Project: The Miss Divine Heels

My Friend Allye rocks.  She has taught me many things over the years, among them:

1. Glitter is like little tiny sparkles of happiness.
2. It’s important to spread happiness throughout the world.  Ergo…
3. Put glitter on anything that stands still long enough.

So in honor of Allye, her awesomeness and happiness spreading, I created these beauties based on a tutorial I found from Pixie in Pumps.

Materials:

• old (or new) pair of shoes
• sandpaper (I used 120 grit)
• acrylic craft paint
• super fine glitter
• mod podge
• aluminum foil
• painters’ tape

Time:

3 hours (plus 24 hours in drying time)

Process:

1. Cuff up shoes with sandpaper to help glitter adhere to shoes.  Considering how rough I am on shoes, I probably could have skipped this step…
2. Using painters’ tape and aluminum foil block off any areas you don’t want painted.  I covered the heel tap and rubber sole to allow for better wear.
3. Paint shoes (optional).  I did this because I was taking black shoes to a light green.  I was afraid the black underneath would throw off the look I was going for.
4. mix glitter colors to desired palette.  I find using more than one color creates complexity and interest in the shoe.  I used 3 different colors of green ranging from mint to turquoise. The result is super YUM.
5. add enough mod podge to create a thin consistancy of glitter paint.  Too much mod podge means less glitter coverage.  Too little and the paint become clumpy and doesn’t spread on smoothly.
6. Add thin layer of paint and allow to dry.  Continue to add layers until desired level of coverage has been achieved.  In my case it took 3 + some touching up.
7. Let dry for 24 hours at least before wearing.

I’m super pleased with the results but I have to say these things make more of a statement than I thought.  I think they’d look best peaking out from some floor skimming jeans and a white t-shirt. Now I may have to make a necklace to go with them!

Tags | glitter, shoes, turquoise

Project: Making a Dramatic Entrance

Our cute (read small) little 50s cottage was in dire need of some added curb appeal and this eyesore of a front door had seen better days and needed to be retired.  Originally we planned to replace it with a modern version of the same design by purchasing a solid core door and a light kit from Crestview Doors but when I stumbled across a one light in a discount door store nearby I was smitten.  At $470 pre-hung, I wrote a check right then and there and I’m so glad for once I listened to my pocketbook over my heart.

My two favorite guys, Ranger and my dad spent a little over 3 hours replacing the old door because I was sick with an ear infection and in no condition for manual labor. We’ve been struggling with a lack of natural light in the living room since we moved in. What I love is even with the frosted film we added, this door makes the room bright, airy and feel quite a bit larger.  We bought a similar door in fiberglass for the backdoor and I’m looking forward to installing that ASAP!

This is what I come home to everyday now.  It’s hard to put into words the feeling of pride I have when I see all we’ve accomplished on our own to make this little house our home.

Tags | curb appeal, entryway, purple, turquoise