Before i start my post, i just need to throw out that I am madly in love with the John Mayer cover of "Free Fallin". I'm a huge Tom Petty fan (he's a local!) and John's sweet voice just melts me!

On a shoe hunt, i was looking through photos from fashion shows and found these awesome Balmain strappy heels. They have studs and rhinestones all over (i LOVE bling) but i couldn't figure out where to find them so I decided to make a pair of my own.

I also bought some rhinestones to decorate mine with! I would also recommend buying the shoes FIRST then the studs/ bling just to see what matches the shoe style.
To place to studs, you can either hammer them through the fabric (be careful!) and then use wires to bend the edges in OR you can buy a stud setting too for a relatively cheap price. If you find hammering to be too difficult, you can also glue. If you plan on gluing, make sure to wipe down the shoe first.
Next, you can add rhinestones for a little bling. I really like how the Balmain shoes have rhinestones as the band on the ankle strap! Now just let the glue dry and you have your very own, custom studded shoes!
I wish my camera cord was working so I could upload my creation! the key to creating awesome shoes is to pay attention to the anatomy of the shoes and to not overdo one the studs. I wanted to find platformed heels so i could add bling to the platform but no luck!
Time to get creative and don't forget, you don't have to spend a lot to look hot!
-Meredith Leigh