DIY: Creepy Crawler Flip Flops...for the little guys (and reptile loving little girls) in your life
You can pretty much glue anything to the straps of a flip flop to turn them into something special. You just need the right type of glue. I found this out the hard way with this project.
PERSONAL SIDE NOTE: It was a little uncomfortable making these flip flops because anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a fan of lizards - not real ones, not cartoon ones, not plastic ones, not even pictures of lizards. I had a bad experience with a lizard when I was a child. And, we have been on the outs ever since. They run too fast. They always end up in the wrong places, i.e. on your body somewhere. And, there is something completely unsettling about a creature whose tail can snap off from their body and keep wiggling around minutes after detachment. It got so bad I saw a therapist to help get over my fear. It worked. And, I can now see a lizard without having a full blown sweaty meltdown. But, I hadn't tested actually holding a lizard (even a fake one) until this project. Mission accomplished...but not without some moments of shoulder shuddering and "Ewww" outbursts from yours truly.
The Task:
My bestie's son LOVES lizards. She tells me all the time about his backyard "lizard hunting" adventures with his dad. So far, he's been unsuccessful in his quests. But, he hasn't given up. I wanted to make some flip flops for kids and ran into a pack of plastic reptiles. I immediately thought of my little lizard hunter and decided to make him a pair of flip flops for the summer.
The Ingredients: inexpensive flip-flops (Dollar Tree again), water resistant crazy glue (VERY IMPORTANT if you want your plastic creatures to stay put), some binder clips, rubbing alcohol
The Purchase Locations: Dollar Tree
The Cost: Approx. $3.00
It only took me: about 30 minutes (only because me and the glue were not getting along) PLUS a 24 hour drying time
How to:
1. Wipe off the plastic straps of your flip flops with alcohol.
2. Decide the layout you want for your reptiles.
3. Add a few drops of water resistant glue to the plastic flip flop strap and to the bottom of your selected reptile. Place the sticky reptile on the strap. Use a binder clip to hold the reptile in place for 24-hours.
4. Repeat until your flip-flops are full of creepy crawly reptiles.
The Ingredients: inexpensive flip-flops (Dollar Tree again), water resistant crazy glue (VERY IMPORTANT if you want your plastic creatures to stay put), some binder clips, rubbing alcohol
The Purchase Locations: Dollar Tree
The Cost: Approx. $3.00
It only took me: about 30 minutes (only because me and the glue were not getting along) PLUS a 24 hour drying time
How to:
1. Wipe off the plastic straps of your flip flops with alcohol.
2. Decide the layout you want for your reptiles.
3. Add a few drops of water resistant glue to the plastic flip flop strap and to the bottom of your selected reptile. Place the sticky reptile on the strap. Use a binder clip to hold the reptile in place for 24-hours.
4. Repeat until your flip-flops are full of creepy crawly reptiles.
5. Let the flip-fops dry for 24 hours.
6. Remove the plastic binder clips after about 12 hours (just to make sure they don't get permanently glued to the flip-flop)
Enjoy!!!
Enjoy!!!
TIP 1: You really can glue anything to the flip flip strap. Just make sure it is not too heavy or bulky so the wearer will be comfortable.
TIP 2: My trusty E6000 glue failed me this time. The reptiles did stick to the straps but they could be easily peeled off. I know little boys and I know they like to take things apart. I didn't want to make it too easy so I opted for a stronger glue. Plus, I figured the flip flops are bound to get wet so water resistant glue would be a good choice. It was. I didn't get it right until my third gluing attempt. The second attempt, I tried regular super glue. Terrible idea. If you ever want two pieces of plastic to NOT stick together, use regular super glue.
