Tiffany Blue Shoes

In the seemingly never ending battle to find the right shoe in the right color for my wedding, I remembered the saying "if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself" (thank you, Sebastian), and decided to embark in my first dye project since 1st grade Girl Scouts.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You will need: 1. SHOES! Duh! Make sure they are a fabric that is actually able to be dyed. I chose a cotton crochet pair from American Eagle. 2. Plastic container, sink basin or deep stock pot. Be sure you are not using a stock pot you ever intend to cook out of again. I used a plastic tub which was actually just being used to store my dogs bath supplies in - it was the right size for my size 10 shoes, and right depth so the water wouldn't splash out as I swished my shoes around. 3. DYE! For Tiffany blue, you will need Rit Aquamarine (I have only found in craft stores) and Kelly Green. 4. Trash bag(s). To cover your counter. 5. Elbow length rubber gloves. No Smurfy hands here! 5. Big sauce pans if you are doing the dying in a sink or container. 6. Plastic cup with bleach water. (To let your measuring spoons soak in afterward) 7. Tsp and 1/4 tsp measuring spoons. 8. Disposable aluminum baking pan. 9. Stirring spoon

Step 2: Hot Hot Hot!!

Get your water heating up. I approximately put in 4 quarts of water. As you are doing this, measure out your dye colors. I used 4 tsp of aquamarine and 1/3 tsp of Kelly green... It goes a long way... Put the concentrated dye in a plastic cup. Once your water is very hot, pour it in your container/sink carefully. Add the concentrated dye. I used a plastic spoon to mix the dye throughout the water. Get your shoes wet in clear water. Apply your gloves Dip into the dye water and swish around. I let mine soak for about 25 minutes, continuously moving them around in the water so as to keep the dye even. The longer they soak, the richer the color. Pull your shoes out and rinse until water runs clear.

Step 3: Finishing Up.

After rinsing until your water is clear, set shoes in a disposable aluminum baking. Bloe dry until you get an idea how the final color will be. COLOR WILL BE DARKER WHEN WET! When you get the right depth of color you want ( light, bright ) then throw shoes in dryer to set color. You can re- dip shoes after rinsed and blow dried, even after set in dryer to get your desired color.

Step 4: Color Not Quite Right??

Have no fear... My first go, they turned out WAAAY too teal, I simply filled the sink halfway with water, added a few drops of bleach and quickly dipped my shoes in to lighten them up. I then added more hot water and more aquamarine to my mix and re-dipped my shoes. Be sure to rinse whatever you dye your shoes in with bleach, and let your measuring and stirring spoons soak in bleach then run through the dishwasher.