Weekly Pinterest Challenge: Glitter Shoe Clips

Although I didn’t wait very long to mention it on Twitter, I have yet to announce here that I was (pinch me now!) invited to the exclusive Stylemaker Workshop & Party hosted by Better Home and Gardens in New York City. I had my fingers – and toes – crossed for weeks leading up to the official invites, and nearly jumped out of my skin with excitement when I got the affirmative email. Train tickets have been booked, new business cards have been ordered and I have already planned my outfit for the big day in September. The other to-do list item that I made sure to jump on right away was following the other 49 attendees. It has been so much fun getting to know these new bloggers, and today I’m introducing you to one of them – Sarah, of Sarah Hearts.

Source: Sarah Hearts

When Sarah posted the adorable tutorial for the glitter shoe clips seen above, I just knew that I had to give them a shot myself. Simple to make, but oh-so-cute to put to good use, this project was just begging to be made over and over and over again. But, I’ll tell you right now, my version didn’t come out nearly as beautifully as Sarah’s did – So definitely be sure to click through to her blog for her perfected “Afters,” plus an awesome video documenting the process.

First the supplies:

  1. Shoes
  2. Glitter
  3. Super glue
  4. Mod Podge
  5. Scissors
  6. Foam paint brush
  7. Pencil
  8. Heart template
  9. Craft foam

Now that last one is where I hit a bit of a snag. In Sarah’s video, you’ll see that she used red foam paired with red glitter. This obviously makes perfect sense since any gaps in the glitter would be masked by the matching colored foam underneath. All of this is well and good, if you actually owned red glitter. Which I didn’t. Although I thought I did…So I had to make do with gold glitter in the end, which didn’t do much of a great job in covering, and therefore hiding, the red foam beneath. Live and learn!

After using a pencil to trace out my heart shape, I cut them out and covered each with Mod Podge using the foam paint brush. John even got in on this project, owing to the multiple paint brushes in the photos to follow. After sprinkling on several liberal layers of glitter, we stepped back and let our hearts dry (wow, that sounds depressing) – About 20 minutes or so.

After that, we poured a healthy amount of the Mod Podge right on top of the hearts and spread it out with our foam brushes. Once the Mod Podge dried (I left them alone overnight), it gave the hearts a clear sealant to protect the glitter finish and prevent “shedding,” if you will.

The final step in this process involved Super Glue and, because I had trouble locating shoe clips at the craft store, a couple of giant orange paper clips. Although they definitely don’t look as pretty as Sarah’s real deal, the clips did what they were supposed to. After the adhesive dried, I slipped them right over the top section of my TOMS, and away I went – hearts a’glittering with every step.

Again, be sure to click through to Sarah’s post for the original project and check out her cute video of the process. It’s always helpful to see the steps in real time action versus just photos. I need to get on the video bandwagon, huh?…

Thanks for the inspiration, Sarah!

Have you heard of Madesmith?

I get press emails on a fairly regular basis, asking to promote this brand or that on my blog, but rarely does one resonate with me the way Madesmith did. The mission behind this name is one that I wholeheartedly stand behind because it speaks to me on a personal level. Why? Well the Madesmith team is absolutely dedicated to singing the praises of craftsmen, bringing the context of goods full circle by really explaining the process that went into each item. From my own perspective, it’s not so much about what’s on trend or what the latest flashy something-or-other is – It’s about glorifying unique pieces and the talented designers who pour their hearts into making them.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Today, I’m rounding up some of my favorite home products from the site – Things like a lovely set of pastel nested bowls by Clam Lab, a handmade cutting board from Blackcreek Mercantile and, although a bit of a stretch when it comes to home specific goods, the sabine necklace by Son of a Sailor. What truly blows me away is Madesmith’s dedication to honoring the name behind each piece. Click those links to the artisans I mentioned above, and you’ll be taken to a page specific to each one with their story and photos galore. I’ve really never seen anything like this on an ecommerce website.

Photos by Chris Perez, of Sons of a Sailor Jewelry, for Madesmith

Although each product is accompanied by a specific page for the designer, Madesmith also features one of their makers front and center on the homepage each week. It’s just so neat to me (for lack of better phrasing) that I am able to really LEARN where my purchases are coming from. It puts a face behind the product and real meaning to my reason for clicking “Add to cart.”

Sign up for the newsletter here, and just so we are clear, I’m getting absolutely nothing for shouting this brand from the rooftops. I’m just that blown away by the mission and thought you might be too.

P.S. The winner of the 3MDIY.com giveaway has been announced! Was it you?

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