Sorry, I just can't do white shoes...

I bought a new pair of comfy, leather, walking shoes last week.

For 10 bucks they were a steal...except that they were white.

I'm sorry, I just can't do white shoes, especially when anything white

looks like a blank canvas to me.

I should have taken a "Before" picture, but this is close...

I painted them black, wiped most of the paint off, then took this picture.

I've painted canvas shoes before, but never leather.

I probably should have worn them a bit 1st, but I was too excited, so I just went

ahead & painted them.

I'm so pleased with the results, I just had to show them off.

I painted them completely brown (using acrylic paints), then

using a darker brown, I painted the "leaf" designs with a thin brush.

I used a cardboard box as a spray paint booth...

(I used an old toothbrush and a stick to spatter some black

on the shoes, to make them darker and to soften the design.)

I liked the texture and colour, so they're

ready for a clear coat, but I needed them to dry, completely.

Since it was 2am, I left them to dry overnight.

The next day, I used a matt clear coat, but wasn't happy with it,

so I let them dry and used 2 coats of a glossy clear finish.

(I put them under the furnace and

let them "blow dry" between coats.)

Here's my finished shoes.

I'm not sure how long they'll look like this, but I

think I'll wear them to work tomorrow.

If the paint doesn't last, I'll just wear them at home,

and probably paint them again :)