Challenge #9: Flip Flop Upcycle

So what’s not to love about the flip flops you can buy practically everywhere these days?  Old Navy are my favorites.  Cheap, so many colors, comfortable, and they last for awhile (assuming your puppy doesn’t chew through one of the straps).  Except the only pair I have that has survived said puppy are fading. 

 

So I did some research and decided to paint them.  I considered painting a design, but decided I wanted to put a quote on them, and then spent a ton of time deciding how to do that, where to put it, should I free hand it, etc, etc, etc.  So here are a few steps to an easy flip flop upcycle.

 

Wash and dry your shoes!  Paint won’t stick to dirt.

Pick a color.  Paint those flip flops!  I used acrylic.  And decided to go dark because I wasn’t sure light would completely cover the dark blue. 

This step is completely unnecessary if you have shoes in a color that you already like.  The paint is a little spotty, but I don’t mind. 

Get some stamps!  Or if you are feeling brave, then free hand.  I tried, but the little ridges on the straps proved impossible for me to write on legibly. 

Pick a quote that will fit on the area you want to quotify.  I found it was much more effective to use a really thin brush and carefully dab the paint onto the stamp, rather than dipping the stamp in paint.  More time consuming, but looked better in the end. 

Admire your hard work.  I knew what quote I wanted early on.  “She acts like summer and walks like rain” is a lyric from Train’s “Drops of Jupiter”.  It’s perfect for flip flops because (1) summer = flip flops (2) using the word “walk” on flip flops = terribly punny. 

Seal the acrylic.

Wear your shoes around!  Get lots of compliments.  Be surprised at how the paint doesn’t chip, crack or rub off.

Enjoy the crazy in your life.

 

places we seek inspiration.