Finding the right shoes to fit over orthotics is a frequent problem I have when shoe shopping for my daughter with special needs. New Balance and Propet have been our go-to brands that have worked well for her over the years. I’ve almost always found a good fitting shoe with a stylish design for my daughter.
But recently her orthotics have changed and they’ve been more difficult to fit. She now has a two-piece style orthotic which makes them wider. They also added a heel lift on the right orthotic which needs a deeper fitting shoe. She also has a condition called lymphedema that causes swelling on the top of her feet. The swelling requires additional height on the top of the shoe as well as a wider and longer opening.
When she first changed over to this style orthotic we already had a few pairs of shoes. The only pair that came close to fitting were the Propet white leather shoe. She wore them for a little while and I eventually had to cut the tongue of the shoe to accommodate the additional height. Shortly after, she was fitted with a Drew brand shoe with some customization which I’ll write about in a later post.
I was doing some research on how I could spruce up these plain, boring white shoes to better fit the style of her bubbly teenage personality. That’s how I found Angelus Direct leather paints. I love their tagline: Create What You Can’t Have. If that’s not the answer to my needle-in-a-haystack search for the perfect shoe, I don’t know what is! I was blown away by their Instagram where I scrolled thru the amazing work of some very talented shoe artists. This inspired me to give shoe painting a try.
I’m no artist but I do love a good arts and crafts project. Her used shoes were a good starting point because I felt like it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if I messed up. I decided to go with a basic design. I would just color in the areas shaped by the stitching of the shoe. Think of it like coloring a paint-by-numbers kit or staying in the lines in a coloring book.
Angelus Direct has excellent tutorials. They have “The Essential Watch List” which consists of three videos. I watched them before I got started.
Then I purchased the Angelus Direct Starter Kit. This comes with just about all the supplies you need to get started. You get up to three colors of your choice and there are a lot to choose from! Other items to have on hand are cotton balls, a cloth rag, bowl of water (to rinse brushes between colors) and a blow dryer (for faster drying between coats of paint).
First step is to remove shoe laces and clean the shoes with the Easy Cleaner and shoe brush. Be sure to get all the dirt and grime off the shoe.
Second step is to apply the Leather Preparer and Deglazer. This takes the shiny protective sheen off the shoe. It’s supposed to help the paint adhere to the leather better.
Now you’re ready to start painting. The kit comes with several brushes in different sizes which works really well to cover all the shapes and angles in the leather stitching. The tutorial recommends painting the color on lightly and building it up with multiple coats. I used about four layers of paint allowing plenty of dry time in between. You can see in the next few pictures how the color darkens from the first to the final coat.
Next step is to apply the Acrylic Finisher. This will protect the paint. You’ll be able to wash and clean the shoe after it completely dries.
Last, put the laces back on. I had been using colored laces to add some flair but don’t they look so much better on a colorful shoe??
And that’s it! This project was pretty easy. The key thing to know is to not rush through it. It’s really important to let the layers of paint dry completely before applying the next coat. It took me a full day while doing some household chores in between.
Let me know in the comments what you think. Or if you’ve tried something like this, I would love to see your work! Thanks for stopping by!
JoAnn’s journey as a parent and caregiver to an individual with disabilities started when her daughter was born pre-maturely with multiple health issues resulting in cognitive, physical and speech disabilities. Over the years, JoAnn discovered that recreation, travel and social experiences can bring happiness and relief to a life that is often stressful and frustrating. She loves to seek out adaptive, accessible and fun activities for her daughter and the whole family to enjoy. She started the blog www.OurSpecialFunOasis.com to share her uplifting stories and positive ideas to help and to inspire others.