This is the time of year to go through the kid’s closets and try on summer clothes and shoes to figure out what doesn’t fit and move it down to the next child in line. To give the old shoes a little bit of new attitude, here is an idea to remake girls dress shoes.

In our case, we had a barely worn pair of white dress flats that mysteriously had glitter and nail polish all over them, hence making them unacceptable, in the opinion of the next child. Fair enough. So, I went digging and found some leftover bright colored spray paint and went to work.

Step 1: Clean shoes and scuff up surface if it is glossy, then cover any part of the shoe you don't want paint on with tape (heel and sole) -- masking tape or clear packing tape works well. Also think creatively to use tape to create stripes or circle stickers for polka dots.
Step 2: Stuff shoes with newspaper to protect interior from paint.
Step 3: Spray a light coat of paint over entire shoe. You will need to pick up shoe and spray near the sole. Let that coat dry and repeat until shoe is completely covered.

Step 4: Let paint dry overnight.
Step 5: Spray shoe with a clear coat polyurethane for a little shine if painted surface is a little flat. (optional)
Step 6: Let dry overnight to completely cure.

Ta-dah! Fun and sassy shoes that make an older sister search for shoes to remake for herself.
Other ideas to embellish is to glue on some jewels or flowers to add more pizzazz. I recommend to start simply and aim for fun and not perfection.

Christy Howden is a crafty mother, Girl Scout leader, craft instructor at Two Twelve Arts Center and co-owner of online craft store TaDaaStudio.com.