In this Instructable, I'm going to teach you how to make your own shoes! These sandals are not only completely customizable, but they can also be transformed into barefoot sandals! If you don't know what barefoot sandals are, they are sandals without bottoms worn as jewelry at places like the beach. To do this, I made the sandals have a detachable and reattachable base, and I'm going to show you how to do the same!

Step 1: Materials

Here's what you will need to make this instructable:

Cork board - at least 2 sheets

Jewelry chain - at least enough to go around your ankle 4 times

Jewelry charms - at least 6(shells with holes will also work)

Jewelry clasps - at least 4

Jewelry loops (the little circle things in the image above)

Hot glue gun with hot glue

X-acto knife (or something else to cut with)

Shells

Optional:

farming conveyor belt or used tire

Strips of leather

Step 2: Barefoot Sandal

Now here's how to make them!

1. To make the barefoot sandal, you start by taking the jewelry chain and wrapping it around your ankle to find the correct fit. It should fit like an anklet. Once you have the fit, break the chain at the point where they will clasp together.

2. Attach the two parts of the clasp to each end of the chain.

3. Count the number of loops on the chain, and halfway through, attach one of the jewelry loops to one of the middle chain piece. This is what the sandal strap will attach to.

4. Use the chain to measure how long the strap will be, going from the loop on the anklet to the second toe, and around that toe comfortably. Once you have the fit, break the chain at the correct fit.

5. Attach one clasp to one end of the strap, and attach the other end of the chain to the loop on the anklet.

6. For decoration, add the charms to the anklet.

Optional:

Instead of charms, you could use shells with holes, and use the loops to turn them into charms!

To add more decoration, you could use bits of chain that you attach to the anklet that would droop, creating a bohemian style.

Anything else that you want to do! Remember that these are completely customizable!

Step 3: Detachable Base

Now let's make the base!

1. Place your foot on the cork board and trace your foot with a sharpie. Make any adjustments to the size with the sharpie. If you want, you can trace a pair of sandals you have that you know fit.

2. Use an X-acto knife to cut out the shape of your sandal base.

3. Cut out another layer of cork in the same shape.

4. Take the piece that will be the top piece and put your foot on it. Make a mark with the sharpie between your bid toe and second toe where the sandal strap will attach. Cut out a circle there, all the way through the top piece. Fill that hole halfway with hot glue, and dip a loop halfway into the glue so that half of the loop is up as you can see in the above picture.

5. Glue the two cork pieces together with the hot glue, and make any adjustments to the sides with an x-acto knife to make it smooth on the sides.

6. For the heel attachment, I used a shell and glued it to the heel of the cork as you can see in the pictures. Then, the loop was attached at the anklet height where the anklet clasps in the back so that you can clasp the anklet together and attach it to the heel with the same clasp.

Optional:

If you don't have a shell for step 6, you can use the chain. Do the same thing you did in step 4 but at the heel. Measure with the chain, and attach a clasp to both sides of the heel chain. Clip the heel chain to the heel attachment spot you just created and to the clasp in the back of the anklet.

To make a men's sandal, stop after step 3, and take your leather strap and glue it between the two cork pieces on one side. Place your foot on the cork and wrap the leather to the other side, and once you have the correct fit, glue it between the cork on the other side.

For extra traction, you can glue the bottom of your base to the inside of a broken tire or smooth side of a farming conveyor belt, and cut it out in the same shape of the cork, like a third layer of cork board, but with tire or conveyor belt. If you do this, I recommend the conveyor belt option.