I am a self-confessed hoarder.  There I've said it again.  I do admit that my craft room (fancy term for kitchen table and under-bed drawers) is in need of a spring clean.  And sometimes Mr. J. decides that he needs to take over. 

 

So when my husband started walking around the house last weekend, demanding that a myriad of important, useful things be thrown out, I had to think quickly.  When he pointed at the shoe box, I think my shriek was heard in neighbouring Asian countries. 

Yes, I love to keep my children's baby shoes.  (It always saddens me when my children outgrow a pair of shoes.  It's like a blatant reminder that, just like their constantly growing feet, my babies will not stay small forever.)

 

I may not be able to keep their little feet from growing at an alarming rate, but with this upcycled sneaker project, I can hang on to a few treasured memories.  Not every pair that they've ever grown out of - because that actually would land me on an episode of Hoarders - but just the cutest ones.  Like this old pair of Cons that Tadhg has grown out of.  They'd be perfect for so many things... Like Book Ends, for instance.  And so, given an ultimatum of three days to "...use 'em or lose 'em", we used them.  And they look awesome!

 

If you, too, need to get your husband off your back, here's how to clean out the shoe box.

 

 

You'll Need:

 

• 1 favourite pair of outgrown sneakers

• 2 cups Plaster of Paris in dried powder form (I used Potter's Plaster $7 from Spotlight)

• 1 cup water

• stirring spoon

• large bowl

• an old pair of sneakers

• soft drink bottle funnel 

• pegs

 

 

 

Steps:

 

1.Take your sneakers and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

carefully glue the tongue to the sides of the shoe. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. If you would like to lace the sneaker at the end, make sure that you don't glue the eyelits shut.  Peg in place if you need to.  Leave in the sun to dry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Meanwhile, add two parts plaster to one part water (Never add water to the plaster - you'll end up with a bag of plaster!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Stir gently until the water absorbs all the powder.  If you stir too vigorously, your plaster may set in the bowl, which is not a good thing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Take your funnel (see this blog post on how to make a funnel from recyclables)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and carefully pour the plaster into the shoe.  I'd recommend that this be done outside, as it does get messy!  Leave your shoe in the sun to dry.  Don't be alarmed if your plaster pours out of the shoe, like mine did!  It's easier if you leave it to dry than if you try to get it off while wet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We filled our shoes about 3/4 of the way up.  This is what the plaster looks like inside, once dry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.  Once dry, clean any residue off the shoe fabric with warm soapy water.  Scrape any dried plaster off with a butter knife.  If you'd like to, you can lace up your sneakers now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ta-da!  All that's left to do is choose your story book!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty cute, we think.