New Shoes

UPS delivers not only fabrics but shoes. I love patent leather shoes and platforms. However, platform pumps are not so easy to wear when you are over a certain age. But this platform is subtle enough to work and for me to be comfortable. I could not get patent leather locally so ordered from Zappo's. What great and prompt service they have. This is my second pair from them. I also ordered some ball of the foot petals for comfort and to help with my feet sliding forward.

These will look great with the Vogue skirt as well as the black/white stripe one coming up next.

Back from Charleston

I returned from Charleston, SC on Wednesday evening.  I enjoyed my visit but would have liked to have had a few more days to see more of the city.  I spent Tuesday AM in downtown Charleston and a lot of time walking around the City Market and visiting shops close to that area.

I saw a sign for Hancock's Fabrics but did not have time to stop and shop.  I ate some fabulous food while there; perhaps really more than I should have.

I did find a pair of shoes at a really neat shoe store that was within an air conditioned area of the city market.  It is called Charleston Shoe Company.  They are comfortable and affordable shoes. Here is a link to their website, if interested.

Here is a really blurry shot of the shoes I bought.  They are sooooo comfortable. The fabric is a stretch fabric.  Most all of their shoes are washable in the delicate cycle.

Birthday shoes

I bought this pair of shoes for my birthday the other week. I had posted that I would take photos to show; finally I did that yesterday.

I have not yet worn them. For some reason they look somewhat blue on my monitor; they are black. It is an embossed suede to look like a skin with a black patent leather heel. I did lighten the photo of the toe of the shoe so you could see the tassel. I hope to wear them soon.

Easter Bunny bought me these!

Upper left shoes are Antonio Melani from Dillard's-black. Upper right shoes are like the black but in deep navy. Lower left Vaneli-black with chain, wedge heel about 2.5 inches. Lower right bronze metallic, open toe by Clarks' Artisan line. Lower shoes purchased from Rippe's in my hometown.

I am pretty much set in the way of shoes for work!

There once was an old lady who lived in a shoe!

As promised here are photos of shoe purchases made in December and early 2010.
Left- shoes are a taupe suede with leather toe by Ferragamo, brand new, never worn purchased from the Discovery Shop, a local thrift store for the American Cancer Society. Top center shoes are green faux skin by Liz Claiborne purchased at DSW in Fredericksburg-30% off sale price! Right- another pair of never worn brown metallic with black toe Ferragamo from the Discovery Shop.

Happy Easter

I hope you are enjoying a Happy Easter with friends and/or family. DH and I traveled to Danville yesterday to visit MIL and his sister. We went to a local store called Rippe's and the Easter Bunny bought me two new pair of shoes and a new purse! Shoes are better than chocolate eggs any day of the week-but chocolate is always a close second. I got two pairs of pumps in Richmond on Thursday. Can you tell I love shoes!

Photos to follow soon.

Yesterday and today vaca time

Yesterday was a shopping day for me. I traveled to Greensboro, NC to go to a fabric/sewing machine store called Sew Heavenly. It was a nice trip as I also made sideline trips to Four Seasons Mall and Friendly Avenue Shopping Center.

The trips to the mall resulted in my trying on several suits of which only one fit. Three of the four suits were of the same brand-Kasper. Kasper petite suits have always fit me well and until the past few years. I believe that they along with other brands no longer have a standard for the same size clothing. All suits were size 12 petite and all were pant suits. The one I purchased require no alterations. The other three would have required that the pants be taken up in the front which I don't do, but I have someone locally who does a great job on alterations and has done this for me before so I could have purchased them with that in mind. However the jackets on the other three were too tight. I found this annoying which always reminds that I sew and can make garments to fit. The only thing is I don't necessarily like to make pants and normally petite pants have always fit in length and two of three above would have required hemming. Either I am shrinking or pants are just longer due to style.

I also found a great pair of shoes to go with the blue jacket. They too were on sale and were an inexpensive brand to begin with. They were a wedge slingback in a blue patent that blended well with the jacket. On more serious business days I will wear a black pump. (Could not find a web shot of the suit to show.)

Besides being a pattern,fabric and shoe-aholic, I love cosmetics. Locally I can get Lancome, Estee Lauder and Clinique (I call them the big 3 and they are good products), but I love Chanel and Bobbi Brown and when I went to the Belk's at Friendly Center, I was in cosmetic heaven-there was Chanel, Bobbi Brown, Benefit, Laura Mercier, Origins and Mac plus the big three. I went there for Bobbi Brown's new fall collection in Mauve. I got a makeup session on the spot and of course walked out of there with more than I planned to buy. Those sales people spot me a mile away as do the shoe sales people. Hey it is my vacation!!!!!

At Sew Heavenly, I had hoped to find some fabric but I left without any. They have gorgeous fabric and cater to smocking and more of the Martha Pullen children fashions, yet they also have other wearable art type patterns as well as numerous purse patterns. They carry Husgavarna and I got to see the new sewing/embroidery machine released in mid June. Great looking machine with a huge sewing/embroidery/quilting bed. I am still making payments on my current machine that is only a little over 18 months old. I did buy some pre-wound bobbins, embroidery stabilizer and a skirt pattern. I also got some help with Pattern Master Boutique. So no sewing yesterday but a fun shopping day!

This AM I cut out the Butterick pattern after making several fitting adjustments to the pattern. That in itself can be time consuming part of the sewing journey. I then went to CURVES and now I am writing this while eating lunch. Off to the shower and then I have some ASG treasurer's work to do as tonight is our ASG meeting. Hopefully I will get my sewing machine and serger set up for sewing as tomorrow AM will be sewing time before I do the normal Friday grocery shopping but will get that done early.

You have to see this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_733OuJKH2g

Shoes

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of my second Simplicity dress. Carolyn asked me to post a photo of the shoes that I was wearing with the dress. So I decided to post photos of three black pairs of shoes purchased within the past three months. One can never have enough black shoes.

Here is link to the Donald Pliner wedges-love 'em-. Here is another view. They are truly very comfortable even thought the heel height is higher than I normally like to wear for comfort.

This is another pair of shoes purchased around the same time-J.Renee' Luxe in a faux eel skin look. I have only worn them once, I feel they are more of a fall/winter shoe. Look at this great sole.

These feel like gloves and are so comfortable. They were so comfortable that I ordered a pair in brown.

I now need gray and navy. I am on the hunt for the right ones.