DIY Sandals – How to Get the Expensive Look for Less

DIYsandals

Well, well, well. What do we have here? A DIY fashion post, you say? One might argue I’m not the ideal person to be giving you fashion advice – since my husband often tells me what to wear and how to wear it. I fully admit it, he is most often the more fashion forward one in our relationship.

However, even this post is something he can get on board with me writing. Because although I am admittedly not the most fashionable, I am the craftiest person I know – and I do know how to get a good deal. Combining those two things are what I do best, and is what is most fun about today’s DIY.

Living in California, I have worn sandals as a stable in my wardrobe since I can remember. Most specifically, since the beginning of college at UC Santa Barbara. I’ve worn sandals in the rain, in the wind, and most definitely in the sunshine.

And when it doesn’t often get below 60 degrees – it’s a fairly acceptable thing to do. I have sandals in my closet for every outfit. Leather braided Rainbow flip flops for everyday wear, metallic silver Birkenstocks for when I’m feeling a bit hippyish, and plain black Gap sandals for days when I’m feeling lazy. Lately, I’ve been loving sandals with beading and ankle straps – for a more fun and flirty look.

However, even though sandals have WAY less covering than a normal shoe, they are often priced the same – if not more – than your average shoe.

Why is this? Because most people are like me, and like to wear sandals because they are easy to slide on, and look cute with just about anything.

Well, what if I told you could get a look for every outfit – for under $5. That’s right, I didn’t stutter. I said $5 – and meant it! How you ask?

It’s fairly easy! You make your own DIY sandals. Sure, they may not have leather soles or form to your inner arches – but they’re cute, super cheap, and you can make a ton of them for the same price as ONE pair of normal sandals from a department store.

That means, you can make a summer’s worth to go with every outfit you can put together, and still have money left over for a drink at the bar. Winner winner chicken dinner!

All you’ll need is a simple household drill, cheap flip flops (I recommend Old Navy for these – they come in EVERY color), and the ribbon or twine of your choice. Check out the steps below to see how easy it really is to get a custom look for less.

Steps to Make Easy  and Fun DIY Sandals

The Necessary Supplies:

Step 1:

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  • Take your sandals and cut off the straps with scissors.
  • Once cut, make sure to pull out both the straps on the top of the sandals and the plugs on the bottom of the sandals.

Step 2:

DIY sandals DIY Sandals DIY Sandals

  • Take your ruler or measuring tape and measure 1″ ABOVE (meaning, towards the front) where back the holes from the flip flop straps are.
  • Take your 1/4″ drill bit and drill through the soles, making 2 holes where you 2 markings are.

Step 3:

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  • Take your spool of ribbon, and unspool it. Then, fold the entire length of the ribbon in half so you get 2 equal length pieces. Cut.
  • Then, fold your 2 pieces of ribbon in half again. This time, instead of cutting them at the fold, knot them at the fold (see picture above).
  • Next pull the UNKNOTTED side of the ribbon through the toe hole (the hole at the front part of the sole) from the bottom side up. Once pulled all the way through, the ribbon should stay in the sole with the knot on the bottom of the ribbon at at the bottom of the sole (see picture above).

Step 4:

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  • Bring your ribbon from the front of your shoe back to the first holes in the sole (the ones that you drilled). Push the ribbon through each hole (I used the back end of a paint brush to help me push it through) and to the bottom of the sole.
  • Then, bring the ribbon to the second hole on each side, and from the bottom push the ribbon back up through the holes and to the top side of the sole.

DIY Sandals DIY Sandals

And just like that, you have your very own, chic, DIY sandals. When wearing them, the back strap goes around your ankle like this:

DIY Sandals

But you can make so many different versions. You can drill a single hole next to the hole in the front of the shoe so the twine/ribbon goes around your big toe and you only have a single strap over the middle of your foot:

DIY sandals DIY Sandals

For this style – you don’t fold the twine/ribbon in half in the beginning. Just knot it at the base of the ribbon, and twist it in and out of the holes until you end back at the bottom of the sole – where you knot it one last time to keep it in place. Here is what the bottom of the soles look like for these sandals:

DIY sandals

And what I did for these specific ones was I braided the twine first. It works REALLY well for that natural look and feel.

OR… you can just keep the same style as the tutorial, and buy all the colored Old Navy Flip Flips (about $3 on sale) and add different color ribbon to each one.

DIY Sandals DIY sandals

You can even cut up an old scarf instead of using ribbon to get a fuller, wrap around look:

DIY sandals DIY sandals

You’ll have a closet full of DIY sandals for every outfit and occasion you can think of!

Looking for something a little different? Remember the trend of platform sandals back in the early 2000s? Well, SURPRISE- did you know they still sold those? Yea, neither did I. But, you can totally buy them and use this same tutorial (just make sure you buy longer ribbon than you would with your flat sandals) to give yourself a little height. Just remember, it may be a little tougher to drill through the entire sole, so make sure you have an industrial sized drill for these babies 🙂

Ok, now go out and give yourself a fun summer foot wardrobe. Because you know, it won’t cost you much – but it’ll add SO much cuteness to your closet.

Unfortunately, unlike most of my tutorials I give you, I am NOT selling these shoes on Etsy. WHY? Because there are too many darn sizes, colors, and options. I can’t keep up! If you’re not feeling up to DIY – but REALLY like the idea of these sandals- feel free to send me a message. I’d be happy to see what I can work up for you.

But hopefully I’ve inspired you to DIY. Honestly, when all is said and done, these don’t take more than 10 minutes to make. So just get your booty off your couch, buy the supplies, and get crafting! You’ll thank me later. Here’s a complete list of all the supplies you need – just in case you forgot already:

Happy crafting!!

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