Cut Out + Keep

Customized Bleached Shoes

Make your old shoes new again!

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/customized-bleached-shoes • Posted by Ellie

I really wanted new shoes- but the only shoes I like are Converse, and they get expensive. So, since I've been wanting to throw bleach on stuff all the time, I decided to use some old fake converse and bleach them. Then I figured, hey, why not customize them while I'm at it? And that is what I did.

You will need

Project Budget
Cheap

Time

0 h 30

Difficulty

Pretty Easy
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Description

I really wanted new shoes- but the only shoes I like are Converse, and they get expensive. So, since I've been wanting to throw bleach on stuff all the time, I decided to use some old fake converse and bleach them. Then I figured, hey, why not customize them while I'm at it? And that is what I did.

Instructions

  1. You will need: -Darkly colored canvas shoes (I used fake converse) -A mixture of 3/4 bleach, 1/4 water in a spray bottle -Duct tape (optional. I've read that paper with spray adhesive also works, but both of these are optional.

  2. Clean and unlace your shoes. Bleach stains dark colors best, so you need to make sure they're dark. I also bleached the laces separately in a cup full of water and a splash of bleach.

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    This step is optional. I used duct tape and an xacto blade to cut out "ELLIE" and tape it onto my shoe. I've read (but not tried) that you can also use paper cutouts, using a spray adhesive so it will stick and the bleach won't bleed through. You can do as many designs, shapes, patterns as you want, I just put my name.

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    Begin spraying! Using a mixture of 3/4 bleach and 1/4 water, spray bleach onto the shoes. Make sure you do this somewhere where nobody will mind the bleach- I used my bathroom sink. Also: I recommend wearing gloves. My hands still smell like bleach. You can also use a paintbrush to paint on the shoes or splatter the mixture onto them- whatever you'd like to do. Be creative!Keep spraying until you're satisfied.

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    When I peeled off the duct tape, I found that I didn't attach it as well as I should have and ended up with runny letters. But there is a fix for this! Your handy dandy sharpie! I used my black sharpie to fix the blobs into nice, clean letters.

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    I sprayed and splattered a tiny bit more onto where the duct tape was, then continued spraying and splattering onto the other shoe. Add as little or as much as needed.

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    Now, dry off the rubber parts of your shoes and relace them! You could also use your sharpie to doodle on the rubber, if you want. I liked them the way they are, so I left them that way. Let the shoes dry and then you're ready to show off your new customized shoes!