Tinkerbell Shoes Tutorial (sorta)

Sophie is going to be Tink for halloween, so I made her some matching shoes to go with her costume... find the tutorial for the costume here.

Here's how I made the shoes:

What you'll need:

Old pair of ballet flats

Paint (optional)

Paintbrush

Mod Podge

Glitter

Tape (also optional)

2-1.5 inch white pom poms

Elastic Thread

Needle with large enough eye for the elastic thread

(I used a yarn needle cause that's what was handy)

Or

Hot Glue Gun

(depending on the way the shoe is made...mine have a strap and holes so I made it so that I can remove the pom pom, but you could always just glue them on if this isn't an option for you) 

First, wipe the shoes clean.  I taped the soles of my shoes just because sometimes I am OCD like that but it's really not nessacery.  Then, if your shoes are a different color than the glitter you are using, paint as many coats as you need to get the desired color following the instructions on your paint.  I used some acrylic because I already had it on hand and it seems to have worked pretty well. 

Anyway, I painted two coats on my shoes and let them dry...well actually, I was impatient and used a blow dryer to speed the process, but ya' know...  I actually think they would have been pretty cute with one more coat of paint, and Sophie loved them as is but I was determined that my little Tink was going to have sparkly shoes!

Next, apply the mod podge.  You want to use a good amount.  I mean, don't glob it on. You want a smooth, even coat, but you definitely don't want to be stingy with it!  I started out with a really light coat at first and the glitter wouldn't cover the shoe and when I would put some more on (mod podge) so that I could put more glitter, all the glitter would come off on my paintbrush.  It really stuck once I started using a thicker coat.  (Sorry no pics of this process...my hands where way too glittery at this point to use the camera!)  

Now, if you are making detachable pom poms instead of gluing them on, using about an 8" piece of elastic thread and thread it through the center of each pom pom. 

Then, go back through to the other side and tie the ends of the thread together left over right.  Then, right over left or vice versa...just so you do it opposite the second time.  This will keep your knot from slipping.  So that it made a little loop like this...

You can barely see the elastic thread loop but that is what you want.  I am going to slide the elastic thread under the strap at the front of the shoe and then loop it around the pom pom.  That way I can take it on and off.  

Once your first coat of Mod Podge is dry, mix about three parts mod podge to one part water in a spray bottle, and basically soak the shoes in it.  I put the nozzle right up on the shoes (I'd say about a half inch away), let it dry then repeated 2-3 more times to be sure the glitter was sealed on the shoes well.

Here's how they turned out:

Oh! I almost forgot.  They were a little too big so I just pulled the insoles (I think that is what they are called) out, traced them on a piece of felt (the really thick kind that you buy off the bolt...not the thin stuff that comes in 8 x 11 sheets) and cut the felt out and put the cutouts in the shoe then put the insoles back in on top of the felt to make the inside a little more snug. You might need to cut more than one pair.  I guess it just depends on how loose the shoe is.  These almost fit Sophie.  They were just about a half size too big.  

Here are some pics of her wearing them:

Sophie loves her "sprinkle" (her word for glitter) shoes!

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