How to Paint Canvas Character Shoes - Mario and Yoshi

How To Paint Canvas Character (Mario) Shoes - DIY

Sometimes it's easy to find what you want. Sometimes it isn't. In my case, I can find hundreds of Mario-themes merchandise out there but it's much more difficult to find things that I don't find tacky.

There is an easy solution: Can't find exactly what you envisioned? Make it. This works for all ages!


What you will need:

* Shoes: You can fancy up an old pair of sneakers or just buy new ones. Canvas sneakers (Vans, Converse, etc...) are ideal.  
* Acrylic paint: (Buy or mix whatever colors you need/want.) 
* Paint Brushes: People can get very particular about these but for a simple project, you don't have to be too picky.
* A Sharpie and/or fabric markers.
* A finishing spray/treatment: A matte spray varnish is often recommended. Clear acrylic art spray is also an option. 

Step 1: Choose Your Shoes:

I have spruced up old shoes in the past but in this case, I purchased a new pair. I found these Harajuku Lovers slip-on canvas shoes on clearance for $4 at Target. They were ideal.

Step 2: Apply A Base Coat

I did a white acrylic base coat. It covered most of the graphic design on the shoe but I wasn't too worried because as you keep adding more layers and colors, you'll likely hide anything that was originally on the shoe. You can use a primer or base coat used for painting canvas if you'd like. 

Make sure you like the base totally dry before you continue to paint.

Step 3: Draw and Paint

It's your choice if you want to use a Sharpie or a Fabric Marker to draw your base picture. If you want to get fancy or you feel lack artistic ability, you can use a transfer paper to trace a picture you like and then trace over that with a fine-point Sharpie. 

When I designed my shoe, I referenced various different Mario-character pictures and hand drew them with a fine point fabric marker. I painted each character after I drew it so I could get an idea of what I "needed" but you can draw it all and then paint or paint as you go. It's entirely up to you! Let your creative juices flow!

Step 4: Apply Protective Coat

Once you've finished your masterpiece, you'll want to wait for it to dry and then you'll add your protective spray. I'd advise you follow the instructions on the label because each product can be different.

Viola! Once the protective coat has dried, you (or your child/friend/grandmother) is ready to rock their new kicks.

Inspiring

Three Cheese Baked Ziti

This is an amazing recipe (found at Food.com) for a meatless (although I wouldn't call it vegetarian for some reason) baked ziti. Everyone in the family loves it.

Taste Rating: ****

Kid Friendly: *****

Ease: ****

 

FOR THE ZITI SAUCE

• 4 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 tablespoons Fontina cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

FOR THE ZITI TOPPING

• 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons romano cheese, grated
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

REMAINING INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb dry ziti pasta
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. 1
   PREPARE THE ZITI SAUCE:.
2. 2
   Combining all ingredients for the Ziti Sauce in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. 3
   PREPARE THE ZITI TOPPING:.
4. 4
   In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients for the Ziti Topping.
5. 5
   Add the garlic, oil, and parsley and mix until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. 6
   WHEN READY TO PREPARE THE WHOLE DISH:.
7. 7
   Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish or large casserole with non-stick spray.
8. 8
   Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
9. 9
   Pour 1/2 cup of prepared ziti sauce into the prepared dish, and spread it evenly over the bottom using a spoon.
10. 10
    When pasta has finished cooking, drain the water and pour the hot pasta into the bowl of remaining sauce. Mix thoroughly; pour into the baking dish.
11. 11
    Spread 1 cup of shredded mozzarella over the pasta and sauce mixture.
12. 12
    Top the mozzarella with the prepared Ziti Topping, spreading evenly.
13. 13
    Place pan on center oven rack and bake until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes.
14. 14
    Remove and serve immediately.
15. 15
    From: Olive Garden Restaurant.

Tracing Hands Project

Handprint projects are my favorite. I love when my son comes home from school with anything that has his handprint on it. These are things we'll treasure when the kids have grown. This super easy project is a little different than your traditional dipping a hand in paint and then pressing it on paper type project. It's easier and less messy.

What you will need:

* Scissors

* Decorative Paper (Scrapbooking Paper is Perfect)

* Frame and Matting

* Pencil

I purchased a simple, inexpensive matted frame from Michael's. I also purchased a few $.59 sheets of scrapbooking paper that I thought liked nice together. You'll need one for the background (I used a woodgrain paper) and then a different piece of paper for each hand you plan on doing. I chose a white paper with texture and a colorful paper with fish. You can do this with any size frame and any amount of hands. You can also be as wild or traditional as you'd like with the paper.


1. Take the piece of background paper and cut it to fit the frame. Insert this behind the matt. Now you'll need to take one of the kid's hands and trace it directly on the decorative paper. Be sure to spread their fingers out a little bit if you can--this makes for a superior looking cut-out. Take another sheet of paper and trace any additional hands as well.

2. Carefully cut out the outlined hands.

3. Arrange the hands together in a way that you like. I didn't glue the hands to the background but you can. I stuffed the cut outs into the bottom of the frame. If you want a more untamed look, you can let some of the fingers actually go over the matt in the frame.

4. Put the art into the frame and carefully close it. If you glued your hands down, you won't have to be as careful about the hands falling out of place but make sure that your glue has totally dried.

5. Ta da! You're done. Hang up your picture or give it as a gift! 

Newest Buzz - Garnier Fructis Shampoo and Conditioner Trial

 

I had my latest BzzAgent campaign recently. I was sent full-sized bottles of Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Fortifying Shampoo and Conditioner for dry, damaged hair.

I don't think I would have picked these out in a store. Even the picture that I included above to advertise for the product doesn't appeal to me. I think the models hair looks terrible, her pose is terrible and the packaging is hideous. The shampoo and conditioner looked inexpensive. That's my biggest issue. For some reason, I suspected they smelled unpleasant. I also expected them not deliver what they promised--to hydrate my hair. Like it wanted to confirm my suspicion that it was cheap--the cap broke almost immediately. Lucas, my four year old son, was so excited to see what had come in the mail that he quickly grabbed the shampoo. It fumbled in his hands and felt to the floor. Pieces of plastic flew off the top, shampoo spilled out on the floor. I kept thinking that Lucas my short, little Ewok--what if someone my height had dropped it? since my son isn’t tall and it wasn’t a far fall--this wasn’t a good first impression of the product. I drop shampoo and conditioner in the shower now and again. I don't really want them to shatter on me.
Surprisingly, the shampoo and conditioner smelled nice enough. I still prefer the mint scent of my regularly shampoo and conditioner but that’s just my preference. As you may know, I have long hair and because of that, the ends are damaged and a bit dry. When I used the shampoo--I wasn’t wildly impressed. Usually shampoo is just shampoo to me unless it’s overly drying and this wasn’t. I have no real complaints but no compliments either. It was my typical shampooing experience.
The conditioner, however, was wonderful. It was silky and rich. It hydrated my hair as well as my regular (and quite expensive) conditioner. This may sound silly but I also like that there was no claim that the shampoo or conditioner would repair or magically fix damaged hair. I do not believe a shampoo can “repair” damaged hair and dislike when products make that claim. I can say that it did seem to do what it promised. My hair seemed healthier, silky and radiant. So in my opinion, the shampoo was very average. The conditioner was great.

Here are the pros and cons of Garnier Fructis: Triple Nutrition: Dry, Damaged Hair

Pros:

* Pleasant scent

*The conditioner hydrated my dry hair very well and left it silky.

*The bottle contains 30% recycled plastic which is better than nothing.


Cons:

* Ugly packaging. The bottles wouldn’t attract my attention in a store. They look cheap (the product is inexpensive but they could have a more expensive look just the same). I almost feel if they went with a simpler packaging without so much writing and pictures, they would appeal to more women.

* Weak packaging. The cap broke so easily. It made the whole experience seem cheap.

* Average shampoo. Nothing new from any other shampoo I’ve tried.

If I needed to cut down my spending, I would consider using Garnier’s conditioner. It was pleasant and worked quite well. However, at the end of the day, I would be lying if I said I was going to switch over to their shampoo and conditioner. I do think Garnier should consider a make-over on the appearance of their packing. The neon green covered with writing just looks inexpensive. Then, when the bottle cracked after a small drop, it just confirms your suspicion about it being cheap.

 I gave the products three out of five stars because even though I found some things unpleasant about the shampoo and conditioner, the conditioner did deliver--it smelled pleasant and work wonderfully.

Here is a picture of my hair at Adam's party. That was the first morning I tried the shampoo and conditioner.

Update! 

I have been using the shampoo and conditioner for a while now. I am still a big fan of the conditioner!
Here is my latest hair picture:

I have just been using Garnier shampoo and conditioner. Then I used my wave iron and some styling spray. That's it. It has a healthy sheen, I feel and doesn't feel dried out at all. I'm pretty miserable about the bottles though. Seriously? They crack so easily. We don't have a cap left on one and the other is in shards. I am all for being eco-friendly but I'm not sure how these could be. If something is breaking, it's wasteful. They need to improve that aspect of the packaging. 

Buzzing about BzzAgent

I want to share www.bzzagent.com If you're a fan of deals or free samples and don't mind writing honest reviews, give it a shot! BzzAgent sends you free samples, coupons or actual items (sometimes very expensive items) and you just give your honest opinion of it.

Is it a scam? No. It's the real deal. You don't give them any credit card information. I signed up. I kept up with my surveys and was surprised when a few weeks in I got my first "campaign". I was asked if I wanted to try Ristorante pizzas.

I got a little package in the mail with two free pizza coupons, Ristorante magnet/notepads to hand out and regular coupons to hand out to people I know. I was pretty excited.

The only problem was that our pizzas weren't free with the coupons because of our expensive location. The coupons only covered up to a set price. Our pizzas were more expensive than the price listed on the back of the coupon so we were out a few dollars. Still--we got two pizzas for a couple bucks. Not bad at all! 

I want to add that the pizzas were delicious. If they're affordable in your area, give them a try! We tried the Mozarella and Spinaci pizzas. Both were cripsy, delicious and tasted fresh. I liked the Mozarella one a lot. Lucas (my four year old) even liked the Mozarella.

I'll let you all know about my future experiences with Bzzagent and if all my hard work in this campaign pays off or not!

Here are my free (pretty much free) Ristorante pizzas (and wine, of course).