DIY new old boots

Now this is a project that was born out of curiosity and frugalness. I was looking for a pair of simple black leather boots that wouldn't brake the bank. As it is sale everywhere I thought it wouldn't be too difficult to find one. I was wrong.
I either didn't like the style or they didn't have my size. 

What I did have was this old pair in a taupe liver like color that were a lovely fit but an awful shade. Why did I buy them again? I was planning to throw them out before my next trip and out of nowhere I started  wondering if I couldn't paint them black. I researched it online and it seemed very doable. 

So off I went to the shoe repair shop to buy me some leather paint. The one I purchased, Gala shoe black, comes with a little brush to apply the paint with. It does require you to seal the paint with shoe cream but I had plenty of that at home so I didn't buy the recommended Gala shoe cream. 

All it took were a few coats of paint and some patience and I just LOVE how the boots turned out! The paint gave it a nice deep black shade and even before I polished it it had a nice sheen to it. And oh yeah, it only cost me €5,85!

Of course they're not as good as new ones but that's because... they're not new ;)

Necessities:

• A pair of old boots
• Acetone 
• Cotton buds
• Black leather paint (Gala shoe black)
• Black shoe polish
• Shoe brush
• Old newspapers 

Instructions:

1. Brush old dirt of the boots. 
2. Clean the boots with cotton buds dipped in acetone. This will remove the top layer of the paint so the black paint can seep in and give you a nice deep shade. Leave to dry for at least an hour. 
3. Place boots on old newspapers. 
4. Shake the bottle of paint (doesn't actually state that anywhere but it makes sense to do it) and start painting. Leave to dry for 1-2 hours.
5. Repeat painting process until you're happy with the result. It took me about three coats before I was satisfied. I also made sure to apply each coat in a different direction so I wouldn't end up with noticeable stripes or patterns. I also painted the heel and the sides of the sole.
6. After the last coat I left the boots to dry overnight. Then I applied the shoe cream and polished it to a nice sheen.
   Tadaaaa new old shoes!