DIY Heel Makeover

I found a hideous old pair of brown/copper shoes in a closet. I think they came from the late 1990's? I loved the shape and I remember how comfortable they once were. I decided to get crafty.

Recently I'd been on the lookout for a pair of fire engine red, super glossy heels, that were in my price range and also wide width.... to find these shoes, I would need a fairy godmother...

I headed over to Canadian Tire and purchased a small can of super glossy, fire red TREMCLAD paint. The paint cost me around $7.

When choosing a paint, make sure it's oil based. TREMCLAD will stick to anything and it's waterproof. I prefer to apply it with a brush, I don't like the lack of control with spray cans. This method also works great if you have a pair of boring black heels and you want to paint the bottoms a bright colour.

Firstly, I ripped out the old soles, and retraced them on a piece of pretty heavy duty craft paper. I glued the paper onto the old inserts. Voila, beautiful.

Using a fine grain sandpaper, I gave the ugly shoes a bit of a sand to make sure the paint would stick. ( don't go crazy here, the surface of my shoes was in no way scuffed.

Then start painting.

After the first coat, allow to dry for 12 hours in a well ventilated room. The next day the shoes needed a second coat.

Make sure to wait a few days for the paint to cure before you wear them.

But for $7 dollars, these are some pretty kick-ass kicks!