I love these little lipsticks. they fit perfectly into a little purse or in your pocket when you go out - or when I go out, as the case may be. They were $1.00 each at Sally's Beauty Supply. They have a great selection of colors and they wear well. I'm very pleased with this VERY affordable purchase.

Goodwill. $5.

Awesome, right?

On my recent mall trip, (mentioned in a previous post) I bought my "Dexter" shoes. But that was not all. I also bought these:


Patent leather Oxfords - 2 inch heel, by Covington (bought at Sears - on clearance!) $20.


I can't remember the brand - but these beauties - also bought at Sears, cost me $15!! So cute - and I have a super cute purse that matches. Look for it in a future post.

I watch Dexter. I love Dexter. Michael C. Hall is easy on the eyes. Though, I've never ben a fan of blood and gore - I do have a pretty strong sense of justice - um, not like that!

Anyway, I saw these shoes online and put them on my "I want list". Online - even on Ebay - I couldn't find them for less than $45. And I try not to spend more than $30. I coined them the "Dexter" shoes. You'll soon see why.

While at the mall this past weekend, I took a detour into Hot Topic and my shock and awe the "Dexter" shoes were there. One pair. My size. 50% off.

Ta-da!

Rawrr... wait. These are zebra shoes. What kind of noise do zebra's make? I dunno, but these shoes are so hott they deserve a "rawrr!"
I got them on clearance for $20.00. They are by Rampage and bought at Steinmart.

Lovely, yes?

I'm not addicted.

I think Chicago winters have bummed my feet out a bit. There's really nothing less appealing to your feet than having them prance around in fabulous, yet, wet shoes. At the beginning of winter, I try. I fight the urge to wear ugly warm boots or comfy casual tennis shoes. I wear the 3 inch heels, the open toe flats, the sling back kitten heels. Of course, my feet are always wet and I continuously fall on my ass. So...

Come January, my feet rebel. And I pull out these:

Don't be a hater. They are comfortable, warm and waterproof, snow proof, slush proof. they are glorious. But ugly. Ok, fine.. they are fugly. I'm ashamed. In an attempt to let go of my shame and put my feet into fabulous winter boots, I spent a good two hours online searching, searching, searching.

I'm usually not very picky about my footwear - fabulous is fabulous. who cares if they are pinchy? Pinchy I can live with for a few hours. But winter boots? I'd wear them nearly every day (mostly to work) and that means they need to be just right.


I think, that the Chicago winters have also frozen my brain, because while spending hours searching for new boots I realized that there are a lot of rubber boots being used as snow boots and.... I HAVE RUBBER RAIN BOOTS!

Look at that - I saved myself some cash AND I have a "new" pair of shoes that I had forgotten I had. This could be the first sign that I have a shoe problem.

Dare to be daring.

I don't go crazy on my clothing. I am a jeans kind of girl. And, truly, any shoe goes with jeans. I don't care what the experts say...you can rock ANY pair of shoes with capri jeans, cut off jeans, skinny jeans, boot cut, wide leg.. you name it.

And I realize that there are women out there that have a hard time coming out of their 'comfort zone' to try something daring. I hear it all the time, and from many of my friends. I wear heels mostly.. and that's due to the fact that I have really high arches, so heels just feel better. (which is kind of a cruel joke that a tall girl feels better in heels, right?)

But for those of you who feel most comfortable in flats, you can still find some amazing and daring shoes.

If it's the only daring thing you ever own, it will be well worth it. Half the battle is just having confidence. So which one of these will you dare to slip your feet into?

I found all of these shoes on ebay (under $30!!) - a tip: always buy NEW - in original box.

If they were in my size, I'd buy the pastel ankle boots. But, alas, they are not. Sadness.

This weekend was spent with my girls. I didn't wear anything fabulous but I did hang out with a fabulous friend and her sons. And we spent time with some other fabulous women, drank wine and played pictionary.

So, while I have no fabulous photos of shoes to show you, I do have a pretty fantastic picture I drew of Canada:

My teammate actually guessed it. Pictionary on booze - Goodtimes!

And I would be absolutely remiss if I failed to mention that my 5 year old asked me to paint her and my nails before going to the gathering. She picked the color and the pattern - Whalla!

"I ask myself more questions than Hamlet as I ponder which shoes to wear."

-Eva Gabor

Even fabulous girls like to be comfortable. On days when I've got nothing much to do and no one special to impress (as if there's anyone that special, really!) I like to lounge around in my favorite pj's and a tank.

Feast your eyes on these babies -

A friend of mine suggested that a pair of yellow or blue heels would make these pj's go from comfortable to amazing and comfortable. I agree. Here's what I found - what say you?

I found both pair on http://www.amazon.com/ and they are aprox. $20 and $26 consequtively. I'm diggin' the yellow ones. Can't wait till next pay day!

It's PAY DAY!!

Know what that means? It means NEW shoes - so long as I've been a good girl, paid all my bills, gone grocery shopping and budgetted correctly - I reward myself with a new pair of (affordable) fabulous shoes.

I can't decide...

Both are found at www.GoJane.com the heels: $35 and the flats: $17. Decisions, decisions. Oh heck, how about both?! Even with both, I still have plenty saved for a new outfit.

I love to buy shoes on Ebay. You can find new and interesting, sexy, quirky, unique shoes for very little cost.

A confession - I buy at least 2 new pairs of shoes a month, and many of them are from Ebay. My latest purchase: $13. Made from cork!

I'm only slightly behind on this weekend update post. I spent the weekend dancing, drinking and not sleeping (so much for that resolution. Shoot!) a special shout out to Theresa, Sibi and Stephanie for coming out and making the night as fun as it was. You girls rock!

Moving right along... I wore these shoes:

I bought them at TJ Maxx and they were $34. They are really comfortable and they make my size 9 feet look smaller. Win-win!

My birthday was December 17th. I turned 33. I'm not going to lie - my 32nd birthday was awful. Horrible. It was the day that my whole entire world came crashing down around me.

I promised myself that I would have the best 33nd birthday ever. And thanks to some truly great friends - (Who have spent many days before and everyday since, describing it as my 25th birthday!) it was the best birthday ever.

and here are just a few pictures to prove it.

Sunday Say What - about Shoes!

"I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty."
- Imelda Marcos

The Weekend Want:

I have 2 wants this weekend. No, that isn't true. I have many more than that but I have two 'purchasing' wants to share with you this weekend. And this weekend, I bring you two pair of shoe wants:



These can be found at Hot Topic or several places online. They are by Iron Fist and cost about $58.00. Moonshine Zombie Stomper glows in the dark! Yeaaa! I'd wear these with jeans, little black dress or just about any dress - a red dress would be hot!





These cuties, I found on Amazon.com. They are by ALDO "Quincy" and are aprox. $20. Very affordable and goes with just about anything. And they are FLAT! Love them.

I am a self admitted girly, girl. But I don't consider myself high maintenance. We've already established that I enjoy shoes. I have a lot of them. I've mentioned that I don't wear much makeup - don't hate me because I have good genes. I'm blessed with good skin.
Where was I going with this? Oh, right - low-maintenance girly girl. Sounds wrong. At any rate. I cut my own hair and have done so since I was 12. I also color it myself - and believe me, there have been some really bad choices over the years.
So besides the excess shoe collection and the fact that I love most things purple - what makes me so girly? Behold - the collection of perfumed products:

It's insanity, right? Glorious, sniff-inducing, perfumed insanity -- and it's mine, all mine.

So, it's the 6^th of January. Almost a week into the “new” year. Now is the time to improve oneself, turn over a new leaf and make this the year you do things differently, better, right!

I long ago gave up resolutions; I never stick to them and I hate to fail. Not sticking to a resolution makes me feel selfish and weak.

Now that 2011 is here and so many changes have been invading my life, perhaps I should rethink this non-resolution idea.

Let's take a look at (some) of my vices, shall we?

• Shoes
• Nail polish
• Jeans
• Coffee
• Jack and Coke
• Not sleeping
• Dancing in loud and crowded clubs

Of these vices which one(s) am I willing to part with? Which one(s) will make me a 'better' person. Sleeping would be nice. But if I sleep when will I have time to dance while drinking jack and coke? When will I have time to buy shoes and nail polish? If I sleep, there may be no need for coffee!

I do have a very comfy bed. And I often find myself day dreaming about it. It's feather top and I purchased for it a great feather top mattress pad. The sheets were a gift from a friend, bought from Restoration Hardware. A big, lovely and fabulous feather duvet and a soft faux fur throw complete the ensemble.

My bed makes me happy, sleeping in my bed makes me happier still. Sleep means I pay more attention to detail – read: lose my keys less.

Happy means I don't have as much road aggression. Plus my kids like me a lot more when I'm happy. Come to think of it, I like them a lot more when I'm happy and not sleep deprived.

So, there we have it. Sleep. It's the resolution I am making for myself – to get more sleep.

An extra hour a day should do it, right?

Some of my favorite purchases of 2010: (and yea, I know it's 6 days into 2011...)



This isn't really something I bought, but was bought for me. It was a birthday present from my girls. It's from a local store. I did find one online but it was far more expensive online - odd, right? $64.00

I bought these shoes in early December while on a shopping adventure with my friend, Melissa. Steve Madden - DSW - $79. And I can run in them, believe me. I did it - cause I left my ID in the car. Oh yea, being carded is so sweet!

This ring is amazing, isn't it? Claire's on clearance $3.25.

I don't wear much makeup and lipstick is iffy. This is my favorite because it adds a hint of color/shimmer and keeps lips soft - especially important during Chicago's brisk winters. Walgreen's $3 something.

And now that I've told the world that lipstick is iffy, I will tell you that I do have a favorite. And that's saying something. So, go out and get yourself some right now. It last and lasts. I know there are plenty of lipsticks that boast that they last forever, but I'm telling you - this does. I've tested it out. I've put it on at 8pm and woke up with it on at noon the next morning (after heavy boozing and lots of dancing). And I washed my face. The mascara comes off - the lipstick does not!
Maybelline 10 bucks!


Last, but not at all least - Japanese Cherry Blossom Glitter Spray from Bath and Body works.
I am not sure how much it usually runs (I'll take a guess at around 10 dollars) because I got mine free for purchasing a certain amount on Black Friday. It smells fabulous and gives you a sparkly shine without looking like a disco ball threw up on you.

I am a klutz. I run into walls, step wrong off of curbs, slip on ice, trip on air. It's truly a miracle that I have yet to break any bones *knock knock*.

This winter I have fallen on ice 3 times. Twice due to wearing heels - here are the culprits:

Can you really blame me? They are cute. And even though I busted my ass, I looked amazing doing it.

The amazing tennis shoe heels were bought about on Ebay for my birthday. Cost me $32.00!!
The gold ones, (which are my girls' favorite pair of shoes I own) I purchased on Ebay for $3.00. I have a funny story about those gold shoes, remind me to tell you one day!

Who said you can't look fabulous on a budget? and you truly find some super great things on Ebay!

The 3rd time I fell was completely my fault and not the fault of my shoes. I was wearing boots. But..
I. was. texting.
Yea, yea.

School's back in session! As much as I love my kids, I thought I would do cartwheels as they ran out the door on their way to school. And if you know how klutzy I am, you'd understand the great feat cartwheeling would be for me.

But, I digress. Today is Monday and that, my friends, is errand day. What kind of shoes does one wear to run errands? Normally, I'd slide into a pair of heels but today, I have no time to look fabulous and no time to tiptoe around ice. I have to move, move, move!

Bank, Sprint Store, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, school --- ah! My poor feet are still crying from several holiday parties. What I need is comfort. BUT, one can be comfortable, cute and stylish all at the same time. I promise.

Cute, right? They are about 5 years old and I don't remember where I bought them or how much they were. I can guarantee you that they were affordable, though. They are a pair of my 'fall back to cozy' shoes - the shoes I wear when my feet are in recovery mode.

I'm late! Time to dash.

Today is Sunday. Some people go to church. I recover. Some Sundays are used to recover from a crazy, loud and silly weekend with my kids and other Sundays are used to recover from - well, you name it.

This Sunday, the 2nd of January 2011, I am not only recovering, but reflecting. As I mentioned in the previous post, 2010 was the year I wanted to bash in the knees, stab in the eye with a pencil, give a karate chop to the throat. It was an all around terrible year.

The year started with health issues. 4 MRIs and 3 misdiagnosed disorders, plenty of doctor bills and an over abundance of stress. I'm ok. It was a severe defitiancty in Vitamin D. Chicago winters will do that to you.

The summer we spent packing and preparing for a move to Charleston, S.C. Possibly my most favorite place on Earth. And if you haven't shopped on Queen Street for shoes, handbags and jeans - you are seriously missing out!

The fall brought many of those boxes being unpacked and others being packed as my husband of 12 years and I separated and I moved out. Absolutely, the most difficult event of my life. I will spare you -and myself- the details as looking forward is always easier (and more productive) than looking back.

Sometime in there I had a job change, of sorts. I went from working mornings - part time, to working overnights - full time - and picking up extra hours when ever possible to help pay for things I never had to pay for before - um, like RENT. And rent is expensive.

September was the month of the tattoo. Having always wanted one, but being discouraged, now feeling angry, sad and ready for change, I headed for the tattoo 'parlor' (anyone actually use that name anymore?) and the result: it's the Uffington White Horse and it's been a very important symbol in my life for the past several years.

December came and with it, my 33nd birthday and another tattoo. Three stars around my ankle, symbolizing my 3 daughters. No stork in the yard for us, due to my interest of Astrology, tarot and stars, we had a Moon and star placed in the yard announcing the birth of our "Shining Stars".

This brings me to the weekends and every other weekend is spent with my lovely and out of the box - crazy, silly, laugh educing daughters. Never fear - I live only blocks away from them and I see them almost every day as I take them to school or pick them up, or find a reason to have dinner together. I miss them when they aren't around. And though, shoes are a passion (read - obsession), my life is especially fabulous with my girls in it.

OK, so 2010 wasn't all bad. I learned a lot about myself - that I'm stronger and more fun than I thought I was. I realized that I have some amazing friends (and not so amazing ones, too. But just consider that a lesson learned. I did a lot of 'soul searching' in 2010 - many of the results were good and many were not. Bad shit happened. Really bad. And those of you reading this that know me well, know exactly what experiences I speak of. I made a whole lot of crazy choices, mistakes and WTF moments. But I also did some pretty great things, had amazing experiences, down right awesome, hot and secret worthy experiences. All these adventures were traveled in fabulous shoes. If only my shoes could talk, right? Well, get ready, cause I'm giving them a voice.
Stay tuned. May the year 2011 be just as interesting as 2010, but with less bumps in the road - wouldn't want to risk breaking a heel!

Fab. Comfy Socks: bought from the dollar store. For real!

My legs hurt. My feet ache. But my shoes were absolutely fabulous! I danced till 3 am. Rang in the new year with my friend, Karen and about 50 of our closest friends!

It was truly a wonderful night and the perfect way for Karen and I to say goodbye to the crotchety 'ol year 2010 that made our life, well, pretty miserable. I love you, Karen! thanks for your support and your friendship. May 2011 be most gracious to us in life, love, and happiness.