Wedding Info and a New Client!

Lauren's wedding was definitely one for the history books. She looked so timeless and elegant...think Anne Hathaway or Audrey Hepburn.  It was such an honor to be named her Maid of Honor, and she was such a graceful bride.  I also made 3 great friends in the other bridesmaids.  Such a good time.

Somehow, in the madness of the wedding day, I forgot to capture a shot of JUST me in my strassed Lady Peeps. I do know that her photographer captured some professional shots of them, but it takes a while to get those back from the photographer (usually).  Seriously, EVERYONE at that wedding went mad over these shoes!  They were a huge hit!

I will post photos, and post a video of the Lady Peeps on the spinning platform, once I return home and get settled in tomorrow.  I also gained two new clients while I was gone.  I am so proud to announce that I have been commissioned by Steve, a MALE client from Australia, for a really exciting strass project.  He's looking to recreate the Freddy Flats, with a "twist" (imagine a pewter shoe with the toe and heel covered in silver crystals instead of studs).  This is definitely a first, not only for me, but I don't even think my competitors have completed a project for a male client. This is innovative! Stay tuned...

My First Client Feedback....

Jennifer emailed me the other day, raving about her Steve Madden's.  I was just so busy finishing the Lady Peep's that I didn't have the time to blog about it, and share my FIRST EVER feedback from a client!  Check it out:

"I received my Steve Maddens today and they are BEAUTIFUL.  You did such an amazing job.  I couldn't be more excited to wear them on the 14th!  I am beginning to wish I had done this on a pair of Louboutins, but I know for next time!  Thanks again and hope everything is well for you up in NY."
Jennifer

One Down, One To Go....

I began strassing these Lady Peeps last night. I was up until 3am strassing because I am so rushed with finishing this project.  Note to self: NEVER sell your bridesmaid shoes two weeks before the wedding, because a deadline like this leaves NO free time in my schedule at all.  They are coming along beautifully, and I am so happy with the results thus far, but I am WIPED.  With the hurricane drama, my house being a wreck STILL, and the time constraint with this project, I am exhausted.  I still have SO much to do before Lauren's wedding, and these shoes are just one of the many tasks I can cross off my to do list.  Ugh!

My Piggies...

I am so glad to have found these Pigalle 120's on eBay this morning.  The seller accepted my offer, and I could not be happier about my new purchase. The first pair of Louboutin's I ever bought were the silver Pigalle 120mm, and I reluctantly sold them a few months ago on eBay.  They sold within 40 minutes of posting them, for $550, plus shipping, and I have thought about them every single day.  They are so high, without a platform, that walking/standing was really difficult for an extended period of time.  Luckily, I found them, the seller accepted my offer, and they will be back in my possession.  I have the PERFECT project for these little piggies, and I cannot wait to have them back in my personal collection.

(My Pigalle 120, Feb 2010)

Lady Peep Transformation...

I mixed up a few dye colors to create one perfect color canvas for the Crystal AB that I'll be using to strass these with for Lauren's wedding.  They were a dark camel brown, which I transformed into a silvery purple shade, which will reflect nicely off of crystal AB.  I wish I could start strassing now, since my time is limited, and Joe and Lydia are sleeping...BUT....I need to let them dry overnight, to be safe.  I cannot wait to have these finished already, and I haven't even started.

As you can see, I had them resoled at Michael's shoe repair in Brooklyn.  I definitely needed that for a 10 hour day walking around, and drinking at a wedding. No falling on my face for THIS Maid of Honor...lol (hopefully).  The color is a bit streaky, but you won't even be able to tell once they're strassed.  That's the beauty of strassing...you don't have to be a perfectionist in terms of dying, because your stone placement is what the world is going to see, not the dye job.  

My Babies Have Just Arrived...

You gotta love how NYC bounces back after terrible occurrences.  My shipments arrived today, like clockwork, via USPS.  Now I'm just waiting for $2100 worth of crystals from UPS, and everything will be on time and ready to go...Now I just need MORE TIME to complete all my tasks.

These are my YoYo 85's, which I purchased from an eBay seller in the UK.  They are really beautiful in person, and I don't typically like lower heels.  

These are Ice's gold Hyper Prive. She commissioned me to strass these in Aurum crystals, which are 24k gold plated.  I cannot wait to start this project once I return home.  How exciting!

I Just Returned To My Messy Home...

We decided to come home from Fishkill late last night.  Joe had to work today, and we figured it was better to just get it over with, and see what we were faced with.  Surprisingly, when we arrived, the streets were mostly dry.  The beach and boardwalk outside our apartment building were pretty beat up, being that the waters were chest deep earlier Sunday morning.  Luckily the tide rolled out, and the waters subsided substantially. We walked in to the building and it really stunk in the lobby.  You could tell that the water had made its way into the lobby area by the sand and almost mildewy, old basement sort of smell that hit you as soon as you opened the door to the foyer.  We opened our apartment door, and there was minimal water damage in the kitchen and living room.  There were bubbles in the paint that still have water in them, and the walls look like old wrinkly skin.  The bedroom is where most of the damage was.  In the past, when it rained SUPER hard, or during any other kind of "tropical storm" type of situation, we have gotten water damage. We are a brick building facing ocean front, so there has to be brick maintenance every so often, or the salt water starts to eat at the brick, causing areas where water can penetrate and damage certain apartment's walls, ceilings, light fixtures, etc.  Our apartment is a corner apartment, which faces the ocean AND street side, so we are part of that cluster of apartments that get it the worst, called the "C-Line".  The C Line on floors 1-6 were pretty damaged, but the 5th floor seems to be the worst so far.  Our ceiling fan was full of water, the ceiling was full of water bubbles, the walls wrinkly, and the bed had GIANT puddles of brown water on them.  Luckily, we prepared the bed by cutting up large trash bags and using them as protective tarps to cover the mattress and bedding.  That would have been disastrous if we hadn't because we literally recovered about a third of a bucket full of brown water that would have destroyed our mattress.  The water was stinky, and smelled like an old basement and kind of rusty....weird.  We also prepared by moving most of our clothing out of the closet, but the remainder was wet, so the water made its way through the closets too.  We took a lot of pictures of the damage, so we can present them to the co-op board, and the building will pay for the repairs (hopefully).  Not sure about how much damage we sustained financially, but luckily it's all paint and drywall, and nothing structural.  When Bloomberg ordered the mandatory evacuation and said the mass transit would be closing, this was UNHEARD of in the 5 Boroughs of NYC.  Not even on September 11th did the subways close and people were ordered to evacuate their homes.  It was scary, and we expected MUCH worse.  Luckily it was minimal compared to what we expected, and we are happy to be home...

I have SO much to do before leaving on Thursday morning.  I have to clean up my mess of an apartment, do a lot of laundry and dry cleaning etc, dye and strass a new pair of shoes for Lauren's wedding (since I sold the crystal Very Prive to Ice), have them resoled so I don't fall on my face on the dance floor, and get my hair colored before I leave....SO much to do, and so little time.  

Gotta turn these...

Into THESE....

We've Evacuated...

My fiance, my daughter and I have evacuated, due to a MANDATORY evacuation for our town.  I just hope that we have SOMETHING to come home to.  We live ON the beach, so there is no apartment building in front of us,...it's just the ocean and my windows facing the water.  Also, we live on a Peninsula, so if it floods, it's going to flood on 3 of the 4 sides.  It's scary, and in the whole scheme of things, shoes should be the LEAST of my worries, but I hope that everyone's shipments make it safely, and I REALLY hope that the postal service doesn't deliver things tomorrow and just leave them at my door (since no one will be there).  I also have about $2,100 worth of crystals that are "supposed" to arrive on Monday afternoon (if they aren't delivered early).

Luckily, I was able to ship out Jennifer's Crystal Madden's today, so by now, they should be out of the Hurricane zone (hopefully).  My client, Ice, is in Taiwan, where there is also a typhoon, so I hope she will be alright, and able to return to L.A.  Another client, Colleen, has sent me a pair to strass as well, which are in transit, plus I am awaiting a pair of Louboutin's from the UK, which are already in customs in the U.S.  In the whole scheme of things, shoes seem very minuscule, especially when you start to talking about flooding and winds carrying debri that could break every window in your house, but I can't help but obsess about the small things.

UGH!  I hate not knowing what is going to happen, and not having ANY control over what happens.  Luckily, we are all safe, but as of now, we have everything to lose.  I HOPE I have a home after this is all over with....  :(

Jennifer's Steve Maddens are DONE!!!

Yahoo!  Praise the lord, Jennifer's Steve Madden's are done!  I was able to finish the shoe in two days, and I will be returning them to her tomorrow.  Just in time for the hurricane...lol.

These were a lot more work than I initially thought they'd be.  The platform is about 1.5"-2" alone, so the heel and platform seemed to take forever.  I felt like the body of the shoe was so much easier and quicker to complete than the heel and platform.  Anyway, I hope she loves them, because they are BEAUTIFUL!!!

I Received My Open Lips Today....

...and I have to say, I am not completely satisfied.  I bought them from an eBay member, for $550, which is a LOT of money on eBay (this was actually a "best offer" and not the asking price.  Anyway, they have the vampire bites on the bottom of the sole, which a lot of store displays, or even pieces from sample sales have to prevent returns for the retail price.  I could deal with the vampire bites, but there is also some weird Serial Number written over the vampire bites (which have been concealed, but a crappy job of trying to conceal).  THIS is a problem when it comes to selling.  Not everyone has access to the Purse Forum authentication thread, and not everyone even knows what the hell the Purse Forum even is!!!  So, when it comes to reselling these, I am going to have a problem explaining these two things to potential buyers OR I am going to have to repaint, sand, paint over with glossy coat, etc to make these look how they're "supposed" to look.  They are 100% authentic CL's, and even had two Nordstrom barcode stickers on the bottom of the sole (which I removed).  Unfortunately, because I removed these Nordstrom stickers, the seller won't accept my return.  SO....looks like I have a lot of headache and extra work on my hands.  Hopefully the end result will be incredible!

Jennifer's Steve Maddens...

The other night Jennifer contacted me asking if I could finish a strass project that she already started.  She already strassed the first shoe (pretty well, actually) herself, but didn't have the time to finish the other and really needed them by the middle of September for an event.  I received them today and went to work on them immediately. I was able to finish the platform and the heel tonight, and I am hoping to have them completed and in the mail back to her by Friday morning.  The hardest part about this was matching the shoe she'd already done.  I wanted both shoes to be similar in terms of crystal placement, so the look would be cohesive. Since her crystals are a little further apart than I typically place mine, I had to watch myself carefully so I didn't make them look different.  I actually like the champagne peeking through the background, since the color sort of reflects off the clear color.  I think so far it's going extremely well!

Jennifer is the PERFECT example that having nice things and being fashionable don't have to cost a fortune.  While they aren't Louboutins, these Steve Maddens are perfect for strassing.  They're champagne colored satin, which look great with the crystal clear stones over them.  It just goes to show, you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to have beautiful shoes.  This is exactly what I want my viewers to understand.  Especially since I am about 3 years out of college myself, and a majority of my viewers are also fresh out of college within the last 5 or so years, paying back student loans (don't even get me started on Sallie Mae...), getting married, already married, or having kids.  Not everyone has the budget to afford an $800 pair of shoes, and another $700 or more to have them strassed.  Jennifer is very savvy, and these Madden's definitely get my vote for being fashionable with a budget.  Thanks Jennifer, you're going to look like a million bucks in these!

(I think these actually look pretty cool with the heel and platform strassed alone, how about you?)

My First AURUM Project....

Ok, this is the most exciting thing for a new business owner.  My client, Ice, bought my crystal Very Prive on Sunday, and before receiving them or even SEEING them in person, she commissioned me to strass another pair for her.  She chose gold Christian Louboutin Hyper Prive to be strassed using Aurum Swarovski crystals.  Aurum is the most expensive stone because it's plated with real 24k GOLD!  These Louboutin's are going to be INSANE!  I cannot wait to start this project!

YSL Bag, How I Love You So...

I found this YSL clutch bag on eBay last night at like 3am (I couldn't sleep at ALL), and knew that this color would be ABSOLUTELY perfect strassed with Volcano crystal.  The only issue, is do I cover the YSL logo, or no?  It's YSL, and you don't want to cover that logo, but the zipper pull has YSL on it, so maybe cover it???  I figured, another alternative would be to stass the YSL in Aurum gold Swarovski crystals (which if you don't know Aurum, it's actually made WITH real gold, and the most expensive Swarovski flatback crystal produced).  That way the YSL would be gold, and the rest of the bag would be shades of yellow, gold, purple, red, pink, etc. I just LOVE Volcano crystals, as the overall effect really does look like what you'd envision lava to look like.

This will be my next project:

When I return from Lauren's wedding, this will be my next personal project.  While these Fuchsia Open Lips  aren't MY size, I am just obsessed with the idea of strassing something so fashion forward and BEAUTIFUL as these (as you could probably tell from my previous posts).  They're going to be strassed with Volcano crystal, and with that gold pencil thin heel, they are going to be TO DIE FOR!!!!  I cannot wait to receive them and get to work!

Also, I am posting my two babies today and shipping them to L.A. and Japan.  These girls are going to LOVE them.  Thanks for checking out my blog, ladies!  I truly appreciate it.

I also just bought $1200 worth of crystals for my Crystal AB Lady Peeps (that I will now have to wear at Lauren's wedding, and they're 6" tall, so that may just be 12 hours of pure HELL, lol), Crystal AB to strass my matching Calvin Klein clutch, Volcano crystals for these Fastissima's, and Volcano crystals for a matching clutch.  I'm either going to buy this Purple Satin Yves Saint Laurent Clutch or this Gold Calvin Klein Clutch.  It depends on how high the bidding goes on the YSL bag, bc I'd LOVE to have it.  Either way, both bags would be TDF once strassed.

Stay tuned for more action. I have a LOT of work ahead of me.  So exciting!...

My Crystal Very Prive Are Also SOLD!!!!

OMG, what a NIGHT!!!  My crystal Swarovski Very Prive are also SOLD.  I didn't anticipate this.  This is exciting, but also makes me SO nervous.  I was supposed to wear those to my friend's wedding Labor Day Weekend (gulp!).   This means that I am going to have my work cut out for me in the next week and a half.  I HAVE to finish the sky high Lady Peep Slings to wear to her wedding.  I am going to try Crystal AB, for a better match to my eggplant Bridesmaid dress.

WOW!  That's all I can say!!!

They're SOLD :(

At the last minute I decided to lower my reserve price for My Jonquil AB Beauties and they sold for $1,000, plus $75 shipping to JAPAN.  International shipping is a pain in the you know what, BUT hopefully this will expand my clientele.  I sure hope so.

I feel such a sense of accomplishment!  It's weird, I feel sad, almost like I'm giving a child up for adoption, but then also so happy because I know good things are going to come from this sale.  They were my very FIRST strass project, and intended for my wedding.  But I do know that my work and my technique will only get better with every pair I strass, so by next June, I am going to have a rockin' pair of heels to show off at my wedding!

This weekend has been SUPER productive.  Although I haven't posted on the blog yet this weekend, I did have a TON of emails to answer, and a lot of inquiries.  Also, I handled a situation with a certain person slandering my name online (which we won't go into), AND I received my rotating display to showcase my creations.  I am SO excited with where this is going.  It seems to be headed in the right direction.  Time to pack up my first born and get her ready for the post office tomorrow ;)

Whew! I got a lot done today...

So today I did a LOT of work.  I was able to get my etsy page together, and list my first listing.  I also set up my account and posted on Bonanza AND eBay as well.  It is a lot of work.  From those things, I've gotten two more inquiries today, in addition to the others I've gotten the last few days.  This is great.

In more exciting news....I ordered my Crystals for my Calvin Klein clutch this evening.  They should be here by the middle of next week, and should take a few days for me to complete.  I just hope I ordered enough crystals.  After examining my shoes and the clutch side by side, I think it's going to take about the same number of crystals to strass the clutch, as it took to strass the shoes.  This is almost 8,000 crystals guys!!!  That seems like a lot for a clutch, but the results are going to be phenomenal.  My bag and my shoes will match for my friend's wedding over Labor Day Weekend.

Being that I am using the same amount of crystals for the clutch and the shoes, the good thing is that the clutch bags will obviously cost less than buying a pair of Louboutins, but the bad thing is that the cost to strass will be pretty similar to the cost of strassing a pair of shoes.  Obviously the dimensions of the bag will make a difference in pricing, but my clutch really shocked me.

This being said, if the client supplies the clutch (based on similar dimensions to what I am strassing next week), the cost for the strassing service will be $600.  If the client is buying the finished product from me, meaning I bought the clutch myself and strassed it, the cost will be $750.

I am now live on eBay and Etsy, woo hoo!

I was going to wait until I completed my corporate kit, opened my business bank account, and became legit, but I decided, "Why the hell not"?  I can always change my paypal account info in the future, right?  So I added listings to etsy and eBay today, to get myself out there.  I figured since I had gotten so many inquiries from my ebay listing, that it was time!

Etsy Custom Louboutin Swarovski Strass

eBay Christian Louboutin Swarovski Crystal Strass

Reborn's Ebay Listing

Clutches...

I am searching for clutches online to strass.  The misconception with "reborn" is that you have to spend a ton of money.  I have this clutch that my sister in law gave me as a Christmas gift many years ago.  It's a relatively inexpensive Calvin Klein silver clutch.  It is the PERFECT candidate for strassing.  It is silver leather, which can be dyed ANY color, because it's a light color, AND most people who want a strassed bag want to carry a crystal or a crystal AB bag (the CL Makimay clutch I posted earlier was AB-aka- aurora boreale).  Silver is such a versatile color, and can be used for virtually any occassion.  You don't have to buy a Jimmy Choo clutch, or spend $500 on a clutch to strass it.  This Calvin Klein clutch is still being produced and is a surprising $118.  They're produced in black, gold, bronze, and silver, all of which would be terrific strassed.

So I bought these instead:

 I just bought these Satin You You's by making the seller a very reasonable Buy It Now offer, which she accepted.  Luckily, I've been getting a lot of hits on eBay, since listing those Jonquil AB VP's, so this purchase will be justified. LOL.

I am bidding on these today...

...And after this (if I win), I am officially cutting myself off from eBay for a while.  I have a few pairs of CL's that I need to buy the crystals for and actually START the projects.  It's so easy to get sucked into the great deals on eBay, bc once they're gone, they're GONE, and you may never see them for that kind of price again.  UGH!  I wish I were a millionaire (maybe not bc Joey would be in serious trouble)...

Anyway, here they are: Louboutin Open Lips .

They are going to be strassed in Meridian Blue crystals (pic courtesy of my fellow tPF member Nerdybirdy), and look like this:

I know the heel is a little scary, but they are very fashion forward, and SOMEONE out there will die over them, I'm sure!

Christian Louboutin Maykimay Clutch

In addition to oogling the Christian Louboutin strassed heel collections that he releases every season, I have also been dying over his equally gorgeous Maykimay clutch bags.

He's released them in Aurora Boreale, champagne, black diamond, and aquamarine to name a few!  The cutest part of all is the Pigalle stilleto zipper pull.  I am so in love with these bags, as they are the perfect compliment to a beautiful pair of strassed heels.  However, I am not dying over the $2,695 price tag.  I have a plain silver clutch that I plan to strass to recreate this look.  Since I strassed my silver Louboutin's in clear Crystal to wear to my friend Lauren's wedding, I may strass this clutch in clear Crystal also!  I think these will compliment one another perfectly.  I have 2 weeks, so I better get to work!

I Just Got My Crystal Babies Back...

My fiance just came home (yes it is almost 11:30 pm here, ugh!), and had my Crystal Very Prive's in hand. I blogged about dropping these off at Michael's Shoe Repair in Brooklyn.  Luckily, this is a GOOD post, not a rant, and I couldn't be happier with the results.  With something as simple as resoling a shoe, luckily it was a success, since I have seen some horror stories on YouTube and tPF.  Anyway, we're discussing networking and how he can spread the word on my business.  Since...every pair of shoes that I am going to be selling will need to be resoled...this can be good for both of our businesses.

The soles aren't an exact match (but even the Leather Spa soles aren't a perfect match), but they're pretty close.  I just LOVE the vibram sole because the red always stays red AND it really gives you so much more traction and stability when walking.  Here are a few pics:

Success...

As a new business owner, I cannot stress enough the importance of feeling SUPPORTED by the one's you're closest to.  Whether it be friends, family, friends of family, in laws, etc...support is inevitably what is going to MAKE or BREAK you in business.  I'm not just saying it's the business that I am in, but in all business ventures, support is key.  I am posting this because 99% of the viewers of my blog thus far, have been SO supportive.  Much more supportive than I could have possibly imagined.  I'm talking about high school friends on Facebook that I haven't seen or heard from since 2001 offering business advice and talking strategy (thanks Zach ;), friends from college that I wasn't particularly close to but occasionally hung out with commenting and "liking" every post, and family members who have taken the time out to see what my new interest is, despite the fact that they know absolutely NOTHING about designer shoes at all, LOL.  I just wanted to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  I truly appreciate, and value each and every one of you ;)

I'm Reaching 1,000 Blog Views...

This is such a happy and proud moment for me.  Last Tuesday I started this blog, in the early evening, and although it is JUST now Wednesday (for us New Yorkers anyway), I am almost to 1,000 blog views!  WOW!!!  I just wanted to thank all of you friends and family out there who have been so supportive and given great advice and feedback.  You all know who you are! I am truly blessed to have such supportive people in my life.  I can't believe that I am reaching so many people so quickly.  I couldn't do it without you all!

I'm selling these on eBay right now:

My Jonquil AB Christian Louboutin Very Prive Strass 38.5

Although it pains me to sell the first ever pair of shoes that I strass, which were intended to be my wedding shoes, I am going to sell them for two reasons...1. They are a 38.5, and about a 1/2 size too big for me.  In my modeling video yesterday, and after like 20 takes of that video, I realized that they are too big and really difficult to keep ON my feet.  I doubt I can do a 15 hour wedding day in those shoes if I could barely do 30 mins.  I could do an insert, or a heel grip or something, but they are not only too long, but also too wide. 2. I need to make money to start this business.  With the money I make from this sale, I plan to put some toward the business, and the rest to make another pair in the same color and same style, but half a size smaller. Luckily, my wedding is in June of 2012, so I have PLENTY of time.

There are some great strassing option on eBay today:

Here are some really great strassing options on eBay today.

Christian Louboutin black velvet Fatissima Booties 35

Which could be transformed into this with some Volcano crystals:

Christian Louboutin Open Lips in Blue 38

These would be drop dead gorgeous drenched in Meridian Blue Swarovski crystals.

Christian Louboutin Open Lips in Fambroise 36.5

These would look INSANE strassed with Volcano or Fuschia Swarovski Crystals.  If you used Volcano, they would look exactly like the photo above, but with the open toe, and not a boot, of course!

I got my Lady Peep Slings today....

So I got my Christian Louboutin Lady Peep Slingbacks today. That was quick! I have to tell you, these shoes are SEXY, and super, super HIGH. You feel like a tall goddess in them. And at $350, including shipping, these were a STEAL!!!! Stay tuned to see what sort of transformation awaits for them (muhahahahaha)!

Action Video

Hi guys, here is a video of the Jonquil AB Very Prive in action:

Here are a few videos. I just bought a rotating display turntable to showcase these beauties (and future projects), so it will look more professional. But for now here goes:

Calling all you size 38's or 8's out there:

With a little dye and a lot of crystals, these could be transformed into something amazing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CHRISTIAN-LOUBOUTIN-RED-SLINGBACK-PUMPS-SZ-38-8-US-/270800375383?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&hash=item3f0cf5ce57#ht_500wt_1204

Working hard today!

Today I have accomplished a lot in just a short time.  Luckily, I have really helpful and supportive friends/family.  My fiance has been especially great and supportive through this process.  Thanks Joe!  Anyway, today I have already opened a new eBay user account, an etsy account, bought a rotary display/turntable to showcase my completed strass projects, and set up my new email account.  My biggest obstacles in the next few days will be to find a host for my domain name, and get my actual website going. This is a LOT of work, especially since I know NOTHING about computers or websites etc.  We will see how this goes.

One really great thing happened already today, a member of the Purse Forum private messaged me and inquired about a possible commission.  This is great, and (crossing my fingers) I hope to get the job.  Today could be panning out to be a great day!

I just dropped my babies off...

I just dropped my Crystal Very Prive's to Michael's Shoe Repair, my fiance's favorite cobbler (he's been going to this guy for years, and swears by him).  There are so many cobbler's and shoe repair places to choose from within the 5 boroughs of New York City, so it's sometimes confusing to know exactly where to go.  I just brought them in to have them re-soled with the plastic vibram sole, so that the red will always be red, and not faded or worn away.  I have a few other pairs of Louboutin's with this done to the bottoms, but I have bought them like that, instead of taking them myself.  I felt like I was giving a child up for adoption, or something else equally guilt provoking.  Hopefully everything comes out ok.  I mean, what kind of a cobbler messes up something so small as applying a vibram sole???  I thought this too, until I saw this video, which almost gave me nightmares:  http://youtu.be/RgSG4t29TEI

  Not only did this cobbler scratch and ruin a new pair of really expensive designer boots, but he (gulp) covered the CL stamp on the bottom!!!!  I don't know which is worse...  My shoes are an investment, and almost like a member of my family, so when I handed them over, I got a hot flash as this image flashed into my mind...  Hopefully all ends well. I guess I'll find out Wednesday...

This is the last time, I swear!

Should I leave my company name as "Red Sole Obsession" or "Red Soles Reborn"?  I know this is redundant, but I want to get it right.  I feel like "red soles reborn" describes what I do...giving new life to otherwise plain, boring shoes.  But a few people have said that they prefer to keep it "obsession", bc of the obsession around Christian Louboutin's "red soles".  What do you think?

Another Project in the Works...

I bought these size 38 (US 8) blush colored suede Ron Ron's a month or two ago.

They've been sitting in my closet ever since.  I had no idea what to do with them, since wearing them AS IS is just not an option for me.  If they were nude it would be a GO, but since they're more pink/peachy in color, they're just not my color.  SO...I have elected to dye them, and strass them.  I plan to dye them purple and strass them in Volcano Swarovski crystals.  For those of you who don't know what Volcano looks like, the effect is like lava. When you move in the light, it changes from shades of yellow to gold, to orange, to purple, to red, etc.  This is one of the most popular colors to strass with, because the end result is so jaw dropping, and you can wear it with so many different clothing options and colors.  Here is the Volcano strass on a Louboutin Fastissima ankle boot:

What do you think? Like or dislike?

Help me decide what to do here:

I just bought this gorgeous shoe off eBay and plan to do one of two things with it.  Please help me decide which way to go with this project, as both looks are VERY, very different.  Thanks!

This is the Christian Louboutin lady peep, in a camel brown color:

They will be transformed into either the Christian Louboutin Lady Peep strassed with Aurora Borealis (Crystal AB) stones, which retails for $3,995 (this will be a slingback version instead of the full back version shown below)...

...OR the Very Mix aka Jennifer Lopez's Grammy shoe of choice, which retail for $3,595.  These will also be the slingback version and not the full back version.  The platform and heel would also be covered in the silver crystals instead of being left silver... What do you think???

I wanted to let my viewers know...

I just wanted all my blog viewers to know what I can do to their shoes.  I can strass (apply swarovski crystals), glitter, dye/paint, stud, or spike them.   I have strassed, dyed and glittered so far, and I'm getting ready to start my first ever spike project.  WOO HOO!!!

Not only can I do shoes, but I can also create a sparkly clutch for your special event or wedding day.  Imagine a beautiful clutch or bag drenched in crystals!!! You will be the envy of all your family and friends...and what better way to compliment a pair of strassed shoes, than with a strassed bag!

Which do you like best?

So I'm in the process of choosing an actual company name.  Which do you like best?  Also, if you have any suggestions, please comment and leave them.  I'd love to hear them.

Red Sole Remake
Red Soles Remade
Red Sole Project
Red Sole Makeover
Red Soles Redesigned
Red Sole Rejuvenation
Red Sole Transformation
Red Sole Restyle
*Red Soles Reborn (love this one)
Red Sole Metamorphosis

These would be really cool strassed...

There are so many really great color options for these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NIB-CHRISTIAN-LOUBOUTIN-Purple-Bootie-38-8-8-5-/320742169485?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&hash=item4aadb91b8d#ht_500wt_1204


I'm thinking Volcano for these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/CHRISTIAN-LOUBOUTIN-Gold-NAPPA-Ballet-Flats-Size-39-5-9-/130559453708?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&hash=item1e65f32a0c#ht_5617wt_1141

These would look great with Meridian Blue crystals:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Christian-Louboutin-Electric-Blue-Suede-YoYo-Zeppa-38-5-/270795806110?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&hash=item3f0cb0159e#ht_4837wt_1189

Jet Hematite for these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Christian-Louboutin-size-38-Black-Leather-Flats-Deal-/400221882836?pt=US_Women_s_Shoes&hash=item5d2f1549d4#ht_500wt_1204

Pricing...

I've finally decided on a pricing structure.  These prices reflect my newness to the business and my need to network.  If you can help me by spreading the word about my services, helping me network, or blogging about me, I can work with you on pricing.  Don't be afraid to email me so we can negotiate. ;)

Rates

- 4-5 Inch heels $700

- Heels only $150

- Flats $500

- Daffodile $1,500

- Dyeing or Painting $30

- Return Priority 2-3 Day Shipping $20

* Prices based on average size shoe.  

- If you're a size 41 or 42, please add $100

* From the time I receive the shoes, I will have them completed within 4 weeks. 

- If you need them completed within 2 weeks, please add $50.

The Process


You, the client, will be supplying me with a pair of shoes that you either already have, or have bought especially for the strassing purpose.  It is advised to steer clear of patent leather, bc the slick surface makes it hard for the glue and crystals to adhere to the surface permanently.  I use industrial strength glue, but God forbid, you're out to dinner and bump your heel on the leg of your chair and a patch of crystals flakes off.  HOW EMBARRASSING???  So, suede, kid/calf leather, and satin are your best choices for the perfect canvas.

I wanted to also add that you don't necessarily HAVE to strass a pair of Christian Louboutin's.  This can be done to ANY shoe that you want to have done.  I just prefer, for my own personal strass collection, to strass CL's because Christian Louboutin makes strass versions of his shoe line.  This way, you're not creating something "new", that doesn't already exist, but recreating it, revamping it, or making a better version/color to fit your personal preference.  I do recommend, however, strassing a pair of shoes that are somewhat expensive or good quality.  The stones themselves cost between $300-$400 (depending on the stone and the size of the shoe), so you don't want to put that type of investment on a cheap shoe that will fall apart or that isn't recognized.  I, myself, just LOVE Christian Louboutin's because they are the hottest shoes on the market as of now, EVERYONE recognizes the signature RED bottoms, and when someone sees you wearing a pair of Christian Louboutin's, they automatically know who you're wearing, and wish they were wearing them too.

In terms of a "perfect canvas" the kid leather and satin can most certainly be dyed to provide the ideal background for your strassing project.  If you can only find white shoes, and you're going for a silver background with Crystal AB, I can dye the white leather or satin to match your vision of perfection.  I find it best that the background color of the shoe match the crystal color you've chosen.  I place my stones VERY close together, so you don't see a lot of the background, but no matter what, you will always see some of the background.  I use 5 different crystal sizes to ensure that almost all of the surface area of the shoe is drenched in crystals.  I like this look best.

Where to buy:  You can buy at any Christian Louboutin retailer; Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys, or even Christian Louboutin.com (or a boutique if you're in a fairly large city).  I also think that some select Nordstrom's carry Louboutin.  However, if you don't have $800-$1200 for a brand spanking new shoe, you could always troll eBay, Bonanza, or Craigslist to find your perfect shoe.  There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with wearing a shoe that someone else has already worn and loved.  These are expensive shoes, and you would be surprised the great deals/finds you can find online.  I ALWAYS recommend having them authenticated first on the Purse Forum. These women really know their designer brands, and every designer gets their own thread(s) on the forum. You can check out this link http://forum.purseblog.com/louboutin-shopping/authenticate-these-cls-read-first-page-before-posting-663800.html to the process of authentication.    I always recommend eBay and Bonanza first, because there are so many scammers on Craigslist.  Plus, many of the posts on Craigslist, if they're really authentic, are on Bonanza or eBay anyway.  I am also available to help you choose your dream shoe, and help you through this process every step of the way.

Once you've bought your shoes, we decide on a color.  This is probably the hardest part of the entire process.  With so many beautiful colors and effects to choose from, the process of narrowing down and choosing the right color for you can be tough.  I can recommend dying your shoe to better match the stone you're wanting, or which stone is going to be best for completing your vision.

Once everything has been decided, you will pay me, with a check, Chase Person-to-Person Quick Pay, or via Paypal, and you will ship them directly to me.  From there, depending on how many orders I currently have, and what my general workload is, I will have them completed.  My first client, Nikki, was shocked that I worked so fast.  She needed them for an event, and I had them completed and sent back to her within 2 weeks.  This is pretty typical, since I am usually SO excited to see the finish product when I begin a project.  If you need them sooner, we can discuss options with that also.

Finally, when you do receive the finished product, I would hope that you would rave to your family, friends, and complete strangers about how great of a job I did, and recommend my services.  This will explode into a booming business if I can get clients who will help me network.  Also, those clients who DO help me network will receive some great incentives, which we can discuss on a case by case basis.  My MAIN goal is for the client to LOVE my creations.  If by some chance you don't like the finished product, we can discuss options in private on how to make you happy.

You will receive the shoes back in your possession within 2-3 business days via USPS Priority Mail. If you need them sooner than that, let me know and we can discuss an alternate shipping method.  I will also be including a small packet of replacement crystals, just in case a few crystals did fall off (a problem I haven't experienced on my own shoes, or heard of from a client's shoes, but it's better to be safe than sorry, right?).

If you all have any questions about my services, color options, or anything regarding the process, please email me at: RedSoleObsession@gmail.com

Thanks everyone, and have a great day!

So...

So here are a few examples of my work, what I've done, and what I can do.  I can dye shoes to create the perfect background color for a strass job.  I can use an existing background color and strass what's given to me.  I am even in the process of beginning a DIY studs and spikes project.  Here are a couple before and after shots of my work:

I transformed these gold Very Prives to a champagne color, then strassed with Jonquil AB.  They are a yellow/gold stone that reflects orange and blue tones.  They are so stunning in real life.  They are truly "Cinderella shoes".

These were done for my first ever client, Alicia, aka "Curly Nikki".  She sent me a pair of nude Pigalle 100mm, and I dyed them bronze, then strassed them with Crystal Dorado Swarovski crystals.  She wore them to her husbands 10 year high school reunion, and to an event in Downtown St Louis, and people were definitely envious of these beautiful shoes.  The best part of all...Christian Louboutin created the Pigalle 120 Dorado for over $3,000 (which you probably saw in Sex In The City 2), but excluding the price of the shoes themselves, I created these for her for $680. Now that is a steal...

These were a pair of silver Very Prive that I strassed using Swarovski Crystals. They are clear stones, and they literally shine like diamonds.  Picture how your diamond engagement ring or diamond earrings shine in the light, now imagine over 8,000 diamonds on your shoes that glimmer in the light as you move....they are stunning and to die for.  I can't wait to wear them in my friend's wedding Labor Day Weekend.  Everyone will definitely be envious of them!  The best part...Christian Louboutin's "Very Riche" retails for $3,695 plus tax.  I paid $350 for the VP's on ebay (authenticated first, of course), and spent about $300 for the Swarovski crystals.  That's a $3,045 savings!!!