Make Your Own "Barefoot" Ballet Flats

I really love my Merrell barefoot running shoes and was really wishing that I could afford a pair of their mary jane style barefoot shoes to wear with casual outfits. The problem is that they are very expensive and I couldn't justify the expense. So, I got creative and figured out a way to make my own "barefoot" shoes. Here is my tutorial for barefoot ballet flats.

This is the Merrell Pure Glove shoe $89. This is a picture of the pair that I made($15)

Materials:

a pair of super cheap ballet shoes on ebay ($9 including shipping)

a can of plastidip (Home Depot $6)

masking tape

foam brush

Step 1:

Put the ballet shoe on and use the tape to mark where you want the edge of your sole to be.
Step 2:

Paint the plastidip onto the soles of the shoe. Wait until it dries between coats. I ended up putting about 5 coats on. Try to get it as even as you can.

Step 3:

Wait until the sole is completely dry and has had time to "cure" which is approximately 4 hours. Try on your new shoes!
I didn't like the placement of the elastic on the original shoes so I cut it off and resewed it on straight across the top of my foot.

Here is a side view.

Another option would be to purchase some Vibram sole material and glue that to the bottom of the shoe. I might try that next if if the sole starts to wear out. I've read posts of barefoot runners using the Plastidip on the bottom of socks and of other people using it for the bottom of those soft baby shoes. It seems to hold up pretty well and still allows you to feel the ground for proper foot placement when running.

I'm so excited for how they turned out. They are super comfy and feel like slippers but with the new rubber sole, I can wear them out and about and most importantly to chase kindergartners all day. I think that they would work well for yoga too. We'll see!

P.S. If you've never heard of barefoot running and are wondering what I'm talking about, here is a link to some info about the benefits. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20100127/barefoot-running-laced-with-health-benefits