Hand-Painted Teacher's Pencil Shoes

My hand-painted pencil shoes have been receiving a lot of attention lately, especially after being featured by @targetteachers' Instagram!  They've received more likes and comments than any other picture I've posted on Instagram, and have been the subject of countless direct messages from followers who want more information about how I made them.  Well, here is everything you need to know about making your very own pair!

{If you aren't up to the task of making your own, send me an email at primarycircus@gmail.com to inquire about ordering a custom pair!}

THE MATERIALS:

Start with a pair of white canvas shoes. I bought mine from Target for $16 or $17. I believe Walmart also sells an inexpensive pair as well. You will also need:

~ Acrylic paint: Pink, Yellow, Gold (or very light brown/tan) Black, and Green

~ Paintbrushes: One very small, and one medium-sized

~ Painters tape/masking tape

~ Mod Podge

Remove the laces from your shoes before you begin. Then use painters tape (washi tape will work too, in a pinch) to mark the edges of the pink "eraser" portion of your shoes.  Line up your shoes to ensure you mark both shoes at roughly the same place.

Paint the heel of each shoe pink.  I needed to use several coats of paint, but you'll be able to tell exactly where you may need a little more coverage once it dries. (As a rule of thumb, I like to let each coat of paint dry before adding another layer.)

After completing the heels, I move on to paint the rest of the shoe yellow, taking extra care between the shoelace holes and along the edge of the rubber sole. I like to use a tiny (like, really tiny) brush for these areas, and then a larger brush (like the size that comes with most kids' watercolor trays) for the bigger areas of canvas.  I found that it also helps to thin the paint a bit with water when getting into the trickier areas. (Keep in mind however, the more you dilute the paint, the greater the number of paint layers you'll need to apply.)

It's not necessary to go all the way to the edge of the toe, since this area will be painted two other colors.  (But don't forget to paint the top of the tongue flap inside as well!)

Here I made a scalloped line with my paintbrush before filing in the toe area with more gold paint. There is a twinge of shimmer in the gold paint, but once the entire shoe is finished it looks nice and just adds a bit of dimension (not flashy at all). 

Finish filling in the rest of the toe with gold paint to represent the wood of a sharpened pencil.

Just like I did with the gold scallops, use a tiny paint brush to draw a slightly curved line with black paint to mark where the black will go.  Start off making your line closer to the tip of the shoe, rather than further. (That way you can just add a bit more paint if you don't like the curve you made, or if one toe is a bit different from the other. 

When doing the toes, I like to keep both shoes side by side so I can ensure both the left and the right shoes are painted evenly. 

Let everything dry again before going back to touch up any areas that need a bit more coverage. (As I said before, it's a lot easier to tell where you need an additional coat once it's completely dry.)

Once you've added all the extra coats of pink, yellow, gold, and black, and everything is completely  dry, it's time for the trickiest part of all: the double green lines, and the black No. 2.  Again, do not begin this step until the yellow paint is absolutely, 100% dry. (Trust me. You will mutter - or scream - words that are not appropriate for the classroom.)  If you paint over wet yellow paint with black paint, the colors will bleed together in a rush of swirled liquid, while you watch the lines of your carefully crafted "N" (the beginning of No. 2) travel half an inch across the canvas. 

If this does happen: carefully blot the offended area with a paper towel, and let everything dry. (Yes, it will still look pretty messed up at this point.) Then, once dry, paint over the messed-up area with yellow paint. You may need several coats to cover your mistake, but it should cover eventually. Then try again! (And even if there is a faint smudge peeking through the yellow, no one is going to notice once the shoes are on your feet.)

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When painting the No. 2 and the green stripes, use a veerrrrrryyy thin paint brush. I also recommend thinning the paint a bit so that the brush glides easily across the canvas of the shoe. If you need to, you can write it with a pencil first, and then paint over the pencil marks.  (You could even do the whole thing with a black Sharpie if you'd like, but I personally prefer the look of paint.)

For the green stripes, I drew them on with my paintbrush free-hand, but you could also use painters tape to ensure a perfect line. 

Once again, allow both shoes to completely dry. Then, use a thick paintbrush to coat the entire surface with a (not thin, but not too thick either) layer of Mod Podge.  I used two layers, letting everything dry between coats. And don't panic when it appears that you are ruining your handiwork with a milky-white layer of glue. It will all dry clear, and prevent the paint from running off your shoes the second you get hit with a neighbor's lawn sprinkler while walking your dog. 

{That being said, THESE SHOES ARE NOT WATERPROOF.  The Mod Podge will make the paint fairly water-resistant, however if the weather forecast calls for rain, I recommend leaving the pencil shoes at home.}

Good luck!  I would love to see your creations! If you post them on Instagram, please tag me @primarycircus so I can get a peek!  

Collecting Box Tops

My school is collecting box tops, and there's a contest among the classes to try to bring in the most.  First grade has been lagging behind (we're not even in the top three!), so I came up with something that has really incentivized my students to bring in box tops.  And that thing is . . .  

a PIGGY BANK!  I told my kids that whoever brings in box tops gets to put them in our piggy bank.  (They asked me what our pig's name was, so I had to name him on the spot.  I decided to call him Wilbur, although none of the kids got the reference!)  I got this piggy bank a few years ago at Target, for no other reason than that I thought it was adorable. I think Target still sells them, although maybe not in this color anymore.  (I've seen fantastically cute piggy banks at Home Goods as well.)  

Anyways, my kids are DYING to drop box tops into Wilbur, and since I came up with the idea on Monday, four kids have brought in entire sandwich bags of boxtops.  (I know four kids doesn't sound like that many, but it's a huge jump from ZERO, which is where we were before.  I had been subsidizing our class's box top contribution thus far.)  True, it's a little bit more work using the piggy bank, because then I need to pry the cover off the hole in the bottom, take a few moments to get out all the box tops (some of them have been surprisingly difficult to pull out), and then squeeze the cover back over the opening before putting all the box tops in the envelope they're supposed to be turned in with.  But it's either that or being the class that isn't contributing, so I do it!

Learn from me, however: you need to trim the edges of the larger box tops (or those that haven't really been trimmed at all) before the kids drop them in, otherwise they're difficult to get out through the hole in the bottom.  

If we're going to win this thing though, I'm going to have to figure out something else to get those box tops in.  Maybe I'll give kids a trip to the treasure box for every ten box tops they bring in?  Something to think about . . .