Screwdrivers and Stethoscopes: Rhinestones and Studs and Spikes...Oh My! DIY Christian Louboutin

July 31st is typically an insignificant date to most....but it is pretty important to me. Why is that, you ask? Cause I officially finished my first rotation!!! One down, 10 more to go....

All together now: "Hallelujah!"

(Public Plea: PLEASE cross your fingers, rub a rabbit's foot, and throw some salt over your shoulder...wish me luck...I may or may not have passed my end of rotation exam....)

All in all, I enjoyed Internal Medicine. Even though the hours were LONG I still had a great experience. I had fantastic patients and preceptors that really showed me the meaning of a patient/provider relationship. I still have SO much to learn, but I'm off to a great start....now on to OB/GYN!

Moving on......as everyone knows by now, I have a penchant for shoes, more specifically red soled 5 inch heels. I don't care if my feet bleed, my toes scream, or pedal edema spreads all the way to my brain...I have to have them.

About a year ago I discovered my inspiration: Christian Louboutin Very Mix Platform Heels. Price: $3,500 Being that my bank account was and still is, in the double digits, I needed to get resourceful.

Step 1: Gather Materials

The original "Very Mix" is covered in Swarovski Strass "Comet Argent" crystals. Nope nope, I cannot stomach paying hundreds of dollars for crystals.

Good alternative: Silver rhinestuds purchased via ebay in the following sizes (Size is really a matter of preference, this is just what I used....) $7 including shipping

2,880 6ss
2,880 16ss
288 20ss

Leather hole punch- $5 ebay
Spikes: 5/8" silver spikes, and 0.5" silver spikes purchased from studsandspikes.com ~$10

At the time of purchase I didn't realize how long the spikes I purchased really were. In retrospect I would have used shorter tree spikes....but hey it is what it is!

Studs: I purchased the triangle studs off ebay, a package of 100 for $3.00.... I hunted high and low for pyramid spikes...couldn't find them anywhere. Guess what? You can now purchase them on studsandspikes.com for $13.44 for a bag of 20 or $0.96 each

Shoes: I got a fantastic deal on a pair of silver heels from sheikh shoes- Style: Ingrid-2...Price $14.00 after coupon code (now they're going for $21.97 http://www.shiekhshoes.com/p-27474-womens-ingrid-2.aspx)
Glue: Trusty E6000, 2 tubes $6
To make life a little easier you might want to consider purchasing syringes to put the glue into...I got mine from walmart in the baby aisle $2

Step 2: Punch and screw

Take leather hole punch, punch holes in shoes where you want the studs placed, screw in studs...now you might be thinking: Don't the backs of the spikes rub against your feet? My answer to that is...possibly, depending on the placement. In my case, the screws didn't bother my feet one bit.

Step 3: Use hole punch to punch new holes into belts from your skinny glory days.....Sorry I got sidetracked....this hole punch is USEFUL!

Step 3 (For realz): Pyramid stud placement.

The pyramids I used had little prongs on them. They didn't penetrate the leather very well, so I ended up using a wire cutter to cut them off. Using the E6000 I scattered and glued the studs to bare areas

Step 4: Glue till you can't glue no more. Caution: the glue is NOXIOUS. Make sure you have good ventilation.

I used a bobby pin with sticky tack on the end of it to pick up the tiny rhinestuds. Companies do make wax sticks or you can always use tweezers, but I used what I had on hand. Remember: Be resourceful!

I didn't use any real pattern for my rhinestones, I tended to put the larger stones on first, and then filled in the gaps. Some people use a specific pattern. It's really up to you!