Fashion and Style, Fashion DIY

How to up-cycle old boots to look trendy

by Nicole Mölders
#DIY #shoelove how to up-cycle boots to look trendy post banner
In this post
  1. Repair your heels for cheap
  2. What you will need
  3. How to make jeweled heels
  4. Finishing touches of heel embellishment DIY project
  5. How I styled these trendy heels
    • A denim coat to stay warm
  6. More DIY and recycling ideas on High Latitude Style

Disclosure: This post has affiliate links.

Repair your heels for cheap

Some of you may remember my post on my closet clean-out. See the link in case you missed it. In the post, I gave examples on what to toss and what is worth to repair. I identified a pair of boots with distressed heels as worth the effort to repair them. Since Fairbanks again has no cobbler, I had to do it myself. I decided to jump the bandwagon on this fall’s trend of “jeweled heels.” In this post, I will explain how I up-cycled my old boots into trendy statement boots. The best, when the trend is over, it is easy to remove the decoration and replace it with leather. Low risk, high reward.

over 50 years old fashion blogger Nicole looking posh and trendy in a LBD, statement belt, and leopard print tights with DIY heel repair
Statement gemstone belt, GNW leopard print gray and black tight, Hermes collier de chien bangle (all own), and boat-neck LBD c/o Covered Perfectly

What you will need

  1. Plastic clue
  2. An iron cleaning brush
  3. Studs or other decoration best as a band like shown in the photo below (Tip: Buy the band twice the length of the circumference of the heel in about the width of the height of the heel)
  4. Paint to color the rest of the heel where needed
  5. A small paint brush
  6. A pair of scissors
  7. 15 minutes of undisturbed time
boots, clue and studded band for upcycling
Photo of the studded band, prepared heels and clue I used for the “up-cycling” project

How to make jeweled heels

Clean the distressed heels from soil, loose leather and dirt. Use a steel brush to roughen the surface so the clue gets a good grasp. When working on the first heel, I put the clue onto the decoration band. However, some clue went thru the grid, dripped and changed the color of some studs to looking silver. Thus, for the second galosh I put the clue on the heel. This procedure worked better and didn’t cause discolorations. I later painted the discolored studs gold to fix the mishap.

distressed heel prepared for cluing on an embellishment
This photo show the back of the decoration band with clue on it (middle ground) and the cleaned, prepared heel.
DIY shoes after clueing on studs to make them look trendy
Footwear after cluing on the studs on the first piece

Finishing touches of heel embellishment DIY project

After the clue had dried, I painted the remainder of the heel gold. Of cause you can also go for a decoration band that can be cut to measure for the heel. Then you won’t have to do the painting. However, this doesn’t work with plastic studs that are hollow inside.

finishing touch of leather wrapped heel repair
Finishing touches of the project. See the slight “discoloration” on the inside of the right boot’s heel caused by the clue. I painted the respective studs at the end of the project and was lucky that the golden color was a perfect match after drying.

Tip: When you use a material that can be cut in which ever way you want/need to cut it, I would recommend to create a paper pattern of the heel surface. This way it is easier and safer to cut the material than doing it directly.

Like this project? Then pin it to your DIY pinterest board as a reminder when your heels need “help”.

How I styled these trendy heels

I wore the up-cycled beauties for the first time with a little black dress and a statement belt. A pair of leopard print gray and black tights served to create interest. It’s interesting how gray looks light compared to black. Isn’t it?

Nicole donning an edgy look in black and leopard with studded footwear

#fashionover50 #DIY woman with up-do, statement belt, and fashionable studded tall boots
Up-cycled heels, statement gemstone belt, GNW leopard print tight, barrette, Hermes collier de chien bangle (all own), and T-shirt dress with 3/4 sleeves c/o Covered Perfectly

Like this outfit? Feel free to pin it to your own Pinterest board. It’s a great way that your friends, and family can see them too.

A denim coat to stay warm

Even tough we are still waiting for real snow up here in the Interior of Alaska, it’s now getting pretty cold. Thus, posing for outfits is a cold affair. Actually, a well insulating coat is a must-wear. In this look of the day I went for my denim coat.

fashion blogger in denim coat and dress with leo tights
Max Mara denim washed out coat, statement hip belt, crocodile briefcase, up-cycled galoshes (all own) and dress c/o Covered Perfectly

More DIY and recycling ideas on High Latitude Style

Did you know that you can find many posts on this blog about other DIY projects like

, just to mention a few.

P.S. Stressed out about buying gifts for friends, family and colleagues? Check out my gift guide for great gift ideas, great deals and promo codes.

Photos of me: G. Kramm

Other photos: N. Mölders

© 2013-2020 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved

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5 thoughts on “How to up-cycle old boots to look trendy”

  4. Nicole…I didn’t realize you had enabled comments!! This is such a great idea for scuffed heels….I’m going to remember this!!
    XOOX
    Jodie

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