DIY Floral Sneakers {using napkins!}

In today’s post: Learn how to make these pretty floral sneakers using napkins and mod podge. This fun decoupage project allows you to personalize canvas shoes with any pattern you can find on a napkin.

When I first heard of using napkins to personalize a pair of shoes I was skeptical. I mean, it sounds weird. And also…kind of fun. I’ve seen cool hand painted sneakers, but I don’t have that kind of artistic talent. But using Mod Podge to glue a cute napkin to a shoe? I figured I could do that.

DIY Floral Shoes

The great part is that it doesn’t look like all you did is glue a napkin to a shoe. This is decoupage, and it’s pretty cool! The mod podge makes it almost look like the canvas shoe has the design printed right on it, with a bit of a distressed feel. This is a really fun way to personalize a cheap pair of white canvas sneakers, and it’s a perfect craft for spring or summer. Remember, you can use any napkin you can find, so the sky’s the limit for different colors and patterns you can use to spruce up a cheap pair of sneakers.

Supplies

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own floral (or any other pattern you can find on a napkin!) shoes:

• Cheap white canvas sneakers: I chose to use sneakers that don’t have laces because that makes the decoupage process simpler. These shoes are from Walmart. (Use cheap shoes for this fun project; it turns out adorable but the napkin print will probably get some cracks and flake off in areas eventually.)
• Paper napkins: I found these cute floral napkins at Hobby Lobby. I tried a few different prints and the ones with a white background ended up looking best with the white shoes, especially because I did not cover the back of the shoe.
• Mod Podge: I used normal matte mod podge, as well as a matte spray sealant. If you are not planning to use a spray sealant, you will need to use mod podge made for fabric, as it is more water resistant that normal mod podge.
• Foam Paintbrush
• Painter’s Tape
• Exacto Knife: Make sure you have a new sharp blade for best results
• Matte Spray Sealant
• Piece of Plastic Wrap (not shown): this helps place the napkin without tearing it.

How to Make Floral Decoupage Sneakers

These shoes are not hard to make, but you do need to follow the directions closely. There are a few tips and tricks that will help the end result look much nicer, so I’m going to share very thorough instructions with you. Taking your time with help you get a more professional looking result.

Apply Mod Podge

Work on one shoe at a time. Using a foam paintbrush, apply a layer of mod podge all over the upper portion of the shoe. Make sure all of the canvas gets covered with mod podge, especially in small areas.

Remove the tape, and run your finger along the sole of the shoe to clean off any mod podge. Work quickly so the mod podge doesn’t dry.

Apply Napkin

While the mod podge is still wet, place a napkin on top of the shoe. Try to lay it down as flat as you can. Then grab the plastic wrap and wrinkle it up, and use that to tap the napkin down onto the shoe. DO NOT touch the napkin with your bare fingers; that will cause the napkin to tear. Just tap tap it gently with the plastic wrap. Make sure you cover the entire area that you painted with mod podge, and don’t worry too much about wrinkles.

Repeat with the other shoe. Allow the shoes to dry completely before continuing, at least one hour.

Trim away Excess Napkin

Once the shoes are dry, you can trim away the excess napkin. Use a sharp exacto knife and carefully cut right along the sole of the shoe, pulling off the napkin as you go. Carefully cut the napkin just inside the trim on the top of the shoe as well. You may end up with a few small piece stuck to the sole of the shoe – use your fingernail or the back of the exactly knife to gently scratch them away.

Patch any Holes

If part of the napkin tore while you were applying it and you ended up with a hole, don’t worry! You can patch it. Grab another piece of napkin (just the top layer) and tear a piece that’s slightly bigger than the area you need to patch. Tearing instead of cutting helps the napkin blend in better. Be sure you tear from a place that’s the same color as the area you are patching. Dab a small amount of mod podge over the area that needs patching, and then tap the patch down over it. Allow it to dry completely. (If you look closely at the photos of the finished shoes, you won’t be able to find the place I patched!)

Iron out wrinkles

Once the shoes are completely dry, you can gently run the tip of an iron over them. This will flatten out the wrinkles and make the shoes look MUCH better. Use an iron on medium heat and just gently touch the tip of it to the shoe, moving the iron around.

The wrinkles will become much less noticeable as you iron. **Note: try not to iron over the trim if you left it white, as the iron can transfer a little color from the napkin.** You can see how much less noticeable the wrinkles are after ironing in this photo:

Seal the Shoes

At this point, you need to seal the sneakers so you can wear them. First, you’ll paint the entire top of the shoes with mod podge. It will look cloudy when you put it on but don’t worry, it will dry clear. Allow the mod podge to dry completely, at least 4 hours. Then repeat with another layer of mod podge, and another few hours of drying. Finally, seal the shoes with a spray sealant, such as Krylon matte finish. (I recommend two coats of this as well with dry time in between.)

At this point your shoes are ready to wear! Remember, do not submerge them in water. You will see some wrinkles in them as you wear them, just like you do with any shoe. If any little edges or corners start to pull up, just paint over them again with mod podge and allow to dry.