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DIY Glitter Converse All Stars or There’s No Place Like Home

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When it comes to my wardrobe there are a few staples for which I always rely. A-line dresses, statement necklaces, a good pair of jeans, brightly colored pants, a few nice blouses, cardigans, and Converse All Stars. I know it seems weird that with my preppy style, I love these shoes so much, but I will find any excuse to wear them. Even a fancy occasion. Like performing in front of hundreds of people.

 

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Rago

About a month ago, I had the pleasure of participating in Listen to Your Mother Chicago for the second time (Squeee! Videos will be released soon). This year a portion of the show’s proceeds were given to the Red Pump Project, and while the cast wasn’t required to wear red shoes, I love a theme.

Also, I love crafts.

 

And glitter.

 

And I wanted to make a pair for my stage partner, Samantha Schultz.

 

Photo courtesy of Balee Images

Also, fellow cast mate (and comedian) David Slattery loves All Stars as much as me.

 

Photo courtesy of Balee Images

However, when you have some butterflies about a performance I find it best to do what makes you comfortable or at home. And nothing says home to me like a good pair of Chuck Taylors on my feet and friends and family by my side.

I have since worn my glittery shoes out and about, and people have asked how they can make their own. Luckily, I took a few pictures on my iPhone of the process.

Supplies:
Converse All Stars
fabric glue
glitter
paint brush
spray clear glaze (I used Dresden gloss I found at JoAnn Fabric)
trash bags

 

First, protect the area in which you will be working. I used trash bags. Also, remove the shoe laces from the shoes.

 

Using a small paint brush and working in small areas of the shoe, paint glue on the shoe. Then carefully sprinkle glitter on the shoe where you applied paint.

 

NOTE: I used a paint brush to spread the glue evenly onto the fabric and to also keep the glue exactly where I wanted it avoiding rubber sides and souls, and metal lace holes. I only did the sides of the shoes, and avoided the tongue as I thought the rubbing of laces would eventually rub the glitter off.


Once I covered the areas I wanted with glitter, making sure to fill any areas that were missing. I let the shoes dry for about 12 hours.

Next, I put plastic bags in the shoes, and took them outside. I also put the All Stars on a brown paper bag. This made them ready for spraying the glaze. This helps to minimize the amount of glitter falls of the shoes.

 

I sprayed three coats of glaze on the shoes waiting about 30 minutes between coats, and letting the shoes dry outside.

NOTE: It is extremely important to do this step outdoors as the glaze is extremely toxic.


I re-laced the shoes and they were ready for show day.

 

Here are some photos from the big day, so you can see how they turned out.

 

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Rago
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Rago

So, I am pretty sure that this is what I am going to do to all my Converse now.




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My Family thinks I’m the Paparazzi Now: Cannon Rebel

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Awhile back was Brian and I’s 6 Year Anniversary, and I celebrated with a week of going down memory lane (here, here, here, here, and here). What I forgot to tell you, though, was the awesome gift we gave to each other. You ready? Here she is:

 

Gorgeous no? Weird taking a picture of a camera… I had to take this on my iPhone so it didn’t come out as lovely.

This decision was a long time coming. When Brian and I are about to plunk down a significant amount of money, we do a TON of research. Here is our little adventure of buying our awesome new camera, and just thank your lucky stars that I’m not letting you in on our car buying experiences (you’d be reading for days).

When we found out we were pregnant with my oldest 5 years ago (has it been that long?!) we got a Canon PowerShot. It served us well. In fact, it lasted through three kids, two moves, and plenty of trips and special events. We used it so much, it was starting to see better days. Also, taking pictures of an unmoving newborn is way easier than three rambunctious tots. You can see the blur here:

 

Then in July, I started blogging. We weren’t sure how often I was going to blog, but it was pretty clear that iPhone photos and the PowerShot weren’t going to cut it. If you want evidence of jenky photos please refer to my first two months of blogging.

With all of that said. The research began. We first took some advice from a good friend who loves photography, Melissa. She has her own blog called Jamrockstar which showcases some of her photography skills as well as her musings about life. Hopefully soon, she will do a guest post for me (hint, hint).

Melissa gave us the best suggestion. She said we should look at all options, hold them, see how they feel in our hands, practice switching lenses, and play with some of the different settings. So we did. We walked around Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and our local camera shop, and we just held cameras and tried shooting a few photos. This really helped us narrow things down, and I am so happy that I didn’t make a decision without seeing and trying one out.

Speaking of trying out a camera, our friends Lisa and Bill (who also have three amazing kids), own a Canon DSLR that they loaned us for a few weeks to make our final decision.

So, after checking things out, we decided that we wanted a Cannon Rebel T3i. The added bonus of wanting a Canon was that we still had Brian’s automatic zoom lens and removable flash from his days taking and developing film photos for the Purdue Exponent.   

We had a very strict budget in mind, and were even willing to wait until Black Friday to score a deal. The long search began. While we were searching, Canon had just released the T4i model, which was good for us. Stores wanted to get rid of T3i’s to make room for the new model. WOOHOO! Savings galore. For a few weeks, we scoured the internet, store flyers, and eBay. Then one night we happened to go right to the Canon Direct website, and noticed they have a refurbished store, and they had a GREAT deal on the Rebel T3i. It was no tax, free shipping, and was the cheapest deal we’ve seen. It also came with a 90 day warranty AND Brian found an online promo code. While it wasn’t the full year warranty on a brand new Canon, we read some online reviews, and there were nothing but good things to say about refurbished Canon products.

Long story short… well long. We bit the bullet, and bought it.

Now, look at all these beautiful photos that our new Canon has taken. While I still have lots to learn about the camera (I read the booklet nightly and research tons of internet resources on photo editing), I cannot believe that even a novice like me has taken some of these awesome photos.

 

Also, I’ve been able to practice my photography skills with the November Challenge.

Linking up today at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading. Check out everyone else’s amazing projects!

Wine Included: Clever Shower Gift

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This past weekend was a bridal shower for my soon to be cousin, Lindsey. I have always been a big believer in adhering strictly to bridal registries, but this time I couldn’t resist adding a little something extra.

They couple has asked for a small wine fridge, but when I saw this on the side of the box…

 

I realized I needed to remedy that situation as soon as possible.

So, of course I started brainstorming ideas for how to fill the wine fridge creatively. After some searching, I found these FREE printable tags on Libby James’ Blog. The tags mark certain milestones in the first year or two of marriage, including first fight, wedding night, Christmas Eve, first baby, first dinner party, and the couple’s first anniversary. On the blog, there are also instructions on what kinds of wine to buy. After printing the tags, I cut them out and tied them to the bottles using a little twine I had on hand.

 

I then put them in a box with a little tissue paper and wrapped the wine fridge in coordinating paper.

 

Thank goodness I solved the empty wine fridge dilemma! I hope the Bride and Groom commemorate all the important moments of their first year of marriage.