Update on puff paint grippy socks

Okay, so I totally flaked out and neglected to blog it till Jenna reminded me, so here is an update on my Facebook status of Dec 16, in which I crowed about trying to make non-skid socks for Todd using puffy paint :-) In a nutshell, it was a success!

I finally got a chance to try out the socks during Todd's karate lesson last week. Here's what I wound up doing:

I spent less than $1.50 on a tiny 1oz bottle of 3-D paint at Michael's. Then I took Todd's feet and traced them over some thick, sturdy cardboard, cutting out two foot-shaped patterns. I stuffed these patterns inside some old socks to stretch them out properly, and then dabbed paint on the soles. Dots, stripes, dashes-- they all work. And a letter "T" for Todd on the heel, for added fluorish :-)

Let them sit and dry for 24 hours, and they were ready to be used! They held up quite well! I even saw Todd picking at it while seated, and it held firm.

This was the exact bottle I have (just different color):



The funny thing is that now Todd doesn't actually mind going barefoot, so that little art project was all for naught. But you know what? Better to have spent less than $2 on a bottle of paint I could use for something else, than spend $15 for specially-made grippy socks that would just gather dust in the recesses of the dresser, right? Or worse yet, $50 for shoes that he will merely outgrow before the year is over.

My inspiration came from a fellow mother's blog, complete with pictures of her handiwork: http://babymasonjar.blogspot.com/2007/11/grip-y-socks.html
According to her, they held up pretty well, surviving several washes, and by the time they started to wear out, her son had outgrown the socks, anyway.

All in all, it seems like it bodes well for those of you willing to give it a try :-) I'd love to hear how you fare with them!