Customizing shoes with your own designs is a great way to personalize them, but hand-painting intricate designs can be difficult for the budding artist. I've found a way to transfer detailed printed designs onto shoes using tattoo paper. This technique lets you create a custom look no matter your artistic skill level.

VIDEO: Customize Your Shoes with Tattoo Paper

Use tattoo paper to customize your shoes

Besides working great for adding temporary tattoos to your skin, printable tattoo paper can also be used to create decals to add to your shoes.

There are many varieties available, so make sure you get the correct tattoo paper to match your printer (laser or inkjet) and make sure you purchase the clear version for this project.

I'll show you how easy it is to use tattoo paper to transfer images to your shoes, but first let me show you the design I used on my shoes for a very special event: attending a Taylor Swift concert with my daughters.

Custom shoes for Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert

I used this easy image transfer technique to create custom sneakers to wear to an upcoming Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert. My daughters assigned me the 1989 Era to inspire my outfit, so I wanted to make custom sneakers that would match. I designed a set of fun cassette tape images, each with a different name of one of her albums. And since the concert we're attending is in London, I also created one with a UK flag and "Eras Tour" as the title.

If you'd like to use my same images, just download my Taylor Swift Eras Tour Cassettes Template and print it onto your tattoo paper, making sure to follow the specific instructions for your tattoo paper.

Most tattoo papers will require that you print your image in reverse, so the design is mirrored, so that's how I have it in the download. But just in case you need them in normal readable format, I included that version too. Make sure you print whichever page you need for your tattoo paper's specific instructions.

Of course, you can use this technique for any designs you want to create!

Choosing the best shoes to customize

You could probably use this technique for any type of shoes, but I do recommend you choose a shoe with a very smooth surface and lots of white space so you can have plenty of room to add your designs.

I purchased plain, white, faux leather sneakers that worked beautifully for my project, but canvas shoes would also work well.

Adding the tattoo paper decals to your shoes

Once you've printed your tattoo paper and cut out the images, just follow the instructions on the paper to transfer the designs to your shoes. This part was so much fun! It was like magic and I couldn't believe how easily the transfers worked.

I added a variety of images at different angles all over my shoes. To personalize them even more for our specific concert location in London, I put that large Union Jack cassette tape right on the front.

Seal the transfers to protect from weather

After applying all the tattoo paper transfers, you should seal them to protect them from rain, weather, and wear. I used an outdoor-rated decoupage medium to seal mine, applying 3 coats over the entire shoe.

Easy customized sneakers with tattoo paper

I love how my DIY custom "painted" shoes turned out. The tattoo paper made it so easy to add detailed images without having to paint them by hand.

I think I will use this same technique to make a pair of custom shoes to wear to Disney World this fall for the Food & Wine Festival. My daughter also wants me to make a pair for her to wear to school sporting events. The possibilities are endless!