Shine On...

I posted this photo below earlier today as the photo-of-the-day...

Those are my favorite, worn out TOMS.  I adore(d) them.  They definitely got their money's worth of wear.  And needless to say, they were due in for an upgrade...I just couldn't bear the thought of parting with them.

So I set to work.  First, I stitched up the holes in the toes.  Then it was time for a good bath and scrub (hand-washed in soap and warm water...the more natural the better...but I used what I had on hand). Then they were set out to dry completely.  I taped off the soles with gift-wrapping tape.  Ideally you should use painter's tape, or something that peels off easily, but again, I used what I had on hand.

Then I decided on glitter.  I had seen several tutorials around the webs at large for glitter shoes...this one being the best.  (Martha Stewart also has a good tutorial).

I mixed my glitter with my mod podge and set to work.  It took about 4 good coats for me to be satisfied with the coverage.  I let the shoes dry about 20 minutes in between coats.  Once they were dry, I put a final coat of indoor/outdoor varnish on them to create a seal of sorts.

I'm quite pleased with how they turned out!

And now it's time for warmer weather so I can put these "new" shoes to use (this snow just isn't TOMS-wearing weather, ya know?!)

I didn't find any links out there for other glitter TOMS renovations (probably because they actually sale a pair of glitters ones already), but here is a little round-up of some other TOMS renovations I found were well-done...

Flower Fabric TOMS
A store with custom designs
I think these are very creative
And if you're going for the really worn look...these will do

Ah, fun stuff...maybe now I need to make a matching pair for Elise :)