Sneakers are an obligatory part of the wardrobe – but they get boring, and fast. But you don’t always need to buy a new pair to switch up your wardrobe when it comes to footwear.
Giving those old cons a glittery lift is a great way to bring a fresh twist to your look. Giving your feet a touch of sparkle is a lot easier than you would think – DIYing a pair of glitter sneakers will take less than an hour!
Atlanta from YouTube channel Atlanta Rae gives us an easy-breezy breakdown of how to glitter shoes in her glitter converse DIY tutorial.
We’ll go over how she pulls off the beautiful twinkling effect on her Chucks in this post.
Loose glitter is the star of the show, and as long as you have it in the color you want, you don’t need much else to get started. You only need:
Supplies
- A paintbrush
- Mod Podge (or other adhesive)
You likely have these supplies lying around and don’t need to go shopping to DIY a pair of glitter shoes. Atlanta uses silver glitter, but you can use glitter in any color you please.
Grab your shoes and collect your supplies so we can get started!
Steps to Make Glittery Converse Shoes
01 Prepare the Craft Area
Glitter gets everywhere – so you must set some paper down in your craft area to minimize the spreading of the glitter.
Atlanta sets a few A4 sheets on the floor, but you can also use some old newspapers instead.
View this step at time 0:21 on Atlanta’s video.
02 Apply the First Coat of Glue
After your craft area is ready, unlace both the shoes and bring them to your craft area.
Pour some Mod Podge into the cap of the bottle, and use the paintbrush to apply a generous coat of glue on your shoe.
Coat only a small, manageable section before you move to the next step – glittering.
To watch Atlanta apply her first coat of glue, skip to 0:39.
03 Apply Glitter
Lightly tap to get the glitter out from the glitter jar onto the section you finished coating. Make sure you take it slow – if you get impatient, the glitter may spread everywhere.
After you cover the section, pat the shoe to remove any excess glitter onto the papers below.
Watch Atlanta glitter-up her converse shoes at the 1:00 mark.
04 Continue Gluing and Glittering
Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the next section of your shoe, and remember to use the excess glitter from the previous step when applying glitter to it.
Repeat the gluing-glittering cycle till both your shoes are all twinkly.
To view this step, skip to 1:32.
05 Apply A Second Coat of Glue
Once your first coat is completely dry, apply a second coat of glue on both of your sneakers.
The second coat will ensure that the glitter stays in place and that there’s no glitter fallout.
Watch Atlanta apply the final coat of glue at 2:04.
Full Video
While Atlanta uses her Chucks, you can also follow her glitter converse DIY tutorial to glitter-up your Vans and canvas shoes.
Watching her full video will give you a better feel for how you should approach the DIY project.
You can also use the timestamps above to skip from step to step and make your very own glitter sneakers quickly.
FAQs
I’ve never worked with glitter before. How do I avoid making a mess?
One great way of making sure that only the intended spots get glue on them is to use painter’s tape. Stick it to the sides of the soles, and to any other spots you think you’ll have difficulty with.
Remember to set your craft area with newspapers. You can also use a shoebox to collect the excess glitter that falls off and reuse it.
How do I stick rhinestones to my shoes?
The best way to stick rhinestones to your DIY glitter sneakers is by using E600 adhesive. The adhesive has a firm hold, and you won’t have to worry about the rhinestones falling off when you walk.
The glitter coating starts to crack after a few days. Help!
To avoid this issue, use fabric glue instead of Mod Podge. The glitter coating will flex with the shoe and not crack.
The adhesive holds the glitter in place excellently, so you won’t need to worry about glitter fallout when you’re out and about.
Additional Tips
Make sure you wash and dry your shoes before you get started for cleaner results.
Your shoes can be as flashy or as tasteful as you please. You can fully cover your shoes with glitter like Atlanta does, or cover just small bits of your sneakers with glitter and pull off a tastefully chic look.
You can also use rhinestones to give your shoes more character and enhance the shimmering effect. Many DIYers use painter’s tape (like we used on this glitter apple pin project) to leave space for rhinestones at the toes, and some even make stripes on the sides of the shoes.
There’s no right or wrong in DIY – don’t be afraid to experiment and give your shoes a unique twist!
And don’t forget to subscribe to Atlanta Rae for more wonderful DIY tutorials!