Baby Shoes

This is the last posting for my DT assignment using the Lifestyle Craft embossing folders, and it is probably the one most of you have been waiting for (grin). Without further ado, here are the baby shoes:

Darlene was so sweet on her release vidio giving me extensive kudos for these little shoes, and I wish I deserved those high praises, but the idea actually came from my girlfriend, Bonnie, who found the pattern for these little lovelies at http://www.lovebugscrapbooking.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5043 You will find a nice PDF pattern for this design and another design (more boyish style) which you can print off and cut out.

After printing off my pattern, I traced and hand cut the pieces. REMEMBER to flip your pattern over so that you have a right and a left pattern piece. This is especially important if you are using a paper that has a colour on one side and white on the other. Since I used white, it was just a matter of remembering to flip the pattern when I embossed as both sides of my paper were the same. If you don't flip the pattern (either in cutting or when embossing) you will end up with two right feet or two left feet (smile).

I used the embossing set by Lifestyle Crafts called "Jubilant." One of the plates was of the small flowers (top of shoe) and the other was the zig-zag pattern which reminded me of treads one often finds on the soles (especially of trainers/tennis shoes).

I suggest that you use a tape runner adhesive for construction rather than a glue. The adhesive needs to be quick grabbing/drying for the construction to be quicker and tighter. It takes longer and is more difficult to have to glue each little tab that fits the top and sole together (this will make more sense when you see the pattern). Once you've constructed the shoe, you can cover the tabs by cutting an insole (I used the pink dotty paper). You will need to fiddle with this a little to get your insole the right size. There is not a pattern for it, and it needs to be smaller than the original sole piece to fit inside.

I decorated the top very simply by tying tiny bows from 1/8" pink ribbon and topping the bow with a tiny rose bud from Wild Orchid Crafts. Both of my daughters actually had little shoes that looked like those (with the small ribbon and ribbon rose buds) when they were new-borns. I didn't have any ribbon roses that small, so the WOC rose was substituted. (Darlene also sells a Joy Crafts die for making your own small roses. If you prefer to make your own, email Darlene and ask for Joy Crafts Die 6003/0009.) I used small pink "pearles" as the buttons on the side -- but you can decorate these in a variety of different ways -- you will see an entirely different idea at the site where you will get your pattern.

These would make darling decorations for a baby shower. They are fairly quick to make (especially after you do the first one). They would be so cute on top of a gift, a small box or inside a shadowbox. They would also be adorable as a small memento in front of plates at a sit down shower.