Altered Shoe Art: Ring Holder Shoe Tutorial

This was my week two craft for So You Think You're Crafty. I placed third that week for this one. I thought you might enjoy finding out how I made it.

I tried about a million different decorations before settling on one that didn't drown out my rings. I wanted them to the focal point. This is also why I went with black fabric and not something more vivid.

Don't be intimidated by the lack of 101 I'm giving you. It really is a straight forward sort of project. If you know how to use a glue gun without burning yourself you can do this. Just be sure to dust off your imaginative brain space first. :)

The one important thing you might be wondering is how I got the pink fabric to stick to the shoe. I really just Mod Podged it on.

There are several different ways to make ring tubes that you can find online. One I saw used that colored foam paper stuff that you find in the kids craft section. I thought that might have been easier, but I had scraps of batting lying around so I went with what I had.

Still not intimidating. Breathe... breathe!

Be careful at this point to not burn your fingers... if you look closely my fingers have a lots of hot glue stuck to them.

Don't over glue the cushions into place or it will be harder to get your rings in, and don't glue the sides of the cushions together... that would defeat the purpose of the whole thing.

So where did I get all of these amazing embellishments?

The ric-rac and pink ribbons were in a bag full of stuff I sometimes use. 

The lace came from the local thrift store and was about a dollar for 12 inches. I carefully (very carefully) cut it down to the parts I wanted and stowed the rest away for later use.

On the side you may notice that there are these fantastic metal pieces (see below) those are actually earrings. VERY LONG earrings. The dangly part is the end and the beginning is at the top of the shoe. Do you see it? I just took the hooks off-- oh, they are hot glued on.

Also, across the strap I punched a bunch of holes so that I could add my stud earrings (which I own a bunch of). That way I can keep track of them and decorate with them at the same time.

If you make one, send the picture on to me so I can enjoy. I'll even post it on my blog with a link if you want. :)


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Here's my original post for So You Think You're Crafty.

I've tried every possible wording I can to wittingly sell you on my craft.

The problem is, there's nothing I can say that will top these images.

Even I'm surprised at how well my project came out.

So, I'll let the pictures sell it, because really--aren't they worth a thousand words?

I've wanted to do this project for awhile, but lacked the motivation to tear up any fantastic shoes I found. SYTYC has, however, brought out the fighter in me and this $2.50 pair of shoes became the victim.

Or maybe the shoes were Cinderella, and I was the God-Mother?

You'll have to decide.

Either way, I'm not feeling much remorse for making this ring/earring holder.

In fact, I'm feeling pretty darn happy about the result of this endeavor.

Not only do I now have a place to display my rings, and my myriad of stud earrings (which go across the buckle strap), but it looks incredible!

Now admit it, this is the best eye candy you've seen in awhile?