I used to always want a plain white pair of canvas shoes. Now, I know that sounds fairly dull, but new white shoes just have a sort of luster like that of gleaming pearly whites. Despite my desire to buy a pair, these shoes are highly impractical because of how fast they get dirty. For a while, I tried to think of a way that I could prevent or at least hide this high wear-to-dirty ratio, but the only thought reoccurring in my head was strictly logical: just don’t walk through mud. However, when thinking crafty, there is a seemingly infinite pool of choices you can do to keep your shoes looking clean and fly, as well as just plain awesome. Here’s a few ideas:
Using fabric spray paint, available at most craft stores such as Michaels, you can make your plain white shoes appear to be nicely squirted with vibrant colors. In the shoes I created, I only used one color and tried not to go too heavy on the paint to avoid bleeding through the material. Keep in mind that this type of spray paint isn’t like normal spray paint where it’s easy to create designs or graffiti, although that spray paint would probably work just as well on shoes. This spray paint though comes out more like water would out of a spray bottle, but it still gives shoes a unique design and look. Besides using various types of spray paint, other paints such as acrylics and watercolors could be great choices as mediums to create beautiful masterpieces to display on your feet.
Another technique to get yourself a pair of cool kicks would be to draw on them using colorful Sharpies (this technique is probably my favorite to use on shoes!). Sounds a bit too easy, doesn’t it? Well, I have to say, it is easy, fun, and it looks professionally-made! You may be thinking to yourself right about now that you have no drawing abilities whatsoever. This point, although seemingly valid, plays no role here. You can just draw abstract shapes like the pair I designed and you’ll still end up with a flawless pair of one-of-a-kind shoes. In fact, I think the more abstract you choose to go with your drawings, the cooler it will look! For this pair, I went with a puzzle piece theme and made each colorful shape fit together. Other artists may try to create a design with a little more detail. Essentially, though, the possibilities for these types of shoes are endless.
Where, you may ask, can you get a good pair of plain shoes? Anywhere from Urban Outfitters to H&M to Vans have decent pairs of white shoes. Urban Outfitters has probably some of the best deals on shoes- usually two pairs for $30.00.
If you come up with any great designs for your shoes, e-mail me a picture because I’d love to see what you all come up with! Happy crafting!
