Friday, August 14, 2009

Revamp it or Marie goes to the beach


Hallo allemaal, leuk dat jullie er alweer zijn! Vandaag is het 'Revamp it' party en onze gastvrouw is de creatieve Natasha Burns. Ik weet niet hoeveel mensen er mee doen, maar op haar blog staat vast een lijst met deelnemers die je ook kunt bezoeken om flink veel inspiratie op te doen. Ik heb gekozen voor een project dat al sinds vorig jaar zomer in de kast lag:

Hi you out there!
Anxious waiting for what is coming up next, aren't you? As today it's 'Revamp it' party, hosted by the ever creative and artistic Natasha Burns of Natasha's Artistic Creations. I don't know how many peeps have been bent over their sewing machines, but be sure to check out Natasha's blog and visit all players. It will certainly be a party filled with inspiration and maybe showing how to save some big bucks to revamp ordinary clothes into customized fancy costumes, bags, shoes and whatever.

When Natasha published her ideas about this party for the first time on her blog I immediately signed up. This was my chance to finally start and hopefully finish a project that was still in the attic.
When Summer comes and it is hot I like to have comfy shoes, like flip flops or linen shoes, which we call, like the French, 'espadrilles'. No synthetics please. Last year I bought a pair of 'espadrilles' on sale for only 5 euros (about 7.50 usd). No wonder:


Vorig jaar kocht ik deze schoenen vanwege hun comfort voor 5 euro in de uitverkoop, geen wonder! Ze passen ook helemaal nergens bij en dus ga ik ze oppimpen, voordat deze zomer ook voorbij is.
According to my daughter the blues are skulls, mmmm I can see what she means. My main problem is that I just don't have any clothes to match with these, even no blue jeans. But they fit me like soft slippers. So let's revamp them, before Summer is over...


Eerst speld ik een neutrale katoen van Ikea dubbel op de schoen. De katoen heet iets van Bømül ofzo, wie verzint toch die namen?
First I pinned a double cotton fabric (this is Ikea's cheap neutral cotton, called something like Bømül, I would like to know very much the person who invents these names, but let's go back to the shoes) on the shoe. Double to avoid still seeing the orange and blue.


Vervolgens naaide ik de bovenkant van de katoen vast en oooooh wat is dat daar op de achtergrond? Ja hoor de Tacky glue gebruikte ik voor de zijkanten en die kreuken minder dan de voorkant.
I attached the upper side by sewing, but wait, wait... What is that in the background? Yes next to the thread...oooh it is indeed tacky glue and I have to admit that I used this to glue the sides. The front was sewed again and you can see that tacky glue doesn't leave wrinkles!
Now the foofing up could start. I decided to crochet some flowers. You might remember that learning how to crochet again was one of my resolutions for 2009, as Santa gave me a lovely book. So I took the book and did what I thought I had to do and:


Vervolgens dacht ik bloemetjes te haken. Toen ik een jaar of 12 was heb ik duizenden bloemetjes gehaakt voor mijn winkeltje in wording. Maar dat blijk je dus gewoon te verleren, ook met boek.
Mmm that sure looks different...I must have crocheted dozens of flowers when I was about 12 and had huge plans to open a small shop. Apparantly unlike swimming or biking you do 'unlearn' how to crochet.
But to be honest I wasn't using the book Santa has given me. So I took that book, another thread, another needle and I changed location:


Maar een andere haaknaald, ander garen een andere locatie en een ander boek geprobeerd. Dat van Nicki Trench dat Sinterklaas in de ramsj gekocht heeft. Nicki vertelt aan coole meiden hoe ze moeten haken.
Now the book Santa gave me is: the Cool girl's guide to crochet by Nicki Trench. To explain Nicki just tells you what to do. Yes I am a cool girl:


Ja hoor, ik ben ook een coole girl! Nu verder met pimpen.
Now back to revamping:



When I started I wanted to use vintage lace or the crocheted flowers but in the end I decided to use them both. I glued the lace on the shoe.


Mmm nog niet helemaal af zo te zien.
First try. Btw make sure that you have enough materials to foof up both shoes. I thought there certainly was improvement, but they just needed some more:



Don't you agree? Click on the photo if you like to see more detail.


Dat is beter!
That's better!
Now you can see what I did: I glued on the lace, crocheted the flowers and ended with a little cord, like the stem of the flower. Sewed them on and used vintage pearls as flower hearts.


Mijn dochter showt ze. Ze vindt ze heerlijk zitten, maar ze wil ze absoluut niet hebben! Ach, nu heeft iedereen Birkenstocks. Maar ik denk dat ik een schoen heb waar Marie Antoinette op naar het strand zou gaan. Toen waren er ook al Birkenstocks, maar zij droeg ze niet!
And you can actually wear those espadrilles! Here is my daughter modeling them.
'oooooh they are so comfy', she immediately told me. 'Do you want to have them?' I asked her. Too bad that you couldn't hear her saying: 'NOPE!'

All the girls are wearing Birkenstocks over here, it's the rage of last and this Summer.
But I like to think that I am the only one who goes to the beach in shoes that Marie Antoinette would have worn. I am sure she never ever wanted to wear Birkenstocks!

When I was searching for the url of Birkenstock, I discovered that Birkenstocks were made for the first time in 1774. Though globalization wasn't as normal then as nowadays, Marie Antoinette could have actually worn Birkenstocks. But she didn't.



Thank you Natasha for stimulating me to finally start and finish this project.
Thanks for your visit over here, as always I love to hear from you. Don't forget to go to Natasha's blog to see who is playing too, have fun today!
xoxo LiLi M.

Bedankt Natasha voor het organiseren van deze blogparty. Vergeet niet bij de anderen op bezoek te gaan. Ik vond het gezellig dat je hier was, bedankt voor je bezoek en tot ziens, xoxo LiLi M.

68 comments:

Pink Princess said...

Joh, die zijn MOOI geworden!! Petje af en idd ze zitten herlijk, lol. Heb zelf een paar rode, ook in de uitverkoop. ;) Bij dezelfde winkel misschien lol.

Fleurette said...

Hi Lili, how lovely shoes. I like visiting your beautiful blog. You have nice decoration and idea. I'm from Prague and I would like invete you to my blog. Have a nice day!

Marianne said...

Oh die zijn mooi geworden! En wat goed dat je nu in een klap ook het haakboek hebt gebruikt. Dus nu heb je twee goede voornemens in een keer getackled.
Ik ben wel benieuwd of het lijmwerk ook houdt als je er echt op gaat lopen. Ik hoop het wel want ze zijn veel te mooi om verloren te gaan. Misschien moet je ze ook maar niet dragen en gewoon in een van je vignettes ten toon spreiden. Jouw versie van ballerina's, zeg maar.
In ieder geval goed gelukt!!!
Oh en wat is dat voor lijm? Ben heel nieuwsgierig want ik ben nog altijd op zoek naar de goede lijm voor mijn geknutsel.

Anonymous said...

You made a beautiful work !!! and I love the idea of the little cord ! Jolie association de dentelle vintage et de crochet !!! I'm wearing Birkenstocks :))) Belle fin de semaine !

roseroomnz.com said...

Miss LiLi, they are fabulous!!!! Rachaelxo

Niki Fretwell said...

Lili,
These are so pretty - and as you say, wearable too. What a clever idea. Have lots of fun in your new feminine, summery shoes - so much prettier than skulls! ;-))
Niki

Brigitta said...

Dat heb je echt supermooi gedaan! Mijn complimenten hoor. Grappig dat MA ook al birkenstocks had kunnen dragen, alleen de gedachte al hahahaha (heb onlangs net die film op de tv gezien met Kirsten Dunst als ik me niet vergis)

Fijn weekend,
Brigitta

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Oh Lili! These are beautifully revamped!!! I so love the white tones and pearls and lace! Bon travail mon amie! Anita

Miss Marple said...

Ha, op zo'n idee moet je eerst nog komen! Ze zijn zo romantisch geworden! Ik zou ze echt alleen bij speciale gelegenheden dragen!
Een heel fijn weekend! - Irma

LW said...

Cute, cute shoes…I love the new look.
Love the lace, flowers, and beads.
In addition, the color will go with everything.

Good job,
Louise

Fleurette said...

Thanks for your visit and I very apologize for publish your photo. I didn't present it as my picture, it was only inspiration. Now photo is eliminated. So I'm sorry and hope that you visit me again.

Such a Wondrous Place this Faery Space said...

Oooh! I want a pair! You are a bit of brilliance!!!!! Gorgeous dear! Blessings.

Natasha Burns said...

Lili these are totally amazing! You clever girl~! I would never have thought to do that to shoes. I'm with you, they can keep the birkenstocks (eek even though people think they're stylish i just cannot agree!). you've made Marie proud!
Thank you so much for the fun and informative beautiful post and for joining in! xo

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

Now don't they look fabulous! Well done you,

Victoria xx

Adeline Country Cottage said...

I have to admite I do like them before, BUT after Oh my you have created a beautiful pair of shoes, Now I would where these, I went and check out these Birkenstock's and I think I'd rather ware your pretty shoes.

Hugs
Kirstie.

Lori said...

LiLi, those are SO cute!!!!!!! i never thought to do a modern pair of shoes...i was so fixated on the kind of shoe i thought i had to have. that i think i defeated myself...i shouldn't have been so specific...the little crochet { i think it was crochet} flowers that you made, how adorable!!!

Birds of a Feather said...

Hi Lili ~

Thanks for your sweet comments, and sharing your inspiration ideas!

I LOVE espadrilles (so hard to find where I live.) And I love what you did with them! Have fun in them.

xo Heidi

Vintage Dutch Girl said...

Very cute! What a great idea!

Patricia said...

These shoes are just beautiful - I am a lover of crochet work. What a great project.

Betty said...

Lili! I love the transformation! I love espadrilles because they're so comfy! I would never have thought to foof them up like you did and your little crochet flowers are perfect!

M. said...

SUPER GEDAAN!!!!!!!!!!

heel veel loop plezier en kijk je uit dat je niet tegen iets aanloopt als je de hele tijd naar beneden kijkt hoe mooi je schoenen zijn?????

fijn weekend!!!!!

V I N T A G E O L O G I E said...

Holy smokes!! Very cool!
I would never have the guts to do a shoe makeover ... terrific job Lili!

LOVE them!

xo
Jill

Anonymous said...
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Gralińka said...

nice! nice! wow! :))

Unknown said...

These are darling! I love them done in the whites so sophisticated! Thank you for visiting my blog!

Alice Regan said...

Wow, cute shoes! Shoes...something I would have never thought of revamping. I'm having so much fun visiting all the participants so far of Natasha's Revamp Party!What a fun idea!

Fete et Fleur said...

LiLi!

These came out gorgeous!! You my dear are quite clever. I love the additions to the shoes and now you have fairy shoes to dance the night away in.

Hugs!
Nancy

rochambeau said...

Dearest LiLi,
I LOVE your new and improved espadrilles! Bravo!! You are SO cool and clever!

xox
Constance

Zita - Mlle Magpie said...

Gorgeous revamping project, Lili. Your "new" shoes are SO beautiful!

Decor To Adore said...

Oh you clever, clever girl! I love espadrilles!

My daughter and I were in IKEA yesterday and talking about the names. You really made me laugh about that!

Our Hands For Hope said...

Very clever and cute too!
Terisa

Jillian's Bella Rosa Antiques said...

They are SEW pretty! :0) Really like the crochet look and the antique color pearls are just perfect. A job well done!

Elyse said...

wow, lili, what a revamp! very cool!

xo

Pamela Jane said...

Indeed, Marie would have preferred your "revamped" espadrilles!

barbara said...

Sheesh, I'm way down here, comment #35. These are lovely. I would never have thought to remake shoes. BTW, we all knew you were a cool girl.

Nikki via The Scarlett Rose Garden said...

Lili, I'm a sucker for espadrilles, net lace, crochet, pearls AND shoe revamps. So how could I NOT love these beauties!?!
They are amazing. I love how you left the tails on the flowers.

I agree... crochet does not stay with you like riding a bike.
I'm notorious for starting projects and then forgetting what gage needle I was using, etc.. so can't finish them, lol! I'll have to remember to mark them in the future.

Nikki via The Scarlett Rose Garden said...

Forgot to add, I loved the tidbit about Marie Antoinette and Birkenstocks. 1700's...Who woulda thunk? LOL!

Sea Angels said...

Superb....I have just had the most pleasent early morning cup of tea perusing some of your inspiring work posts...well I have just got some choccy biscuits so I will continue.
What a fabulous start to my day.
Hugs Lynn xxx

Unknown said...

Lili,
These shoes are lovely, you did a beautiful job revamping these shoes.

Happy Pink Saturday,

Karen

De Ruijsbroekjes said...

Noujaaaa geweldig ! Wat heb je ze mooi gemaakt, terwijl het best even weten was met het haken van de bloemetjes, méén maar ze zijn echt heel leu geworden! Je kunt er absoluut trots op zijn !

Jeanette Nord said...

OMG!!!! Those shoes ROCK! That was one pair of amazing and seriously pimped shoes! Are you something or what? And obviously in the wrong line of work - you should be in the shoe design business!

Being a swede I can tell you something about who invents IKEAS names.It`s a lady, can`t remember her name right now, but her work consists of inventing new names to all IKEAS products and the fun thing about it is that they are namned the same thing all over the globe, IKEA never translates anything....so Billy the bookcase is Billy with all the universe. Ahem, got a bit carried away ( and patriotic) there....ment the whole world of course.

Take care my friend
Jeanette

Anonymous said...
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lia said...

Hoi, je bent weer creatief bezig geweest. Knap werk hoor.
Wat een priegel werk lijkt me dat.
Maar het resultaat mag er zijn.

groetjes Lia

Unknown said...

So very pretty! You have a lovely blog!

Betzie said...

Oh my, these are so sweet...I'm embarrassed to say I wear those ugly CROCS! But they are so comfy and my puppies can't bite my toes!
These are tres chic! Good job!!!

Alison Gibbs said...

Lili they look fabulous. You would never know that they had all that yucky blue and orange underneath. They are really beautiful
Alison

Catharina Maria said...

Ben er weg van lili , de ivoor kleur is het helemaal !
Lieve groetjes Rini

Bonjade said...

Tjee sta ik alweer onderaan de lijst.....?
Wat een fans....moest wel lachen....ook uit China, kun je dat ook lezen dan.....?
Maarre ze zijn werkelijk prachtig geworden....enne als niemand ze aan wil, je kunt ze ook mooi aan de kast hangen met die prachtige linten.......genieten.
Fijne sunny sunday

vosgesparis said...

geef mij maar lekkere braziliaanse teenslippers hoor.. deze doen mij toch een beetje aan de jaren 70 denken, niet dat daar wat mis mee is natuurlijk, ze zijn iig geweldig gepimpt ;)... wat mij doet denken aan een ander beroemd project van jou.....je had natuurlijk ook oerhollandse kunen maken voorbij je boodschappen kar.

natalea said...

what a wonderful re-do! those shoes are gorgeous!!
have a great Sunday LiLi!
xo natalea

bluemuf said...

Lili, You re-vamped shoes are lovely. Great job. I would love a pair of those to wear in the summer.

Hugs karen

Jorgelina said...

Hi Lili!

Cute,shoe
I love the new look.
Hugs

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Chère Lili!
I am so glad you made it! And yes, do take your time. Get a cup of wonderful tea or coffee and sit and read the play I wrote. I am working on the second act and I am amusing myself!!!! Bless you dear friend, Anita

Sandy said...

Lili,
The shoes came out wonderful!!! I love them. I'll have to check out the other links, this looks like a lot of fun. Maybe I will try to revamp something in my wardrobe. I am so glad you stopped in for a visit. Enjoy your week!

Andrea said...

You are so crafty Lili! I just blogged about you sweetie! xo Andrea

María Elena said...

Hi Lili, wonderful!It is an amazing transformation. Beautiful crochet and lace details.
Hugs.

June said...

Hi Lili,
I'm just sure those shoes are my size, and if not I'll make them fit! How bout I e-mail you my address and I'll take those little beauties off your hands to make more room in your closet. What do you say?
Hugs,
June

karlascottage.typepad.com said...

AMAZING!

Heather ~Pretty Petals said...

Lili, these are completely over the top GORGEOUS!!!! You should be so proud to wear these beautiful creations. xoxo heather

Kathy2eggs said...

What a fantastic pair of shoes you have made....I agree, the original colors were gruesome,and I love the crocheted flowers...and the lace..
That does it, I've been wanting to jazz up my boring Z-Coil shoes, so will attempt it now...I thought about painting it with crackle paint, and never thought of gluing fabric...so much easier...
If I had white ones, I'd just add your lovely flowers but alas, they are beige...I'll have to get a before photo then get started.
Thanks so much for the inspiration.

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

Wow! Lili! I am in awe of your talents! I can't even say that this post was inspiring because I could never hope to accomplish what you did to those fabulous shoes!
Your fan, Laura

Brigitta said...

Ik heb een kadootje voor je op mijn blog.

liefs
Brigitta

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

Are there no end to your talents Lili?
I wish I could just nip over and have a quick lesson in crocheting. It was my resolution for 2009 too! I haven't got very far with it yet.. haven't even started.
Love the makeover.. I am now eyeing up my espradilles and wondering how I can turn a boring black pair into something so beautiful as yours..
Hope you are still enjoying the hols..
Love
Michele xx

atelierlemlem said...

Mooi!!! Ik ben echt onder de indruk hoor!!! (En over een paar jaar vindt je dochter ze ook heel mooi, dat weet ik zeker hoor!)Ik ga eens even neuzen in die lijst met blogjes...
Groetjes mama lieveheersbeestje.

susanna said...

LiLi, these shoes are so pretty! I think you really could open up shop with these shoes! And Birkenstocks are the latest trend where you live? Wow. then again, look how big Uggs were here in the States over the past five years. I would have said YES if you asked me if I wanted our shoes. :)

Marina Capano said...

OMG! fantastic! congrats, great job!

xoxo

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Ma chère Lili! Oh what sweet comments mon amie! Thank you for checking in with the ticket office! Of course we will understand if you are a tad late to the second act....the doors are always open and M. Balzac is always eager to repeat a performance!! Yes, "break a leg" is well known here! And thank you so much; I have had fun writing this little piece. I enjoy writing sooo much. Do have a wonderful weekend and we shall see you soon! Bisous, Anita

Gabriela said...

Hello Lili,

These are awesome!



~ Gabriela ~