Hi, I'm Polly from Haus Of Bling and welcome to my first Crystal Parade 'how-to' blog. Over the coming months I will be sharing some "how-to's" featuring hints and tips on all things blinging. We start with a simple pair of shoes…

Brief: Paint and fully embellish faux leather strappy shoe to create a 'Showgirl Dream Shoe'.

But first, a little bit about me

I am a burlesque cabaret artist / professional embellisher. With a career spanning nearly twenty years, and embellishing a lot of my own costumes, this was a natural progression for me, especially now I have a family and have chosen a far "quieter" life!

My style is "more is more". Subtlety isn't my bag at all when it comes to bedazzling, and I learned this from world renowned creative director William Baker of Kylie Minogue fame. He was the director of my West End Show 'The Hurly Burly Show'. Honestly, I had never seen so many rhinestones in my life! Before, I had only ever used a few here and there but WOW, it was like someone had poured a dump truck full of rhinestones over the stage. One of our costume designers was Vicky Gill who is the Wardrobe Director for Strictly Come Dancing, the style of stoning we had was very 'Latin dance costume' but using this style on corsetry, contemporary costumes and underwear was relatively unique to me and it was AMAZING!!!

Hence the style I have now, which is largely inspired by those times. I don't just want to make things sparkle, I want to create a jaw dropping transformation with the garments I am given (or that I purchase) to embellish.

I am so excited to be collaborating with Crystal Parade, their Zodiac crystals truly are stunning and they make my work look incredible.

Step 1. Painting the shoes

These shoes began life as a nude colour, the aim was to paint them silver to provide a complimenting base for the crystals. The tools I prepared were:

Soft sanding sponge
Isopropyl alcohol
Cotton pads
Angelus Leather paint in Pewter
Angelus Acrylic finisher
Paint brush
Masking tape to protect soles

I started by gently buffing the outside of the shoe with a sanding sponge (I like to use ones you would use for acrylic nails as they are soft and small) to take off any shine to allow the paint to adhere more effectively.

Then I wiped over the entire shoe with the alcohol to remove any residue and dirt. I covered the sole with masking tape. I then painted my first coat. In order to achieve the colour I wanted, I ended up needing 3 coats with around an hour in between each coat.

I left the shoes overnight to fully dry.

The following day I applied one coat of the Angelus acrylic finisher and left to dry for 2-3 hours.

Step 2. Time for sparkles!

For the next step I prepared the following tools:

Zodiac Flatback rhinestones in Clear/AB and Mine Silver in multiple sizes
Zodiac sew on stones in Clear and Comet Argent in multiple sizes
E6000 glue
Syringe
Small paintbrush
Orange sticks
Baby wipes

Edges

I apply a very thin line of glue to each edge of the shoe, I then use a little paint brush to make sure the glue is right into the edges and so the line isn't too 'gloopy'.

E6000+ takes a while to dry, which has its pros and cons. On the plus side it means you can move the stones around for perfect placement, on the downside, the stones can move if they are left at the wrong angle. I always wait a few minutes to let the glue start to set before I start placing the crystals.

Using all size SS16 in a combo of clear/mine silver I go round the shoe section by section.

Applying the sew on stones

Sew on Crystals add substance and depth to any crystal design, as well at that extra wow factor. I always place these crystals before I start the fill ins for accuracy and symmetry.

E6000+ works well again for these, but first I coat the back of the crystals and leave them upside down for a few minutes to set, before I place them so they don't slip down.

For extra large stones I lightly sand the back of the stone first for extra adhesion.

Filling in

To fill in the rest of the shoe, I always start at the bottom and work my way up in lines, following the border edge that I have created. Because I use different sizes, the line doesn't stay consistent but that is what I am looking for. This is often referred to as the 'Rockery Effect'. I tend to use a mix of SS30, SS20 and SS16 and alternate the colours as I go. I am going for a very 'compact' finish with the Showgirl shoes, so I use teeny tiny SS10 crystals (3mm) and sometimes even lower to make sure any gaps are filled.

Step 3. Final checks

I always give the shoe a good squeeze and squidge around to make sure there are no loose crystals* and make sure all gaps are filled and everything is looking tip top.

And that's it - one absolutely STUNNING pair of Showgirl Dream Shoes ready to hit the stage, a red carpet, the first dance at your wedding or simply to strut around the house!

Thanks for reading x

Follow me: @hausofblinguk
Contact me: Hausofblinguk@gmail.com

*It is very normal for a few stones to pop off occasionally through wear and tear. I always keep a little bag of spare crystals for when this happens.

NB: I repeat exactly the same process for the shoe straps, I don't do the ends as they wouldn't go through the buckle