Shoe Makeover: Patriotic Watercolor Kicks

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… Fourth of July is the BEST. HOLIDAY. EVER. My absolute favorite hands down. Every year I love braving the heat and running back up the driveway and away from what I just set fire to. When the fireworks stand to start popping up I get very, very excited. And when it comes time to get the fireworks shop on, I research what I’m going to buy online, watch videos of those particular poppers, and even make a spreadsheet. I make fancy desserts that look like flags, barbecue chicken, and whip up some fruit salad everybody loves.

And I wear a bunch of red, white and blue. For years now I’ve worn the same pair of classic canvas kicks I made over a few years back. And they’re great and all but they’re starting to get a wee bit funky. It’s time for a new pair of kicks.

So when I saw these tie-dye pens by Tulip at the craft store I had the greatest idea. Watercolor patriotic kicks! So I snapped them up and made some magic happen!

For this project you will need:

• white canvas sneakers
• tie dye pens
• fabric pens
• small paintbrush
• water

Draw red lines across your left sneaker to mimic the stripes of the flag. Space the lines about an inch apart.

Randomly draw lines to fill in between every other you’ve already drawn. Make them obviously hand-drawn with some being a bit darker than others.

Dip that paintbrush into some water and paint over the lines you drew, making the brush increase the spread in some areas to resemble watercolor. Keep adding lines and adding water until you are happy with the look and allow the fully dry.

Cut a star out of a piece of paper and use it to add blue stars to your right shoe.

Draw lines in the area around the stars.

Add water and add lines until you achieve a look similar to the other shoe. Allow drying.

Once dry toss in the dryer with a damp rag and keep a close eye on things. This is an easier way to heat set the dye than using iron and possibly burning your sole.

But don’t dry the shoes together in the dryer as the colors may bleed onto one another.

To finish trace your stars and draw a few lines in the background of your star shoe with a fabric marker.

Do the same for the red, making sharp lines in the red lines you’ve already created. Make them varying and interesting!

Get ready to have the cutest feet this Independence Day…

and ring in the holiday, running away from explosives (or just watching them from a safe distance) in style!

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.