DIY: Fancy Flats

If you are looking for an easy way to dress up your outfit for New Years, try making these shimmery flats from recycled CD pieces.

Materials:

Old CDs

Pair of flats (or heels if you like)

Glue

Isopropyl Alcohol

Boiling water

Bowl

Tin snips or old scissors

Qtips

I started with a pair of nude colored flats with a slightly pointed toe since I thought they would make the end result look more delicate. You can use any shoes you like, but I think that lighter colors will keep the CD pieces from looking too clunky or tacky. I used a simple canvas skimmer from Urban Outfitters as my base.

Directions:

First you have to soften the CDs so that they are easy to cut through. This also helps keep them from shattering.

Boil water and pour it into your bowl. Place a CD into the bowl of water for about 2 minutes and remove it using tongs to avoid burns. Dry it off quickly and cut it into large pieces with tin snips or scissors (use a pair that is older or can withstand tough material) to remove the clear center. Then cut the large pieces down into small mosaic-like tiles in different shapes and sizes and repeat with the rest of your CDs (I used about 3).

Once you have your tiles, begin playing with the shape you want them to have on your shoe. I chose not to cover the shoe completely as I had originally intended, since I found I quite liked the shattered pattern the CDs were creating.

Then start attaching the tiles with hot glue. You do not need much since hot glue tends to squish out to the sides when the tiles are pressed on. I experimented with other glues, but found that both Super Glue and Tacky Glue do not work as well as hot glue does. Hot glue is also fast-drying so the pieces won’t slip around on the shoe as you are gluing.

I suggest starting on the inside of the shoe so you can get used to the gluing process without having any visible slip-ups.

Here is what it should look like:

So as you can see, it is not going to have a perfectly clean look. There will be strings and smears of glue on some of the tiles, but ignore those while you are putting on the tiles since they can be cleaned off later with a simple trick.

Once you are satisfied with the tile pattern on your shoes, use the hot glue to stick down any corners or edges that are sticking out, and try them on to see if any more tiles need to be added.

Then dip a Qtip in isopropyl alcohol and carefully rub the tiles that have glue strings or smears. The alcohol melts the glue right off! Be careful not to get too much of the alcohol between the tiles since it can melt that glue as well. Repeat this process until all the tiles are clean.

Now you have your finished product!

I cant wait to wear mine out!

Xoxo,

Lily