SUMMER is still here... Beach Day REDUX for Creative Fall Crafts

  

Hello creative friends! Here in South Florida SUMMER is pretty much year round but I still like to change things up a bit for the season. Today I am part of a fabulous gathering of Creative Fall Crafts that has new projects and inspiration each day this week! 

I only know when Fall arrives by the change of decor and advertisements in stores because where I live it's still SUMMER. So I have a quick and easy way to jazz up my door by repurposing every girls' summer go to... FLIP FLOPS! We all have 'em in all sorts of designs and colors to coordinate with every outfit... am I right?! Using a few paper-crafting techniques, I'm going to give my shoes a new season in the sun!

Let me gather a few things: 

Something old... something new... 

something borrowed and something BLUE!

This old (pair of flip flops barely if ever used from the closet); a new metal "welcome" word from dollar store; I'm borrowing some sparkly tulle and wreath decor from the Christmas stash; and some fabulous BLUE distressed raffia twine will be the base of my decor.

For this project you need: ribbons/trim/foiliage picks in chosen colors (for me I'm going with a weathered sea-spray feel); a 1" bristle paintbrush; white craft paint: scissors; a glue gun; embossing powder; clear embossing ink; paper plate; sand paper or sanding block; heat gun; scissors; thin floral wire; wire cutters; quilt pins; recycled pop tops; a peg clothespin (or small dowel rod); and some summertime tunes to help bring back those memories of toes in the sand.

The first thing I do is add some hangers to the back of the flip flops by sliding quilt pins into the foamy soles of the shoe.  Be careful not to poke through the front side. 

I use two pins criss-crossed down into sole to securely affix a recycled pop top. Easy Peasy!

Then I add a white wash quickly to age these a bit by dry brushing a small amount of white acrylic paint onto the wicker. No rhyme or reason - just all over. However it turns out is perfect. Just a small amount of paint transforms the look from glam to seaside shabby chic.

Next let's add a beachy, distressed finish to the metal "Welcome". 

This is quick and easy also - but is a bit messy.

First I rough up the surface with a small sanding block so the embossing adhesive will not bead up and will grab powder nicely.

I place word onto a piece of waxed paper to protect my surface then dab embossing adhesive onto all the letters. 

I gently pick up word and place onto a paper plate then sprinkle embossing powder onto the wet adhesive. Tap away excess into the plate and move across to next section until all letters are covered.

Optional: reapply adhesive to any areas that is missing embossing powder. 

Using heat gun, I activate the embossing powder. Please safety first – use heat safe finger cots or tweezers to hold letters while heat embossing. This powder is a weathered beach patina and has a variegated coloring that instantly transforms the metal. There are a few areas missing the powder, but that is OK. In this case I am leaving as is because it adds to the weathered, beachy feel.

One last thing will tie this together with the shoes. 

I quickly dry brush a bit of white overall and this is done!

It's really hard to capture new finish from far away. 

Here's a close-up of the yummy, distressed texture.

I tie some tulle bows on the straps of the shoes and I'm ready for some final assembly. 

I fashion a hanger by layering the two base raffias and 

wrapping some broom grass around a wooden clothespin.

I put up a hook and hung on the door then added the flip flops with a small pieces of wire and a couple supporting mini sticky back hanger hooks. 

This is my assortment of floral sprigs. This cute seasonal grass broom was taken apart to use at the top of my hanger. I'll have to use the scarecrow for something else. 

I continued to nestle the floral sprigs in and around the straps of the shoes. 

I added a fluffy tulle bow to the top to conceal the hanger.

The last thing was to affix the word welcome with a couple of strategically hidden spots of hot glue.

Honestly, I was not sure how this was going to turn out when I started. This is so beautiful I want to put this outside on my door step. The only reason I don't is because I don't have an overhang and we are in the middle of hurricane season – which brings daily severe thunderstorms. I hope you like it as much as I do.

How you are decorating for fall?

For more inspiration and Creative Fall Crafts ideas,

pop over HERE to see what my creative friends are making. 

This fun redux set me off on a fall decorating frenzy and I'll be back to share a few more projects that I have in the works! Thanks for visiting. Sb :)