DIY Light Up Shoes with Tanya Memme

Materials:

• Custom Length Waterproof Flexible Light Strip
• Mini RGB Controller
• Heavy Duty 9V Snap Connector
• Velcro Tape
• 1" Ribbed Duct Tape • Electrical Tape • Wire Cutter/Stripper Directions:

1. Wrap the 9-volt battery with the colored/patterned duct tape of your choice.
2. Place a strip of self-adhesive Velcro tape on the tongue of the shoe, and then the corresponding side of the Velcro strip on the back of you 9-volt battery. And then connect the 9-volt batter to the tongue of the shoe making sure that the positive and negative terminals are facing down toward the laces.
3. Connect the Custom Length Waterproof Flexible Light Strip to the Mini RGB Controller and then to the Heavy Duty 9V Snap Connector. By finding the placement for the Controller on the inside curve of the shoe, you can determine the necessary length for the other three strips to meet the 9-volt battery on the tongue of the shoe with out excess wires. Then, using wire cutters cut the wires to get rid of the excess wire length on the Controller and the Snap Connector.
4. Use the wire stripper to expose the wire underneath the casing. Twist the wires of the Light Strip to the Controller Strip to the Snap Connector corresponding colors, red-to-red for the red light, green-to-green for the green light, blue-to-blue for the blue light, and black-to-black for the power. Secure the connection with electrical tape.
5. Wrap the Light Strip around the base of the shoe. Start with the end that is connected to the Controller and work your way clockwise. Remove the adhesive backing on the Light Strip a little at a time as you adhere it to the base of the shoe so that the strip doesn’t stick to anything else unnecessarily.
6. Once you have the Light Strip firmly around the base of the shoe, wrap the Controller and the Snap Connector along the length of the arch side of the shoe, securing them in place with the duct tape. Wrap the Snap Connector up to the tongue of the shoe where they will connect to the 9-volt battery.
7. Connect the 9-volt battery to the Snap Connector and your shoes will light up! Disconnect it when you don’t want the lights on. The Velcro makes it easy to exchange the 9-volt battery when it needs replacing. Light Strips are low voltage, so the battery should last you around 48 hours; longer if you disconnect the battery from the Snap Connector when not in use.
8. With the Controller you can change the speed and brightness, the colors, and the lighting pattern on each shoe.

For more Lifestyle by Tanya, visit www.TanyaMemme.com and follow Tanya on Twitter @Tanya_Memme!