No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

Not really late. But life is busy, so this will be short.

But this is just nothing short of adorable.

 { photo by Jonathan Canlas }

I love feet pictures. I love leopard print (just about) anything. I love weddings.

My day has been made :]

perfect

I think I found the perfect pair of neutral heels.

{ Cole Haan "Carma Air Almond" via available at Nordstrom for $199.90 }

Me likey.

Downside--I don't normally drop $200 on shoes (and these are on sale from $300). But I think these would quickly become a go-to work shoe for me. And I am very intrigued by this Nike-Air-in-a-pump technology. I've been hearing about it for years, but still have yet to try it. 

So this is me trying to justify it... 

1) I will wear them a lot (calculating price per use...)

2) I take care of my shoes, so I will likely have them for several years (again, price per use...)

3) I'm standing or walking all day long at work, so comfortable dress shoes are crucial. (sad note about those $1.49 shoes I got... they kill my feet after like 15 minutes)

4) I just got promoted at work, so I need to up my wardrobe a bit...and maybe give myself a reward for my accomplishments :]

Hmm... we shall see.

because everyone loves a makeover...

I don't know about you, but I can't afford a shoe closet overhaul, no matter how much I may want one. So despite my longing for new shoes, I decided to work with what I had to give it a little boost.

Here is what I did:

1. Bought 2 pairs of $1.49 shoes (okay, this wasn't part of the plan--but it seemed like a practically free improvement!)

2. Pulled out a couple pairs that I'm just not feelin' anymore (i.e. So uncomfortable that I never wear them, anyway)

3. Washed 3 pairs of cloth flats

4. Spot treated my sneaks with carpet cleaner.

5. Cleaned the suede on some boots, and the details on my sneaks (and Matt's sneaks, too!)

6. Gave my favorite pair of shoes a makeover.

The makeover part is my real insider secret here, so I will explain.

Remember the days of shoe repair? Probably not. It was long ago. But why can't we keep that little corner cobbler in business? And why don't we even consider fixing our worn out shoes? Well, this is a loaded question, but the short answer is this: most of the shoes we buy are made cheaply to accommodate our throw-away consumer society. Most of our shoes are not repairable. But I bet you have at least one really good pair of shoes--or at least a leather pair. There are some things you can do to repair well-made shoes, with a little time, and oftentimes, only a few dollars.

I bought these shoes at least 5 years ago...and they are one of my absolute faves. They are such a fun, yet neutral color, and they are really comfortable, yet dressy enough for work. After about a year of wearing these shoes A LOT, I noticed that the gold was starting to wear off, especially at the toe and the heel. They were lookin' a little shabby. So I stopped wearing them, but couldn't give them up. Then I got the idea to try and repaint them. 

I went down to Sander's Shoe Repair in Salem, and picked up some Meltonian Nu Life Color Spray in Gold. They have a wide range of colors, so if I really wanted to, I could even change the color of these shoes completely. Keep in mind, if you are painting your entire shoe, you don't need to find an EXACT match, but if you are only touching up a spot or two, you need to choose your shade wisely. This gold is actually a little darker than the original shoe color, but I didn't mind.

In action:

Before and after:

Heel:

Side:

 

Toe:

Some other easy shoe repair:
Replace shoelaces (DIY)
Resole (go to a professional)
Retip (for pointy toe shoes-- again, go to a professional)

So what do you say? Are you feelin' a little cobbler in ya?

the joys of finding a deal.

Don't you just love having "a find?" A cheapie surprise never fails to fill my heart with joy. :] Especially when you find out it's on sale at the register. Just sayin'.

So this was my amazing find today. These were at Old Navy, and were returned (unworn) from OldNavy.com. Since this is an online exclusive item, they discount it to get it out of the store, and give you an extra 50% off so you can't return it, and it won't end up in the store again. So these shoes were marked $2.99 and with the extra 50% off, they were $1.49 each. I KNOW, RIGHT?

So I paid $3.24 for two pairs of shoes.

Holla. And happy Friday to me!

I know they aren't exactly what I was longing for in my shoe closet post, but a deal is a deal, is a deal. So I don't know about you, but I will always find room in my shoe closet for a cute pair of $1.24 shoes. 

Even if they turn out to be the most uncomfortable shoes, ever. 

Worth it.

I want a shoe closet upgrade

[Meaning the contents of course. I like my closet just fine.]

Shoes spring 2010 by Claire Voisine of backdrop blog featuring kate spade shoes

Items in this set:
Women's shoes/bags: Kate Spade Karolina - Camel patent, $300
Kate Spade Cammie, $295
Cynthia Vincent Stina, $250
JCPenney : women's shoes : juniors : olsenboye, $40
Womens - American Eagle - Anstin Point Flat - Payless Shoes, $13

I am noticing that suddenly my shoes are looking worn out, or just plain lame. Not all of them, but my collection needs a little boost. 

I am primarily on the hunt for cute work shoes that won't make me want to kill myself after standing on cement for 8 hours (yes, cement). 

Top priorities:

- Brown heels

- Nude heels

- Variety of cute flats

What does your closet need?

Trend Alert

Peep Toe Booties.

This is not a drill.

Want them.

 { via BARE Magazine blog }

{ Alexander McQueen via In Their Closet }

The outfit I want to wear today...

This is exactly what I want to be wearing today. It's a chilly 52˚ outside (I know... wah, wah).

I love this because all of it is from Forever 21, and therefore, all affordable.

I really have those boots, and I am so in love with them. The rest of the outfit is similar to stuff that I own, other than the purse. I love that bag. However, in person, it is itty bitty. I know that being itty bitty makes it Harajuku-chic, which I am all for. But I just can't deal with an itty bitty purse. I am a bigger-the-better kind of purse girl.

So the scale in this picture makes me happier :)

{ created with Polyvore }

Have any of you checked out Polyvore yet?

OCTOBER designer of the month :: Tim Cooper

Yikes, I am behind! Let's pretend it is October still, shall we?

Who :: Tim Cooper for his Modo Illustrator concept work for Lamborghini

From :: Portland, Oregon -- one last Oregon designer!

Why I love :: Extremely creative. Great detail. I appreciate his designs more for the sake of art than that of function.

Favorite piece of the moment :

{ Lamborghini Gallardo Stilettos by Tim Cooper as seen here }

How outrageous are these? No, I wouldn't wear them. But seriously. Can't you just picture a trashy Nascar driver's girlfriend wearing these?

This is the actual Lamborghini Gallardo:

How cool. I love how creative Cooper got with this.

And those heels are made of carbon fiber. That is legit.

mr. & mrs. montgomery

Here are some detail photos from my friend Cristine's wedding (as mentioned in bold --which, might I add, was spot on --and seen in sewing adventures, continued...) on August 22nd.

Some of my favorite details were...

1. The bridesmaid bouquets are styled with button clusters, and monogram letters of all of the bridesmaid's first names.


2. Cristine's bouquet was decorated with vintage clip-on earrings she found in antique stores and estate sales (umm... can you say "brilliant?") They tied in beautifully with the (also vintage) costume jewelry that she wore.


3. Her veil. I am a sucker for the birdcage.

{ Photos 1-8, and 10 by Amanda Collingham of Divine Design. Photo 9 by Amanda Peters, friend of the bride. }

one lump, or two?

I am loving tea gowns for weddings. I didn't wear one, but one of my good friends told me after I bought my (long) wedding dress that she always pictured me as a short-dress-wearing-bride. I had never seriously considered wearing a shorter gown, but they have some gorgeous options out there. So if that is your thing, and that is your wedding-- absolutely be brave and do it.

This J. Crew gown is just plain cute. Perfect for a beach or backyard wedding, and totally re-wearable (If anyone really does that... uh, besides my mom. That's another story).

{ J. Crew }

I am really not a fan of Brides magazine (Hi, I'd like to pay $6 for a stack of advertisements please?), but I LOVE their cover this month. So fresh. Those shoes (yum, yum Christian Louboutin). And that dress is fabulous. If I had gone short, I would have gone with this one... with those shoes.

{ Brides }

outfit inspiration

A couple of weeks ago, I went up to Nike headquarters in Beaverton with a group of classmates to shadow some of Nike's buyers and merchandisers.

Loved it, for the record. Everyone we met was more than willing to spill whatever knowledge they had on how they got where they are, and what exactly it is that they do everyday. Some of them even seemed a little unprepared regarding our arrival, yet still dropped everything they were doing to see how they could help us. The company culture was very laid back, and yet incredibly fast paced in their technology and philosophy of employing and rewarding only the best of the best.

I could go on, but my point for this post was that one of the merchandisers I worked with had spot-on style. Loved it. Completely laid back, simple, appropriate for her work environment, didn't scream "I'm a Nike basketball billboard!" and still uber cool.

A simple cotton black 3/4 sleeve top, grey skinny jeans, almost high top black Nike kicks, and one bold accessory... my fave part of the ensemble. A wide brushed silver ring stacked against a skinny diamond eternity band. Sidenote: She had it on her right hand, but this would make a rad wedding band set, fyi.

Something like this:

Diamond ring: mastergoldcraft on Etsy.com Top: Gap.com Jeans: likeWise fashion blog Shoes: Nike.com Brushed Ring: adornmodern on Etsy.com

Like I said, the rings were the highlight for me. Made me want a set for my right hand, it did.

And many more ring posts to come, I am sure.