We’re excited to welcome Tracey of Tracey’s Fancy back to the Dixie Belle blog! Known for bringing bold color and personality to everything she paints, Tracey is taking her creativity beyond furniture with a fun DIY you can actually wear. In this project, she uses Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint to create custom tiger-themed shoes packed with team spirit. With playful patterns, hand-painted details, and plenty of color, this project is a fun way to make your spirit wear completely your own.

(The following is an excerpt from Tracey’s Fancy. Read the full article here.) 

It’s that time of year again!

School sports and all that comes with it is upon us!
I’m back today with another pair of painted vans for a local university mom!
No matter what your level of painting skill is….you can still DIY yourself custom painted spirit wear shoes and represent for that team, that kid or that grandkid!
Custom tiger-themed canvas shoes hand-painted with Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint, featuring tiger stripes, school colors, and team spirit designs.

My Blank Canvas: DIY Custom Painted Vans

I prefer to paint on white canvas slip on Vans.
There is very little to workaround, there is plenty of painting space for your design and they are comfortable!
Plain white Vans slip-on canvas shoe ready to be customized with Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint for a DIY painted shoe project.
Not to mention….the canvas fabric paints up beautifully!

Supplies Used:

How to Create DIY Custom Painted Shoe

I have many blogs detailing this exact same process but I’m happy to recap here for you:
  1.  Mist the fabric with water.
  2.  Paint a base coat over the entire shoe (I usually use Fluff) and let dry.
  3.  Draw your design in pencil.
  4.  Set your design in Sharpie marker.
  5.  Paint your design in your desired colors (I highly recommend Dixie Belle’s Chalk Mineral Paint line) and let dry.
  6.  Re-outline any areas you want to accentuate using Posca Marker and let dry.
  7.  Heat set in dryer.
  8.  Spray with Easy Peasy Spray Wax for lasting protection.
PRO TIP:  You may wonder about step 2….painting the shoe white when it’s already white.
The colored paints will bleed on the canvas when using water…which you need to help your paint glide over the fabric more easily.  So painting in a base coat of white primes that fabric and your colored paints will bleed less from here on out.  

The Finished Look: Custom Painted School Spirit Wear

Have fun with this!
Choose designs that fall into your drawing skill set…or have someone draw it out for you.
Or even better, just make fun designs such as stripes and polka dots and paint them in your team colors!  This works too!
Custom tiger-themed Vans slip-on shoes hand-painted with Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint, featuring tiger stripes and school spirit designs.

I love this tiger design….its actually the first time I’ve ever been asked to paint tiger stripes and I really love the deep yellow and black pattern!  

I hope this inspires you to give it a try……and maybe hop over to a few more of my painted shoe blogs for even more inspiration!
Who says Dixie Belle Paint is only for furniture? Tracey’s custom painted shoes show just how much fun you can have when you think outside the furniture flip. Whether you recreate her tiger-inspired design, choose your own team colors, or come up with a pattern that’s completely your own, the possibilities are endless.

A big thank you to Tracey of Tracey’s Fancy for sharing this creative project with us! We hope it inspires you to grab your favorite Dixie Belle colors and show off your team spirit in a whole new way. For another fun fun shoe project by Tracey, check out our blog, How to Paint Leather Shoes with Chalk Mineral Paint.

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Color Inspiration, Guest Author, How To

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About the Author

Traceys Fancy

Tracey Bellion is well known for her innovative, brilliant, and over-the-top furniture designs that encompass a Whimsical Wonderland. She loves to paint with playful colors and infuse multiple mixed patterns and textures not usually seen together. Tracey’s signature black and white checkerboard pattern is not only one of her favorite patterns to use to add visual interest, it also serves as a neutral in her furniture designs.

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