Winter Arts and Crafts

Alpine Motif Painted Hockey Skates

Folks, I am so excited about the winter arts and crafts project I currently am working on that I must share it with you RIGHT NOW even though I still am working on it.

I purchased a pair of men's hockey skates at a thrift shop and am painting them with an alpine motif. The finished skates will be holiday decor that I can display on my mantle (one skate on each side, facing each other) or hang on the front door.

I will provide more detailed instructions and list the materials I used after I have completed the project. But for now, just take a look at these photos.

Here is how the skates looked before I began. The soles and blade holder were white (rigid plastic). The boot part of the skates was black with logos on the sides and back.

The blue "Charger" logo was a decal that I could peal off.

Using black acrylic craft paint, I covered the Bauer logos on the back and side.

I painted the sole black and the blade holder metallic gold. (I might change the gold. I'm not sure I like it. UPDATE - I do like the gold and I'm keeping it.) I plan to keep the boot black and fairly simple but with some embellishments. I'd like the finished item to be something that either a man or a woman would be proud to display.

Using extra-fine tip opaque paint markers, I drew alpine flowers down the middle of the tongue.

(Before, there was just a plain black leather strip down the middle.)

Unfortunately I had not properly prepared the leather, and the paint never dried! I write more about that later in this page. But while I was waiting (futilely) for the paint to dry, I began painting a design on the back of the skate.

I decided to paint a Swiss cowherd and a cow with a big cowbell on the back of the skate up at the top. Here is the cowherd in progress. (I am using opaque paint markers and acrylic craft paint.)

Oops! I made a mess and got big splotches of white paint on and below the cowherd when I started working on him again. I blotted up as much as could, then touched up the cowherd with more paint in the appropriate colors. I will need to use paint remover to get the rest of the splotches off, because the white paint was from an opaque paint marker and is oil based. (Or maybe I will just paint snow under the drawing!) In the meantime, I sketched in the cow.

Later I added some detail to the cowherd, using paint and a black ball point pen. I also did more work on the cow.

When I resumed, I finished the cow and, using turpentine, I removed the white splotches from below the drawing.

I might embellish this winter arts and crafts project further by adding the outline of the Alps in the background but first I want to decide what I am going to place lower on the back of the skate. That will give me a better idea of how much more to add to the cowherd and cow drawing, if anything. (By the way, the cow's udders actually are more subtle than they appear in these photos!)

Next, with opaque paint markers I added a Swiss shield on the back of the skate and I colored the grommets metallic gold on the side of the skate.

Here, I am in the process of adding a man blowing an alpenhorn at the bottom of the skate in the back.

I'm still not quite sure how to finish up the alpenhorn drawing. I think I'll add the Matterhorn. In the meantime, I painted this seam with metallic gold acrylic paint and did the same thing on the other side of the skate. I think it looks good!

When I returned to work on this winter arts and crafts project, I added the Matterhorn (above left). My first attempt looked more like the Great Pyramid, but I touched it up a bit and now I think it looks enough like the Matterhorn to pass muster. The photo above on the right shows the entire back of the skate.

Here, I have added the flags of the eight "Alpine states" of the Alpine Convention: France, Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein (near back of skate) and Austria, Slovenia, Italy, and Monaco (near toe of skate).

Another oops! I finally accept the fact that the paint is not adhering well to the leather portions of the skate. The paint had dried very quickly in the rubber-like areas I painted on the back of the skate. However, the flowers I painted on the leather tongue and the flags on the side of the skate are still completely smearable after many days! Obviously I did not properly prepare the surface. Live and learn! I will do some investigation and experimentation -- and will report back.

Well, I am back and have done some research on how to properly prepare the leather surface before painting it. For pointers, please read these suggestions on how to paint leather.

Using turpentine, I removed all the paint from the tongue and the sides of the skate. Then I followed the steps described in the "how to paint leather" link.

After painting the underlying surface black, I again painted the alpine flowers on the skate tongue and the flags on the side of the skate. I used water-based acrylic paints and touched up using oil-based paint markers. This time, the paint dried within minutes -- even the oil-based paint!

Above is a photo of the "new" flowers on the tongue. They look just as great as they did the first time.

To the left is a photo of the repainted flags of the eight Alpine States. I think they look even better than the first ones did!

On the other side of the skate, I painted a hiker on a mountain trail.

On the same side of the skate, I added a leaping stag and an evergreen tree, using gold metallic paint.

Then I painted the seam, also with gold metallic paint.

(Click the photo to enlarge.)

I also painted the seam on the other side of the skate.

I debated whether I should do anything more on the back of the skate. I ended up painting three gold stripes. I think they look good.

Then I touched up several areas that I had already painted.

I think I am finished with the painting now. All I need to do now is to varnish the painted areas and to add laces!

Speaking of laces, I have had some trouble finding what I want. I considered using ribbon, but the boot is somewhat heavy, and I will need sturdy laces if I am going to hang the boots on the front door.

I considered round black cord (made of nylon or velvet or satin) with gold aglets but I have not been able to find any readymade nor have I been able to find the materials I would need to make them myself.

I considered leather strips in various colors but have not found any that I thought would really enhance the appearance of the skate.

I have looked at numerous skate and boot laces that are on the market but have not found any that I thought would look particularly special on the skate.

So I finally decided to color the laces that I already have -- the white ones that came with the skates -- using metallic gold fabric paint. (Fabric paint, unlike craft paint, will keep the lace flexible and will not flake off. I decided to use fabric paint instead of dye because I have read that you can't really get a metallic effect with dye, or at least not as metallic looking as you can with fabric paint.) I think it will look super. I hope so!

I have now begun working on the laces. First, I washed them in the washing machine, along with a regular load of laundry, and let them air dry.

I am not experienced with using fabric paint, so I decided to just paint one lace at a time to see how it goes.

I covered a tabletop with a big plastic sheet and placed the lace on it so that it was flat, although I had to curve it around because it was too long for the table.

I placed a paper towel under a portion of the lace and began painting.

When I finished painting the first section, I moved the towel under the next section and painted that portion. I continued this process until the entire lace was painted on the top side.

The paint I am using is Lumiere by Jacquard, and the color is "Metallic Gold." I have never used this product before and I like it very much. Lumiere goes on really smoothly and has good coverage. It is acrylic paint and washes up easily with water. Lumiere also can be used on many surfaces besides fabric.

The brush I am using is a bit wider than I would prefer but I cannot find the brush that I wanted to use, and the others that I have are much too narrow.

The instructions say to let the fabric paint dry for 24 hours. So at the moment, I am in the process of waiting for the paint to dry. After it dries, I will "heat set" the paint and then will paint the other side of the lace.

After 24 hours, I ironed both sides of the lace. Before I began ironing, the lace was a bit stiff from the paint. It became much softer and more flexible after being ironed.

The instructions say to iron each side for 30 seconds to "heat set" the color. Of course, it took me longer than 30 seconds per side to complete the ironing because the lace is 72 inches long. I placed the iron on a section of the lace for 30 seconds, then turned the lace over and placed the iron that side for 30 seconds, then turned the lace over again and placed the iron on the next section of the lace for 30 seconds, and so on, moving from one end of the lace to the other until the complete lace had been ironed on both sides.

Next, I painted the other side of the lace and will wait 24 hours for it to dry.

I also have painted the first side of the second lace.

That is as far as I have gotten so far on this fabulous winter arts and crafts project. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Click this link to learn how to draw some of the alpine figures I used on these skates.

For a similar winter arts and crafts project, see painted baby shoes.

For more creative Christmas and winter arts and crafts projects, see Christmas Crafts to Make.

For more leather painting project ideas, watch the short tutorial videos on the Paint Leather Jackets page.

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