Effortless Style Blog

When I heard that Kate Spade was teaming up with Keds I knew there had to be a polka dot number in the mix and to my delight there was!

{Kate Spade Keds}

I loved them, but I couldn’t justify $75 for a pair of Keds. What’s a girl to do? Figure out a way to make her own.

Supplies:
I picked a pair of canvas sneakers aka Keds look a likes at Payless. Only $14.99 and not only do they have black and white, but a fab array of summer inspired colors like orange, lavender and mint green. I found the Sharpie paint pens at JoAnns for $3.99, but they are available online here for $1.70. In order to get perfectly shaped dots I needed a pencil and Martha Stewart’s multi surface craft paint in a midnight blue.

Step 1: Paint the pink border on the out sole of the sneakers. The sneakers already has grooves all throughout the out sole so it’s very easy to take the paint pen and fill it in. No need to use painters tape.

A slip of the hand might happen, but don’t stress. It’s easy to clean it up with some paint thinner.

Step 2: Apply paint to eraser. I just dipped the eraser in a bit of paint and made sure not to overload it. I didn’t want excess paint to spill out of the edges when I pressed down on the canvas. The best part about polka dots is that you can free hand the pattern and apply as many or as little as you like.

Step 3: A small paintbrush will help you fill in the paint if you have canvas showing through some of your dots. I only found this that this happened a once or twice per shoe. So it wasn’t time consuming to fill in some dots.

Step 4: It’s all about the details. Use your paint pen to make your shoe lace ends pink like our inspiration keds.

Step 5: Such stylish kicks deserved to be paired with a dress instead of jeans or work out clothes.

Close up of sneakers:

This project was so easy and fast to do and it came in around $20 for all supplies.

I’m adding these babies to the summer soiree linky party! Have you added anything to it yet?

Hello everyone,

The day has come for our summer soiree in honor of Kate Spade!

So, I hope you wearing a little bit of Kate Spade green today along with some sort of polka dot or bow or let’s face it both in honor of our link party.

Here is a special project I worked on for today’s party.

Inspired by Kate Spade I decided that my entry way door needed a little sprucing up.

Doesn’t the color combo of orange, pink and kelly green totally scream Kate Spade? I think so and it happens to working perfectly in my living room.

All of these supplies can be found at your local craft store. I went with 2.5″ wide grosgrain ribbon, but you can use whatever width you would like.

Step 1: It’s best to leave the plastic wrapping on your straw wreath. Simply dab some hot glue on the wreath and adhere the starting point for your ribbon.

Step 2: Wrap ribbon around wreath and make sure to overlap the ribbon so that there is no part of the straw wreath showing.

Step 3: Cut a piece of felt in whatever width you like. Then use the ribbon piece you have cut and glue the ends together to make a circle.

Step 4: Pinch the circle in the middle to form a bow and get some nice dimples in the middle of the bow. Then tighten center of bow with either floral wire or thread.

Step 5: Cut a smaller piece of felt and glue it the center of bow to cover up the threading/wire.

Step 6: In order to hang it use a piece of a ribbon in a contrasting color. Fold the piece of ribbon in half and loop it through the wreath.

Step 7: Glue the bow to the contrasting ribbon.

Step 8: At the ends of the ribbon cut hold for hanging. Use a lighter to burn the edges so it doesn’t fray.

Step 9: Place a command hook upside down on the back of the door that you want to hang your wreath and then place ribbon up and over door and wreath with fit perfectly on the front of the door and your door will still close perfectly.

I’m ready to link this project to the link party what about you? All of the links from my fellow co-hosts: Heather from Southern State of Mind
Carmel from Our Fifth House
Sheaffer from Pinterest told me to
Jenna from Rain on a tin roof

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Plus their readers will also be popping up on this link party.

I have a couple more projects that I worked on and I will be showcasing them this week and adding them to the link party! Stay tuned!