Up Cycle Old Shoes Into Slippers or Outside Garden Shoes

Do you have old half/partially worn out shoes?

is the heel cup broken and crushed? are they no good for long walks or fun activities where you need more grip and support like bmx or skateboarding?

Don't throw them into landfill, turn them into outside garden shoes or slip on shoes inside.

Its easy and gives your older shoes a second life.

But when the shoes are really worn out -you should take them to shoe recycling in your local council -so it gets turned /recycled into rubber/playground cover. The N*ke shop used to take them as well (N.B. I do not work at the council or N&ke)

Step 1: Obtain Old Shoes to Upcycle -before Photo

First take some old shoes-if they are not the exact size it doesn't super matter as you are only wearing them for short distances or about the house.

Pick whether they are outside shoes for quick trips to the garden or inside only.

Wearing outside shoes inside is yuck but your feet can get cold in winter and for those with foot problems-bare feet or socks can lack support or be slippery. Not wearing shoes outside can be dangerous for your feet, just brings dirt back inside and can be very noisy on hard floors. Keep separate shoes people. In most cultures you do not wear shoes inside or wear some type of slipper inside, unfortunately I do not live in one of the places where it is the dominant culture. Its most annoying and it takes a long time to train some people, if at all. This instructable can help train these people. This gives them an option and stops able bodied people coming up with excuses, including being illiterate to any signs or having shoes racks right under their nose.

In this case I am using some shoes left behind at the house by Mary, they are quite cool vegetarian shoes from the U.K. The heel cup is crushed and scuffed and they are a little small for for me. Other types of shoes will also work well.

Step 2: Cut Out the Heel Cup=after Photo

Take some strong scissors or a sharp kitchen knife and cut out the back part of the heel -start as far along or back depending on the type of slip on shoe you desire. If you wanted to get them on quicker without bending down i would suggest -cutting half way along the sole. Personally I like a little more coverage as our yard has random pieces of glass and rubble from the previous crap tenants. Also I am quite accident prone and dislike wearing glasses for myopia so tend to bump into things.

I have used strong bonsai type scissors or shears. They are very useful around the house and cut lots of things. My dad calls them Chinese scissors as they have some Chinese characters but I feel that China is a very big country and they probably have lots of different types of scissors. We are ignorant foreigners I apologise. We actually bought them in Thailand in the 90's when we lived there; my father was so impressed with this useful tool he lugged back many pairs. Our households now have at least one pair in most rooms or sheds-in case of emergency projects.

You can leave the shoe laces tied up, now you never have to untie them and have shoes or slippers you can get on quickly, protect your feet and/ keep you house clean!

Credit to my dad for this upcycling idea! it is really quite simple!