Mommy and Me Patriotic Shoes

Hi friends! The 4th of July is just around the corner. I love decorating for the holidays, but we are currently living with family waiting to move into a house we are buying, so home decor is OUT for me. But there are LOTS of ways to be festive this Independence Day, so I've been having fun doing some Fashion DIY projects. I've got a festive Mommy & Me craft that is SO easy, you don't even need to make it during nap time. In fact - you can make it while your 18-month old is wide awake, sitting on your lap, trying to grab your marker and pointing at your shoes saying "Star" {ahem - not that that was my situation or anything! ha ha}.

I was at a Skechers outlet store this week and saw some adorable "BOBS" shoes that had an American flag pattern on them. I totally wanted them for the 4th of July - but they were $50! Which meant they were OUT. I couldn't buy them when I knew I could make them for much less! I found white canvas slip-on shoes at Walmart for $5 and was stoked! They were the foundation for my patriotic craft. I was even more excited when I found a pair of white mary janes in Ava's size for only $5 at Hobby Lobby! Craft stores are a great place to find plain, inexpensive wearables for crafts. Counting the fabric markers, total price for both shoes was less than $15. For both shoes! Ava loves them and they're her new fave shoes to wear - mine, too! Here's how to make a pair for yourself (and your little one!)

Supplies

White Canvas Shoes

Fabric Markers in red & blue {I used the "Stained" kind by Sharpie brand}

Stars & Stripes Stencils

The Fun Part

Apply your stencils to each pair of shoes, marking off the areas you want to do stripes & stars. The markers dried really fast, so I was able to take off the vinyl & reuse it immediately for the next shoe - but you can make stencils for each shoe, if you want. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out stars & stripes out of vinyl. If you don't have a way to cut your own vinyl, you can use painters tape for the stripes (cut to size) & buy a pack of STAR stickers - super easy! For the toddler shoes, my stars & stripes were ¼" - for my shoes, the stars & stripes were ½".

Use your red fabric marker to color in the stripes and your blue fabric marker to color in the area around the stars. Everywhere your vinyl is will stay white. Tip: I "outlined" each star, then colored in around the stars. I worried if I colored over the stars that the marker might leak under the vinyl, so outlining them first really helped. I freehanded the stripes on the back of the shoe & the strap (my shoes didn't have a strap to color). Like I said earlier, my marker dried super fast, so I could immediately remove the stencils (& reuse them) and didn't have to wait hours for them to dry before we wore them. Repeat steps for all shoes. You're done!

I absolutely LOVE my shoes - and they cost less than $10 - versus $50 for the Skechers pair! This craft is so easy - you can make a pair for yourself, your honey, your baby, your neighbor, your mailman - anyone! I think it would be a really fun craft for a big group {church craft for the youth, girl's night, family reunion, etc}. Kids of all ages could decorate their own shoes and make up their own designs!

I hope you all have a fabulous Fourth of July full of cute fashions, delicious food and fireworks! I've had a blast being a contributor here at Pretty Providence. Thanks for having me! Have a great summer!

xo