Converse Lamp

     My Paracord Shoes reached the end of their useful lives some time ago, and have sat under a bed, until today, when I thought to myself Hey, old beat-up converses look pretty cool, why not make one a lamp? And this is the end result. The biggest obstacle in doing this would probably be the materials, seeing as it won't take more than 10 minutes to put together.

Step 1: Materials

  The materials should all be pretty easy to find, or you already have them, but here's what I used, feel free to use whatever works for yourself.

- An Old Pair of Shoes, or just one straggler.

- A Socket Extension Cord (Example) You can use whatever size lightbuls, I just used a smaller one because that's what was on hand.  This shouldn't cost more than ten bucks.

- A Knife or a pair of scissors.

Step 2: Prepare the Shoe

     Before you put the electrical parts into the shoe, you'll need to mess it up more than it already is.
     Begin by unlacing the shoe, this makes everything else much easier. Then I folded down the top tongue, and ended up cutting it off, and using it for interior, but if your shoe only has one tongue, keep it, if it has more, it's up to you what to do. Then, you're going to want to cut a slit in the tongue of the shoe for the the socket to go through. Lastly, cut another slit in the side or back of the shoe, or wherever to thread the cord through so that it can reach the outlet.

Step 3: Install the Socket and Cord

     For the socket and cord, you'll want to first make sure that the socket will fit through the slit that you've cut without looking too weird. Then, take the socket out of the tongue, and thread the cord through the slit that you've cut in the side of the shoe earlier, and pull most of the cord and the plug through it and out of the shoe. Then, stick the socket through the tongue, from the inside of the shoe to the outside, but only partially through, so that it will stay in place, but still show on the outside. You'll want to avoid the light bulb being in contact with the material of the shoe, in case it gets too hot. 
    
     Now, time for some aesthetic touches.  I chose to lace up the shoe, skipping the cross over where the light bulb comes out of the shoe. I also put the other tongue near the toe of the shoe to give it the shape as if a person were wearing the shoe. As for the back, I recruited an army man to hold that part up.

Step 4: Final Notes

     Now, just put this on a table or desk or wherever you are in a need of light. You may or may not want to clean off the bottom, depending on how dirty it is. Also, keep in mind that there's no diffuser, so you may want to buy less bright bulbs, depending on your tastes. 

    Other ideas: Christmas Lights coming out of various places, A disco ball hanging above the heel and a small light shining on it from inside the shoe, Maybe a hanging lamp version from the shoelaces.

    Thanks for reading, and good luck!