SPIKE THAT S*@T

Nothing says don't mess with me like a foot full of spikes. There have been some crazy awesome shoes sporting spikes these days. The most stunning examples that I've seen are by none other than the great shoe guru Christian Louboutin and are a pair of men's loafers and incredible heels he did for the Rodarte S/S '08 Collection.

I don't tend to wear men's shoes, nor do I sport heels on a regular basis, so I decided to bring the spike idea to a simple pair of sneakers that were sitting idly in the back corner of my closet. (Oh yeah, and the Louboutins probably cost more than my car. Just sayin.) In my search for supplies, I stumbled upon a website I think I'll visit quite often for projects: studsandspikes.com. I clearly ordered a few accessories along with my spikes, I mean...if I'm paying for shipping anyway.

This one is super easy, let's get to it already.

Here's what you'll need:

- sneakers (I got my pair for $10 at payless when I needed emergency heel relief at work one day...who knew these little diddies had such potential)

- spikes (my bag of 20 one inch spikes was $6.52)

- elastic (about $2 or less, you only need a few inches)

- thread

- needle

TOTAL COST: about $20

I started with lace up sneakers, which made it easy so that I could put the spikes through the lace holes and do minimum piercing of fabric (I did end up with one slicing injury, and I only had to poke two holes.)

 

These are the goods!

Once the laces are out, you're ready to turn these sneakers into slip-ons. Cut four pieces of elastic, about two inches in length each. You'll sew two pieces into each shoe, with the elastic going over the tongue of the shoe and the ends sewed to the inside on either side of the shoe. Make sure you stitch in the elastic so that when you slide on the shoe, it actually stays on.

Now, spike that s*@t! My spikes had little screws so I just stuck the screw part through the lace holes and twisted on the spike. I somehow misplaced one of my spikes, so in order to make the shoes even I decided to poke a hole in the canvas and make one middle spike on each shoe. In doing so, I sliced open my finger, so be careful kids.

Done! That's the fastest shoe makeover of all time (or at least that I've performed in my lifetime.) I think the shoes sort of look like a Tuojiangosaurus. Yep, that's right. Read this blog and you can make your own clothes AND learn about prehistoric friends.

Song to get you going:  The Clash - I'm Not Down