Need some fancy-schmancy shoes for a special occasion? Instead of buying a new pair, why not invest in some shoe bling?

Thanks to the T-bar design, I’m able to add some sparkle to my ballroom shoes with brooches from Diva:

For T-bar-less shoes, try shoe clips from eBay or Etsy.

If brooches and shoe clips are too big an investment, make your own shoe bling. I attempted Green Wedding Shoes’ ‘DIY: Pretty Shoes‘; it’s a simple procedure that requires very little skill and is easy to pull apart if you stuff up the first time. 

To be extra thrifty, I didn’t buy fabric or fishing line but used what I had around the house: a damaged chiffon scarf and some white thread. I also sealed the raw edges with heat and hand-stitched the fabric so that it kept a neat accordion shape.

When dressing up your shoes, choose bling that is reversible to increase the versatility and/or life of the shoe. Tie a bit of ribbon, attach a string of beads, or make your own shoe clips. Here are some (p)inspirational examples I didn’t prepare earlier (thankyou interwebs!):