Tutorial ~ How to Paint Leather Shoes

I contributed this post at Brassy Apple a few weeks ago, and I am posting this today in case you missed it.


Last summer, I spray painted my shoes with a regular can of spray paint. I loved the color and the shoes turned out very pretty. Though, after a couple times of wearing them, the paint started to crack here and there. I did touch up paint and wore them the whole summer, but after that I said good by to them. Hmm, there has to be a better way, I thought.
After searching online, I finally found the product I have been looking for! Angelus carries all sorts of items to help creative craving. I bought items that I needed and got busy! If you have old shoes still in good condition but in need of a face lift, or you want to create one of a kind shoes, you are in luck. :)


{You will need}

Leather shoes
Angelus professional leather prepare and deglazer
Angelus paint
Angelus Acrylic finisher
paint brush
Old rag(the kind the doesn't have lint)

*Note: I bought the smallest bottle of paints which is 1 oz in size. The reviews said that you don't need a whole lot of paint to paint the shoes and they were true! After painted my sandals I used the color of vanilla the most, but I still have tons left in the bottle. The 1 oz bottle is going for $2.69, but if you buy 5+, they become 2.45 each.


{How to}

1. Wipe the shoes clean with a slightly wet rag and let them dry. Follow the instruction of the bottle and wipe the shoes with deglazer. Wait until the shoes are completely dry.

2. Tape painters tape or washi-tape to tape off the bottom and heal.

3. If you are painting your shoes just one color, you can ignore the next few steps. I wanted to paint my shoes with multiple colors; so I painted using the vanilla color first, because that was the largest area that I needed to paint. I had to apply 3 coats of paint to cover the original color completely. Here is a few bits of advice for you...

*Don't put too much paint on at once.
*Spread a nice amount of paint evenly.
*Make sure to apply the next coat of paint when the surface is completely dry.

Don't worry about brush streaks. This paint is AMAZING! Once it dries, it looks nice and smooth.

4. I chose the color of patty for my next step. I had to apply 3 coats of paint again.

5. The third color I chose is Shell Pink. I painted the rest of the unpainted surface.

6. I was going to leave it as is, but it was so tempting do more. This is the chance to create something completely original, so why not, right? I painted the back part of the sandals.

7. After the paint is dry, apply Angelus finisher.

8. They are done!

It is time to enjoy...

I am wearing a dress in this picture, but I wore them with my slim pants with a plain t-shirt today. I loved the shoes with causal clothing too.

Ahh... It was so much fun. My choice of colors are muted soft palette, but I can picture in my mind what these sandals could have looked like in bright vivid colors as well. The possibilities are endless!

I want to paint more shoes and experiment.  I will share pictures when I am ready in the near future.

Counting Stars Quilt Tutorial

I am sharing the tutorial for this quilt at Riley Blake today! Please head over and let me know what you think. :)

Book Review ~ Makery

I was so excited to receive a copy of "Makery" by Kate Smith and published by Octopus publishing for review! Kate Smith is the founder of The Makery in Bath, England, which runs a highly successful craft workshops and classes and sells fabric, trimmings and other materials. Kate's belief is that the ingredients you use in crafting are key to the end result - choose your ingredients well, follow her clear instructions and you will have stunning finished products.

Makery contains more than 30 eye catching contemporary and unique projects. They are divided into three sections: Fashion, Gifts and Home. You will find something you will love to make right away in each category. There are several things on my "To-make" list from the book, this deer head is one of them. I think it will be so darling in Rachel's room.

Well put together sewing/craft books make me happy, Makery has eye candy throughout the book... perfect for a quiet afternoon read on a cozy couch.

Oh! I need to share the back cover as well before I say "see you at the next post". Isn't it just so charming??

Hexagon

I have been working on a quilt with the new fabric line from Riley Blake the last few days. I can't share the quilt until the end of this month, but I am excited about how it is coming together.

In the meantime... I have also been cutting up some hexagons. I want to do an all floral hexagon quilt. Many years ago, I made a grandma's flower garden quilt ALL pieced by hand and quilted by hand... it took me about 2 years. In the end I got tired of it and didn't want to do that ever again. Then, all of a sudden, I had this urge to make a hexagon quilt. Though, this will be a back burner project for me. I have cut all the flower fabric that are the right color for this quilt, now I am on a look out for more. In my head I have an image of this really pretty hexagon quilt laying around in my living room.

Today and tomorrow, my time will be spent more with my family. More cooking than quilting, father's day and all, you know. :)

Do you have any idea where I can find pretty floral fabrics?

Fun (and a Bit Scary) Announcement!

A couple weeks ago, I picked up these cuties at one of my favorite shops in Provo. Harmony carries yarn, fabrics (their selection is not very big, but I love almost all of them!), children's items and pretty gift items. I love going there and always find some fun stuff to go home with.

I fell in love with the earrings with the "S"s. I usually don't wear black and gold, but because of these earrings I am going to! The green vintage buttons are for my jewelry making, I am going to turn them into a fun summer necklace. I will share some pictures when I am done.

By the way... you might be wondering what the "fun and a bit scary announcement" is all about.

I am teaching a couple classes at Harmony this month! I love designing, sewing/crafting and sharing them on my blog. But teaching? Hmmm... this is actually me stepping out of my comfort zone by a lot. I have taught small classes at a couple church activities, or with a few friends, but never at a store and charging class fees. It is a bit scary, but the people at Harmony are being so sweet and supportive, and they gave me the opportunity to teach. I decided to try something new.

The first class I am teaching is how to make this pom-pom scarf.

The other class is this origami style bag.

It is my original design, and the PDF pattern will be available soon on my etsy shop! I drafted the pattern and ended up making three prototypes with slight variances. I LOVE how it turned out. I already made a few, two for my sisters, two for my nieces, and of course one for me! :)

I used Anna Maria Horner's Twill Bouquet for mine. This bag has pockets on the outside too.

If you are local and interested in taking the classes, you can go to Harmony's website and register.
EEE!!! I am excited but a bit scared at the same time, teaching the classes will be one of my BIG adventures for this summer. What's yours? :)

Shoe Makeover ~ How to Paint Leather Shoes

Hello everyone! I am posting my "How to paint leather shoes" tutorial on Brassy Apple today. I found awesome leather paints online and OH MY! They are my new favorite things! Please head over there to see what I did, you don't wanna miss this!