What I made today: Hootchie Shoes

OK, to me these are not hootchie shoes. They are artistic footwear – ready for a spin around the city. Or maybe for the curvy lead singer of a cumbia band. Perhaps they are just right for a chica going to the opening of an art show. Better yet, a petite drag queen hitting the stage for her debut performance!

I love making crazy things, embellishing them three times over, and then daydreaming about the fictional person who would own them. This specific set of stilts? Definitely Star from my novel!

I scored these at Goodwill for five dollars. I knew as soon as I saw them that they were meant for a chica makeover. I’ve been inspired by Katy Perry’s footwear and decided to translate my curiosity into this pair of formerly metallic gold groundgrippers.

To glam these babies up, I started with a big bag of gems and used Liquid Fusion® Clear Urethane Glue to put them on. I actually used the back of a paintbrush to coat a small area at a time, and then I used a crayon to pick up the gems to place them on the wet surface.

Next, I used more Liquid Fusion in an even coat (applied with a brush) and added my Bollywood Blue Crafty Chica® Chunky Glitter™. I let it dry and then repeated the process for a double layer of glitter.

Then I painted the tops using Tulip® Soft Fabric Paint™. This tip is essential – you HAVE to use fabric paint. If you use regular acrylic paint, it will peel off. I coated it all with Aleene’s® Spray Acrylic Sealer™ and glued on a mini-corazon from Cesco’s Muertos.

If you are in the Chicago area next month, these shoes, along with a bunch of other things I made, will beon display in the iLoveToCreate booth at the Craft & Hobby Show, as well as the Craft Super Show. Oh! By the way – I was a guest blogger today at the CHA blog! Click here to read it!


Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy 🙂
P.S. Check out my new novel!