Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Interchangeable Flip Flops

I'm excited to finally be able to share these with you! They have been brewing in my head and in pieces in my craft room for awhile now and I finally got it all together. I saw a pair of interchangeable flip flops when I was browsing through boutiques in Charlotte. I loved the concept but they were a bit pricey when I knew I could create my own pair for a lot less dough. 

So, one day I want to wear my brown and white striped shirt with brown capris. Well, these flip flops would look perfect with that outfit.


The next day I decide to wear a teal and brown shirt. And again, the perfect pair of flip flops for that. 

The next day I'm sporting a black and white ensemble. Again - perfect coordinating flip flops. 

And let's say I have some hot pink in my outfit. It wouldn't be complete without these flip flops which will add a splash of color to my feet! 



Love it! Two pairs of flip flops with different flowers/bows and the possibilities are endless! Honestly, I'll probably make more flowers and other things to switch out but this is enough to get me started! 

They were pretty easy to make. 
And it is super easy to change out the flowers because there is velcro on both the flip flop and the bottom of the flower. It's kinda hard to see in the pictures above since the velcro is white so the arrows are pointing to the velcro.

To make your own pair of interchangeable flip flops you are going to need flip flops obviously, velcro (I used the round dots of velcro that are sticky), ribbon (make sure your ribbon is either as wide as the strap on your flip flops or wider), a strong glue (I used E-6000), a lighter, and flowers or other embellishments for toppers on your flip flops. 

1. Determine how long the ribbon needs to be to cover each side of the flip flop strap. You'll want to do a piece of ribbon for each side and then they will meet on the top of the flip flop in the middle.
2. Seal the edges of the ribbon so it doesn't fray by passing the lighter over each end a time or two. 
3. Glue down each side of the ribbon using a strong glue. 
4. Using the glue, glue on one of your velcro pieces in the very middle. Even though I was using velcro that already had adhesive on it, I went ahead and used glue too as the glue is stronger than the adhesive on the velcro and since these were going to be on my feet I wanted them to be sturdy. I used the rough side of the velcro for this part. 
5. Create or buy your toppers. You could use simple satin layered flowers like I made or bows like I also made but the sky is the limit. You could try using artificial flowers, patches, etc. (I make my satin flowers the same way this tutorial explains.)
6. Using your glue, glue on the other part of the velcro. I used the soft side of the velcro on this part just in case it brushes against my foot I wanted the soft side versus the rough side. 
7. That's it - sport your new flops proudly! 

Linking up to the parties listed in my sidebar

13 comments:

  1. Lovely project! It sure is a smart way of having lots of different look without buying a different pair for each look. :-) Found your project via Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie. :-)

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  2. I SO want to do this. Now to convince Nick I need to make a trip to Michael's.... ;-)

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  3. love this idea!

    i'm visiting from Night Owl Crafting!

    thanks for sharing!

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  4. OMGosh!!! These are ADORABLE!!! I LOVE the brown/teal combo! I tried something like this before but hot glue didn't work out so well, I hadn't even thought of velcro! GREAT idea!

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  5. so cute this would be great for my girls

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  6. COley, this is the solution I have been searching for, lol. My daughter is always complaining how she ONLY has 2 or 3 pair of sandals, lol.

    If I could show her that 2 become 10, wow, I would be SUPER MOM.... Thanks so much for sharing.

    I'd also LOVE to invite you to check out my weekly parties. I would be so happy if you linked up, this and any other fabulous project you are working on.
    Stop by anytime to say hello!!!
    Hugs, Bella :)
    **AMAZE ME AUGUST** @ Bella Before and After Any projects, recipes, diy welcome.
    **PARTY PLANNING TUESDAYS** @ Euro Style Cakes. Any party planning tips, decorations, invitations, recipes welcome.

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  7. Cute! What a great Idea. I have like a zillion flip flops....And I still want more :P

    Velcro is a great idea. Those shoe clips hurt the tops of my feet. Not to mention are a lot more expensive than velcro :)

    Ali
    www.foundinthehali.blogspot.com

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  8. Cute idea! Beats having to have a bazillion flip-flops!

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  9. The Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop has grown for the better because of your participation. Thanks for linking up this great post!

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  10. Love it! All the colors! FUN! I am your newest follower! I would love it if you stopped by check it out and become my newest follower! Have a great 4th!

    Kirsten ;)

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  11. Hey COley,

    You know I loved these sandals, YAY, for sharing them with us.

    Thanks so much for linking up to my party :)
    I loved this so much, I featured you girl!
    Come grab a button girl, and display it proudly!

    Hugs, Bella **Features from week #43 & 44** @ Bella Before and After
    **PARTY PLANNING TUESDAYS** @ Euro Style Cakes. Party planning tips, decorations, invitations, and recipes welcome to link up.

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  12. these are CAUTE!!! i might make 10 of these haha

    come link it to my woot woot wednesday linky party!

    http://tootsiewootsieboutique.blogspot.com/2011/07/woot-woot-wednesdays-2.html

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