach pins to the fabric, but safety pins would also work. I sewed the pin to the backing and then used a hot glue gun to attach the flower to the backing with the pin. Here is mine:



(Cool tip-- if you use a pin as your backing, you can always slip a bobby pin into the pin and pin the corsage into your hair for a hair accessory.)



And there you go! Fluff the flower to taste and then pin it on your favorite cardigan or blazer. Hope this helps all the other accessory addicts out there. ;)

Project 365: Week 3

This post is part of my Project 365 where I am taking one photo every day for a year. Click here to see all of my photos in the series-- and if you want to join, feel free to do so anytime! :)


1-13-12 (Self timer shot) This is one of the stills from a stop-motion that I am working on for work. :D


14/365: ISO: 1600 f/2.5 Shutter Speed: 1/2500

1-14-12 This is Bridget's nose. I swear this dog is the wiggliest little critter. I spent 20 minutes trying to get her to sit still enough so that I could snap her cute little dog nose. I love the fur in focus under her nose.


15/365: ISO: 800 f/2.8 Shutter Speed: 1/125

1-15-12 Framed collection of my favorite Polaroids. From NYC, to San Juan, PR, to New Jersey, Greencastle, IN, and home-- these are some of my favorite places and they hang over the best space... my bed. :)


16/365: ISO: 400 f/1.8 Shutter Speed: 1/250

1-16-12 This week we made an internet time capsule at work that we'll open in five years or so. We included screen shots of our favorite blogs and social sites like FB, Twitter, and Pinterest. Miss Molly (in the photo) is cute as a coat button and also included her favorite magazines. (You know, in case they're ancient history in five years.)


17/365: ISO: 1600 f/2.2 Shutter Speed: 1/60

1-17-12 Some of my favorite photography books.


18/365: ISO: 1600 f/2.2 Shutter Speed: 1/60

1-18-12 My b-team of Polaroids. The ones that aren't perfect for framing or they're new. :)


19/365: ISO: 800 f/1.8 Shutter Speed: 1/60

1-19-12 I decided to play around a bit with this photo-- it is a variation on a "through the viewfinder" photo where you use a twin-lens reflex camera and make a contraption to take a photo through the vintage viewfinder. I thought the photo of what was in the viewfinder was pretty cool by itself-- I am working on some cardboard to go on the outside of the twin-lens camera so that I can play a bit more with the camera.

(The camera in the viewfinder is my vintage Diana camera. I got it on Etsy for super cheap! It is actually a toy Diana from when they were cheap in the 1960s... instead of the $50 they sell for now.)



The camera above is an Argus "Seventy-Five" that was given to me as a gift. I have tried film in it once and got a few mediocre shots, but I love doing "through the viewfinder" photos. :)


For more photography tips, see this post on digital photography tips for beginners. You can also check out the rest of my photos from the year for my Project 365!

If you want, you can always join the project!

<br /> <a href="http://www.starsforstreetlights.com/p/project-365.html"><img src="http://staciegrissom.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/project365p200.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />

15 Ways to Tie Scarves

Go over to The Fashion Spot to see the graphic I made on 15 Ways to Wear Scarves! You can also find out where to find the scarves and how to tie the scarves. There are quite a few of my favorites in there. ;)

Photo Series: Twenty-Something Women and the Things They Sleep With

I have very few regrets from my college experience, but if I could do one thing over, I would have taken more photography classes. Spanish class was fun, (kind of) but I was never very good or passionate for the language and I developed a habit of sitting next to the loudest (or most gifted) students so that the professor would call on them and I wouldn't have to stumble through a bunch of botched conjugations. Last fall, I took a black and white film photography class and it was one of my favorite classes... ever. That semester I had just returned from a semester in New York where I became obsessed with Polaroid, took my camera everywhere as my travel companion, and read photography books on the subway ALL the time. (Photography books I bought from the Borders at Columbus Circle! RIP. :( ) Growing as a photographer was, and still is, a huge priority and aspiration of mine.

The photography class I took last fall helped me so much and I cannot emphasize enough the growth and grasp you get working with film. With digital photography you can guess and check your results. It is slow, but you can do it. With film, there is a tangible nature to the whole process and guessing is wasteful. Film involves math, precision, and a feeling of second-nature familiarity for your camera that you usually develop with a trusty car.

The series below was one of my projects for that photography class-- the portrait project. All of them were taken in my sorority. I asked my friends if anyone still slept with anything special to them, and these are the things they shared.

One thing I learned about taking portraits when I worked on this project is a bit on how to act behind the camera. People (myself included) are always trying to make faces and put up masks when someone comes at them with a camera. We don't want to look silly so we make silly faces so that at least if we look silly, it was on purpose. After taking a few warm-up shots, I asked my friends, "Ok, just look at the camera. Try not to think of anything. Just look at me." Their faces would straighten for a split-second and then *snap. I got it. :)

"Twenty-Something Women and the Things They Sleep With"

Me, with "Baby"


Ha, with "Baby Pooh"


Tiamo, with her pillow from her parents


Pria, with Laurens de Groot


Jackie, with Lefty

As I said in my post about photography tips for beginners, if you have even the slightest interest in photography and you have an open class slot. Take film photography. Take it so you won't regret it later. :)

Giant Owl Pillow DIY

(A while back, I blogged about my room makeover, here is my latest project.)


Mmmmm. One of the best places in the world. Or my world at least. The newest addition to my room is that big old owl right in the middle. And when I say big old owl, I mean old. The pillow inside of the owl I made is actually from when I was thirteen-- ten years ago. I'm usually not one for throwing things away, I do have some hoarding tendencies, (I think all crafters do, really) but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of the best and comfiest pillow I own. so I just recovered it. In an owl. :)



Because I was just recovering an old pillow, I didn't have a pattern or anything. If you have a large pillow that you want to cover, you just need to measure out your pillow, allow some room for seam allowances, and then just cut out some shapes, stitch them together, and stuff your pillow into it.



I pinned the fabric shapes to the base fabric, and then used the blanket stitch setting on my sewing machine to stitch it all together.



I bought the fabric remnants at my local antique shop, Salvage Sisters. If you are ever in the Indianapolis area, I definitely recommend this shop. :)



Side view-- corduroy remnants.












The doll on the left is actually my first doll ever, her name is "Baby". Creative, I know. Most of my friends are creeped out by her. I mean, I couldn't imagine why with those natural dread locks and all. ;)

PS: And speaking of owls, I saw a gigantic barred owl on Sunday when I came back to my house from a run. It was sitting up in a huge sycamore tree on our land... Those creatures are just plain regal. I tried to get a photo, but he swooped away right when I got out the camera. There are also rumors of an eagle roaming around these parts of central Indiana-- a few weeks ago I saw this HUGE dark bird sitting in a tree on my run route. (What is it about my runs and these birds lately?) A farmer in the area also reported that he saw an eagle... (A BALD eagle. A female.) (!!!) :)

PPS: Go check out my post on Shrimp and Salad Circus on photography tips! :)