Thursday, December 13, 2012

My 25 Cent Vintage Boots! {How To "Fix" The Deteriorated Lining}

I was out running errands this fall when I saw a garage sale sign and squealed around the corner so as not to miss it.  I was just about to pay for my pile of jeans for my six year old when I noticed something that looked like super duper cute boots peaking out from the table.  I pulled them out and saw there was a twenty five cent sticker on them.  Must be a mistake.  Those stickers always fall off and find themselves stuck on the wrong item.  Plus, they were hidden under the table, so maybe she wasn't even getting rid of them.  She said they were indeed twenty five cents and were a size six.  OH MY.  My heart was racing!  I'm not quite into a size six, however I'm cold blooded and usually wear two pairs of thick socks anyway in my boots.  I  kicked off a flip flop and tugged them on.  Eeeeee.  Feel kinda sticky and yucky inside.  But my excitement totally overpowered the yucky feel inside and I said I'd take them.  Stuck.  Couldn't get them off.  And the weird thing was, there was all kinds of room in them.  But that yucky inside was like a quick sand, pulling my feet down into their abyss forever.  Now I'm just getting weird.  But do you know how awkward it was to have that lady help me pull my (her) boot off?  Really awkward.  And when it finally came off, my foot was covered in this sticky but powdery orange stuff.  But for a QUARTER?!
Here's what my socks looked like later when I tried the boots on with with them:
I called my mom.  She's knows most everything.  Vintage boots?  Yeah, the lining deteriorated inside.  Not sure what you can do about that....   So since she didn't know, I knew who would.  I asked the boot expert downtown at the boot shop.  That guy is pretty cool.  I guess he spits when he talks, but I must not notice because I'm too busy being amazed at how fast he moves.  Like WHOA dude.  He's rugged and super intense, with this long slicked back pony tail, and could probably win some kind of medal in the Olympics for speed. Anyways, he shook his head and said there really wasn't anything you could do.  That was the trouble with vintage boots.  No way to really replace it.  Rats.
Then, I read somewhere once that someone had vacuumed their old boots out. 
Ain't got nothing to lose!
So I stuck the end of my vacuum hose, with no attachments on it, into my boot, starting at the toe.  I started at the toe, turned the vacuum on, the worked my way around the heel and up the sides as best I could.  It was actually a lot harder than it sounds.  You couldn't go back "in" to the boot with the  machine running, so I had to keep dragging the vacuum out, shutting the vacuum off, and going back in, turning it on, dragging it up the sides and out, shutting it off, and repeat, repeat, repeat!!!!
Pin ItI was nervous it was going to deform my gorgeous boots forever!
Yes, I really do have around thirty pairs of boots.  But these really are my favorite pair!
I wear them with jeans, skirts, dresses, sweatpants....  okay scratch the last one.
But I really do wear them all the time - they are my go-to boot of choice!
I Love the western-y look they have, the perfect heel height, and relaxed "scrunchiness".
Yay for vintage boots, garage sales, and vacuum cleaners!!


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8 comments:

  1. You are so cute... I wish I could wear a size 6....

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  2. Aren't garage sales and thrift stores just the BEST?!! Your vacuum must be WAY better than mine! lol I don't think mine would have the strength to cave the sides in on anything! Thanks for the share! ~Tammy

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  3. WOW great idea! Glad you were able to save them ♥
    *hugs*deb

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  4. 25 Cents? Amazing! I have been totally rocking a pair of yard sale boots this season that I love. I paid two bucks for them and I thought that was a good deal :) They look great on you!!!

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  5. I'm always amazed what I learn from my favorite blogs. You are too funny.

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  7. Too funny! I found your blog because I was searching for how to do EXACTLY that to EXACTLY the same cute Zodiac boots!! same size, even. I totally agree that these are the cutest! Good for you ! :)

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