So my little girl and I did this Dip Dye project a few weeks ago for a little pair of shorts. They turned out really cute and while we were buying the dye she started getting really excited about the tie dye kits that are really popular right now.
I totally remember how fun tie dye was when I was a kid but I think it can be a little hard to pull off for everyday. So we went back and forth and back and forth and came up with an idea to tie dye some shoes.
Now these turned out SUPER cute in my opinion and if crafty stuff normally scares you, you might give this one a try. I found it easy and fast and if you follow the steps below you should get great results.
My little girl loves these shoes and I think they would be really fun for Girl Scouts or a slumber party activity. This project is really not that expensive to do and I promise it was really easy.
So here is the scoop:
- Track down a pair of white canvas shoes (we got one pair for $5 at Walmart and a second pair for $3.88 on clearance at Target).
- If you have old sneakers that are looking shabby this would be a great way to jazz them up. Just wash them and dry in the sun so they are nice and clean. You might be able to bleach colored sneakers to get them to white to try this as well.
- And now grab a little tie dye kit from a craft store- I paid about $10 for a 5 color kit with a coupon.
And here are the steps to turn plain sneaks into rainbow tie dye fabulousless:
Start with clean shoes- wash old ones and bleach if needed.
Next remove the laces and use painters tape around the sole to avoid any stains. My painter’s tape is hiding from me at the moment so I used packing tape which wasn’t nearly as good but what do you do.
You don’t have to tape the soles but the shoes look nicer without any little drips.
Next plot your course of action as far as the dye colors. The colors will blend slightly so you want to think about how they will blend so you don’t wind up with ugly black shoes. If you want crisper lines between colors you can use painters tape to get precise lines. I liked the gentle blending of colors so we skipped that step.
You want to mix up all the colors you need according to the instructions on the package. Use gloves to avoid purple fingers and make sure you are on an old tarp/towel or you are outside. This stuff will stain whatever it comes in contact with.
See what I mean about the colors blending? This is a stripe of yellow followed by a stripe of fushia. The two colors blended and made a pretty orange.
I just eyeballed this entire project. I visually broke up the shoes into 5 sections in my mind and simply poured the paint on top.
This is my “technique” just hold up the shoes and use the little bottles that are in the kit to pour the dye on. You want to angle the shoes a little bit so that the dye stays where you want it. In the photo above if I hold the shoe so it is balanced on the toe that purple dye is going to spread like crazy. By angleing the shoe back toward the heel it keeps it from blending quite as much.
And here is what pair #1 looked like after all the paint was applied. You can kind of see the packing tape here- it helped a little but on the cheapy Walmart shoes the tape didn’t stick at all and I tore it off. Painters tape would be much better.
So one thing is the free gloves inside the package are really cruddy. I found I got a drop or two of a color on those gloves and if you don’t wipe it off, that drop can get on the shoes and discolor a section. Personally I am a ‘giterdone kind of girl and not a perfectionist so that doesn’t bother me but above you can see a few drips of green in the blue section.
Once you are done, remove the packing tape and wrap your shoes in saran wrap or in a plastic bag and tie it closed. This is a great way to keep the colors vibrant. Leave it overnight or at least 6 hours.
Remove them carefully from the bag and wash according to package directions. I put mine in the wash with a tiny bit of soap on warm water in a large load setting. You will want to wash these by themselves the first few times.
And here is what mine looked like out of the bag- we did two shoes. My favorites:
And then these are the cheap Walmart ones with a more traditional rainbow. These look light in the picture because I am photography challenged but in real life they are nice and bright.
I have to tell you that I did these yesterday evening with my girls and I told them they had to wait for them to dry to wear them. They were up at 5:40 am this morning asking if the shoes were ready. My 5 year old is THRILLED with these shoes so if you have little ones you might consider this project!
And you might check my children’s crafts Pinterest board for lots more fun things to do with your kids this summer!
Our 99€ only stores have tie dye kits sometimes!!! Makes projects very affordable!!!
I’ve been eyeing those tye-dye kits at our local Michael’s. You may have pushed me over the edge and into actually doing something crafty. 🙂
I’m new to your site-just wanted to tell you that you have some excellent ideas. Fun, creative, not expensive etc. Wish you would’ve been around when my 2 grown sons were young but my grandson is 5 so I get a 2nd chance-yea!! Thank you very much&keep on please.
Kimberly what a sweet comment. Thank you so much! You made my day 🙂
I want these shoes for myself! I guess my 2 girls would like them too. 😉
Why should the girls have all the fun! These look awesome!! I have GOT to have a pair… Looks like a fun project for the weekend!
Sorry if I missed it somewhere….but how did you keep the dye off the eyelets?? Thanks
Liz- I didn’t have that issue. It was stainless steel eyelets so the dye just came right off. You could try nail polish remover on a q tip maybe or the painters tape in tiny pieces.
Do the socks get the paint on them after they are worn a little while?
Michelle- we have not had any bleeding at all.
I’m thinking I might do this to a plain pair of Toms. I adore this project!
Court- thanks so much! I just wanted to say though that ours faded quite a bit after washing. You might try it on an old t-shirt first before you commit to a better piece of clothing. It would look awesome on Tom’s though. I really loved this shirt and I think she would have worn it all year if it would have held up better 🙂
If I do a bunch of these can they all be washed together, or will doing so mix the colors of the shoes?
Tommarra- I wouldn’t wash them together.
I saw this idea on instagram, so I looked up websites that had this idea.t
This was the best idea so far!Thanks for sharing! I’m going to do that, I have the materials!!
-Charlene put them in vinegar that worked for me!
cant get these tie dye kits in Australia love the idea aging hippy myself lol
OMG I love this!!!!!! I have to make it!!! This is an awesome idea!
I agree with Maia if you have ANY kind of garment, shoe, etc. We always soak things in vinegar for 24 hours then wash and dry and the color will be set for its life! I have tie dye shirts that I’ve had for over 5 years that still haven’t lost their vibrancy….and I wear it quite alot! Lol We learned about this trick years ago when I was a synchronized swimmer, keeps the colors for a long time even against the chlorine, chemicals, and sun in a pool!
they look awesome! We will try them with our granddaughters!
yeah! have fun making them Judi 🙂 Ours lasted for just about a year which is miraculous considering how hard my kids are on shoes.
Let us know if the shoes bleed onto the socks? Are all their socks going to become tie dyed as the pattern of the shoes? Waiting to see how it goes…they look great though!
Hi Lisa- no we made those shoes in July of 2013 and they lasted over a year. I did not have any issues with color bleeding in all that time.
Hi Charlene – I LOVE this idea!! I am a 60’s kid (so you know tie-dye is my middle name!0 and now I have a granddaughter who would LOVE to not only have these sneaks but do the art project….thanks for a brilliant Nana and Papa craft!! P.S. Once I finish, I’m showing MY parents cause theywill love that i finally did something with my art degree!! You are sweet and creative and you have a new fan : )
Oh what a lovely person you are Debbie 🙂
You might like this craft too. The sharpie faded in the wash for me so it wasn’t a keepsake thing but it is really, really cute for 4th of July nonetheless.
http://myfrugaladventures.com/2013/06/diy-4th-of-july-t-shirts-sharpie-tie-dye/
Thank you so much for this post!! I am having a rock n’ roll inspired wedding on Sept. 9th, 2017 –our colors are black with pops of rainbow colors (think the old Capitol Record label–it’s black with a rainbow band). I was on the hunt for the perfect pair of shoes to wear with my dress that were both comfortable and ‘me’ (I am NOT a huge girly girl, so heels were out of the question). I came across your post when looking for bright shoes and realized this is what I was going to do!! I bought myself a pair of really cute (and cheap) canvas flats and just dyed them this morning. They are currently in the ‘set it and forget it’ stage of the project. So far they look AWESOME!! They are going to look great under my dress and with my tie dyed roses bouquet! I can’t wait to surprise my fiance with them. Thanks again for your inspiration!!!
How fun! Congratulations on your cute shoes Angie and congratulations on the wedding! Sounds like it is going to be amazing- so glad those worked out for you!
I think i might do this. It looks really cute and fun!
Just curious if you have to wash them after tye dying them? I did the tye die part and they have been in the bag overnight. What happens if you don’t wash them?
Cheryl, I can’t say for sure but if you don’t wash I’d think they will likely bleed onto feet and socks etc…
I’m 68 and I love anything tie dyed!! I’m going out and buy a kit and find some cheap white sneakers!! I can hardly wait to try this. Thanks so much!
I do too Sherry :).