Friday, May 31, 2013

Shoe Mold Designs, If the Shoe Fits~

I just love vintage shoe molds!
Many of you who follow my blog, know, my great grandfather designed shoes in Italy.
When he came to this country with his large family, his wife, 4 girls and 2 boys, he carried many shoe molds to continue his work to support his crew.
 
  I am blessed to own several molds that my grandmother gave to me and I cherish them for they represent the hard work and care my great grandfather sacrificed to support the ones he loved.

 The molds he worked with are displayed in my home in their original form.
I love seeing the nicks and dents, scratches and wear from years of use.
 I would never paint these from great grandpa, but I have painted and designed many found molds over the years.
 Molds for Christmas tree ornaments and larger styles for desk accents holding pens and business cards. Even bookends work well with these old treasures.
My Dear friend Ann, from Ann's Finds and I, were talking about the molds while shopping in one of our favorite antique markets, when we saw a "high heel" shoe mold sitting on the checkout desk for customers to use, write with the pen and take a card.
 
 
The high heeled molds are most unusual and hard to find today and the one we saw was designed into a desk holder for pen and business cards.
 Of course we just loved it and I mentioned to Ann how much I would love to find a high heeled mold sometime to create something special for a desk accessory.

Anyway, long story short,
 Ann was at an estate sale and found not one, but two molds shaped in the high heel style. She got them both and brought them to me to style.
  Now the one we saw in the antique market, had a high heel glued on from a vintage high heel. 
So I began to shop the local thrift stores in search of a skinny high heel pair of shoes to design the two molds.
 
 I did come across a size 7AAA  shoe with lots of bling and straps in black. I checked out the heel and could see this one could be taken apart to use and also the bling from the shoe would be an extra bonus.
Did you notice the shape of the mold?
Very rare and hard to find.
 
 
 Molds like this can never stand on their own without a heel or pedestal.
 
This pic below is the shoe I found. Perfectly chic!!
Now this is the best part.
 I bought the slinky shoes for just 5 dollars, brought them home and they fit the molds perfectly.
 I'm not kidding, I couldn't believe it. It was like the molds could have been used to design these shoes.
 
 
So I didn't have to remove the heel, but could use the whole shoe as is and embellish it for the desk accessory we both wanted.
This first mold was created for my desk using some extra gemstones, feathers, pen and business cards.
The next pictures are the mold for Ann with more bling, black feathers, leopard print ribbon, gemstone pen and blingy buttons.
This was so much fun and really looks great on the desk.
Thank you Ann for finding these rare molds.
My great grandpa would love it.
 He may be the reason I love shoes so much.
 It's in the genes. LOL~~~
 
Have a great last day of May.
 
Smiles,
Celestina Marie

23 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

Well, you at least have a good excuse for liking shoes! Fantastic work, the finished show with mold looks great. Your Great Grandfather would have been so proud of you! Valerie

Draffin Bears said...

Hi Celestina Marie,

How beautiful the old shoe lasts passed on from your dear Grandpa,, they are such a lovely keepsake.
Also I love how you remodeled the high heeled one with the glamorous shoe and this must look fabulous on your desk and so useful.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend
Hugs
Carolyn

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

Wow - I love it. How creative you are. I'm sure grandpa is smiling down on your wonderful design. Great post.

Maria at inredningsvis said...

What a beautiful and glam shoe:)

If you want to see a classic Swedish house...check out my blog:)

I wish you a wonderful weekend beautiful:)

LOVE Maria from inredningsvis.se

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Celestina Marie, such a rich, wonderful heritage; you are indeed blessed! The shoes and the mold were "meant to be"...lovely!

Little Miss Maggie said...

Very cute. I don't think I have ever seen a high heel shoe mold in all the years I've been doing this so I'm sure they are very rare. I do love the old molds though. They have so much character.

Unknown said...

Hi my sweet friend!
What a sweet story!

I love to display the few treasure i have from my parents and grandparents. As you have done with your shoe molds. Being a shoe horder and loving bling, well you had me from the beginning. Whst an amazing find your sweet friend found..and then of course your amazing creation is to die for!

Hope all is well with you...been a crazy busy month here with me traveling and then my parents visit here last week. Im getting a little breather, but need to get up in my room and create..so good for the "sole", lol!

Big hugs from Michigan!
Lorena

Julie Marie said...

Oooh Celeste, those are so pretty!... I just love how they turned out... I cringed when you talked about taking the heel off of those stunning vintage high heels... I would love to own a pair like those!... so happy you were able to keep the shoe intact, and also that you have never painted the precious ones that belonged to your great~grandfather... simply priceless!... xoxo Julie Marie

1CardCreator said...

This looks absolutely stunning Celeste, your Great Grandfather would be very proud of you. This is such a gorgeous way to both display and use the beautiful molds, and what a shoe! Have a beautiful weekend! ~Diane

Patti said...

You know me, I'm into genealogy and family history, so I love any and all things which hearken back to other generations. I love that you are able to use some of your great-grandfather's things to enhance your own creativity.

Hugs,
Patti

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Cute! I love that idea for the desk....and the bling pen is cute too!!

Dorthe said...

You, too have a wonderful last day of May, Celestine Marie--
I ,too love those old molds, they are so beautiful, and alwayes soft from much use! It must be special to have those from your great grandpa - and ofcourse they should not be painted- !!
The ones your friend found are seldom seen here where I live, they looks beautiful, and so amazing in the transformation you made, dear!
Hugs,Dorthe

Kathy said...

You have educated me on shoe molds. I would not have realized what the high heel one was. I love the way you styled it - perfectly sparkly!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Celsting, I have a number of shoe molds, but I have never seen a high heel shoe mold. These turned out so pretty. You found the perfect shoe to put on them, and your added touches give them such personality. Now I'm going to be looking for a high heel shoe mold. Thanks for the idea! laurie

Donna said...

I've always loved shoe molds, but I don't have any (yet!). That is so neat that your great grandfather designed shoes in Italy! The European's are so into their high fashion shoes! Love your collection, how fun that you found those heels! Now I will think of you whenever I see those molds:)

Donna said...

I've always loved shoe molds, but I don't have any (yet!). That is so neat that your great grandfather designed shoes in Italy! The European's are so into their high fashion shoes! Love your collection, how fun that you found those heels! Now I will think of you whenever I see those molds:)

Shirley said...

Hi Celestina, You talent is awesome and I love the things that you do. I love the high heel shoe. Your family had a great talent. I just wish I could find somebody to repair shoes in our area that I like. They have a boot repair shop. I enjoyed your post. Have a great weekend. Hugs and Prayers from Your Missouri Friend.

The Polka Dot Closet said...

You are so right Grandpa would LOVE it! Your shoes are lovely!

Carol

Cynthia said...

Hi Celestina,
I enjoyed this post. I will never look at shoes the same. Thank you, for educating me about molds. I believe I have seen a few of molds during my trips to estate sales and thrift shops, but I never understood their true significance. The molds you have from your grandfather are wonderful. I love the finished creation with the black high-heel. Many blessings to you~

NanaDiana said...

What a clever and cute idea that is! Leave it to you to find something and add to it and make it more than it had ever hoped to be. What a clever gal you are!!! xo Diana ps-did I mention I just love it???

farmhouse-story said...

these are so interesting and full of character! such a great family treasure, and you've found the perfect shoe for it:) happy weekend!

Denise said...

Very cool.

Grandma Linda's Daydreams said...

I love how you styled that high-heel mold! Real looks fabulous!
Your old shoe molds from your grandpa are such a treasure! I know he would be so proud of you!
Love, Linda

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Celestina Marie
Celestina Marie

Welcome To Rose Garden Market from Celestina Marie Design. It is so nice to meet you. My name is Celestina Marie named after my grandmother and my friends call me Celeste.My creative journey extends over 30 years enjoying the love of painting and redesigning vintage and new treasures. I love to go treasure hunting and the fun of finding great vintage pieces to redesign..