It's dangerous to go alone...

My husband saw something like this online that was just a board with hooks for the keys... I decided to take it one step farther and make it a "command center." I found a mail sorter on clearance at Target, used black paint to touch up some nicks, printed the images I wanted to use, got my sponge brush and Mod Podge and went to town! 

A note on working with Mod Podge: I applied a thin layer across the entire surface and carefully laid down the images. I let this dry for at least 15 minutes until it felt dry to the touch before I painted another thin layer of Mod Podge over the top to seal it - If you are working with a computer printed image you will want to make sure the ink is completely dry and that first layer of Mod Podge is nice and thin or the ink will smear.

I ended up applying about 3 coats before I was happy with it, but remember to let it dry in between each layer or the paper will get air bubbles and wrinkles. If you do see bubbles start to form, you can go over the bubbles a couple of times with your sponge brush and a little bit of Mod Podge, but don't mess with it too much or you will make it worse. Mine actually had a few bubbles and they went away as it dried. 

*** So what do you think? Are you working on any fun, Geek-tastic projects? ***

Legend of Zelda Shoes FTW!

*** New things are on the horizon for this humble blog! 

Stay tuned for original comics, guest posts, and general geeky goodness!***

But for now, check out what this geek wife does when she is home sick from work:

Materials needed: 

A pair of shoes that don't have any seams across the toe area

Gold Acrylic paint

(If your shoes are canvas) Acrylic Paint that matches the color of your shoes

Smallish Paintbrush

Tape (I used electrical tape because it holds better to canvas than clear tape.)

X-Acto Knife (or thin tipped scissors, a steady hand, and patience)

Printed Stencil

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzQdGSCsQTbWDQoc4eqEV5dJ4NdXtTNfkYQ6xEp8TrVEBrs4ZWy1hJG_OKx8riH7Tl41LRwBuJXRYJ7BPAJJi6BV_DvKYoddKJ0iWrYhC4tQCFGO5Vyn2bnzjJ6b9wUkpVrIC94A-z-9V/s1600/trif.jpg 

Step 1: If you are rich, go buy a new pair of shoes. Or, if you are a normal person like me: dig out a pair of black shoes that you never wear because they are boring and you don't really like bows. 

     *If the shoes are dirty you may need to clean them with something like Dawn dish soap and let dry thoroughly.

Step 2: Print stencil and carefully cut out design

Step 3 (if needed): Remove lame bow

Step 4: Tape stencil to shoe

Step 5 (if needed): If your shoes are canvas I highly suggest painting an initial coat in a color that matches your shoes because the canvas is going to soak up a lot of paint before you get that nice, bright gold. You could do white underneath because it will help the color pop, but I used black so I could also use it to clean up my lines.

Step 6: Fill in the gold

Step 7: Let dry for a few minutes and then carefully remove stencil

Step 8: Clean up your lines - canvas is rough so it is difficult to get super clean lines, but here's what worked fairly well for me: since my shoes were black I painted around the design again in black and let the canvas soak up the paint. I went over the edges multiple times until the paint smoothed over the texture of the canvas to get clean lines.

Step 9: If you want to add a little extra pizzazz, you can paint the rim of your shoes gold as well.

      *Please note that the paint will make the edges harder and a little scratchy so don't do it if you have sensitive feet. I did a thicker coat on the bottom edge and got thinner around the rim that touches my feet so it is more comfortable.

Step 10 (if necessary): I realized the paint made my shoes look all crisp and new except for the soles. I took some q-tips and bleach and cleaned up the rubber so the shoes look brand new!

*Inspired by GlitterMint's post: http://glitter-mint.blogspot.com/2013/03/its-dangerous-to-go-alone-make-this.html 

Thank you!