So the kids’ school asks that outdoor shoes are changed for indoor shoes once they arrive – an excellent idea which means they can protect the floor and keep carpets in the lovely classrooms. They suggest those inexpensive black plimsolls (I know them as Penny Blacks?) and at under £5 a pair almost every pupil wears them.

That’s all well and good except that with 25 pupils in Erica’s primary 1 class, it’s too easy for their shoes to get mixed up. The simple solution? A little bit of customisation!

E is still not great at getting her shoes on the correct feet, so I labelled them.

Of course once I got started I realised that I couldn’t do Erica a set without also doing a set for Greer, which meant also doing a pair for my little niece Bailey who goes to nursery with Greer and would therefore be witness to their amazingness. As Erica is still off school sick, her shoes weren’t as much of a priority as the other two who needed theirs today.

I’ve got the artistic ability and skill level of your average 3 year old so it was all dots, stars and straight lines – simple enough to execute but the girls LOVED it. Probably because the stuff I used was sparkly.

I also labelled Bailey’s with left & right as she’s in her preschool year and more likely to recognise the words than Greer. I read a really interesting statistic back in my smelly student days about the increased reading hours in children who had posters up in their homes so I like the idea of the words being there for her to become familiar with.

One evening in front of the TV, three bottles of Dylon 3D paint and 3 pairs of sannies to make three little girls very chuffed indeed. Plus I got to add, “Best Auntie Ever” alongside “Highly Commended in Majorette 1987″ in my list of favourite awards. BOOM!

These were so easy to do that I’m embarrassed I’ve never done it before! What do you think? Will you have a shot?

Erica’s sandshoes were from Clarks which are great for kids with wee fat paws & high insteps because they come in width fittings too but they’re more pricey at around £11 a pair. Bailey’s were £3.50 and Greer’s were £2.50 from M&S. The Dylon 3D paint is roughly £2 for a 25ml bottle.

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Posted under for the kids, general crafty updates