DIY Rhinestone Shoes

These rhinestone shoes were a labor of love, but the end result is SO worth it. My daughter had a vision for her entire prom outfit, and that vision included blue sparkly rhinestone shoes. She spent quite a bit of time searching online, and rhinestone shoes are EXPENSIVE. So she asked me to make them!

I’d already made both ruby slippers and ruby sneakers using thousands of sequins, so I knew I was up to the challenge.

In the end, shoes that could easily have cost more than $400 ended up costing less than $50. The time investment was significantly more than that, of course, but I didn’t mind. I’ll share what I used, and I’ll also share what I would do differently next time.

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Supplies

• Shoes
• Rhinestones (I used 2 sets)
• Rhinestone application tool
• Glue — Gem-Tac OR E6000
• Toothpick (to spread the glue)
• Fancy shoelaces

Sam found the shoes on Amazon. She wanted hightop sneakers. Most (if not all) of the rhinestone-covered shoes I saw for sale were Converse brand. The shoes Sam found were significantly cheaper. She said they’re comfy, but I do wonder if the more structured form of Converse would have made a difference for the better. More about that later.

Just for completeness, I’ll include this pair of shoes that I found. The price is very similar to the ones I used, but they do not have the padded areas at the top and might be a little easier to work with.

We were looking for a very specific color of rhinestone, and this blue was perfect. I liked having the different sizes to work with, because there really weren’t any gaps for the shoe color to show through. I will say, though, that I think the different sizes made this project a little more challenging. Unlike the sequin shoes, which were pretty mindless activities, working with different sizes was more like putting a puzzle together. Worth it, but more time-consuming.

The rhinestones came with a little tool to apply the stones, and I loved it! It looks like a white colored pencil, but the tip must be wax or something—just a little something tacky to allow you to pick up the rhinestones.

When I made the ruby slippers and ruby sneakers, I attached the sequins using E6000. It’s a wonderful product, but it is toxic. It has a strong odor and needs to be used with adequate ventilation. (To be honest, I know I was not as careful as I should have been.) The rhinestones I used came with B7000, but I read that it has similar qualities to the E6000. I did more research and came across Gem-Tac. This is what I ended up using, but I’m not sure it was the right choice.

How to make rhinestone shoes

I didn’t do anything to prepare these shoes except pull out the laces and dust off any stray dog hairs that managed to find them.

To apply the rhinestones, I squeezed a little bit of glue onto the shoe and used the toothpick to spread it around. I was careful to keep each area pretty small (the glue would dry quickly) and the glue spread not too thinly.

Working quickly and using the applicator tool, I started placing the rhinestones. My goal was 1) to cover the entire shoe, and 2) for there to be as few gaps as possible. I think I was very successful at both. Truthfully, though, when you’re working with rhinestones as shiny as these, it would probably be a challenge to spot the gaps anyway.

The only area I didn’t cover entirely was the tongue of each shoe. Sam had a vision for that, too. The only problem was that you couldn’t really see it once the shoes were laced up.

With all of the different sizes, it was very easy to go around the grommets and any other little nooks and crannies.

Once I finished the first shoe, I took a little break before I started the second one. Fortunately, I had started this project well in advance of when Sam needed them!

Sam knew she didn’t want to use the shoelaces that came with the shoes, so I ordered an iridescent pair separately. They weren’t quite right, so we tried again with a transparent black pair. Bingo! These were exactly what she was hoping for.

I don’t know how many rhinestones I ended up using, but I really didn’t have that many left!

Look how beautiful they were on prom night with the whole ensemble. Also, how beautiful was Sam?!

My thoughts on Gem-Tac

If you’ve ever used Aileen’s Tacky Glue, I think Gem-Tac smells like that. Not a super pleasant smell, but not too offensive. Overall, it felt like a better choice for this project. In my opinion, the finished shoes looked AMAZING. They didn’t hold up as well as I’d hoped, though. 

I’m hesitant to fully blame the glue, because there are lots of other factors, not the least of which could be user error. The reviews are primarily very good—and a lot of people seem to prefer it to E6000. The shoes were also a little less structured than any of the pairs I glued sequins on, and that makes it more of a challenge. However, the problem areas were all over the shoes and not just in the seams or other places that rub up against each other—where I would have expected. Even the toes lost some rhinestones, and I can’t explain that.

Here’s a picture to show a little bit of what I’m talking about.

For a glue that is advertised as being washable, I was expecting more. But I still can’t help thinking that maybe I did something wrong. I just don’t know. If I could go back, I would use even more glue just to see if it would make a difference. 

My mom’s ruby sneakers that I made with E6000? They have held up incredibly well. She wears them often, and I’ve had to replace only a few sequins over the years.

What would I do differently next time?

If I were making another fully-covered pair of rhinestones shoes, think I would go back to E6000. With better safety precautions for sure, but I’d like to see the difference it would make. If I were making a smaller design with rhinestones, I might try the Gem-Tac again.

My advice if you decide to try the Gem-Tac is to use more glue than you think you need. It dries clear, so you won’t see it. The reviews say it has a longer drying time than was my experience, so I still recommend working in small areas.

Happy crafting!