Betcha I can tell you where you got dem shoes...

I've reached the point where I'm genuinely having a hard time keeping track of my research on/for Muses shoes so in the interest of organizing my research better (and possibly providing useful information to other people who commit themselves to the shoe glittering), I'm going to start compiling things here.

A few caveats:
- Krewe of Muses is my favorite, and I am an avid devotee of shoe glittering, but I am not a member. My shoes occasionally ride (with two lovely ladies who are kind enough to share the fun), but I do not.
- While I visit often, I do not  "operate" out of NOLA, per se. As such, my technique may not be optimized to local glittering.

To kick things off, here's my top 10 list of tools and supplies to have at the ready for shoe glittering:

(1) MOD PODGE - The greatest stuff on earth. I haven't worked with other glues, so I can't comment on their effectiveness, but overall Mod Podge is excellent. The one complaint about Mod Podge is that it's a little pricey, so you want to make use of coupons. It comes in a number of finishes; I'm not convinced it matters because you cover the glue up, but I go with the gloss finish myself.

(2) BRUSHES - to apply Mod Podge to the shoes. You can buy relatively cheap assortments at craft shops, that gives you a few sizes to work with. 

(3) GLITTER - Lots of good options; I'll go into them more shortly.

(4) E6000 - The first year I used hot glue to decorate shoes, and while I'm generally a big fan of the hot glue gun, I think E6000 is a much better choice in this case for a couple of reasons, including less mess and no finger burning.

(5) Various decorative EMBELLISHMENTS (rhinestones, sequins, feathers) - You can get a lot of mileage out of glitter, glue and patience, but extra decorative elements definitely elevate a shoe in that terrific over-the-top Mardi Gras way.

(6) TWEEZERS - Not strictly speaking essential, but really help when dealing with rhinestones, sequins, etc. in that you can place tiny decorative elements neatly without getting glue on your fingers.

(7) 3D FABRIC PAINT - Great for lettering, outlining edges and adding a little texture to a shoe. 

(8) ZIPLOCS - Useful for creating transferable designs and/or lettering with fabric paint and glitter (also, it helps contain the glitter to bag a finished shoe). The thicker ziplocs are a little easier to work with for this purpose, but any plastic bag will do.

(9) SWIFFERS - The greatest tool in any cleaning up post-glittering arsenal. Granted, complete containment is unattainable, but Swiffers are like magnets for glitter. I love them.

(10) LINT ROLLERS and/or PACKING TAPE - Also helpful for cleanup. 

Honorable mentions: small craft scissors and PATIENCE. It's an intangible, but patience is really key to a great shoe. So often I've tried to cut corners and rush a bit and wished I hadn't. Give everything ample time to dry, work on one individual section of a shoe at a time, cover every bit of the shoe (including the bottom and the interior, cover all the way to the edges), put down solid base coats as needed, touch up where touch ups are required, etc.