Secretive Mrs. G - Baby Reveal

So for some reason I have been the secret-keeper extraordinaire these past two weeks. And where there are secrets...there are crafty projects that go with those secrets. There it is...that is my excuse for not posting the past two weeks. But now that all of my secrets have been exposed, (or so you may believe) I can freely blog about the crafty mess that my house has been.

I mentioned in my previous entry that it seems as if all of my married friends are having babies. My dear friend Amy is also expecting and decided to have a fun gender reveal party to announce whether the baby is going to be a boy or girl. I was asked to decorate the super-cute tiny TOMS she had purchased for the baby. Now this was something I have never done before. I mean, sure, I have purchased several pairs of TOMS and promised myself to decorate them, but this time I actually had a timeline that I had to stick to - she wanted to have the party 4 days after her doctor's appointment!

So the ultrasound technician snapped some pics, sealed the evidence in an envelope, and I was given the humbling task of making cute TOMS and keeping this secret! Amy had also given me a pair to decorate for her older son Evan as well.

I looked up what sorts of paint would best work on the plain canvas TOMS and most sites mentioned acrylic and/or spray paint with a clear acrylic seal over the top.

So I went to work gathering my supplies:

• Acrylic Paint in various colors
• Spray Paint in various colors
• Clear Acrylic Spray Seal (found at Hobby Lobby or any store with paints)
• Painter's tape
• Newspaper
• Paint Brushes
• Zip-lock Bags
• Secret Envelope! 

Step #1: I opened the secret envelope and was so excited about the news that I went out and bought some cute general revealing items. :) Ok, so that really doesn't count as a craft-step, but it was very important to the project in general.

Step #2: I stuffed the TOMS with newspaper to help protect the inside from getting paint on it and to help maintain the shape of the shoes. I also put painter's tape over the TOMS logos on the back and side of the shoes.

Step #3: Then, I taped off any areas I wanted to keep white using painter's tape. Then, I spray-painted my first coat of color on the shoes. I chose to use several different colors on Evan's shoes, but only one on the baby's. After I allowed the first layer to dry, I re-applied some spray-paint to areas which needed some extra love. In addition to the first layer of spray-paint, I also painted on the baby TOMS within the color scheme that Amy had picked if it was a (boy). :)

Step #4: When surfing the internet I came across some TOMS decorated by HOM and really liked the look of them. I decided to create these TOMS with the same splattered look as some of HOM's work. When I knew that the spray-paint was dry, I poured some acrylic paint into a Zip-lock bag, (here's the messy part) I stuck my hand into it and flicked the paint onto the shoes using my hand. When I felt I had enough of one color, I washed my hands and repeated this same process with another color.

Step #5: Using a very fine paintbrush, I wrote "Big Brother" and "Little Brother" on the shoes. 

Step #6: This step took the longest...I had to allow the shoes to dry over night before spraying the clear acrylic seal over them. The spray-bottle said that the seal could be applied to the "canvas" multiple times, so I re-applied it two times before calling it quits.

Step #7: Last but not least, I removed the painter's tape that was covering the TOMS logos.

But that was it! I wrapped them up in separate (gender neutral) packages and also framed the "reveal" picture for the family to have as a keepsake. I was thoroughly surprised with how cute they came out and how much the family loved them.

The gender reveal party went off without a hitch and I am excited to say that the Brooks' family is having a baby boy!!!