The Last 3 months...

Some of you may be wondering where I've been the last three months. 

Trust me, I haven't been shopping: at least not for myself. 

I've been working on my etsy shop and sending out orders left and right.  It's been a lot of fun, but I'd be lying if I said it were easy. I've spent many many hours creating boots and designing logos.  I love that I'm getting to be creative and that some of my EXPENSIVE proprietary schooling has paid off.  Stupid student loans! 

Getting started wasn't easy.  I had an old pair of rainboots that were sitting next to a gold can of spray paint and decided to get busy one day in January.  You can see the details from an earlier post by clicking here. 

Those boots turned out so fun that others started wanting them.  My first trip to WalMart was an expensive one but I came back with what I thought were the necessary supplies.

What I found out later was that not all rubber likes paint.

Lesson 1: The first story of failed boots 

My college friend Necia wanted some Iowa Hawkeye boots in black and yellow.  I made them and they were adorable! When I placed them in the box ready to ship, the rubber flexed and the completely dried paint started to crack.  So I moved it a little bit more and large flecks started falling off.  Boo.  FAIL.  There's no way I could keep Necia's $30 with a product like this so I sadly returned her money. I was so upset!

Lesson 2: The second fail 

This story of how I discovered sticky paint is slightly more embarrassing.  I created a gift last minute for a friend's Bridal shower.  Leopard print boots painted pearly white with a gold Husky "W" on them.  As I was rushing out the door (already late) I noticed that the boots weren't completely dry so I carefully placed them in an oversized gift bag and headed out the door.  I thought they'd dry within the hour like the can of paint says they will.  WRONG!  

My friend let me know just recently that she was too embarrassed to tell me that they never dried even months and months later and that she had to throw them away. LOL! Not a very good product is it?!?! The best part is that while I was painting hers, I also did the base coat on 4 other pairs.  It's been at least 6 months and I just rummaged through the garage yesterday and they are still not dry.  So sticky and disgusting!  I'll have to try some paint thinner but more than likely, those boots are toast too. 

The good news is, because of this failure I had to think of some other way to make these work.  They really are so neat and eye catching.  My thoughts ran dry and so did my creating of boots.  I really was deflated and didn't know what to do.  Then, low and behold, through my etsy shop, I got two orders of boots.  One for some that say "Just Married" and one with the Cal Bears logo. They sat in my etsy sold page for too long because I knew that the paint wouldn't last. I was totally into blogs at this point and time and by happenstance ran into a creative blog that had an add for the Silhouette Cameo.  I was skeptical because I'd looked into the CriCut a few times and you can't create your own designs.  So when I read user reviews and looked at YouTube videos of how cool this machine is, I was sold.  "Now I just have to sell my husband on it!" I thought to myself. It didn't take too much begging and pleading and before I knew it I had his card information and my machine on its way from Amazon.

Product perfected right!?!? Permanent Vinyl sticking to the rubber.  I'm in!

Not that easy Lindsay, not that easy!

I shipped off my first 2 orders (shipping is ridiculous: upwards of $15!) and I was pleased. Not so much.  I asked for feedback from the two ladies and while they loved their product, the paint was an issue. The bride's base of her boots were painted silver and even though they dried effectively, the silver wasn't fully set.  She kept them anyway and loved the way they looked.

Lesson 3: Wait longer for paint to dry AND put on a sealant. 

The Cal boots were a different story.  Luckily my buyer is the nicest person on the planet.  I couldn't find a pair of blue men's boots so I bought black ones and tested the spray paint on them.  They dried and weren't sticky.  So I did 2 coats and a sealant coat and then placed the vinyl on them. They were adorable!  She said she loves them, but that the paint was sticking and the vinyl was peeling.  I thought she was over-reacting until I opened up the box she shipped back.  HOLY COW, they are terrible!  If I were her I would've been so upset.

Lesson 4: NO MORE PAINT. PERIOD. 

I hope I don't have to keep learning lessons the hard way.
For the Cal boots I'm waiting on an online shipment of navy blue boots to replace hers free of charge.
From now on I'm only creating on solid colored boots that I won't/don't have to paint!

Yesterday and today I'm re-doing Necia's Hawkeye boots, finishing another pair of Just Married boots, and  making 2 pairs of Seahawks bright green on navy blue boots in size 6 women's and size 11/12 kids. The vinyl is permanent and no paint on these boots! :)

My Kitchen workspace.  

Seahawks, 3rd order of Just Married, and fixed Hawkeyes

Luxe peaking her nose up into my business, literally!

Luxe our Hungarian Vizsla Puppy is a whole entire additional "Where does the time go?" story that I will share later.

I also have an order of boots for the Annie quote: "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" which seems pretty fitting for all of this boot and paint debauchery!

Until next time!