I apologize for my lack of posts, as I type this I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we won’t lose power thanks to Hurricane Isaac. The point of this post is to highlight things you should acquire so you can be prepared for anything. It doesn’t have to be a major hurricane, even blizzards or a late-summer thunderstorm can knock out power and create chaos in your everyday life. So here are some things you should keep handy just in case!

Rain boots- These are essential when things are bad outside. For hurricanes specifically, they keep your feet dry and protected especially if you need to put up shutters or remove debris after the storm. It also helps where there is some flooding. Standing water can leave you exposed to a lot of nasty germs so protect your feet.

Battery operated flashlights and lanterns- if the power goes out you will eventually need light! Make sure you stock up on batteries and have a few different lights and lanterns handy for different rooms and each member of your household. Glow sticks are also a great idea and you can attach them to pet collars as well.

Grill- to heat up food, a grill is your best bet. Be sure to store it away from flammable materials and stock up on propane or charcoal and lighter fluid. These things come in handy when the power goes out and you have that frozen meat in the fridge that has to go!

Also, remember for hurricanes you are advised to stock 2 weeks of water for each person and canned foods. Make sure you have medications and plenty of pet food/supplies as well.

Be sure to leave me a comment with what you grab at the store in preparation for mother nature’s fury! Stay safe out there.

For the classic styled woman, this gold and white case is super chic and perfect for fall! It also comes in black/white.

This is a fun back-to-school gift for a friend. It will certainly capture attention in your lecture hall!

This one deserved a mention for being so striking, you couldn’t lose this in a purse.

This style also comes in Black/White, Green, Blue and Neon Orange. Super cute!

This one screams Southern charm and reminds me of Ross from NBC’s Fashion Star.

This one is my absolute favorite. Love the pineapple with the straw, so fun without being over the top.

To order an iPhone case, click here. Leave me a comment and let me know which one is your favorite! Happy Monday!

So apparently a post ran on IFB about blogging and the “quality” of blogs for people outside the normal standards of beauty in the fashion sphere of the Internet (that can be read: here). Then it blew up in the comments section which resulted in a white flag post (that can be read: here). I’m a little late to the party because quite frankly I don’t have time to engage in an e-fight with a bunch of over processed, catty, vain idiots. But I want to throw in my two cents about “body image” because people like to throw that word around without much thought.

Here I am, post workout, blonde hair, thin and yes I have dropped over 70 pounds. To the people on IFB on both sides of the fence I guess I can be considered one of those select few who could make a top-tier blog just by taking professional photos and regularly publishing content. Problem is, I’m not vapid enough to sit around all day and do that. Why? Because I have three jobs and bills to pay. I’m what is referred to offline in the real world as NORMAL. Gasp! The word “normal” seems to be shunned in the online fashion blog community. And how sad it is.

There is no reason to classify success based solely on body image. There are skinny and fat people alike who dress nice, have great jobs or are famous. So to even write about that is absurd. Not everyone looking for a fashion blog is interested in the same things they can read in a magazine. Sometimes those “normal” people want to read about other “normal” people’s lives. Like hey, so-and-so found a killer dress at Target, maybe I should check it out! Instead of, “oh there’s so-and-so with her new $1200 Prada heels.”

That being said, a lot of people on the Internet don’t live in reality. I’ve been around enough car and gun forums to figure that out rather quickly. The fashion blogging sphere is no different. Americans are in a recession. Not all of us can find great jobs and not all of us can afford to run up daddy’s credit card at Saks. I know I’d like to connect with other fashion bloggers who are in the same boat as myself. I love looking at the latest Burberry bag, but I’ll probably end up waiting until it goes on sale and save up a few months to get it. I don’t believe that limits my potential success as a blogger, it makes me REAL.

Diversity doesn’t mean just pumping more blonde, thin and rich bloggers on to your site for everyone to read. Diversity means featuring that African American blogger with inner city style, or someone from Asia who writes about their love for Harajuku style. There are so many great blogs out there that everyone can appreciate that are NORMAL. And that’s what diversity is about.

]]> http://candyfortoes.com/2012/08/18/ifb-foot-in-mouth/feed/ 0 http://candyfortoes.com/2012/08/16/janna-ryan-washingtons-new-fashion-icon/ http://candyfortoes.com/2012/08/16/janna-ryan-washingtons-new-fashion-icon/#comments Thu, 16 Aug 2012 04:00:22 +0000 CandyForToes http://candyfortoes.com/?p=1075

With the campaign trail heating up since Romney announced his running mate, everyone turned their attention to the Paul Ryan. However, his wife Janna Ryan stole the show in her $39 Kohl’s dress that was cute, comfy and extremely stylish. She stole the show and now people want to know more about her fashion choices (well played Mrs. Ryan)!

What really caught my attention was Mrs. Ryan’s brown dress and cute heels. She is channeling a bit of Jackie O in this outfit without looking over the top. One thing about Janna that is heart warming is her ability to dress herself in a way that most American women can relate to. So while Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Romney wear outrageously priced outfits on the campaign trail (and yes, both of them do and it’s kind of ridiculous), Janna has a leg up on the competition.

And even when dressed down, she still manages to look very put together and most importantly, natural!

Despite what your political affiliations are, the fashion choices we are going to see in the weeks leading up to the election are sure to raise eyebrows. I’m curious to see how Mrs. Ryan tops her Kohl’s dress!

The Olympics have come to a close, and I wanted to highlight something that’s making me laugh this morning. Apparently the Internet went wild with a picture of McKayla on the podium receiving her silver medal. A Tumblr was made and now the whole country is in on the joke including the Fab Five themselves.

Here are a few of my favorite ones. Enjoy the laughs and have a great Monday.

]]> http://candyfortoes.com/2012/08/13/mckayla-is-not-impressed/feed/ 0 http://candyfortoes.com/2012/08/10/gabby-douglas-hair-saga/ http://candyfortoes.com/2012/08/10/gabby-douglas-hair-saga/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2012 04:13:16 +0000 CandyForToes http://candyfortoes.com/?p=1067

I was stunned to see a headline about Twitter users complaining about Gabby Douglas’ hair! The girl just made history and brought home another gold medal but people are focused on her hair?! I was more worried about how she would do on her floor routine and if the uneven bars were going to jeopardize her chances of beating the Russians. It never occurred to me that a simple but tough bun would cause so much commotion on the internet.

Gabby has shoulder length hair, so most females would know this is not helpful for a ballet bun. Her hair is layered so numerous clips are needed to hold it back. I often wear my hair like this because it keeps it off my neck but doesn’t give me a head ache at the same time.

Here is a great side view of Gabby’s bun. I think it’s rather tidy and it certainly looks like it isn’t going anywhere. So between the Vault and Balance Beam, I doubt she would have to worry about her hair coming undone during a flip.

The best part about all of this is Gabby being features on the Corn Flakes box with her hair in that same bun people seem to hate! Obviously Kellogg’s felt that Gabby’s appearance was good enough for a multimillion dollar contract, so I think that speaks for itself.

I’m a Gabby fan, I think she did a fantastic job representing the US. So all of this banter about her hair is ridiculous, let’s focus on her accomplishments and forget the petty stuff. Go Team USA!

If you have been watching the Olympics, you’re bound to notice a lot of tattoos floating around of the signature rings. I decided all of this fancy artwork deserved a blog of its own, especially since it identifies a lot of the Olympic veterans in the London games. Normally I’m not crazy about tattoos, especially on women but being an Olympic athlete gives you a pass.

Russian Olympic Synchronized Swimmer, Anastasia Davydova wins the award for the most extravagant back tattoo for women. The butterflies are a little much though.

I think diver Kelsi Bryant chose a classy location for her rings, they are noticeable but not too over the top.

Ryan Lochte’s tattoo is so much better than the gator on his shoulder (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a Seminole).

Michael Phelps’ rings are normally hidden by his swim trunks, he also has a capital M on his other hip.

And for laughs:

The artist spelled “Olympic” wrong. I can’t make this up!

Have you been watching the Olympics and seen some crazy tattoos? Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know who you think has the craziest artwork!

The Olympics are here! I watched the opening ceremonies and was pretty impressed with how it was carried out. I also thought the Queen with James Bond was really awesome. After all, despite being a fictional character, James Bond really screams British to the entire world. I will be blogging a little bit about the games for the next 2 weeks, so I wanted to cover some of the fashion choices in this post.

The first thing I want to say is, I am completely disgusted at Ralph Lauren for making the USA opening ceremony uniforms in China. I take pride in the fact that Sandal Candy is an American owned company, which is why the flip flops are designed by hand in the USA. Shame on them for cutting corners when so many American textile groups could have done these uniforms and produced them with more care and quality. I also thought they looked rather ridiculous.

I really liked the British opening ceremony outfits. They looked very comfortable, and after being on your feet for a while and knowing you’ll be competing soon, it just made sense. Also it has a lot of appeal for the British people to purchase them.

If you watched the games last night, you witnessed the heartbreaking loss of an all-around spot to Aly Raisman’s best friend Jordyn Wieber. I really feel for both of them, especially since I feel like they had the best hope for the gold medal against Russia, China and Romania. Both of the girls looked absolutely amazing in their leotards. I loved the stars in crystal, it really made them shine without looking tacky or over the top. In a later post I’m going to break down the other team leotards, there are some crazy designs floating around London right now!

Leave me a comment and let me know what part of the games you’re watching. I plan of catching as much of it as I can, especially gymnastics. As a former ballerina, I can really appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes in to training.

I don’t know about all of you, but I LOVE Disney! So I wanted to share some pins from a new pin board I created on Pinterest. If you have any Disney pins, be sure to follow me and let’s share them! I’m always looking for new ideas on trips to the happiest place on earth.

Click the picture above to get some fantastic tips for your next trip. I learned a lot of new things!

Cute outfit idea that is Disney inspired!

I absolutely LOVE Cinderella!

My favorite park is Epcot, the World Showcase is extremely exciting.

Inside Cinderella’s castle, you have to be pretty swanky to stay here.

So there are my favorite Disney pins! If you have any tips, pictures or ideas be sure to leave me a comment. Have a great weekend!

During the summer, it is rather difficult for me to put on a pair of jeans especially when it’s close to 100 degrees outside. However, shorts aren’t always an appropriate option and sometimes skirts or dresses are too formal or not suitable for the occasion. Cropped jeans have been a life saver so far this summer, especially when I go bowling or out for drinks. So I compiled a few of my favorite cropped jeans that can fit any budget.

Current/Elliott crops from Nordstrom $208

Hollister Crop, available in multiple washes $49.50

Levi’s Junior Boyfriend Skinny Jeans $58

Joe’s Jeans Libby Crop $176

If you’re wondering how to wear them, it’s quite simple. They go with just about every wedge or heel you could own, just stay away from sneakers! That’s a big no no. And unless your boots cover the “crop” don’t whip those out either. The best part about this cut is any type of top will do, whether you chose something flowing and light to something tight. Crop jeans tend to be very versatile.

And as always, be a bargain hunter and shop for a pair of cropped jeans at your local TJ Maxx or Marshals. I tend to find some amazing deals there!