Sweet Feet

While Mr. Monogram and I have been very busy working our way down the "To Do" list for our party (which keeps growing, BTW), I have been periodically ducking back inside to put more coats of poly on my Dr. Scholl's. Alyson is clearly as excited about these lobster sandals as I am, as she was IM-ing me at 11pm last night about them! Of course I will be wearing them to her son Drew's lobster themed birthday party at the end of the month (with the mini monograms in matching lobster swimsuits as well of course!). I am MOST excited about Drew's party as Alyson has been taking private cake decorating classes in Nashville and is planning on making the cake herself w/ a smooth white icing and red fondant lobsters and navy beads. I will surely put a picture of this cake on the blog when it's done (also, I know Ashley will want to see that too). Anyhow, back to my shoes. They have been a bit more difficult than I anticipated. I originally photocopied a pair of the mini monograms swimsuits so I could trace the lobster onto the shoes once I painted it, but that just did not work out AT ALL. So plan "B" was to get a clip art lobster and trace that, which worked well on the bed of the shoe but not the sides. On the side I had to do a little free-hand lobster which I did in the reverse colors from the bed of the shoe. They certainly don't look like a professional did them, but I think they're still wearable. But you be the judge!

To paint the shoes, I needed the following:
-1 pair of Dr. Scholl's sandals
-Blue painter's tape
-Water-based acrylic paints
-Rubber stamps or stencils
-Assorted brushes
-1 bottle of water-based varnish

I will tell you ahead of time that because I am not a good free-hand painter, I did not use acrylic paints and brushes. I used paint pens which worked just fine. Now onto the directions. Unbuckle the strap and cover with the blue painters tape. Also cover the thin white sole of the shoes if you don't want that painted as well. Base-coat the surface and sides of the shoe in your desired color and let dry. Repeat process. Add designs with a rubber stamp or stencil and shade as needed. Let dry, then brush on several layers of the water-based varnish, letting each coat dry before reapplying. Remove the tape and enjoy.

If you don't want to go to the trouble to paint them yourself, here is a list of a few great sites that sell them already painted. Be prepare to spend a pretty penny though! Although I think Sweet Feet Sandals originally started this trend, I prefer the selection at My Twinkle Toes. And lastly, make sure you stop by Simply Sandals. I don't wear much red, but I ADORE the Maryland Crab sandals, and naturally the green Polka Dot design on the pink sandal is calling Monogram Momma's name. The "Tee Time" is so cute too, in fact, this would be a great design for my friend Ashley to copy for her golf enthusiast mom. Can't you just see Mrs. E. at the beach in her cute green and white golf themed Dr. Scholl's, knee length skirt and t-shirt? Well if you knew her, you could picture it. Trust me!

As a side note, I feel the need to warn you that if you buy these Dr. Scholl's sandals, they are called the "exercise sandal" for a reason. While they are super cute to wear, they are like walking around on a plank of wood, and your calves will be killing you when you finally take them off your sweet little feet!