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I really enjoyed creating this sandal DIY.  I never imagined that when I picked up a pair of .99 cent ‘slaps’ that they would soon become my most comfortable and stylish pair of sandals.

What got me started down this road?  A cute video from Kristen at Downhome Inspiration that I found via Pinterest. 

She had made a pair of slingback sandals out of flip flops.  My sincere thanks goes out to her for inspiring me to try something new.

I began to wonder who else had re-styled sandals.  I discovered so many  online that it seems to be a hobby category all by itself.

Now, I admit the black sandals with the pink straps were pretty cute.  But the pink plastic really rubbed  my toes the wrong way.  I wanted to make something softer if possible.

I studied pictures of sandals until I found a pair I thought were cute and that I could attempt a makeover of my flip flops.  With a price tag of .99 cents it just wasn’t that big of a risk.

items needed to make stylish flip flops

Getting it Right

It took me more than one attempt to get it right.  The 3rd time was a charm.  The first time I tried to just use old-t-shirt material. 

But it wasn’t stretchy enough and it needed to be lighter.  I also needed to find a way to keep the knots on the bottom of the shoes from popping up to the top.

using washers to secure the straps

I remembered I had some blue light-weight single knit in my stash that I’d pulled out of a bargain bin a while back.  YAY!  I didn’t have to buy new cloth.  

I decided to see if I could find metal washers to fit in the holes under the shoes and hope that would hold the knot down better.  The washer trick worked really well.

 I never imagined that a pair of .99 cent flip-flops would soon become my most comfortable and stylish pair of sandals. Get the full instructions and picture tutorial for this sandal diy.

The third time I employed my sewing machine a bit and the sandals came together perfectly.  (If you are clever you may be able to skip the sewing. )  

They are comfortable and stylish and now they are what I grab to wear everywhere.  (Well, except church.  :))

I’ve written down all the instructions for you and you can download them in PDF format. The link is below.  Enjoy!  –Laura


Download the step by step DIY instructions for the sandal makeover here.

5 Comments

  1. Chris Cain July 13, 2014 at 12:34 AM

    I can never – ever find pretty sandals that fit my feet other than flip-flops, I sooo want to do this! Problem is I’m not naturally crafty (but I can operate a sewing machine).
    Any chance I could get more step by step pictures? A video would be truly awesome. ..

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman July 13, 2014 at 7:52 AM

      I apologize, I can’t tell from your comment. Did you download the pdf instruction sheet? (Link at bottom of article.) It has step by step instructions and quite a few pictures. Best wishes for happy crafting!

      Reply
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  4. Verlynn Rosas July 17, 2022 at 12:23 PM

    Thank you very much for sharing such a GREAT idea. Im off like a rocket to go shopping for some flip flops that I can fix up! Blessings to you and your family

    Reply

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