Mandala Thrift Store Shoes

I have loved those videos I keep seeing in my newsfeed showing artists painting mandalas onto rocks. They are not only soothing but the rocks are just beautiful! When I was fortunate enough to find cute shoes in MY SIZE at the thrift store I grabbed them even if they were a color I don't usually wear (red!) I'd also recently ordered a Dotting Stylus set from my good buddy Amazon and I've been dying to use them. These shoes were perfect!

For this project, I used Decoart Stylin Fashion Paint in:

• Red
• Black
• White
• Turquoise
• Yellow

You'll also need:

• A set of Dotting Styluses (or varied paintbrush ends)
• Thrift Store shoes (or dig something out of your closet to give new life to!)
• Paintbrushes
• Water for rinsing

Here are the instructions!

To start out, clean off and wipe down the shoes to remove any grime or dirt from previous wearings!

Next, coat the shoes in black. I left the underside red for a nice pop of color! It took about 2.5 coats but not only did the paint stick, they don't even look painted!

After painting the shoes I would let them cure for at least 24 hours. It's not 100% necessary but I found it was easier to do the next step if they'd had time to set.

For the Mandala design, I don't have a pattern. In a rare moment of confidence, I just went for it! I did try to keep the shoes matching but also allowed for some variances as I believe that's part of the character of hand-painted shoes! These are one of a kind pieces of art! Don't sweat the details!

How fun are these shows now? Can you believe these are the same beat-up red shoes from earlier?!

After allowing the shoes to cure, they were perfect for a fun night out! A cute, fun and unique pair of shoes that were only $4 plus the paint! What a deal!