Don't you dare falling down!

For most people getting footwear is no trouble at all - you get to pick and choose, pay for it and take it home, end of story. However, for my husband and I who have above average sized feet (Euro 42 size for me and 46 1/2 size for him) footwear shopping is exhausting and quite often without any results. Namely, the shoe sizes we have tend to be on the top end of both female and male shoe assortment.

 

For me, and most often for him, shoe shopping looks like this:

 

1. Ask the salesperson if their shop carries the required shoe size for particular type of shoes we need (eg. slippers).

 

2. If answer is positive (in practise that happens in less than 15% cases), request to be shown the available models.

 

3. If models are not narrow (which they often are) request a pair and try on.

 

4. Try on. If they fit, proceed to the next step.

 

5. Pay! Style, shape and colour are often not of any or are of slight concern.

 

6. Else, repeat the whole process at the next store.

 

Since the process often fails before step 4, it is no surprise we are frustrated even before starting a shoe-shopping quest. As a result, when we find something that fits either one of us and ticks some boxes (especially functionality-wise) we are ready to invest a bit more in the shoes to make them right for the purpose (eg. adding a layer of rubber to the soles, adding sole inserts, getting them to the cobbler for widening etc).

 

The most recent example of this story were the winter slippers for my husband. Most our searches ended with no result whatsoever. One we found warm and cosy slippers in the right size and proper comfort - we bought them, although they were pretty hazardous for a home with hardwood floors and virtually no rugs.

 

 

The sole of these slippers was made of rug-like material, which made them super slippery on our floors, so they were good for sliding around, only not for walking. So, I came up with a super simple, yet very effective solution - adding texture to the soles with hot glue!

 

Once the glue was hot, I started applying it on the soles, making something that resembles a shoe sole pattern. Once the glue had completely dried, they were ready for safe use. So hubby wouldn't slip and fall down!