DIY Project: Boring Thrift Shop Shoes Into Fashionista Footwear

Second hand heels can be a great find, because usually they have only been lightly worn. Though they are in great condition, they might be a little bit lacking in the spunk department. If you find a boring thrift shop shoe, and wish to infuse it with some pazazz, I have just the project for you! Make a boring heel into fashionista footwear with these three steps!

Step One: Getting Ready

Once you find the perfect shoe to make over, you will also need to gather some additional supplies. In this tutorial we will cover adding a fun, printed fabric to just the heel of the shoe. This means that you will need to find a pretty fabric that matches the rest of the shoe. If you have a purple shoe, for example, you could spice up the heel with a grey fabric dotted with little purple flowers. Besides a matching fabric, you should collect glue, a paintbrush, an exacto knife, a clean rag and scissors.

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Step Two: Apply The Fabric

Clean the heel off well before you start this project. Next, cut a piece of fabric out that looks too big to wrap around the heel. When you start wrapping, you want to have excess around the edges. Paint a thin layer of glue onto your heel. Press the fabric onto it, and smooth it so that it is applied without wrinkles or air bubbles. If buckling occurs due to curves, you can cut a small slit in the fabric and overlap it to smooth away the buckling.  Use your exacto knife to trim the edges. Apply a second layer of glue.

Step Three: Cover the Inside Of The Heel (Optional)

If you want to, you can keep on covering and move to the inside portion of the shoe. You can use a small and narrow piece of fabric for this portion, and it can be less precise as it will be less visible when you are wearing your shoes!

This D.I.Y project is a fun way to breath life into stale thrift store pumps. Heels are a glamorous addition to any outfit. If you enjoy creating fabric covered heels, you can move onto covering all of the surface area! This will open up more options in terms of color and pattern choice. Have fun and please do let me know how it goes for you in the comments section below!