DIY Pencil Sneakers for Back to School

I don’t care if I’m not in school any more — I love back-to-school season with a passion! Joe Fox said it best: “I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” And I’m sorry if I’ve quoted You’ve Got Mail before, but it just may be one of the most perfect movies ever. But I digress! Back to the business at hand, which obviously is painting cute little pencils on your sneakers for back-to-school! I was looking for some sneaks at Payless Shoe Source the other day and these caught my eye. They’re super comfy and the perfect transition from summer to fall! After I wore them once or twice I started thinking that the lines on them reminded me of binder paper and I totally knew what I had to do. I’m thinking of grabbing a pair of kids’ shoes from Payless and making my little niece a matching pair, because she’s starting kindergarten this year. Let’s all make ’em!

Materials

• striped sneakers
• craft paint in yellow, pink, and gold
• small paintbrushes
• black Sharpie

Make Time: 30 Minutes

Step 1: Paint a diagonal thick yellow line on the toe of your sneaker. This will be your pencil.

Step 2: Paint a small gold triangle at the base of the line, which will become the point of your pencil.

Step 3: Paint a rounded pink square at the top of the pencil. Allow all the paint to dry thoroughly and go over any spots that may need more coverage.

Step 4: Begin tracing the outlines of your pencil with the Sharpie. Start very lightly so that you don’t overdo it; you can always add more black. Trace the outer edges of the pencil and create a few lighter lines in the center.

Step 5: Draw a small triangular tip where the lead of the pencil would be; also draw a few scribbles coming from the pencil.

Step 6: Trace the eraser by drawing a flattened oval at the top and two lines on either side, almost connecting with the lines on the sides of your pencil. Then draw a few arcs where the metal would be that connects the eraser to the pencil.

Step 7: Repeat the process on the other shoe, mirroring the image you created on the first.

That’s it! Tell me these aren’t the cutest things you’ve seen all day. I’ve been bopping around in them and they’re keeping my feet pretty happy (and also making me wish I was picking out more back-to-school shoes!). Hope you try them out! And if you’re outfitting yourself or your fam for back-to-school, hit up Payless for lots of other cute styles. I might have come home with a couple of extras, just in case… For more inspiration, check out Payless on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.  xoxo

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Payless via RhythmOne. The opinions and text are all mine.