Thursday, May 30, 2013

365 Days of Pinterest Day 23 - DIY Galaxy Sneakers!



COOOOOOOLLLL :)




I did it, I did it, I really really did it!!
well way back when my daughter asked for these "galaxy sneakers"  as I soon discovered they were't something a large company was making, they were all hand painted, selling on sites like Etsy.  So I had a "I can do that moment" ..  I loaded up on images from Pinterest and away I went.  Day 23 of my 365 days of Pinterest (testing Pinterest pins)  - DIY Galaxy Sneakers!

What You Will Need
~ sneakerzzzz ... most people prefer converse or Vans, the hipsters, but Iv seen everything from ballet flats to wedges .. this DIY is stricktly for canvase / sneaker material as the paint would react differnt to leather or pleather.
~ Tulip Fabric Spray .. this is uber important for two reason's .. it sprays little 'stars' and it is thin, allowing you to blend and layer without getting CHUNKY
~ Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in White Matte ... very specific again as you don't want a shiny finish 
~ Nail polish remover
~ Q Tips .. lots of em
~ tootpicks (for stars)
~ Time ... lots of it  :)





These are the colors I used .. originally I had orange in their but alas my 15 year old daughter was all ... "EWWWWW orange!"  and I was all "you dont appreciate me!!" :)




inspiration ..... my daughters pillow I used to guide me ... 



lets begin  ....


Start by spraying on some little white 'stars" (as you can see I was half way done with the sneaker when I decided to take blog photos)





next take your matte soft white fabric paint and your tooth pick



 make more distinct small round stars (dots)




 and the larger stars 
for these I made a place a thick dot of paint in the center then 'scratched' it out to the side with the toothpick.




*****   this is important **** 
The tulip fabric spray paint will fade, be absorbed by the shoe as it dries.. this will allow you to layer.
The tulip soft matte fabric paint will not fade or change .. it is thicker and more permanent


Now take your Q tip and your Matte Fabric paint and make little "clouds"  this will be a base for your colored spray paint .. if you put the spray paint directly on the fabric it will disappear as it dries.













dont let it dry .... it may dry a little in the process, but go ahead and start adding your colors with a Q tip (the spray paint)










If at any point you feel you've added too much paint and its getting CHUNKY .. you can do damage. load a Q tip up with nail polish remover and blot blot blot 







The nail polish remover should also be used to remove the paint from the rubber sole.




let them sit for a bit, dry a bit .. then repeat  ...



Base ...


color...















spray little stars with the spray fabric paint .. dot little stars with the matte white ...




blend




 This is a wabi sabi thing .. keep workin at it till you get the desired effect ... I originally did this .. a subtle version ..this was achieved by using less Matte White base ..



but my daughter requeted the colors to be more bold so I re touched them ...

and wa la


















Verdict .. time consuming but its worth it if you don't want to spend $100 to get them on Etsy :)

Monday, May 27, 2013

365 Days of Pinterest Day 22 - DIY SIDEWALK PAINT :)

Cute Cute Cute 


Day 21 of my 365 days of testing interesting Pinterest Pins and this is one for the family :)  .. Sidewalk Paint!!!  Yup sidewalk paint not sidewalk chalk .. 


why do we do these things?.....


so they will "GET OFF YOUR PHONEEEEE!!!"





WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Corn Startch
Water
Food color
Paint brushes .. big ones from the dollar store will do
a cupcake tin
bowl for mixin


Start by mixing one part water and one part corn startch in a big bowl ...


I let my nieces and nephews do this in the backyard .. I think mixing the concoctioin was just as fun if not more fun then actually painting with it ..



mix mix mix


put your 'paint' in a cupcake baking tin



drop in your food color .. do you know that McCormick and Betty Crocker both have neon food coloring!!!!  Perfect!




stir stir stir



 paint away



at first you may think that its not working as it will look a little translucent and lack color .. 





but as it dries ... then the real color comes out 






 .... Pants are optional




.... Dogs are a must




Pretty :)



Verdict .. great pin .. fun and easy, really works well .. very cheap and easy to clean .. 

can we  talk about the 203 year old home we bought now .. next time ..DIY my 200 year old French Provincial home ... cant wait!!!!
sneak peak ... my foyer!!  .... we have not moved in yet and the rest of the home is covered in ceiling to wall wallpaper .. so I may be hesitant to share those photos :)