DIY Leopard Print Shoes with Vinyl

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

I've been having a lot of fun creating with my new Cricut Explore Air 2. I've made adulting stickers {I didn't hit snooze!}, luggage tags, and paper succulents. I've made custom state trucker hats with the EasyPress and I've shared which machine I like better {the Silhouette or the Cricut}. The answer might surprise you because I've been a loyal Silhouette owner for nearly 10 years and now I'm sharing with you my latest DIY, these custom leopard print ballet flats.

I'm all about neutrals and basics when it comes to my wardrobe and I rarely buy anything on-trend that won't last multiple seasons. I've never been a big fan of the animal print, though this season, the leopard print is growing on me, I'm not sure how long it's going to stick around. It's why I made these leopard print flats. I took a plain ballet flat and added metallic adhesive foil vinyl so that once the trend has run its course, I can remove the vinyl and have my plain shoes back again. Genius? Maybe. Easy? You bet!

DIY Leopard Print Shoes with Vinyl

Could I have bought leopard print shoes and saved myself the trouble? Yep. But is that any fun? No way! Now I have two different pairs of shoes I can wear {the leopard print, and the plain version} and I'll get twice the life out of these flats. 
I've seen a few DIY painted leopard print shoes and they are awesome. My hope was once the trend fizzled {or I grew tired of it}, I could have my basic shoes back if I used something removable like vinyl. Not all vinyl is made to be removed, so make sure you check on the package before you use it. 

Here's what you need to make your own DIY Leopard Print Vinyl Shoe:

• ballet flat {or other shoe. I got mine at H&M}
• metallic adhesive foil vinyl {12 x 12 was enough vinyl to cut for 2 shoes}
• Cricut Explore Air 2 machine {or similar}
• Cricut Access

Open up Cricut Access and select the leopard print. It will fill a 12x12 page with 9 prints. This was enough to cut vinyl for both of my shoes with some leftover.

Because of the weird surface area of the shoe, I couldn't just use transfer paper to transfer the cut metallic vinyl to the shoe. Instead, I put on a good show on Netflix and I removed each cut like it was a sticker.
I placed the vinyl all over the shoe strategically. There is no rhyme or reason to it, just don't overthink it. Just make sure you don't have a lot of the same cut pieces in the same space. You want to give it some variety.

It didn't take long until the shoes were finished! 

Some tips if you want to make your own DIY leopard print shoes:

• use a metallic color instead of black
• make sure your vinyl is removable {but only if you want that versitility}
•  a patent finish works better than a cotton shoe

I'm excited to get to wear my shoes around town now. I'm known to be fickle in my wardrobe so these will give me the on-trend feel while giving me the versatility of going back to basics when I'm over it.

What do you think? Would you ever DIY your own shoes?
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