Glittered Heels

For a while, I've been obsessed with glittered shoes. Kitten heels, pumps, open toed pumps...Kate Spade, Jimmy Choo, Mui Mui....

The problem with this is I can't afford to buy a pair of Kate Spade shoes...but even more, I'm unsure how practical they will be for "everyday" wear, which is the test I put all of my clothing and shoes through. 

Glitter Heels by aburlock featuring jimmy choo shoes

Christian Louboutin platform pumps
$895 - bergdorfgoodman.com

Christian Louboutin glitter pumps
$805 - mytheresa.com

Miu Miu glitter pumps
$476 - bluefly.com

Jimmy choo shoes
$495 - shirise.com

Betsey johnson shoes
$119 - betseyjohnson.com

High heel shoes
$120 - topshop.com

Michael Antonio platform heels
$55 - heels.com

JustFabulous glitter pumps
$50 - heels.com

I've seen a couple DIY glittered shoes around the internet, and I decided to try it myself.

I had a pair of shoes I felt were good candidates, but I liked them as is too, so I set out on a hunt for affordable shoes to glitter. I went to the Salvation Army, and as luck would have it, I found an awesome, brand new pair of black opened toe ankle strap pumps. 

I bought them, but by the time I got home, I was already unsure that I wanted to glitter them, as I loved them in their current state. Also, the ankle strap and heel height made them slightly more dressy than I was intending. So, I decided to glitter the original heels and keep the "new" ones I had bought black! The shoes I ended up using are from Target, from a couple years ago. They're comfortable and I actually have them in two colors. 

All you need for this project is a pair of shoes, some glitter, modge podge, a little newspaper and some clear enamel spray paint.

 It was beautiful out that day, so I decided to work outside on my balcony.

Mix some modge podge and glitter- I used Martha Stewart's smokey quartz glitter, bought at Michael's for $3.99. I really just eyeballed it, no exact recipes here.

First Coat 

It took me about 4 coats to achieve the level of uhh...glitteirness that I wanted. As you can see, I also glittered a barrette I had laying around. I find when I have glue and glitter mixed, and even a little bit left over, I get giddy looking around trying to find something else to glitter.

I stuffed some newspaper into the shoes to protect the insides, and then sprayed a coat of clear enamel that I bought at Ace Hardware, also for $3.99.

Voila! The finished project. Prepare yourself, friends. I will be wearing these around town starting tomorrow morning!

I'm a Cobbler

If you live in an urban area where you do a lot of walking, chances are you are aware of the damage concrete can  cause to your shoes. I don't think there is a good way around this, besides finding a good cobbler and visiting him regularly.
Moving from Chicago to Ann Arbor has been amazing for my shoe collection, but I still have a few pairs of shoes that are in need of repair (yes, almost 2 years later). I used to spend a not insignificant amount of money have my shoes repaired at the cobbler up the street. The Cobbler, Mr. T, was amazing- relatively inexpensive, quick, and also entertaining. Mr. T was about 80 years old and liked to talk.
Sadly, Mr T would not come with me to Ann Arbor, and the cobblers here are quite a bit more expensive. So I've been exploring other options--mainly, replacing shoes. But recently I discovered these little gems:

That's right friends. Three pairs each of heel tips in two different sizes (six pairs total) for less than $3. Even Mr. T can't beat that price.

The process is pretty easy. Start with a shoe with sad, worn down heels:

Use the pliers pictured above to twist out the tip (just like a screw!). Insert a new heel tip, and tap it in using the hammer. And you're done!

Voila! Now these shoes are back in circulation! It took about five minutes, and I still have five pairs of tips left. Maybe Mr. T needs an assistant.

It wasn't such a hard project but Ellie was sure tired after.