Closet Update: Bookshelf Shoe Organization

As I mentioned,  I recently re-organized my closet, and one of my biggest challenges was the shoe situation. As you can see - I just didn't have a good storage solution for my growing shoe collection.   I looked EVERYWHERE for a shoe rack, but ran into a couple of major challenges:

1 - Slatted/open shelves - arghhhh! these just don't work with heels.  My old (ikea) shoe shelf had open shelves and the heels always fall through!  Why do so many shoe racks have these racks?

2 - Short shelves - I bought a shoe rack at Target and it didn't even fit my shortest heels!

So,  after lot's of hunting (and buying and returning), I finally picked up a bookshelf from Ikea to store my shoes.  (It's this "Billy" bookshelf plus 2 extra shelves)  With 5 new shelves for my shoes, I feel like I have a whole new closet!!  I can actually walk into my walk-in closet! 

Giving an Old Pair of Shoes New Life with Leather Dye

Did you know that you could dye leather?   Clearly I like the idea of giving apparel a second life with dye, and as I was doing some spring cleaning last week,  I realized I might be able to do something similar with shoes. See, I had this very sad looking pair of yellow boots (yes,  I wore a pair of yellow boots to shreds), but I could never bear to get rid of them.  They were just so comfy and the little heel is the perfect height to wear walking around the city all day.  
Exhibit A:

I'm not even sure the photo does justice to how stained and beaten up they were.    I tried cleaning and polishing, but I just couldn't get them looking presentable.

This is where the dye comes in:  I figured if I couldn't get the stains off,  maybe I could cover them up!  After  a lot of Googling about dying leather, this seemed like a simple project I could tackle myself.  However, they also needed to be re-soled.   I figured I would take them to the cobbler to get them fixed up while I waited for the dye to arrive in the mail.  When I took them in,  I saw a sign that they dye leather.   So,  it was settled,  for just $30,  I basically got a new pair of shoes!

The results:

They're much darker than I had envisioned, because the cobbler said that dark brown or black was all that would cover up the stains.  I think they'll be great to throw on in the winter! Of course, I was so excited about them,  I threw them on today (see below)

Moral of the story is,  if you have something you love,  don't give up on it! I also had two other shoes fixed up at the cobbler(new heels and a new sole).  Clearly,  I can't let go of a good pair of shoes.

Leopard Loafers

Against my better judgement, I can't stop thinking about purchasing a pair of leopard loafers. (My better judgement is telling me that these shoes don't make any sense for summer, and that I just don't need any more shoes!)  I don't even know where the obsession came from.    I already own a great pair of loafers (these if you're curious),  but I really want a pair of leopard slip-on loafers.    I love how they almost feel like house slippers. Here are the options I'm deciding between:

Steve Madden @ Piperlime ($119)

Jeffrey Campbell @ Nordstrom ($99)

I usually think leopard shoes should be calf hair like the ones above, however, this woven pair ($136) has kind of a cool, preppy look

If Mischa Barton can wear leopard Keds with her bathing suit,  who's to say I can't wear leopard loafers with mine?