Retro Florals Platforms and Collar Necklace

Take a blast to the past with this 70s-inspired retro craft idea!

Let's go back to the 70s with this Retro Florals Platforms and Collar Necklace tutorial! Like most vintage trends, 70s fashion is returning, so you'll absolutely love this vintage craft idea. Using only a few materials, you can paint a lovely floral design onto your platform shoes and create a painted flower necklace that's inspired by retro fashion. This necklace pattern and painted shoe idea will look great with almost every outfit, and although it's vintage-inspired, you'll still look chic and modern. So, take out your paint brushes because it's time to start on this painting project!

Time to CompleteIn an evening

MaterialsPaint

Primary TechniquePainting

Easy

Project TypeMake a Project

Materials List

DecoArt® Stylin™ in Black, White, Fuchsia, Orange, Yellow, Green, and Turquoise
Leather (faux) platforms
Various smaller-sized paintbrushes
Small veg tan leather hide
Leather cutting scissors
Leather craft glue
Snap, hook, or velcro for closure

Instructions:

Platforms

You can use the color paints as they are out of the bottle. Or if you want to use more pastel shades, mix up your own tints by adding a bit of White paint to each color.
After you have the colors you would like to use, paint various sized and types of florals across the surface of the shoe. Let each color dry before you start in with the next to avoid the colors mixing.
Work large to small, painting the largest florals first, then adding in smaller floral motifs to fill the space.
Once you have filled the surface of the shoe with a floral pattern and the paint has completely dried, add the Black outline around the flowers to really make them pop. (You will want to use the thinnest brush that you have to do this.)

Collar Necklace

Cut out 30-40 leaf shapes in leather, all the same size.
Paint some of the leaf shapes in each one of the various bright colors, two or three of each color in Fuchsia, Orange, Yellow, and Turquoise.
While those are drying, use the rest of the leather to cut out little floral shapes, no bigger than an inch.
Paint the floral leather shapes in a White basecoat. Let dry.
Figure out the length you would like the collar necklace to be.

TIP: Try using another necklace as a guide.
Then, using the leather leaf cutouts, lay them out in a necklace shape, layering the ends of each leaf on top of one another to form the final oval, collared, necklace shape. Mix in the colored leaves through out, visually balancing the colored leaves with the veg tan ones.
Using leather craft glue, glue each leaf tip to the leaf underneath it. Work your way all the way around the necklace. (Every single leaf shape should have glue on it.)
Outline the White floral shapes in Black paint, adding a Black dot for the center and let dry.
Once dry, glue floral motifs down sporadically across the front of the necklace, balancing them out visually. Place heavy books on top of the necklace while it dries.
Lastly, add some sort of closure to the necklace. A small piece of Velcro at the ends will be the easiest option!