SHOE TUTORIAL: Glittery Kitty Cat Flats

If you've followed me for a while, you know I'm a bit of a crazy cat lady. Early last year, I saw some heels adorned with kitty faces, but they didn't strike my fancy enough to recreate. I was looking around for other designs, and found these DIY Cat Toe Flats by Cathy Diep. Inspired, I decided to make my own take and create a glittery version. I you aren't a cat lover, head down to the bottom of the tutorial for more inspiration. The basic concept and steps for these glittery shoes can be applied to many motifs. It's all about your imagination and preferences. Ok, onto the tutorial!



SUPPLIES:
  • Flat shoes - Mine are black faux leather, so this tutorial will be built around that. You can also use PVC, leather, or patent leather for this project. If you prefer cloth (cotton) shoes, I will include some info for those too, as you need different materials and instructions.
  • Coarse to Medium grit sand paper - To scuff up the shoes where you want the kitty face. This will make the Mod Podge and glitter have some texture to grab onto
  • White chalk - I drew my curved head and ears, because it was faster than tape, and I could easily remove any mistakes.
  • Mod Podge Gloss - To adhere and seal the glitter
  • Small paintbrushes - To apply the Mod Podge. I used a small flat, detail, and fluffy brush for this project.
  • A cup of water - To rinse the glue from the brushes. Mod Podge dries fast, so you need to wash your brushes after using them
  • Fine silver and black glitter - To make a sparkly kitty. I used 2 part silver to 1 part black...you can make this darker or lighter
  • A little cup - I have these cheap plastic shot glasses that I use for crafts. Great for mixing glitter or paint
  • A spoon - To mix and sprinkle the glitter
  • Black fine paint pen - To make the cat face
  • Paper towels - For catching glitter fallout and cleaning up
  • A plate or creased paper - To catch the excess glitter and fold to pour back into glitter container

OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
  • Painter's tape - To make a straight line for the kitty face, though you can skip this if you want to freehand the shape
  • Dimensional paint - If you want the kitty features less subtle...but honestly my shoes aren't very subtle. Tulip has great dimensional paint in slick and glitter that would work great
  • Tiny plastic gems - If you want extra sparkly eyes. Use E6000 and a toothpick to add glue to the back
  • Acrylic paint and a tiny paint brush - If you prefer painting the details and don't have or like paint pens, acrylic paint will do fine



INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Using the chalk, carefully draw a curved toe cap on your shoes. It's up to you how low you want it to be. Mine is about 1 inch away from the opening of the shoe. If you make a mistake, use a little water to remove it. Make the curve even on both shoes.

2) It's time to add ears. With the chalk, draw two small triangles evenly along the curve. Do this for both shoes.

3) Put a paper towel on your work surface. The next few steps are messy.

4) With a small piece of sand paper, carefully sand the surface inside the drawn area. This is where you will be applying the Mod Podge and glitter. They need a rough texture to grab onto. This is just a light sanding, not meant to dig holes in the shoes. Use a paper towel to wipe off the sanding dust.

5) In the small cup, mix the silver and black glitter. You don't need a lot. A little glitter goes a long way. I used the spoon handle to make sure the glitter was mixed well.

6) You will be working over top of the plate or creased paper. With a paint brush, dip the end into the Mod Podge Gloss. Paint the glue onto half of the curved drawn area. Sprinkle on the glitter using the spoon for control. Tap off excess glitter onto the plate or paper. Touch up any areas that are missing glitter. Repeat for the other half of the curve. Do this for both shoes.

7) With a smaller paint brush, dip the brush into the Mod Podge Gloss. Paint the glue onto the ears of one shoe. Sprinkle on the glitter using the spoon for control. Repeat on the other other shoe. Set both shoes aside for a few minutes while the Mod Podge dries.

8) Fold the plate or paper and pour the excess glitter back into the glitter mix cup.

9) After the shoes are dry, use the fluffy paint brush to brush off any loose glitter. Glitter tends to cling to areas where you don't need it. Pour that excess glitter back into the cup.

Look over the shoes and repeat the glue and glitter application where needed. I applied a full 2nd coat.

10) Time to seal the glitter. Use the two small paint brushes on the areas you used them before, and paint on an even layer of Mod Podge Gloss. Set the shoes aside to dry for a few minutes.



11) Using your paint of preference (in this case a black paint pen) it's time to add the kitty face details. I added....  Set the shoes aside and let dry for a few minutes.

12) Add a second coat of the Mod Podge to seal in the paint and make sure all the glitter is sealed. Set aside to dry completely overnight.


OTHER DESIGNS:
I made my glitter kitty cat flats to my preference, but you can use the same tutorial to create many designs.
  • Feeling extra frisky, add a tail - Using the same drawing and glitter application method, add a tails going up the back or around the outside of your shoes. You need one for each shoe. Make them even if you can
  • Add more sparkle - I mentioned the plastic gems. Use a toothpick to apply a small amount of E6000 onto the back of your chosen plastic gem. Do this one at a time. Use either your fingers or tweezers to carefully apply your gem to your shoes. Press down securely. Remove any excess glue with a clean toothpick. Let dry for a few hours, but 24 hours is best
  • Use different shoes - I used flats, but this could work on sneakers (not rubber toes), heels, and boots. Get creative...you have to wear them
  • Use fabric shoes - If you don't like the stiffness of PVC, vinyl, leather, pleather, and patent leather shoes, you can use fabric shoes...cotton, satin, canvas...etc. For that, you will need Tulip's Fashion Glitter Bond instead of Mod Podge Gloss to adhere the glitter. You can still use Mod Podge Gloss to seal the glitter and details, but it won't hold the glitter as well to porous fabric as the Fashion Glitter Bond
  • Mix more colors of glitter together - Warning though, too many different colors can create a grey color
  • Use a different color shoe - I wear a lot of black, so these are the most practical for me...as if kitty shoes are truly practical. Any color of shoe will work, just coordinate your glitter color with the shoes
  • Make paw prints - If you don't want an animal, how about just their paw prints. I love seeing overlapped prints from different animals, especially at the beach. This design could work with one or more types of prints. Remember use your imagination and photo references, not actual animal feet to create the prints. Your animal friends will appreciate being well treated
  • Make a human skull design - I know, I could have done that. However, I really wanted kitty shoes. For a nice skull, consider using just the top portion, or one without the jaw. Think about the curves of the skull and placement of details. The chalk will help lay that out for you. You might want to basecoat your design with white fabric paint, so your glitter stands out better. Without the base, it's a bigger chance of missed glitter areas being more obvious than with a base of the same color as the glitter. You can use thinned acrylic paint to add shading
  • Make a design other than an animal - Rainbow, filigree, stripes, polka dots...get creative
  • Add a different animal - I added a kitty, but you could add something else. Below are some examples of what would work for this style of shoes. Feel free to come up with your own design

Here is a blank template for flat shoes, for you to work out your design ideas before creating your own pair. I drew the front and back for you, but if you have an idea that would expand onto the sides or are using a different type of shoe, you want to draw that template and design before applying it to your shoes. For this template, the grey banner sections are for design titles.


You can make these as similar or complicated as you want. If you aren't a glitter loving person, fabric paint will work just as well. The back of my shoes get the most wear, so I didn't add a tail, but you could add one to your own shoes. You could add legs and make the shoes a full body. It's up to how whimsical you want your footwear. Happy Makery!

Comments

  1. I recently saw a version of these at Urban Outfitters, but yours are way cuter (and more glittery, which is always a plus for me!). Looking forward to making my own!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd seen a few versions on the internet, but wanted to make my own take on the kitty flats. Glad you like my glittery version! Have fun making your own!

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