Glitterati Guide to Muses Shoes

Everyone loves an amazing Muses shoe!!!! A few talented women of Muses have submitted their tips of how to make the most outstanding shoes that will be coveted for years to come. Each Muse has her own style of glittering, favorite products, and tricks to make each shoe a small work of exquisite art. Here is a compilation of the Glitterati's best kept secrets!

Step 1: Shoes Selection and Prep

  • Start with a good shoe!! Heels, wedges, and boots make the best Muses shoes! When glittered - a cute shoe becomes a FABULOUS SHOE! Glittering an old funky shoe just gets you an old funky shoe with glitter on it. Remember if it is too broken down, wrinkled, flattened or slouchy, it won't hold up to your design. Be selective with the shoes you put your goddess energy into.
  • Find shoes at local thrift shops, trendy consignment stores such as Plato's Closet, garage sales, church and school thrift sales, outlet stores like Shoe-Nami Outlet on the West Bank, and donations from friends. Every friend has a great pair of heels sitting in her closet that hurt her feet and would look much better glittered!
  • Prep shoes so each shoe has the best work space possible. Cut off the straps!! They take too much time to get right! Use a high quality cuticle scissors or a razor box cutter (change the blade often). If the shoe is faux suede or fabric throw a quick coat of liquid laundry starch on it and let it dry for a day or so before decorating. If the shoe is patent leather or there are any slick surfaces, scuff those surfaces with very fine grit sandpaper to give the glue something to cling to.
  • If the shoe is dirty take a quick minute to wipe it down with a wet wipe. A clean surface makes for better glitter adhesion.
  • Some Muses choose to spray paint shoes the same color they glitter them or spray paint all of their shoes a basic color of silver or gold. Some Muses hand paint the bottoms only of the shoe with metallic paints. Some Muses skip this step if the ENTIRE shoe including the bottom is going to be glittered.

Step 2: Glittering Supplies

  • Glitter. Buy good glitter, stay away from craft glitter. Confessions of a Glitter Addict blog compiled a thorough list of glitter brands and prices. Most Muses will only work with fine or ultra-fine glitter, which gives the shoe a polished finish. Some Muses use "chunky" craft glitter for accents on small areas of shoes.
  • Glue. There is only one consensus - NO spray adhesive and shake n' bake!!!! (This refers to use of using spray adhesive on a shoe and then shaking it in a bag of glitter. It's ugly, lazy and the glitter falls off.) Otherwise there is a wide array of glues that Muses use with SPECTACULAR results. Glues include Alene's Tacky Glue, Modge Podge, carpenters glue, and Sobo Glue. Many Muses change the consistency of the glue with either water or Elmer's school glue. You will find a glue mixture ratio that you like. Just play around with it. You definitely don't want it too runny because your glitter will drip off the shoe. Similarly if you paint it on too thick, the glue will run and it will look like your shoe is melting. Sculpt or Coat is another paste-like glue with the consistency of whipped cream. It's the expensive choice but will cut down on the number of coats of glitter needed for full coverage.
  • Other Supplies
    1. Small throwaway plastic containers or cups for glue (you can reuse glue if you seal the top - for example use Chinese soup takeout containers)
    2. Paint brushes in a variety of sizes - use big wide brushes for boots/interior of shoes, use medium size brushes for outside of shoes, and smaller round tip or flat brushes for edges where colors meet. Invest in good brushes and clean thoroughly with soap after each use for longer life.
    3. Glue Gun (invest in the type that stands upright) and glue sticks
    4. Clear plastic shoebox size containers for each glitter color
    5. Big fat blush brush to brush off excess glitter from shoes between coats
    6. Shoe racks, candelabras, shower curtain hooks to dry shoes
    7. Misc. items such as scissors, box cutter, wet wipes to make shoe prep easier
    8. Cellophane or food storage bags and ribbon for packaging
    9. Table set up in an out of the way space covered with wrapping paper/butcher paper.

    Note: With the addition of more female 'glitter-lovin' krewes, do most of your supply shopping before Carnival Season begins. Around Mardi Gras, there may be a shortage of essentials, like glue sticks and glitter!

Step 3: Shoe Inspiration

Muses pride themselves with coming up with unique and clever new designs every year. Work with our parade theme and more specifically your own float. Use art work, scandals, things your friends and loved ones are into, fashion, theater, and local products and legends for ideas. Keep your mind open all year long and jot things down when you think of them. Keep a list in your smart phone. Ask your Facebook friends for their fantasy Muses shoe - the results may surprise you. Many Muses turn to the digital world to find inspiration.

Pinterest Boards to follow for inspiration:

Facebook Pages to follow:

  • Krewe of Muses
  • Claim Your Muses Shoe
  • Have You Seen My Muses Shoes?

Blog to follow:

Confessions of a Glitter Addict 

Step 4: Time to Glitter

  • Planning. Decide before you begin what theme you're going to go with for the shoe. Purple, green, & gold; Muses blue; Muses shoe bead; Saints; Red Shoe Float; red, white, & blue, LSU, etc. or just colors that compliment the shoe's colors. The shoe guides your design. Some Muses say the shoes SPEAK TO THEM. Pick two or three colors for each shoe. Some shoes have intricate designs or patterns that you want to follow. At this point some Muses draw a design on the shoe with a Sharpie marker. Shoes with large surfaces like boots, lend themselves to designs such as flames, flowers, etc.
  • Glittering. Only glitter one color at a time each glitter session. You will always have a couple of shoes in process at a time. Using an appropriate size brush, brush glue on to medium size patches and then sprinkle glitter over one area at a time. Glitter the inside of the shoe first. Next session, glitter the outside (or one part of the outside if you're using different colors). Next session, glitter the heel - always do the heel last or you won't have anywhere to hold the shoe. Make sure to brush off excess dry glitter with a big blush brush between glitter colors.

Step 5: Embellishing

  • Accoutrements. This is what really makes the shoes special. Add a 3-D design to your fabulous glittered shoe. Ideas include: boa, old costume jewelry, sequins, gems, flowers, butterflies, anything found on the scrapbooking aisle, Muses beads, rhinestones, feathers, buttons, the sky is the limit! Use sequin applique pieces from Jefferson Variety (fleur de lis, stars, musical notes, shoes) and medallions from specialty beads. The funner, the bigger, the better! Attach embellishments with hot glue. Great embellishments can be found at Michaels, JoAnns and Walmart year-round, but especially at holiday seasons - cheap ornaments in the shapes of butterflies, dragonflies, flowers etc!
  • Sequin strings. Using strings of sequins to trim the edges of a shoe can give it the final touch for a great Muses shoe. Also, if different color glitter edges don't match up well - hot glue a trim of sequins around the edges of your shoe to hide the imperfect line. Jefferson Variety has the largest selection cut by the yard at varying price points. Michael's sells small spools in the $1 spot in front of the store.
  • Lettering the word MUSES. Most people like to include Muses or an M on each shoe to show their Muses pride! If you are afraid of your ability to letter, use old Muses tile beads, Muses ivy beads, the big M ivy bead, or the MUSES rhinestones from the bracelet in your design. Some Muses use the transfer method (described below) to make Muses logos. Many Muses use fabric paint or glitter glue (Stickles brand works beautifully) to freehand the word MUSES and the year. Sprinkle the paint/glue lettering with a glitter color that compliments the shoe design. Use a toothpick to manipulate the paint/glue/glitter lettering while still wet to make sharp edges. Tap away excess glitter. If thinner lines are desired you can use a mechanical pencil tip placed on small glue bottles. These are available at National Art and Hobby on Magazine St.

Step 6: Specialty Techniques used to make Unique Muses Shoes

  • Transfer Method. An amazing (and life changing) new tip Muses are learning from Confessions of a Glitter Addict is perfect for intricate designs and writing. Get a plastic sheet, like a 3-ring binder divider, and place it on top of whatever design, word, or number you want to copy. Trace over the design with glue and sprinkle with your choice of glitter. Let the design dry for 24 hours. Once completely dry, peel it off the plastic and you have a perfect decal to glue to the surface of the shoe. This is perfect if you do not like to freehand letters or numbers. Any logo can be reproduced in this manner. A full explanation of the transfer method can be found on Confessions of a Glitter Addict's blog.
  • Decoupage. Start with a theme like New Orleans, Muses, LSU or something related to the parade theme. Find pictures online, in magazines, or in pamphlets and related words to apply to the shoes. Using a small paint brush, first cover the shoe (pumps work best), and then the back of the picture, with Modge Podge. Next place the picture on the shoe. Small bubbles will form under the picture. Roll or push the bubbles out using the side of a pencil or the handle of a paint brush. You want it to be very smooth. Continue to place pictures, overlapping them, so you cover the entire shoe. After the shoe is dry then glitter the inside and bottom with complimentary colors. It's not difficult just very time-consuming.
  • Translucent/iridescent Glitter Application. Types of glitter in this category include most brands of iridescent glitter (Martha Stewart and Recollections brands both have this type), and some "crystalina" glitter (the small containers at Jefferson Variety; if it isn't out on the shelf at Jefferson Variety, ask for it). Almost all the neon colors available are translucent to some degree. These glitters are considered by many to be difficult to work with because the effect of the glitter varies depending on a variety of factors. The following are some tips to get started with this type of glitter.
    1. Work with very soft bristle brushes such as natural or synthetic "camel" hair. These fibers are usually dark brown and feel very soft and smooth.
    2. Make sure the glue is a type that dries clear and is on the thinner side, whether it's a product like Modge Podge, or a watered down craft glue. Thinner products tend not to build up in thickness or show visible brush strokes once dry. Uneven glue shows through this type of glitter and provides for a poor effect.
    3. These types of glitters range in size from chunky to super fine, and the finer the glitter, the more underlying patterns and flaws show through.
    4. The easiest way to work with these glitters is to paint the shoe the same color as the glitter, or keep the color in the same range.
    5. Dark colored shoes tend to produce the best effects, but the resulting color will be different from how it looks in the container. If you want a light color, pastel, or true neon effect, use these glitters on white or light colored shoes. Also, for neon, more than one layer of glitter may be needed to get intense, saturated color.
    6. Some suggested color combinations are:
      1. White iridescent glitter on white, light gray, silver or gold
        1. Also on an all-over print, especially floral
      2. Yellow glitter on yellow (if you want yellow) or gold
        1. Green or blue, but it won't look yellow once dry
        2. Orange or red, but again, don't expect it to look yellow
      3. Light or neon pink glitter on pink, light purple or coral
      4. Dark pink/magenta glitter on black, brown, dark blue, dark purple, red, dark pink
      5. Seafoam green or neon green glitter on green, gold, light blue, or white
      6. Orange glitter on orange, yellow, red, gold
      7. Blue glitter on blue, black, brown, purple
    7. Don't judge the glitter until it's dry, and keep in mind that unless the color on the shoe is the same as the color of glitter, the finished effect probably won't look the same way it does in the container.
    8. Experiment and if it doesn't look good when dry, just go over it with another color or another layer of the same color.
  • Glue Paint. One Muse mixes paint with glue. She keeps a number of bottles of acrylic craft paints on hand. When she selects a glitter color, say orange, she will mix orange paint with the glue so that there is a depth and richness to the glitter coat and the original color of the shoe does not show through.
  • Gems. Another Muse always glitters the bottom of the shoes (very standard among most Muses) but - as a finishing touch - she mounts all her shoes up on glass vase gems (see attached picture). They are very inexpensive, come in a variety of colors, and can be purchased at Walmart and Lowes (among many other places). She thinks it makes them look like the piece of art they are!
  • Instep Art. Instead of glittering the inside of the shoe, find colorful images online that inspire the shoe design, print them onto glossy photo paper, then attach to the inside. The designs on the inside of the shoe can help guide you to which colors to use on the outside of the shoe. This technique was inspired by a fellow Muse who purchases patterned cardstock to line the insides of her shoes.
  • Mardi Gras beads. Use them to line the borders of the shoe (smaller beads) and to create a 'signature' pile of beads on the toe of the shoe. Inspired by Theresa Anderson's album, Street Parade, imagine the beauty of Carnival, after the parades are over. Imagine people dumping their parade 'loot' on a table to admire their successes, a Muses shoe in the center, surrounded by beads. Though it's not everyone's taste, it's very sparkly!
  • Cardstock. One Muse loves to make detailed thematic shoes using special fonts, logos, and images. She prints the special wording or characters onto cardstock. She then glitters each and every detail with fine tipped Martha Stewart glitter pens, and then cuts out each letter or character using surgical scissors. She also creates embellishments not found in stores, such as the gears in the picture below, using the same technique.

Step 7: Finishing and Gifting of Shoes

  • Sealing. A quick coat of cheap old-fashioned hairspray helps keep glitter in place and will not dull the shine.
  • Signing. Make sure that every shoe says Muses and the riding year (at least on the bottom). Some Muses also sign the bottom with their first name and float number. You are the glitter artist - take the credit!
  • Photographing. Before they are bagged, be sure to photograph some of your best shoes individually with a plain background. The krewe asks for high resolution photos of great shoes for the website each year. Be sure to document yours so your creativity can shine! Some Muses take a "family portrait" each year with their entire collection on display in one shot.
  • Packaging. Use plastic or cellophane bags tied shut with various ribbons for a gift worth giving! Some Muses add a label to their packaged shoes for special friends they expect to see along the route. Store your shoes loosely in large bead bags and bring them with you the night of float loading.

Last thought

Make glittering fun, not a chore! Find a Muses buddy to glitter with. Take your time and enjoy it. You will be so proud when you're done! Use glittering as stress relief. Let the shoes speak to you and enjoy the process. GLITTER ON!!!!!!!!!!

Compiled by Cari Rhoton

Submissions by

  • Keely Crowder
  • Lisette Constantin
  • Sherrie Cusco
  • Carol-Jean Dixon
  • Kimberly Finney
  • Mary Kelly-Swafford
  • Jane Krug
  • Lou Lou Maloney
  • Nori Pritchard (Muses Super Fan a.k.a. Confessions of a Glitter Addict)
  • Virginia Saussy