🐡 🐠 Mermaid Parade Prep: Mermaid Shoe Tips, Costume Ideas 🐠 🐡 {2018}

Mermaid crafting! It’s starting to be that time of year… though it’s still darn chilly out. My bin of mermaid booty is coming out of the basement before the Winter-Spring wardrobe switcheroo.  It is great to see my mermaid top is holding up sturdily.  The shoes… meh.  I didn’t wear them at last year’s Mermaid Parade as they dug painfully into the front of my foot. So I got started on making my new mermaid shoes.

Craft stash.

I bought these cheap Asian style wedges soon after last year’s parade… while the pain in my foot was still fresh in my mind.  They sat around at the bottom of my closet until today.  Some of the reasons I thought these were ideal for mermaid crafting: they were cheap, besides the embroidery they were a clear and clean blank canvas, the canvas would take the hot glue well, they had nothing obstructing the front of the foot which was why last year’s pair of shoes hurt. I also liked that I could use fishnet or a “seaweed” fabric in place of the laces and that they’d make me a taller mermaid while still being a relatively comfortable and stable shoe. 

Step 1 was a base layer of shells.  Cover the surface area of the shoe loosely like the first layer of a collage, gluing the larger shells on the outer fabric and the flatter shells on the inner fabric near your arches. For safety and ease of walking, building up the shells well clear of the outsole.  Be sure not to restrict your ankle too. I left most of the heel tab unadorned for mobility’s sake.  Easy on the glue.  Too much glue will restrict the foot by taking the stretch and breathability away from the shoe’s fabric. I tried to create left and right shoes that have a similar shell designs. Try them on often as you build them up.

After a layer of shells, step two was beads and miniature shells. I also used large sequins from the mermaid skirt I might be wearing (see below). 

A great start to the mermaid craft season…

Other mermaid costume inspiration: Boutique Eva Iridescent Mermaid Maxi Dress, purchased from Boohoo on sale. A bag to hold mermaid goodies that I am going to bling up soon too. A visit to the fabric store helps with inspiration. A visit to the thrift store and you may find mermaid flair gowns perfect for crafting. Let the world be your Pinterest board!