Wanting some fun beach sandals this summer without spending a fortune?
Do you love summery beach sandals? Me too! They are so fun. Sliding those beach sandals on each summer is always something we look forward to, right?
You can embellish slides like these in about 30 minutes, using a pair of basic summer sandals, and one secret ingredient (besides hot glue)…
Check out this quick and simple video tutorial with all the details!
The secret supply? Ta-Da…
A $1 grass skirt from the Dollar Store!
And if you’re a fan of Dollar Store crafts, then stick around til the end! A group of my blogging friends are all sharing their own “fun in the sun” summer crafts with items purchased at the Dollar Store, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, or whichever you happen to have near you!
Back to the beach sandals…my sister sent me an article from Real Simple magazine recently where she had seen an article about fun, summery sandals. She texted me this picture and said “you could totally make these…”
I took one look and thought, “heck ya, I’m definitely going to make those!” My sis and I both agreed we liked the pair of beach sandals on the top left best, so that’s what I would try to re-create.
And before I move on, if you’re not into DIY’ing, I hear you. Sometimes I’d rather not, either. So if you love the look, but would rather not pull out your glue gun, then check out these non-DIY super summery straw sandal options!
Summery beach sandals you can buy instead of DIY:
And after doing a little shopping around for similar beach sandals, I can tell you, this little DIY version is a serious bargain! There’s a pair listed above that looks almost identical to my DIY version…for $850!!! I KNOW!!!
So if you decide to save that $850, here’s what you’ll need to make our DIY beach sandals:
Supplies for DIY beach sandals
- basic pair of slides (here are the ones I used…I removed the tassels, even though they were super cute as is!)
- hot glue/hot glue gun
- scissors
- 1-2 grass skirts (use the adult variety) I got mine from Dollar Tree, but here’s another option
How to DIY a summery pair of beach sandals:
If you prefer written instructions to the video above, here you go!
1. Choose your slides, and purchase grass skirt(s).
A basic, inexpensive slide will work great to make these beach sandals. You don’t have to worry too much about the color except for the sides and heel because the top of the slides will be covered with your raffia.
The pair I used started with tassels on it. They were easily removed (and I re-used them on a DIY purse that I’ll show you soon) before I began…
You can find grass skirts at Dollar Tree! But take note: they sell both adult and kid sizes. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of purchasing the kids’ size, so I ended up needing (2) of them. You could complete this project with just one of the adult-sized skirts.
If you aren’t around a Dollar Store, you can find these online at party stores, or I’ve linked to one on Amazon above in the supply list as well.
2. Cut first section of grass skirt. Knot both ends.
The picture below shows the first row of grass already applied, but I wanted you to see in this pic how I’ve scrunched up the grass on the right side in order to expose some naked portion of string beneath.
Lay a section of the grass skirt across the top of your slide so you can determine how long of a section of grass skirt you need to cut. The sections should span completely from one side of the shoe (almost ground level) to the other.
Make sure you have some of this exposed string on either end of the sections of the grass skirt before making a cut. At both ends of each section, you’ll need to tie a knot. The knot will prevent the raffia from falling off the shoe!!
3. Starting nearest toes of your beach sandals, glue first section of grass skirt to top of slide.
Fire up that hot glue gun, and glue down your first section of grass skirt. Start on the part of the shoe closest to where your toes go.
You’ll be able to see the two small knots on the very ends of the sections of grass skirt once glued in. Once the whole shoe is assembled though, those will virtually disappear.
Trim any excess string on either side of the shoe before moving on.
4. Continue glueing sections of grass skirt to the slide.
One row at a time, move up the shoe toward the ankle end of the shoe. I spaced my sections about 3/4″ apart, and I ended up with a total of (4) total sections of raffia added to each shoe.
5. Time for a trim.
If you’re a hairdresser, you will be awesome at this step. I am not, so I was a bit of a hot mess giving this thing a trim. But it worked out regardless.
My biggest piece of advice on this step is START LONG. Don’t snip too much at first. Then there’s no going back. I ended up trimming mine several times until I felt like the fringe was the perfect length.
Start by trimming the section of the grass skirt glued closest to the toes. This is accomplished by flipping all the other sections up and over the top of the shoe so it’s easy to see the top section and separate it from the ones below. Then just grab a bunch of the strands, and snip.
Just guesstimate as you go…you can perfect it later, but this first cut is just a rough cut. Do this rough cut for each section of grass, working your way toward the ankle end of the slide.
6. Trim each section so it overlaps the one below by at least 1/4″ – 1/2″.
Now it’s the surgical cut time. Be a bit more precise here and try to cut your lines straight across the shoe. For this stage, it may be easiest to start on the top layer (layer nearest ankle).
Cut it so that the bottom of that section overlaps the one below by at least a little bit. The goal is to hide the top of each layer beneath the top one.
It may take you a little bit to feel like you’ve cut just the right amount. But once you’re happy with it, pop those puppies on and admire your super-sassy straw summer slides ❤?!!
I think these little beach sandals are just the CUTEST ever!!
Be sure to check out all the other AMAZING projects my blogging friends pulled together for “My Dollar Store DIY” this month!
Southern State of Mind | The Organized Mama | This is our Bliss | Creative Ramblings
On the hunt for more summer craftiness, home decor, and DIY fun? Be sure to check out these ideas, too!
Pin these beach sandals for later! If you decide to make them, leave a comment below in the post, or on the pin itself! Doing that helps others who may try this project down the road! ⬇
Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of “Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!” Click here to enter your email or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!
Emily says
These are super cute! And so easy to make yourself 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday party; I’m going to feature your DIY sandals at next week’s party. Hope you’ll stop by and link up again!