DIY Glitter Flats

I’ve been swooning over these glitter flats by Steve Madden for a while now, but even at their sale price of $50, they don’t fit into my budget (I have student loans to pay here people). So what’s my solution to this must-have shoe dilemma? Make my own!

Here is what you will need if you want to make a pair for yourself:

• Ballet Flats, any color – the color won’t show through once you are done (I used an old black pair I hadn't worn in a while because they had bad scuff marks on them)
• Mod Podge
• Glitter
•  Foam Brush
• Container to mix glitter and Mod Podge in (I used a cheap Tupperware container that I could just toss away when I was done instead of having to try to clean it out)
• Clear Acrylic sealer (not pictured)

In the Tupperware container, mix glitter and Mod Podge – I didn’t do any measuring, just eyeballed it to try and get equal parts. I ended up adding a little more glitter and this is what my mixture looked like:

Next you’re going to paint a thin, even layer on each shoe. If your shoes have a more pronounced sole, you can use masking tape to cover what you don’t want to paint, but mine didn’t have much of a sole and thus I just went for it. 


What worked best for me as far as technique was dabbing the shoe with the brush to work it in the cracks (these are used shoes, so they had wrinkles in them from everyday wear and tear) and along the edges, then pulling the brush across the shoe to “paint” the mixture on.

Once you paint both shoes completely, let them dry for 25 to 30 minutes. Don’t freak out, it looks weird at first but the Mod Podge dries clear – I promise! This is what mine looked like after the first coat:

Once the first layer is dry, paint another layer on each shoe and let that dry for another 25 to 30 minutes. I’m sure 3 layers would have been more than enough, but I went for broke and repeated the process until I had four layers of the mixture painted onto my shoes. This is what they looked like after the fourth layer had started to dry:

On the Mod Podge bottle, it is recommended that you use a clear acrylic sealant on the finished product to prevent any tackiness and protect it from water damage, etc. I went to the hardware store and picked up a bottle of Krylon clear acrylic sealant spray paint.

After my shoes had dried for a couple of hours, I gave each shoe a healthy spray with the sealant and let them dry again. The spray paint says that it is okay to touch after 10 minutes and completely dry in 24 hours, so I let them sit for a day.

Here is the finished product:

TADA! I’m in love with them! I wore them around the house for a bit and the glitter isn't going anywhere thanks to the Mod Podge, but the shoes aren't stiff at all. Still very flexible and comfortable.


All in all I spent under $20 on the supplies and I have enough left over to make at least two or three more pair. I’m really excited to wear them into the office and out on the town soon!