A Journey Begins With a Single Step

If the shoe doesn't fit, transform it.  That's what I did with  a set of pumps that have, somehow, grown too small for me.  Funny how that happens.

I wrapped one of the pumps in Blick Plaster Cloth and let it dry for a few days.  Then I covered the gauze with Golden Fluorescent Acrylics in yellow and orange.

I pulled out the Hearts, Flowers and More Stencil, and used a cosmetic sponge to stencil fluorescent pinks and reds onto tissue paper.  I wanted to use bright colors because this is a gift for one of my teenage nieces.

It was easy to "cut" the tissue paper into strips and adhere it to the shoe with matte medium.  I got much cleaner imprints than if I had tried to stencil directly onto the shoe.  (I put "cut" in quotes because there are no scissors involved.  Instead, I paint a thin strip of water where I want to separate the paper, and it easily tears apart without a sharp hard edge.  You can see a video of the technique here.)

I love this quote by Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu, and thought it was a good one for a teenage girl,preparing for adulthood.  I used these golden beads from my stash to represent a ladder or staircase and arranged the words.  I thought about having them in reverse order, so the eye would have to climb the steps to read it, but in the end arranged them traditionally.

Then my muse took over, as I adhered items from my stash, pulled the background together with glazing medium and Quinacridone Magenta Golden Fluid Acrylic paint, and used Jaquard dimensional fabric paint to create dots and the white heart jewel.  I used black paint through tissue paper with Pam Carriker's Border stencil to create the zig zags around the shoe.  I thought it provided the perfect accent!

I'm posting this shoe to my niece today.  I hope she enjoys it and that it inspires her.

Here are a few pics from my families recent Hanukkah celebration.  I hope, whatever you celebrate, that you are enjoying this season!

And, in this season may we all remember:

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