Have you ever been shoe shopping in a hurry? You find the perfect pair of pumps in the currently set budget AND they fit! You finally look down at your feet after wearing them a time or two dozen you realize that these suckers aren’t the basic black pumps you thought. They’re stinkin’ navy!
I’d like to say that this has only happened to me once but that would be a lie. So, noticing this particular pair of navy blue pumps sitting in my closet that I love the style of but never wear because of the color, I decided to mix things up a bit and go pink. Not just any pink… Legally Blonde Pink. Yeah! ‘Cause what’s more useful than navy blue pumps? Well, not pink ones but I’ll be rocking them anyway!
MY LATEST VIDEOSSo – do you have a pair of real leather shoes that you want to revamp? Maybe you want an off the wall color that isn’t readily available? Well then this tute is just for you!
For this project you’ll need: real leather shoes, masking tape, pen, paper, scissors, leather spray paint (I used Melatonian Nu-Life in the color Rose) and a crayon if your shoes are scuffed.
STEP 1: This is by far the most important step. The better you tape your shoes off, the better they are going to look in the end… Be sure to cover up any buckles, heels and soles – including the bottom of your shoe. You don’t want to be that girl with who OBVIOUSLY spray painted her shoes every time you cross your legs and pull your feet up off the floor!
Trace your shoe onto a sheet of paper. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just the basic shape. If you shoes are sling backs, like mine, sandals, or open toes, use tape to attach, being mindful to follow the sole’s curves. If you’re shoes are closed, go ahead and pop your paper in to keep from spraying the inside bottoms, but don’t worry about taping it in… You may need to trim your paper up a bit from your original cut out to make it work.
STEP 2: Spray paint your shoes with a very light coat. Allow to dry about 30 minutes.
If you have nasty scuffs on your shoes, never fear! After your first coat, use a crayon close to the color you are spraying. Go over the suede-like area to seal it up.
Continue spraying, (coloring if necessary), and allowing your shoes to dry fully between.
STEP 3: Let you shoes sit, at least overnight. Tear off that masking tape and use fingernail polish remover and a cotton swab to remove any over spray.
WARNING!!! I have learned the hard way – DO NOT use plain old spray paint from the hardware store on real leather. It cracks and peels and ruins the leather. You can find specialty leather spray paint at shoe repair shops or on Ebay. If you want to use the brand I did, search for Melatonian Nu Life (click the free shipping because some of the vendors will really screw you on that). On Ebay you can get a can for around $8 shipped!
Written by Allison Murray - Visit Website
Wow! I can not believe those are painted. This makes me look at my old shoes VERY differently. Great job, A!
Thanks for checking out the post, Kim! Get to spraying! :)
Another great shoe makeover! I've been meaning to spray-paint some shoes for a while. You might have just given me the courage boost I needed. For closed shoes, I was thinking that just stuffing them with crumpled up newspaper should keep the paint out.
Thanks for the compliment, Tania! The newspaper would work out really well for closed toe shoes. Sometimes I make things a teensy bit harder than they need to be. Thanks for stopping by!
WOW! Love this and thanks for clearing up about using the right kind of paint. Didn't even know that existed!!
No problem, Tanya! The truth is, I spray painted a gorgeous but beat up pair of leather oxfords with regular old paint. They turned out so well that I put them on and actually ran around the house smiling like a goob. Then they started peeling and cracking. Talk about disappointing but I learned my lesson and got the skinny from a honest to goodness cobbler. Leather spray paint is a godsend!
Hello! Nice post!
One question. Are you using regular spray paint?
Hey, Elisa. I actually used Melatonian Nu Life. You can get it in shoe repair shops or on eBay for around $8!
I have used regular spray paint before and I would never, ever recommend it. Peeling and flaking all over the place all day. So embarrassing!!
It's truly magical, Whitney. Be careful, they sell it in a million colors and you'll want to spray paint every leather thing that crosses your path. :)
Ahhh! I had no idea that kind of paint existed! I had a total craft fail when I tried regular spray paint on shoes. Thanks for this. Off to ebay I go :)