Thursday, September 4, 2014

Back to School Chic - How to Stencil and Tie Dye Shoes

I love a great deal on shoes or clothes. What makes a deal even sweeter is when I can remake it into something special! My daughter burns through shoes like nobody's business and I am not digging this idea of paying $60 for some sneakers that'll be shredded to bits in 3 months. I found some crazy yellow knock-off "Chucks" for $7.99 at one of my fave stores for deals, Fallas Paredes. Super shiny happy people yellow was not gonna fly with the teenage girl so I had to come up with some way to alter these so she would actually wear them.




When my daughter saw the StencilGirl Thanks A Lotus stencil, she said, "That's the one!" This DIY fashion project fell into place so easily, I could pinch myself! We mixed up some tie dye and dyed the yellow shoes with teal and purple to make a dreamy, watery effect on the fabric. The teal turned green, as we expected, when it hit the yellow fabric. After letting the shoes sit for 6 hours, we rinsed them in cold water to remove any excess dye and dried them in the sun.

Tip: Remove the laces before dyeing unless you want the laces dyed as well.

After the shoes were dyed, they were ready for stenciling. I made a half bleach, half water mixture in a spray bottle to use with the stencil. I carefully laid the Thanks A Lotus stencil on sections of the shoes, starting with the tongue, and sprayed the bleach mixture to stencil on the lotus pattern onto the fabric.

Tip: Wipe the stencil dry after each application of the bleach. The mixture was very watery and that led to some bleeding under the stencil.

After spraying the shoes, allow them to sit for a few minutes until the bleach has had time to react as much as you like. Rinse the shoes well in water and then allow to dry. Add the laces once they shoes are dry.

Here is a video I made of the process, start to finish:
Supplies:
  • StencilGirl Thanks A Lotus Stencil
  • Knock-off Chucks Shoes
  • TieDye
  • Bleach
  • Spray Bottle
  • Water
  • Masking Tape (optional)
You can do this same technique on a pair of old, faded shoes as well. Do you have a pair of crazy colored or old shoes that could use a little stenciling? How about a pair of jeans!? An od purse? I can't wait to see what you dress up with your StencilGirl stencils!

Thanks for stopping by today,



Jennifer

7 comments:

  1. Cool shoes. Sorry your video didn't show up.
    Stay inspired!

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  2. Oh my word Jennifer, you must be like, the COOLEST Mom around!!! These look awesome!!! I'd have worn them when I was a teenager almost 20 years ago and they are still just as stylish in 2014--timeless fashion, I love it! This is just so clever and for under around $10 too--sure beats getting ripped off at the mall if you ask me! I'm thinking your daughter is going to be a hit wearing these and everyone is gonna want to know "where" she got them lol!! SO sweet!!! TFS your technique of how you achieved this fabulous project! :)

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  3. These shoes are SOOOOOOOOOO pretty! What a great idea, and beautifully done!

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  4. So very cool, Jennifer! I can think of so many teenagers that would not only love the Chucks, but the process would be magical for them. You're a genius!!

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  5. Seriously!?! These are super cool, Jennifer, just wonderful!

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  6. Wow, that's an awesome project! I've got to try that. Maybe not shoes, but it would be great on a tote or a shirt. Hmmmmm.....

    ReplyDelete

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