DIY Ruby Red Slippers

10/29/11

How to go from this:
To this:
Without spending tons of money at a shoe store.

As I mentioned in this post, my oldest daughter is going as Dorothy for Halloween this year.  And, as you all know, a Dorothy costume is not complete until you have a pair of Ruby Red Slippers.  I've seen some for sale at a variety of stores, but the cost just wasn't worth it to me.  So, I decided to make  them myself and with the help of some online tutorials I was able to pull it off without breaking the bank.

The first thing you need is a pair of dress shoes from a local thrift store.  This little pair was only $1.99 at Savers.
Then, stuff the shoes full of plastic bags or news paper so they can be spray painted a lovely shade of red.  (I happened to have the spray paint on hand)
Then, give them a few good coats of spray paint.  Make sure you allow the paint to dry in between each coat.
Most of the tutorials online don't have you spray paint the shoes, but I wanted to do that prior to these next few steps.  I found that it saved me time and glitter.  It was also a quick and easy way to get the color I wanted on the straps and bows.
The next step requires you to make some glitter Mod Podge.  Simply pour equal amounts of Mod Podge and glitter into a paper cup and mix together.  You want a cake batter feel/texture.
Then, start dabbing the Mod Podge mixture all over your shoes.  Make sure you use a smaller brush for more technical areas of the shoes.  I used a smaller brush around the straps and bows.
Once you've covered the whole shoe give it a nice thick coat of plain red glitter and allow the shoes to dry overnight.
Once the shoes have dried completely bang them together to get off any excess glitter.  You could be done right here, but I decided to give my shoes a light coat of Tacky Spray and a second dusting of glitter.
Finally, I used some hot glue to help the bows lay straight.  There you have it, a pair of glittery ruby slippers perfect for any little Dorthy Gale costume. 


Or, if you want to be more daring and adventurous you can make a pair for yourself.  Here are some links to some of the tutorials that I got my ideas from. 


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