Never Again Sketchers- Epic Fail

You think I would have learned last year. Last year, Abbie wanted the light up Twinkle Toes just like every other little girl out there. We searched high and low and got her the perfect pair, and made her kindergarten life complete. Then the jewels started to pop off one by one, to the point that we gave up gluing random replacements on and threw them out.

Marissa came up with a great DIY Twinkle Toes that cost about $3, plus random craft items from her craft box. We made the kids some Sparkle Faux sneakers, and called it a day.

So this year, my daughter wanted pink and white sparkly shoes. We fell in love with a pair of discontinued Nikes, and searched everywhere for a similar replacement. A friend of ours, (my kids call her grandma) sent a pair of adorable Sketchers that met the bill, and Abbie fell in love! They were white, and had pink striped soles, pink sparkly liner and insoles, silver sparkles in the laces, and even (detachable) sparkly pom-poms on the heel. She was so excited to wear them for school.


She wore them twice, and now I'm searching for a new pair of sneakers for her. Why? Because the picture above shows the ONLY part of both shoes that does not look torn up. The pom-poms fall off, and she gets frustrated, but that can be over looked. It turns out that on almost EVERY seam line, the "pleather" has pulled away, shredded, and disintegrated. We have no animals, but I would say they look like a dog chewed them up! She wore them TWO times. On non- PE days.. and this is what they look like:

None of her other shoes look like this!!! Her cheap, sparkly-Walmart's own- black sneakers that she's worn for PE don't look like this. What the heck, Sketchers?!?! (Oh and for what it's worth, the shoes are not really that dirty- the worn areas pick up our ashy dirt like nobody's business. Plus, the under layer is like a yellow/grey almost cloth texture.)

Sketchers used to be a brand that meant 'stylish, quality footwear for the family'. To our family it now means 'we will never buy again'. Plain and simple. I don't think it would be that bad if it was just us. But since I've been stewing on this post this entire week, I posted a picture to facebook, and received SEVERAL other messages from friends and family that said that their child's Sketchers fell apart less than a month after they started wearing them.

I am really unhappy about our experience, and I wanted to make sure that I shared this post with you, to forewarn you in case you have a similar experience. I know that not all shoes are created equally, but I never expected this from Sketchers.

What brand of back to school shoes did you get for your child? Now I need to hunt for a cute pair of every day sneakers for my daughter.

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Sparkle Faux's: Save some Money on Shoes this Fall

Back-To-School time is expensive enough without having to figure in the trendiest accessories of the season. My daughter is 7, and like most girls her age, she's head over heels for Sketcher's shoes. Last year, she had to have HyDee High-Tops! She finally wore me down; after she brought home a great report card, I bought her a pair of these high dollar high tops as a reward. Of course, she did what every kid does when you buy them some expensive new duds--outgrew them in the blink of an eye. Farewell, $49.99 shoes.

When school shopping commenced this year, I was informed by my daughter that the new "it" shoe from Sketcher's was the "Twinkle Toes" and she HAD to have a pair. These shoes are adorable; they are covered in every kind of bling imaginable. I understand her want--if I could get away with wearing them, I would! But after the high top fiasco, I can't see myself spending that kind of money on a fashion shoe knowing she's going to outgrow them the moment I shell out the money. (These shoes run between $39.99-$54.99)

I had an epiphany while looking at these in the store--I can make these! (or something close enough to be acceptable to my daughter!) I have acrylic paints, buttons, and brushes in my craft box!! So, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a pair of $3 plain blue sneakers and went to town!

I painted random things like peace signs,arts, and rainbows, with acrylic paints and outlined with a colored Sharpie marker. Then I applied glitter stars and button hearts using fabric glue. They turned out adorable and my daughter LOVES them. All of her friends think they are adorable too!

So, if you're little dolls want some "Twinkle Toes", and you're crafty, why not make some "Sparkle Fauxs" and save a few bucks? :)

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