DIY Spectator Shoes

Can we just take a moment to talk about how dang fancy spectator shoes are? Because let's be real-- they're pretty darn swanky. There's just something about the crisp black and white of these bad boys that screams shut up, I'm classy, and who wouldn't love that?

Does anyone remember when I refinished these cowboy boots? Well, they got me excited and thinking of other things that I could make using that technique. So last time I went to Goodwill, I picked up some shoes and set out on another experiment. And the results speak for themselves [aka, you is fine].
Care to make some for yourselves? Well here is what I did:

Much like in Cowboy Boot Refash, first I gathered my materials. This time I did it a little different, so I ended up needing some old leather castoff shoes, paper towels, acetone, white leather paint, and some brushes.

Next, I removed the laces and went straight to work with the acetone. I wanted to remove the finish from the leather in the areas that I planned to paint white, so working a small section at a time, I would pour a little acetone on a paper towel and rub the leather until the black finish stopped coming off of the shoe. Then I took a fine grained sandpaper and roughed up the surface to be painted.

Once I had removed all of the finish from the leather, I began to paint it with some white acrylic paint. Edit: after wearing these shoes for a while I noticed that the paint was getting little cracks in some areas so I decided to go a different route. I ordered some Angelus brand Leather Paint [which you can find here], which I just found out is specifically for leather. So I will keep you posted on how this type of paint holds up!

With the help of my trusty sidekick, I let the shoes dry and then put the laces back in.

And just like that, you have [almost] instant fancy!
I swear, every time I go to Goodwill, I see about a dozen pairs of plain ol' shoes like these. THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES, GUYS. And they weren't even expensive to make! These only cost me five dollars to make, mostly because I already had all of the other materials.

Plus, wouldn't it be fun to make a bunch of these in obnoxious different colors? I think that the next pair I make are begging to be Tardis blue and white... Oh I like this idea...

And all I have to say is-- Dapper. As. Heck.


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