It's Only a Paper Shoe

Every Christmas I get a Workman Publishing shoe calendar.  And every year (well, every year later), I cut out the pictures because they're too exquisite to throw away.  Here's a sampling of my stash:

So, some weeks ago, in the spirit of my recent use-every-part-of-the-pig crafting ethic, I decided to make some of them into brooches.  At first, I was pretty excited.  I glued and rhinestoned and ribboned, all the while thinking, "Hey, I'm on to something!"  But, then, without warning, the whole enterprise began to seem kind of doomed, the pieces shaping up to be -- for lack of a better word -- wonky.  It was all very disappointing, kind of like spotting the perfect pair of pumps on a far-off department store riser only to find out that they have kitten heels.  But such is life, so often trampled by the foibles of footwear.  I'll either wear them myself or add them to my free gift grab bag, but I won't list them.

Dress: JCPenney

(No need to adjust your monitor; those are indeed two different shoes that you're seeing.  Although I've never braved the look myself [too much uneven pavement out there] it's my nod to Helena Bonham Carter, who's done just that on more than one red carpet.)

Pink T-strap: Payless
Blue leopard pump: Ami Clubwear
Black scarf: JCPenney
Belt: B Fabulous
Bow scarf: Gifted
Fuchsia scarf: Express
Sunglasses: Relic, Kohl's
Bag: Fred Flare

On an unrelated note, I may have given Halloween candy short shrift last week.  Since then I've been scarfing down the leftover fun-sized snacks, an experience that reintroduced me to the joys of Twizzler-tinged Milky Ways and Snickers-scented Dots, flavor mash-ups that could come only from the fragrant fracas of a Halloween candy bowl.  Chocolate and fruit, delightfully artificial and all up in each other's grill -- it doesn't get any sweeter than that.

New Etsy Buys and a Little Surprise

When it was time to scope out Valentine's Day gifts for my family, I returned to Etsy's Ivy Lane Designs, where I'd found the wonderful Andy Williams notebook for my sister the Christmas before last. This time I discovered a notebook featuring another campy crooner, this time for my mom.

When I was a kid, my mom played her Michael Bolton tapes in the car so often that "Soul Provider," "How Can We Be Lovers (If We Can't Be Friends)?," "Said I Loved You But I Lied," and "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?" became the soundtrack of my childhood. (Well, that and Hall and Oates.) She looked a little shocked when she saw Michael's face peering at her from beneath the wrapping paper. (As would anyone.) But I think she was amused.

Here are some of the other goodies I picked up:

I didn't find Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon candy on Etsy. A friend of my mom's stumbled upon it at Jack's Country Store and thought it might be a fun gag gift for the bf, because he's such a fan of bacon. I liked the idea so much that I ran with the theme, throwing in the Oscar Mayer notebook pictured above and a card featuring a heart made of -- what else -- bacon. He seemed to get a kick out of it.