those Orange shoes…

Since changing to my Fall header on the blog, many of you have asked about the little ballet flat shoes in the photo.
Are they yours?
Are they Lucy’s?
Where do you find Orange shoes??
Well, I wish they were mine but they’re Lucy’s old shoes that I spray-painted Orange!

Remember back in the spring when I spray-painted my shoes Yellow? Grosgrain shared the instructions on her blog and I just had to try it (for more cool shoe ideas, check out her entire Shoe Redo Week. Really interesting stuff).
Now, I still haven’t perfected the process and will probably try it again since I’m determined to get it perfect. Because yes, my yellow shoes have cracked, a ton. But does that stop me from wearing them (posed here with my computer case)? Not at all!
In fact, the cracks kind of add to their character. But I would like to improve the process. So here’s what I did.

These are Lucy’s darling ballet flats from H&M. It was one of those “hmmm, should I buy these? I don’t know if she’ll wear them…but they’re only 7 dollars…so I should probably just get them…” kind of purchases. And now I’m kicking myself for not buying 3 more pairs. I mean, 7 dollars? The girl has worn them to death, almost every Sunday, even if they don’t really match her dress. We refer to them as her “Belle shoes” since they’re the exact shape of all the princesses shoes.
Well, time has scuffed off much of the brown metallic shine and they’re almost too small for her. So I thought, why not paint them orange?!
Yes. Why not.

Following Kathleen’s instructions, I grabbed a can of spray paint:
Stuffed the insides of the shoes with rags, so sticky paint didn’t get in there:
I tapped off the soles to keep them from being painted too (though some of it still seeped through):
I went outside and (using my favorite spray-painting box), sprayed on top of them. But here’s where I need to continue experimenting and improving….

The paint seems to drip and droop on my shoes. I’ve tried being more patient and spraying small sections at a time, letting them dry, and then flipping them over but no matter, the paint starts to sag in places. I’ve also tried spraying for a farther distance but the results were similar. Anyone have tips for this?
Also, this time around, I sprayed the shoes with a clear lacquer spray. I think it helped with some of the cracking but Lucy’s shoes have still started to crack after wearing them a few times. So there, you have it. A work in progress.
But a colorful and fun one!
If you have a pair of shoes you don’t care about, try it out! Orange shoes definitely add surprise to any wardrobe.