DIY Glitter Heels!

I was going through my closet and saw that I had two pairs of scuffed up heels that weren't being worn due to their condition. I really do love these shoes and couldn't possibly find myself leaving them on the shelf or worse (garbage can). I realized that all they really needed was a little pick-me-up to be able to see the streets again :). So with a few supplies and crafting-mode activated I revamped those old, tired heels into fun Glitter Heels! There are definitely different ways to achieve this look but if you'd like to see how I turned this:

into this:

Then please keep reading :)

First off you'll need a few supplies, like these:


¤ A pair of shoes :p
¤ Glitter! I wanted to use extra fine glitter so I used Martha Stewart glitter from Michaels. I love the different variety of colors.
¤ Glue. I used Elmer's Glue All Multipurpose Glue.
¤ Brushes. I found an inexpensive variety pack of foam brushes also from Michaels.
¤ Bowl. I just used a plastic bowl.
¤ Parchment paper/ Newspaper for easier clean up.
¤ Acrylic Sealer. I used Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer in Gloss that I found at WalMart.
¤ Some sandpaper (if the shoes are patent leather) *not pictured*.
¤ Shaker. I used this to mix different glitters together and for easier distribution.
¤ Time, patience and a little luck.

To start off I would HIGHLY recommend to place newspaper or parchment paper down where ever you are crafting because you'll find the glitter has the tendency to get EVERYWHERE. Can't say I didn't try to warn you :) The shoes I chose are both patent leather so to help ensure that the glitter will stick, take the sandpaper and rough up the material. This should create a rough, scruffy surface like this:

As you can see I took the time to place some parchment paper inside the shoes to help keep the glitter-glue mixture off of the inner material.


Next is to mix the glitter and glue. Take your bowl and mix together approximately 1 Tbsp. of glue with 2 tsp. of glitter. For the sandals I used 1 glitter and for the pumps I used a mixture of 3 glitters. You really need to eyeball the mixture and be the judge of the appropriate glitter to glue ratio. The mixture should be a semi-thick paste like this:

Grab your paintbrush and paint your glittery paste all over the shoe, carefully avoiding any area of the shoe where you don't want glitter! This may take 2 or more coats to completely cover every nook and cranny!
Take your glitter of choice and sprinkle the glitter over the entire shoe. Anywhere the glitter paste is, is where you should apply more loose glitter. Lightly press the glitter into the glitter paste. Place the shoes somewhere where they wont be touched and allow to dry for at least 24 hours. The longer the better! They should then look a little something like this:


Now its time to seal in all of your hard work! For this step I would highly recommend to be outside because the spray has a very strong smell. Again place newspaper underneath the shoes and spray a thin coat of Mod Podge Acrylic Gloss Sealer all over the glittery area. This will help to protect the glitter and add a beautiful shine.


Again allow the sealer to dry. I ended up waiting a couple of hours after the first coat and then applied another coat of Mod Podge, this of course is up to you. And now you have a like-new pair of shoes!






I'm so happy with the outcome and hope you found this DIY helpful and inspires you to give glittering your old shoes a try! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!