After recently seeing a lot of shoes with Swarovski crystals on them I knew it was something I could attempt to do myself. I wanted to make sure I attempted my first pair with shoes I already had, that way if I messed up it wasn't a big deal. I chose to use a pair of black satin shoes since I thought the crystals would stick the best. I already had the "hot fix" tool from previous projects I have done so all I purchased was the crystals I used. I bought them on eBay because you can get a really good deal on them but you can also purchase them at a craft store like JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I purchased 4 different sizes to give it a little extra texture.
I started with the largest Crystals first, I placed a few long the section where the heel meets the shoe and also a few scattered throughout the rest of the heel. I then worked my way out from those ones using the rest of the 3 sizes, choosing the ones that fit best. The Crystals I purchased have an adhesive already on the back of them so they are easy to work with, the Hot Fix tool will melt the glue and allow you to place the crystals where you want them. Like the crystals, you can also purchase the hot fix tool at a craft store- go when you have a coupon, most stores offer a 40% off!
And done! I can tell you- this was a LOT of work. I did this one heel over the course of 3 nights which I spent about 2-3 hours/night so there were a lot of hours that went into them. I really like the way they turned out so it was worth it in the end, especially when you factor in the cost savings. I think I spent $15 on the crystals, the hot fix I think I originally purchased for around $10 and the shoes I got on sale for $9! These types of custom "strassed" shoes can run upwards of 300 big ones!
