Bling it on.

I have been teasing for a couple weeks about shoes, and I finally get to post about them today!  I consider myself a lover of shoes.  A connoisseur, if you will.  A shoe buff.  An aficionado!  An enthusiast!

 

Fine....I’m an addict.

 

 And while I am excited about all the different aspects of my bridal “look” for the big day and have been extensively researching everything – dress, veil, hair, makeup, jewellery, purse, garter....nothing gets my heart racing faster than bridal shoe shopping.  Woo!

 

I have known for a long time what my dream wedding shoes are.  There are simply no other pair.  May I present to you the Christian Louboutin Daffodile Strass:

 

 

 

And God said, “Let there be Louboutins.”  And it was so.  And God saw that it was good.

 

 

The price tag on those beauties?  Only $6,395. 

 

So.  Not surprisingly, I will not be purchasing the Daffodile Strass for my wedding.  I may be a shoe addict, but I’m not insane.  Especially since I know that I would probably be able to wear those shoes for about an hour tops – I am lucky enough to own two other pairs of Louboutins, and they are bar none the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever worn.  Since I’m going to be on my feet all day, and dancing to the sweet sounds of Lionel Richie late into the night with my new husband (who is away right now on a work trip and I miss him a lot...love you Eric!!!!) I need a combination of fabulous and practical.  Well, slightly more practical.  You won’t see flats or kitten heels on this girl.

 

 

 

Unless you're Beyonce. Then you wear them once to a Knicks game and throw them out.

 

 

So I picked up the pieces of my broken heart and started thinking about what else I might want to wear.  Then while cruising the internet, I came across a growing phenomenon called “strassing”.  Apparently many brides, not unlike myself, drool for the exquisite Daffodile Strass but cannot afford the exorbitant price tag, unless willing to serve Ramen noodles for the dinner entree.  So brides have taken it upon themselves to crystallize their wedding shoes themselves for a fraction of the cost.  And it’s actually even better, because then they are fully customizable.  Any shoe, in any color!

 

 

 

GENIUS. 

 

 

This of course opened up a multitude of new issues.  What shoes will I strass?  What color will the crystals be?  Where will I get them?  How many crystals do I need?  And probably most importantly, how long is it going to take me to individually hand glue rhinestones one at a time to a size 9 pair of pumps?  And when I’m done, are they even going to look good or will it look like a Grade 5 art class assignment?

 

I am too risk averse to put all my eggs in one basket and just do this for my wedding day without a solid plan.  I am an accountant, after all.  And while I have acquired my magical DIY talents after getting engaged, this seemed like a big project to take on with no backup plan.  I wanted to try this out before committing to it, and practice makes perfect, right?  As it just so happens, I am doing a “Wizard of Oz” themed routine with my Junior Tap Performance Team at the dance studio.  And my little Dorothy needs a pair of ruby slippers!

 

 

Haha!

 

 

So I researched and researched and researched...this was the boring part...and figured out how many crystals to get (about 7,500) and what sizes I need (ss7 to ss20) and where to get them from (Hong Kong) and what kind of adhesive to use (E6000) and what tools to use (rhinestone wax pickup tool), etc.  I got my crystals about two weeks after ordering them, and I honestly puked a little in my mouth when they arrived.  The smallest size crystal I got was ss7 (when most of the strassing sites said to start at ss5 which is even smaller) and they looked miniscule compared to the shoe’s surface area.  Suddenly this project was feeling overwhelming...

 

 

It would probably take about 35 ss7 stones to cover the surface area of a dime...

 

But I am nothing if not determined, and once I sat down and starting working on the shoes, I loved it!  I find strassing incredibly relaxing.  I have a pretty busy life, and it feels great to sit down, put some music on, pour a glass of wine, and just slow down and concentrate on one thing.  Plus, I am learning a lot as I go and perfecting my technique.  It does take a VERY long time.  Doing just the heel on one tap shoe took me about an hour.  I am about five hours into the project and only have the heel and one side of one shoe done.  Thankfully I have lots of time until Dorothy drops her house on the Wicked Witch of the East.  :)

 

 

 

Gettin’ my strass on...

 

 

I am happy to report that these shoes look more gorgeous than I ever would have hoped.  The Swarovski crystals look amazing, they are so sparkly and these photos don’t even do them justice.  So I will definitely be strassing my wedding shoes as well as a pair of ballerina flats for Aislin to match!  SO EXCITED!

 

 

 

Progress!

 

 

Stay tuned for more updates on both the ruby slippers and my fabulous wedding shoes!  I still have to decide the style of shoe (pump, slingback, open toe, closed toe, crescent toe, heel height, heel curvature, etc.) and what color they will be...OMG my heart is racing again... :)

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M