Is it possible to be in love with a shoe?

Well, if so.. I think I found my mate :) How HOT are these!? serious ooOOoolala ;)

Nicholas Kirkwood's shoes always rock my world, & one day I'd like to rock them! lol

Garden Tea Party - The Bridal Shower

So.. JW's Garden Bridal Shower last weekend was a success! Even in the blazing hot weather, the garden tea party with all the floral decorations and delicious treats all came together beautifully. Check out some of the pics from the party.

My gift to her (a scrapbook of the last 10 yrs of our friendship leading up to her wedding day) was a big hit! People I didn't even know were complimenting on how nice it was :).

But I'll be honest.. this Scrapbooking thing can be exhausting! and quite expensive... those scrapbookers out there have to be really dedicated! haha

I think it'll be a while before I make another one of these ;)

Lacking... Slacking...

So... if you haven't noticed, it's been quite some time since my last post.

I've been slacking in this area.. partly because I've been lacking..

lacking.. motivation.. inspiration.. time.. energy... in a few areas of my life actually.

Have you ever been there?

Well, I want to make a change. And at least I'm at the point where I recognize this.. so now, all I have to do is act & do something about it! :)

I leave you with this interesting quote..

"Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely."

~ Karen Kaiser Clark

My Spring Sandals @ Urban Outfitters & featured in NY Mag's Shop-A-Matic!!

Check out the Deena & Ozzy Espadrille Sandals I worked on for Urban Outfitters!

Now available on Urban's website & featured in New York Magazine's Online Shop-A-Matic article for Spring Shoes.

My Call of Duty - Maid of Honor

Well J's wedding is coming up sooner than I can keep up with! Before you know it, I'll be in Wisconsin (that's right!) & watching my best friend become a married woman, lol! No seriously though, although it may not change things much.. it still will be weird to speak of her as "married" friend, hehe! :)

My call of duty is.. being her Maid of Honor - which is such a great honor.. To be her go-to-gal for opinions, ideas, suggestions, etc.. it's really eye-opening as to how much work really goes into planning a wedding! :-O

Below is the bridesmaid dress we picked out together.. the color is a Clover green which will nicely accent her color scheme - of wildflower colors - purples, greens, oranges, & pinks. It is a Crinkle Chiffon short one shoulder dress from Priscilla of Boston.

I actually really like this dress [as the usual cliché of bridesmaid dresses comes to mind "you can wear it again".. but maybe I actually will! :-) ] & we have an appointment for April 12th to check it out with J.. so as the days fly by, the work continues!

I know, I know....! I've been a slacker! :-\

Sorry kids, but life has been a whirlwind these last few weeks! Between work, life, JW's wedding plans, apt hunting, etc., blogging unfortunately had been pushed down the priority list :(

I really want to get back into the groove of things & hope to pick back up with some new posts & fun finds really soon!!

Stay tuned :) ♥ Jem

Forever 21 is doing really well with the espadrilles! :)

Sooo... good news! I've heard so far that Forever 21 is having great selling on the espadrilles I worked on & they just added this new one to the site :)

Florentine Flats

$12.80

Closet Revamp

As a follow-up to my previous post "a peek into other people's closets..." I decided to do a closet revamp of my own and take pics of the before & after :)

I still am undecided about how to sum up my own style/personality in just a few key words as I feel like I'm ever-changing/always evolving; just as fashion does, reinventing itself each time - so I guess I will call myself "The Evolver". ;)

The colder weather had snuck up on me sooner than I had the chance to rearrange my shoe closet to place all of the cold weather boots & shoes on top and the open toe shoes & sandals toward the bottom/back. So I decided to take some time out one weekend & redo it.

THE BEFORE:

(Apparently I have a lot more shoes than I thought! oops lol! I decided to write w/ Sharpie marker on the boxes that had multiples or had been switched out to make note of which ones were actually in that particular box. At times like this I wish I had a P-touch machine or small polaroid pics to place on the boxes loL! Well, once I'm able to invest in all see through shoe/boot boxes it will make my search much easier!)

THE AFTER:

(When it was all done, I felt so much better now that there was some organization & didn't have to sift through unnecessary boxes to get to what I wanted! & Even But I know spring/summer weather will be here before I know it & I will have to switch it all back! lol)

My Spring '10 Espadrilles featured on Forever 21's website!

A hint of spring is already in the air at Forever 21! The espadrille slip-ons I worked on for their Heritage 1981 brand are now featured on their site! Check them out HERE & HERE!

Cuff Me Up

Check out these Leather cuff bracelets by Friction Jewelry featured on Shecky's Stars Fashion Report

I'm obsessed with the one I picked up below - a smooth black genuine leather cuff @ the December Shecky's Girls Night Out Holiday Event in Soho. My friend miss Erika picked up a natural calf-hair version with zebra stripes, so friggin cute!

a peek into other people's closets...

Ever curious as to what your friend's or coworkers closets are like? To get a chance to see how they organize; where they purchase their items; & sort of take a deeper peek into their personalities?..

Well, inspired by a post on the Shoe Blog (here) I've decided to sift through some of my friends closets.. and even my own (stay tuned)!  

First Friend: "THE SHOPPER"

Now, I'm calling miss J.W. "the shopper" because.. well.. when trying 

to sum up this woman's closet & her love for all things beautiful.. it was quite difficult! In my experience as one of her closest friends.. she will find any reason to shop! ;) hehe love ya J.!

J.W. does marketing for an innovative textile company & appreciates quality & unique things.

She has a very eclectic style - everything from vintage to modern, ethnic to universal. Take a sneak peek into her closet/dressing room photos below.

Let's see who else's closets I'm going to infiltrate next ;)

Inspire Your Year

Check out this post (via The Cheap Chica's Guide to Style) on creating your own calendar using catalog/magazine images that inspire you. 

I think this is a great project~ after all it's all about "reduce-reuse-recycle", right? :)  Plus, I already do the same for gift-wrapping & notecards - I think it spices up any gift!

Let me know if you have any clever DIY ideas!

 

Creating your own calendar:

1. Collect all the old and new catalogs you have lying around
   
2. Print out a 12-month calendar on your computer (I have used both excel or my email account). You can use either white or colored paper, whatever you prefer.
3. Pick your calendar background. I have used two different backgrounds, either an actual catalog and pasting the calendar and collages right on the back of the pages so it flips down. Or I have gone to a craft store and picked up backing that you use in scrap booking and connected each front and back with string or ribbon.
4. Start to create your collages…I usually theme mine around the month!
5. Put it all together and voila you have your very own inspired calendar!

rain rain is coming my way...

So kids.. looks like I'm now going to take on Rainwear product development alongside ladies & kids shoes & boots.. Should be interesting! I'm excited & nervous all at the same time! :)

Hopefully down the road I'll be able to point out some of my work on here - stay tuned!

Happy 2010!!

Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays & ringing in the New Year! {I know I'm still recovering haha!}

Sorry I've been a little M.I.A lately.. it's just been a crazy few weeks! But I'll be back and up & running real soon, no worries!!

Decided to give the blog a new look for the new year...