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Cost: $ $ $ $ $

Difficulty: • • • • •

Time: 5h00

Put a Song in Your Steps!
I made these for a friend's birthday. She is in love with 'Yellow' by Coldplay, Converse sneakers, and my array of sharpies xD. So this idea popped into my head. I actually wanted a white pair of high tops buuuut my local Kmart is kind of stingy and had 3 colours of the normal height ones (2 of which, had only 1 pair left... what a great range to choose from -.- plus they only had guys and the online Aussie mens shoe conversion chart lied to me about a 6 being a 39 - its actually a 41 if anyone wants to know, as I found out when I took the soles out DX). I guess that's what you get for being stingy and not buying real chucks.
She liked them in the end so that's all that matters. :D

REMEMBER:
- Wear golves when working with bleach.
- Work in a well ventilated area when using bleach.

Posted by Jackkie from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Published 13th July 2013 • See Jackkie's 47 projects »

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Step 1
Take the shoelaces and soles (if they are removeable) out. Fill a spray bottle with bleach and spray your shoes all over. I used mine undiluted but you can dilute yours to retain more of the original colour.

For cool effects, spray less in areas to leave darker parts (eg, less on the edges so you get a kind of fade out into a slightly darker colour for a kind of 'aged' look, especially if your go a parchment colour like mine)

[Remember to wear gloves and be in a well ventilated area. Also, don't wear anything you're really attached to because it's really easy to get a bit of it on you, especially if you're out in the open and the wind changes directions]
Step 2
Leave to sit for a while. Leaving them in the sun for this part made mine lighten quicker.

If you want them lighter, re-spray them after an hour or so.
Step 3
Rinse out thoroughly. I put mine in a box and hosed them down about 6 times.
You could throw them in the washing machine if you wanted.

Wait for them to dry. You could use a hairdryer to dry them quickly if you're impatient like me.
Step 4
Now that you have a nice light canvas to work on, you can go crazy! Write, draw, whatever you want!. I used sharpies but you could paint with fabric paints, acrylics, or even those cool puffy-paints for a cool texture.

If you're using sharpies like me, you might want to test all the colours out so you can see what colours you like best on the colour of the material, what colours you have to be careful with not to allow to spread, etc. That's why I did that rainbow edging on the tongue, so if one of the colours was aesthetically offensive or does that spreading, you'll know before you write in a really visible place.
Step 5
All that's left is to spray them with some finishing spray. It's not necessary if you used waterproof stuff like fabric paint or sharpies, but it kind of reassures you that they won't get ruined if you wear them in the rain. I just used a thin coat of clear acrylic matte finishing spray I got from bunnings. It didn't make the fabric stiff or effect the colours.

YAY! You're done! Admire your new epic footwear :D