My latest Shoe Passions......Ooooo Gorgeous Shoes ;)

My biggest passion: SHOES! Ever since I was a small girl of 3, I have been obsessed with shoes! I would love to visit my Aunt Joy, she had the closet of shoes and purses every girl dreamed of having. I would play for hours at her house in her shoes and purses. As I am told, by the time I left, there was a trail through the entire house of matching shoes and purses. Then comes the real reason (Freudian reason) I am obsessed with shoes. When I was 4 or 5 my mother threw out my favorite blue suede lace up shoes while I was asleep one night! Apparently she didn't have any idea where they could have disappeared to???? "News Flash Mom", They didn't just walk away by themselves..... When we discuss this incident, she assures me she doesn't remember the shoes, but assumes they looked and smelled bad, so she had to get rid of them. (I think she just didn't like them)
From that point in my life until I was a teenager, I would sleep with my shoes under my bed, for fear of the "shoe monster". I would dream about my shoes, the sound they made when I walked in them, the smell of the leather, the feel of my feet in them and how great my outfit looked paired with them.
Today, at 42, I am still obsessed with shoes! I really haven't counted lately how many pairs I own, it might be embarrassing to know. The most magical thing about shoes, is that they always fit! You can go shopping and not find one dress, pants or shirt that fits right, but shoes.....they fit! You can transform an outfit with gorgeous shoes and boots. You can make yourself taller with a nice heel or platform! I am "unofficially "5'8 with my magic lifts on!
With the perfect pedicure and the right walk you can get everyone to pay attention to your jeweled up feet and forget that you gained weight. That's right "shoes are magical"! I even buy shoes as a souvenir from my travels! No more plates, buttons, thimbles or postcards, SHOES are the best reminder of that fabulous trip or vacation.
So the next time you feel fat, can't find anything to fit, or feel short, go buy yourself some nice leather high heeled pretty shoes!

My new favorites won't post, so if you go to look, the one's I want don't ship until November....Boooohooo
www.ninewest.com

Missing my White Jimmy Z skirt!

I don't know if I am mourning my youth or truly missing my JimmyZ skirt......
I have been having dreams of myself in the various JimmyZ skirts I owned in my teens and twenties. My very first skirt was a knee length white JimmyZ wrap, looked awesome with my neon shirts and my bikini top! It was comfortable to dance, walk and bike in. O' man I have visions of myself in my little red Mazda truck, surf board and beach bike in the back, heading to Ponce Inlet in my JimmyZ skirt! I was stylish and RAD and felt free and sexy in that long white skirt! My next skirt was a light denim color with white Velcro bands, ooooo so chic! And for my 22 birthday I bought a black one, extra short that matched my swim suit. I recall visiting Michigan that summer and wearing my JimmyZ skirts, everyone was quite impressed and perplexed. As a surfer, I assumed everyone wore surf ware, but not in Michigan! I was quite the center of many conversations and was stopped quite often in public to be asked what I was wearing and how could they get one! Yes, JimmyZ was awesome, comfortable, versatile, flattering and coveted. I recall going dancing in my JimmyZ, it was the most versatile piece of clothing I think I have EVER owned in my 42 years on this earth. I call recall all of the trips, dates, and fun times in that long white skirt, I was some type of magical cotton that transformed me into someone really cool! I really wish I would have saved those skirts, even though they wouldn't fit my 40's figure today, I would still have the found memories of youth and style to pull out and reminisce. sigh......I love  and miss you JimmyZ......

Fashion Forward Spring 2010, For REAL Figures over 40

What Not to WearO' Yes, I am a fashionista at hear! I used to make my own clothes, doctor up my shoes and accessories and just have fun with fashion. I was an 80's girl, neon, label wearing hip chick always toting around Vogue, Elle and W magazines. I would make outfits to wear to school, some were from scratch, some were repurposed, and usually sold the outfit by the end of the day! cha ching....I made it all the way through art school and studied Graphic Design and Fine art. My dream was to attend a fashion school, but the costs at the time were far more than I wanted to borrow. After having my first daughter in my twenties, I made almost all of her clothes and accessories and for that matter, most of my own. Fast forward 20 years and 2 kids later, nothing quite fits right! I have dropping everything, rolls in all the wrong places and a very odd figure. O sure I workout every day, watch what I eat, but I am over 40 yrs old after all.....I wish I had been blessed the "skinny jeans" or at least anorexic tendencies like most southerners, but I am a full German gal with a German body...:) My husband is not complaining, so in that race, I am winning. I am going to be posting my favorite outfits for the season along with jewelry, shoes, handbags and other cool accessories. Sometimes classic pieces are the way to go, with amazing pops of color and style! I also highly recommend the book "What Not To Wear" from Amazon.com It is Amazing......!!!

This particular dress and  pair of shoes are from Anthropologie. The dress is figure flattering on everyone and the wedges elongate the leg and are comfortable to wear, the bag is by :arebycdesigns.etsy.com and the jewelry from verymaryjewelry.etsy.com

Phantom Sites??? Online shoppers beware!

Here's what really ticks me off, phantom sites! Yes, ladies and gentleman, they exist! Here's the lowdown, a company creates a site that looks like they don't sell anything, just "reviews" products on your behalf. Now, if you are not the wiser, you would think GREAT someone is doing the hard work for me! NOT. I was recently researching products at Christmas time like: a new shower filter to remove chlorine, a camera, photo software, wii games, and found sites that bashes its competitors to get you to buy their products???

I sell my jewelry online, I don't bash anyone, I don't mislead anyone. I am an honest seller that backs up what I sell. Verymary Jewelry wants everyone to LOVE their pieces.

They are also paid advertisers of products; they are only reviewing the paid products. And there are tons out there! Don't be fooled by sites that are titled with "comparison" or "info" in the site title or link, like waterfiltercomparisons or electroniccomparisons, digitalcamerainfo, etc.


I am currently relying on Amazon.com for real reviews! I read the good and bad, and understand there are difficult hard to please consumers, read between the lines. If many of the reviews say the same problem over and over again, I really take that review for what it’s worth. I recently bought some photo software, after looking at several on Amazon; I chose the one with the least amount of problems and a great review score. Buy Beware is alive and well, especially on the internet! I recently was taken on EBay, I have been buying & selling on EBay for 10 years, and still I was sold bad merchandise. Stick with companies or sellers that have been around the longest, there is a reason they are still in business. I love buying online and I am sure most of you reading this do as well; we just need to know what we are getting ourselves into to avoid disappointment!

Make a fresh bay leaf garland

•Rotary tool such as Dremel Stylus, $69.97, by Dremel, from Home Depot

•Dried pomegranates, $26.99 for 20, from Curious Country Creations
•Fresh bay leaves
•Twine
•Big craft needle such as Jumbo tapestry needle (No. 44758582), $2.59, by Clover, from createforless.com
•26-gauge floral wire (No. 82822306), $2.29, by Panacea, from createforless.com
Current as of 10-23-2009

Step 3

Fill in the spaces between the pomegranates with bay leaves: Cut 6-inch sprigs, poke the ends into the hole in the pomegranate, and use one or two short pieces of floral wire to secure the sprigs to the twine. Continue, adding bay leaves between all the fruit. The "tassels" at the ends are leaves inserted directly in the holes.

Make Your Own Awesome Leather Belt - thanks Martha Stewart!

This fashionable leather belt achieves the look of a very expensive one -- for a fraction of the cost.

Tools and Materials
Measuring tape
Leather
Utility knife
All-purpose cement
15 grommets
Grommet tool kit
Ruler
Jax solution
Plastic spoon
Belt buckle


Leather Belt How-To


1. Measure your waist over your clothes with a measuring tape.
2. Cut two rectangles of leather that measure the size of waist plus 2 inches by 3 1/2 inches. Cut the two rectangles a little bit larger, since it is difficult to cut a big piece of leather perfectly. Using all-purpose cement, glue rough sides of these two leather strips. Stick together back-to-back and trim down to your true measurements.
3. Making the belt extender: Measure the crossbar of belt buckle. Ours was 1 3/8 inch. Make a smaller double-sided rectangle strip the same way as before so that it will measure 1 3/8 inch by 12 inches.
4. Using a plastic spoon, drop brass grommets into jax solution to give them an antique patina. Remove after 2 seconds and let dry.
5. Using your grommet hole punching tool, create 11 holes on top of the extender piece, each spaced 1 inch apart down the center. Fasten 7 grommets in 11 of the holes.
6. For the piece of leather that holds the buckle, cut one more strip of leather exactly 1 3/8 inch by 12 inches. Punch a hole in the center of the strip. Glue rough ends of the strip leaving one inch on each side of the hole free of glue. Pass the ends through the belt buckle.
7. Stick the prong of the belt buckle through the hole of the strip. Fold the strip in half onto itself, matching up the ends of the rectangle. Enclose the buckle.
8. Center the buckle to one edge of the larger rectangle and secure with glue and 4 grommets. On other end of the rectangle, center your extender piece 8 inches from the edge with the unfinished hole on top of the large rectangle. Glue area where the two pieces will be connected (about 4 inches).
9. Punch four holes through both layers. Put grommets through front and secure to back.
Resources
The 2.5 ounce chap hide leather is available from tandyleather.com, or you can go to any leather store and buy scraps from the "scrap" bins. The grommets and grommet hand tool used can be purchased from dritz.com. We used a 3/8-inch brass 8CT (9mm) grommet. The belt buckle (style # 37231, in Antique Brass) is available from M&J Trimming. The Petronio's all-purpose cement glue is available from instantshoeshine.com. Jax Brown Brass, Bronze, and Copper Darkener can be purchased from metalliferous.com. Martha also used a Fiskars clear ruler and a Breakaway blade knife.
From The Martha Stewart Show, April 2007

Make your own feather headband, thanks Martha Stewart!

Adorn basic headbands with beautiful feathers for a one-of-a-kind accessory.

Tools and Materials

Scissors

Fabri-Tac fabric glue

Scrap of ribbon

Needle and thread

Button

Plain headband

Clothespin

Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks

Feather pad (hackle) or selection of feathers to create one

Nonstick surface, such as a hot-glue mat or leftover label-backing paper

Fashion Headband How-To

To make a feather pad (hackle)

1. Select nice-looking feathers. Snip excess fuzz from around quill with sharp scissors.

2. Place a small dab of Fabri-Tac onto a nonstick surface. Arrange feathers with quills meeting in the dab of glue. Let dry for one hour. Peel feathers from nonstick surface.

To create a ribbon flower

1. Sew a running stitch on one side of ribbon with a needle and thread.

2. Pull thread while sliding ribbon down to create flower.

3. Hot glue button to center of ribbon flower.

To Assemble Headband

1. Look in mirror with headband on to determine placement of feathers. Mount feather pad to headband with Fabri-Tac or hot glue, and secure with clothespin until dry.

2. Add ribbon flower at base of feather hackle with hot glue and secure with a clothespin until dry.

Resources

All tools and materials available at most crafts stores.

From The Martha Stewart Show