Flowers on my Boots-Boot Hack

 Cute huh?  

This past fall as I was browsing Robert Redford's Sundance catalog and I fell in LOVE with these blooming boots. I know...right!?  How cute are those!? 

I did a little yahoo search for blooming boots and came across these.  I mean really, red flowered boots!  I needed to have these in my life so I began searching hi and low for a pair of boots to DIY a pair for myself.  I then began to have anxiety about the color, these are all one color, cut from the same leather but I could never really duplicate that.  I did find a pair of black Rocket Dog western style booties but they're pull on, and they don't have zippers and really...boot full of black flowers?  I need color in my life. 

They would have worked but that weird creative quirk I have kept me looking...

A few weeks ago while doing some blog hopping on the Love Maegan blog I found this idea and thought it was just the thing I needed to get over my commitment phobia. 

Love Maegen's boot ribbon flowers

I confess I'm a bit of a shoe whore and the thought of committing any of my boots for a hack had me sweating!  I just couldn't do it, I mean what if the flowers weren't appropriate with what I was wearing and wanted to wear my boots?  The complete irony in that is I wear the same few pairs with everything and never go into my closet for the 20 or so..err  many uhhh several umm few other pairs I posses.  Yes, I'm very aware of this problem, recognition is half the battle right?

I set to work on my own version of the blooming boot hack mash-up and had tons of materials to work with.  I had been collecting leather purses from thrift shops and had accumulated quite the pile of leather I'd harvested from them all. I made a big ole pile of leather flowers in assorted colors and textures then cut a few strips of brown leather from an old coat I hacked up.  I then glued all my flowers down with my E6000 glue and clamped them overnight. 

The flaw in my design was that my strips, once all glued together wrapped around the boots about 10 times!  Of course, I didn't really pay attention to that fact till I had glued all my flowers to the strips trying to evenly space them out along the entire length.  I ended up cutting a strip in half then gluing a plain strip on either end to tie them on my boots.  I'd be much happier with them had I put all the flowers right next to each other but there is a silver lining.  I have a whole other garland-length strip to use, so I just have to cut more flowers and glue them in between, and I think I'll make different flower designs then these basic 5 & 6 petal beauties.  

These boots above are the Rocket Dogs I found at the thrift shop and the ones below are a pair of Clarks that are the most comfortable boots I own.  I really could have 'bloomed' either of them, and still may.  Oh who am I kidding! 

I really do like the flexibility to wear them on all of my boots.  Variety is the spice of life they say!

Pay no attention to the flower missing it's center...I have no excuses.

I love them...they are kinda Boho...just like me!

I'm linking up over at My Repurposed Life