D.I.Y Saddle Shoes
Mar 17, 2010 at 2:00PM | Janine 
Many months ago, when saddle shoes had just begun to get increasingly popular (we were seeing them everywhere from Neimans to Urban and on the streets from Beacon Hill to Allston), I saw this adorable and easy-looking DIY on one of my favorite blogs, Bleubird Vintage.
Well, I decided to try my hand at this project and document it for you guys. It wasn't too difficult, though not as easy as Miss James had made it look. Take a look after the jump.
Supplies:
1 pair of canvas Ked-like shoes (Payless and Urban both have these cheap)
Black Sharpie
Black fine point fabric marker
Black paint
A few paint brushes of varying sizes
1) Unlace the sneakers and carefully outline the metal shoelace holes with sharpie. I did this first with a thin fabric marker because I knew I would get Sharpie on a few of the holes (which did eventually happen). I also opted to outline where I would be painting black on the sides of the shoes in an attempt to keep the lines clean and straight.
2) Use a thin brush to paint around the already darkened part of the shoe and the outline of the "saddle" portion. Be really careful. I am, by nature, pretty clumsy and this project proved no different as I kept sticking my hand in wet paint and touching the white part of the shoes. Not too many boo boo's, but enough to annoy me a little.
3) With a larger paint brush, paint an even coat of black paint over the rest of the outlined area. Again, be careful. It may be in your best interest to let one side dry before painting the other side (drying only takes about 45 minutes).
4) Let the paint dry completely before re-lacing. As the shoes dry you may notice a few spots that are uneven looking, feel free to fill those in. I kept finding little spots that looked, well, spotty and now the coat of paint is a nice even black.
5) Re-lace and enjoy!
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