Why you ALWAYS should have a pack of fabric paints ready to go…

In case your nana or another family member or friend needs an emergency shoe paint job!

My nana is 92, and I recently took her to a funeral (one of her favorite cousins passed away). Nana had a pair of silver shoes that she considered to be the comfiest ever. But she needed black comfy shoes to wear to the services. While visiting her after Thanksgiving dinner,  she asked me if I could paint her beloved metallic slip-ons when I got home so she could wear them in the morning to the services.

“Of course!” I replied. I love it when family members ask me for crafty assistance!

These shoes were soft metallic vinyl. In case you are wondering, shoe polish is stinky. Spray paint rubs/flakes off, but Tulip® Soft Fabric Paint™ ? This is one of the reasons it was invented!

 

First, you want to wipe down the surface. This vinyl is porous, but if it wasn’t, I would have sanded it a bit so the fabric would grip the paint better. I simply applied a coat on each shoe with a paint brush, let it all dry and then applied a second coat. I made sure to get all the edges too, so no one can ever tell these shoes used to be silver.

Here they are finished and ready to wear! Nana loved them! They don’t need a sealer, but if you want, you can add a spray varnish in matte or shiny. The paint has excellent coverage: I applied two coats with one little pot, and I still have some left.

My suggestion – especially with the holiday season here – is to buy a multi-pack of these fabric paints so you have little pots of different colors. They’ll come in handy to touch-up belts, handbags, furniture, shoes, clothing and more.

Here is Nana applying some lipstick. Yes, she is using a purse mirror I made for her twenty years ago, she still uses it daily! I love my nana!