2147 Followers
10129Fans
Hello MODE Bay Area readers! I’m dedicating this new feature to you. I wanted to explore my crafting and arts abilities and love for fashion and trends by sharing my experiments. I tend to see fun trends on the stars, the red carpet, and magazines and we all know how much those designer products can cost, that’s why I want everyone else to see that you CAN do this, save money and have a fun girls arts and crafts night too!
For the duration of this ongoing DIY Fashion Artist feature I want to bring you an array of products, from designer shoes with embellishments, accessories, clutches, jewelry, home goods, creative new trends in baking, designer inspired interior design, to fun and trendy cocktail concoctions, that you can do on your own, with some guidance by me! The possibilities are endless and you may even become quite crafty all on your own. Feel free to comment and leave me suggestions for things you may want to see in a future DIY Fashion Artist feature. 
For my first Fashion Artist project, I was inspired by the Kate Spade new york Nell glitter flat, which can be found now in Nordstrom for $285. OK, so most people… (ex. Art Teachers — like myself) cannot imagine spending this amount on such a trendy item. But they are sooo adorable right?
A very expensive, very trendy item. The perfect opportunity to test your DIY skills. Another blogger at wearenotmartha.com even tried it out too. Now it’s my turn and I’m bringing a fellow (non crafty) fashion friend with me, just to prove that ANYONE can do this! Start off by finding a simple pair of ballet flats. They can have embellishments already on them if you wish, or opt to go for a non embellished pair. I happened to have a pair of plain white patent Cathy Jean flats (which haven’t seen my feet in two years). My friend chose to use a pair of black BCBG flats because the black color had faded which made it perfect for reuse! We decided to keep the rosette black since it would give a good contrast to the glitter color, making it pop.
Pick up some supplies from Michaels or search your art supply bin, if you are already a crafty person.
You will need :
Mod Podge
Spray Sealer (Such as Royal Coat Decoupage Hi-Gloss Finish)
Sponge brush
A bit of painter’s tape
Glitter of your choice
This will come out to be around $20. If you don’t have an old pair of flats in desperate need of attention, then I suggested finding a cheap black pair at Target, Payless or even Goodwill, any color goes, its going to be covered in glitter anyway!
Lay out paper (so glitter doesn’t end up everywhere in your house) and mix your Mod Podge with a little bit of glitter. You will continue to add more glitter to the mixture for each step. Make sure to tape off the heel of your flats, it if has one, so it does not get glittered. Begin brushing glitter glue mixture onto the shoe, make a single layer. Let dry. Add more glitter and let dry again. Do this two more times, adding more glitter as needed. You will notice in between drying steps that it looks wierd and glueish on your shoes, it will dry and begin to look more glittery, just wait for it!
If you wish add more glitter as needed until you get the amount and look that you want. It will probably take 4-5 times of coats of glitter glue until it looks just right. Let it completely dry for about 10 minutes.
Bring your shoes outside and spray them with the sealer, this will seal the glitter in to place while still keeping your shoe flexible. Believe me, it works, I’m not leaving a glitter trail and my shoes are as flexible as before.
And there you have it, glitter shoes just in time for a sparkling new years!
If you are feeling exceptionally adventurous continue to complete the Kate Spade inspired look by creating a three dimensional bow! You can choose any ribbon colors you want. I went with a silver mesh WIRED ribbon (make sure it says “wired” on the packaging, this makes the bow flexible and able to produce the right shape and hold to the Kate Spade bow.) And buy another similar color for the middle of the bow, I used a silver satin ribbon. You will also need super glue, scissors, twisty ties (or ribbon wire) and a glue gun.
Follow my steps as seen in pictures. You will create the bow using your fingers to mold the shape. wrapping the twisty tie around the middle of the bow to hold it together, and use super glue to wrap the satin ribbon around the middle (which will cover and hide the twisty tie wire). Finally glue gun the bow on to the shoe!
There you have it! Super cute glittery flats for under $30. Best of all you just became your very own fashion designer. Don’t forget to bring a friend along on your craft adventure, you will both have the it shoes of the season and have an excuse for girl talk and viewing frivolous shows such as Watch What Happens Live or Bridalplasty while waiting in between the drying steps!
I find myself leftover with a lot of glitter…MODE Bay Area fans be on the lookout for upcoming art projects that will be suspiciously shiny. We can’t let all that glitter go to waste, can we?
