Purple Party Shoes

Improv Everywhere: Making people smile one crazy antic at a time

2012-03-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

In my journey's across this vast internet land, I've discovered a very beautiful and pleasant place (blog) by a super inspiring and cheerful lady, Katie (see Color Me Katie and her fabulously inspiring blog).

She is part of a group in New York City called Improv Everywhere. This is basically a dedicated group of people who put on lively pranks for the smiles and laughter of New Yorkers and tourists in random spots around the city.

Check out some of their Improv Everywhere youtube videos below to see what I'm talking about:

At any rate, I was really excited to hear that because of the rapid success of Improv Everywhere (thanks to a little thing called Youtube) they've reached their kickstarter goals and they've been given the green light to make a full length documentary about these fun pranks and their origins.

Check out the trailer for the feature length documentary here!!

Style Watch: Colorful Stripes

2012-03-14T18:55:00.001-07:00

Ahh, the days are longer and warmer, and the sweet smell of flowers and barbecuing fills my neighborhood.

It must be springtime!

In lieu of the changing of the season and the brightening up of clothes in stores I thought I'd point out my favorite trend right now:

Colorful Stripes.

Starting off with my favorite fictional fashionista: Carrie Bradshaw

Carrie Bradshaw ( per usual) standing the test of time with her colorful rainbow skirt.

Below are some other ideas to dress up bright colorful stripes for a night on the town or down for a
day at the beach.

Carrie Bradshaw's Apartment: FOR SALE!

2012-03-12T22:18:00.004-07:00

It's no secret I'm a huge Sex and the City and Carrie Bradshaw fan. Her style and charm have stood the test of time in my heart and the heart of the public. If you're a fan of the show then you're well aware of how iconic her apartment and her apartment's stoop is in the pop culture realm.

Well, bestill my fangirl heart her apartment is now up for sale!

64 perry street in the West Village ( in the show it was supposed to be located in the Upper East Side) is now up for sale for a measly 9.6 million. Guys- NINE POINT SIX MILLION DOLLARS.

ouch.

Apparently, the real apartment is not just a one bedroom walk-in with a charming walk through closet but a private home with 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and 6 (yes.. SIX) fireplaces with no mention on the realtors site about closet space (carrie bradshaw would be appalled..)

Still, for me it's not about what's on the inside of Carrie's apartment, but I'll always be fond of her stoop...

where she had her lovers...

and she had her friends...

and I had my New York moment...

My New Favorite Flats: Cocorose London

2012-03-11T11:33:00.001-07:00

Thanks to one of our lovely readers Janan Leo, founder of Cocorose London, a FABULOUS shop who sells these super stylish fold-able flats I have found my new favorite pair. Since these little darlings fold-up and come with their own little bag (see 4th picture), I thought I'd love to have these for post-dancing when my feet are yelling at me from wearing heels all night. However, once they arrived I knew I couldn't wait for that post-partying moment and decided to wear them to work. Let me tell you, I not only got a lot of compliments on them this past week but I feel like I'm walking on air! Below are a picture of my fold-able flats.

The one's I ordered are "Glamour Glitz Dusk Gem"

I am definitely ready to already expand my Cocorose London Fold-able Flat's collection and I'm thinking of these bad boys next...

They're called "Parisian Panache" and I think that is just about perfect.

Check out more of their adorable styles for work and play here:

Cocorose London

Delicious, Colorful Cake Balls!

2012-02-06T23:10:00.003-07:00

I'm not much of a cook and making these funky & fun cake balls is a breeze, even for me. So here's how it goes...

Things you need:
-1 box of cake mix (and whatever ingredients you need for this- normally 3 eggs, 1.5 cups of water and 2/3 cups of cooking oil)
-1/2 container of fluffy vanilla frosting
-Candy coating (However many colors you want to use. You can also use food dye)
-Sprinkles/ dessert toppings (This is where you can get creative!!)

Step 1- Bake the Cake! Mix together your ingredients and throw it in the oven.

Step 2- When you take the cake out, cut it so that it cools faster. It doesn't matter what the cake looks like, since you're gonna be turning it into BALLS! Now let that cake cool (I tried this run with angel food cake- it was pretty delicious).

Step 3- Once the cake cools, crumble the cake entirely into a new bowl and mix in 1/2 of a container of frosting.

Step 4- Roll the frosting/cake mixture into little balls and put them in the freezer. FOR BEST RESULTS, LEAVE THEM IN THE FREEZER FOR 24 HOURS, but you can take them out to decorate as soon as you'd like. I've done it in as soon as an hour, but sometimes the balls fall apart in the candy coating if they're not frozen.

Step 5- Melt the candy coating in the microwave until it mixes smoothly. I normally do this for about 30 seconds, mix it, and then 30 more seconds. Mix colors together, add food coloring, but be careful- this can get messy!

Step 6- Top your cake ball with desired (or funky, monster-like) toppings!

Piece of advice- I like to put it on a plate and decorate it, but it dries fairly quickly, so maybe put it on wax paper to let it dry and top it off there!

That's it! Happy Cakeballing!

Vintage Valentine Giveaway!

2012-02-06T21:35:00.002-07:00

It's the month of love so I figured I'd combine this month's giveaway with our love of all things old and cute.

This week we are giving away 7 vintage valentine's day cards

Some of these date back all the way to the 70s!

Just leave a comment, saying anything (hi, we love you, we hate you, I read this blog secretly etc etc)

and you'll be entered.

This giveaway is a quick one. I'm going to end it Thursday at Noon (MST) so that I can mail them and get them to you in time for V-DAY!

MUAH! and Good Luck!

Party SHOES!!

2012-02-05T13:35:00.001-07:00

With the weather warming up a bit we are adding some new items to our Etsy Shop!

Each post will be a different section of clothes,let's boogie!

Let's start with our namesake and begin with some of the funky, fun shoes added to our shop:

1. Sticking to the color blocking trends mentioned in fall trends here and spring trends here, we have Vintage 1980s Color Block Size 9.5 High Heels!

Click here to give these a home!

2. Next up, we have these Vintage 1980s sequined party dancin and prancin high heels! (Size 6.5B)

Click here to party with these shoes!

3. Vintage 1960s Mod Navy Blue and Red Pumps Sized 8.5

Click here to own these shoes and MOD UP YOUR LIFE

SATURDAY DIY: Paper Pinwheel Flower Bouquet

2012-01-28T13:33:00.001-07:00

Happy Saturday!

One of my favorite people, Tiffany, from one of my favorite Etsy stores and blogs ( Kitten Paws Vintage), suggested we start doing more DIY projects again and I'm more than happy to oblige!

I figured since it's (almost) spring and these are all the rage at weddings right now I'd do the Paper Pinwheel Flower Bouquet.

This project is SUPER easy and is the perfect gift if you're looking for something sweet but unconventional.

Also, another upside is they won't wither and die in three days! ZING!

First, collect colored paper or appropriately themed paper

Next, collect your supplies: 1. Brads (I got mine at the local craft store) 2. Plant stakes (local craft store) 3. Scissors 4. Hot glue (optional) 5. Not Pictured: Hole Punch (optional)

Let's get down to crafting! Cut the paper into a square. It can be either 2x2in, 3x3in, etc. For this project I did 2x2in but most people prefer 3x3in.

Fold the paper corner to corner, and then again (with the opposite corners) corner to corner til it looks like the picture below:

When you unfold it, it should have folds in the paper that look like below as a cutting guide. Next, use your scissors and cut each fold 1/2 to the middle.

Once you've made your cuts, it should look like the picture below

Next, use the hole punch or scissors to make a small hole in the left side of each triangle and one in the middle of the square

Next, pull each corner with the hole in it towards the middle and put the brad through it: as shown below

After, you've put the brad through each of the holes in the triangles, push it through the hole in the middle of the pinwheel to fasten it.

Next, place the plant stack against the back of the brad

Then, fold the back of the brad over the plant stack to secure it. (use hot glue if you feel it needs extra securing!)

Voila!

Here is a bouquet of these I made back in August for one of my best friends birthdays with some lollipops thrown in:

Now onto a photoshoot for the Etsy Store.
I hope whatever your Saturday holds it's equal parts relaxing and fun!

There is Beauty in Everything

2012-01-26T00:17:00.002-07:00

Have you seen that little charming commercial where the guy is sitting in the bar being a grumpy pants and negative and everyone around him is pointing out the little things in life to be happy about?

Man, I wish I could find it on youtube but I digress...

Sometimes, when the week seems to drag on and on and it's only Wednesday, it's good to remember the little things that make you smile:

Like an ASU rootin' one-eyed cat...

a Jeff Goldblum who loves road trips...

A new puppy roomie...

Meeting Matthew Gray Gubler..

and having him draw something just for you..

playing dress up, even in your twenties...

thoughts of moving to New York City...

friends who keep you laughing...

and
This song:

There really is beauty in everything.

What are some little things that make you smile?

STYLE WATCH: Spring Trends- Prints&Patterns

2012-01-21T13:38:00.002-07:00

If this month is any indication of the next year, this year is going to fly by in a minute!

I feel like it was just yesterday I was thinking about my own personal favorite trends for fall (here ) and now it's already time to gear up for Spring (in Arizona anyway..I'm sorry for any Easterners brrrr! I'm sending warmth from Tempe your way!)

It's funny because if you read my favorite fall trends, I mentioned color blocking which is now according to Glamour.com a very popular Spring 2012 Trend.

Weird, huh? I guess I was too early to the party on that one.

But anyway, onto what I've been/will be digging this Spring from either my own collection or street fashion..

1. Mismatched Patterns

The other day, I literally had nothing to wear so I threw on a long striped black and white shirt and belted it with a black and white animal print belt. My mother would have cringed at me but I got more compliments on it than when I actually try. Anyway, here is a loud and proud declaration to wear those mismatched patterns with gusto!

(...Sorry Mom)

2. "Geo" and "Tribal" print..anything.

I posted a few examples below of items that display these types of patterns. I included a few from some online stores in case you're interested in checking them out.

(photo sources:unknown)

(photo source: http://www.shopakira.com)

(photo credit: http://www.forever21.com)

(photo credit unknown)

I want these boots so bad it hurts.

(photo credit: http://www.stevemadden.com)

If you know me in person, there is a good chance you know I'm a BIG Steve Madden Fan but I still haven't made my mind up on these ones yet..

(photo credit: www.stevemadden.com)

3. Bright Colors

Okay, this is an oldie for Spring time but there is a reason it's a trend year after year.

Bright colors are fun. Simple as that.

So add a little bling to brighten up your day every time you look down with a bright, colorful ring..

(photo source: unknown)

Or, maybe a little color to your work day?

(photo source: http://www.hm.com)

Love this blazer. Love this skirt. Love this whole outfit.

Completely unrelated note: When do I get paid again?

What are your favorite Spring Trends?

Bad Blogger & Long Post

2012-01-19T09:30:00.005-07:00

My oh my, haven't I been a bad lil blogger!

Here is the place that I solemnly swear to be a better blogger (at least 3 a week!) AND that this will be a long post (my apologies)

Let's take it back about two (and a half) weeks...

Right up to New Year's Eve where my friends and myself rang in the new year for

the second year in a row at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess.
If you're not from the area, just know this place is

a beautiful resort and throws a mighty good party too I might add

My favorite siblings: Ricky and Leah

Andrew and I

Not really sure what's happening here but me and my ladies: Leah and Sam

The boys!

Literally ten seconds before midnight..

Me and my lil Court court. She came all the way from San Fran and I miss her already!

To sum it up: I could not have asked for a better way to bring in the new year with old friends.

The day after New Year's I started my brand new spankin event job that I mentioned here!
I'm still a little hesitant to say what event/company I'm working for because you never know how employers will find you! I will post pictures of the event once it comes to fruition though.
Needless to say, I love it. Some days, I feel like I'm way over my head and I'm just a befuddled, confused mess and other days I feel like I'm totally on my game and rockin it.
All you can really ask for is that the "rockin it" days outnumber the befuddled days.

As I may or may not have mentioned Sam and I have a third roommate, Annie. Or should say had. After almost two years of living with Sam and I in our little three bedroom Tempe home she unfortunately had to move out. So in light of the new year and new beginnings we also have a newer third roommate, who from here on out will be referred to as St. Louis. St. Louis also came as a package deal which included the sweetest darn dog west of the Mississippi, Goose. Goose looks like the dog from "The Mask" and I'm sure photos will be coming soon and often.

I'm admittedly pretty obsessed.

Lastly, in my stupidly late new year's post..
Instead of New Year's Resolutions
Sam and I made "12 goals for 2012" list's

Sam's List:
1. Watch all Tyler Perry Movies 2. Plan for New York Move 3. Read More
4. Have more themed parties
5. Work on Forgiving people 6. Challenge my photography
7. See the Avett Brothers on New Year's Eve
8. Leave a nice waiter a BIG tip
9. Send out Christmas Cards 10. Get a Tattoo
11. Be open to loving someone the way I did when I was 18
12. Dance without being insecure...SOBER

My (Lindsey's) List
1. Visit NYC again
2. Save $2500 for NYC move
3.Read/Finish seven books 4. Visit Courtney in San Fran
5. Finish and put on Play
6. Be active. everyday
7. Lock down event job. full time
8. Get a tattoo
9. Go to more plays (at least five.) 10. Take a creative class
11. Have frequent small get togethers
12. Be more open. attentive. forgiving.

But more on those later...
If you made it to the end..I CONGRATULATE YOU!!

WOO!!!

2011-12-27T19:38:00.002-07:00

I hope you all had a very blessed and wonderful holiday!

On Friday ( Christmas Eve Eve) we hosted a Christmas Party for our friends AND families which resulted in the most adult party that I have thrown so far. It was rather exciting having some catered food and my family/my friends families milling around. It all felt so...adult. I liked it.

My brother and I (in my purple party shoes) in front of the (hidden) Christmas tree.

My obligatory cute couple picture of Leah and Matt!

Some friends hanging around the fire pit

Our riveting game of White Elephant

Courtney and Ricky being cute and Christmas-y

After the party, I was very happy that I was able to stay at my parents house over the holiday and soak up all the Christmas wonderment and youthful glee for a few days and not worry about too much.

We have both some normal and wacky traditions and it just doesn't feel like Christmas until they occur. For example: it's not Christmas until my whole family goes to Christmas Eve Service, followed by driving around looking at Christmas lights and then dinner. Then once we get home my dad gets all dressed up in weird clothes and uses props to read the "Night Before Christmas" story (even though me and my brother are both in our mid twenties..), then after my parents go to sleep my brother and I alwaysalwaysalways watch "Jingle All the Way".

On the actual Christmas day my whole large extended family hung out, ate food and enjoyed each others company at my cousin's new home. We stopped getting presents for each other a few years back and we all pitch in to get my little cousins/second cousins toys. We decided we don't need anything and it's so heartwarming to see the pure joy and excitement on their faces when they open up their gifts.

Do any of you have any wacky/interesting holiday traditions?

We have a winner!

2011-12-20T01:59:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Krystal on being our lucky Lush gift card winner!

I want to thank you all who commented and I will be adding all the silly/corny jokes to my arsenal

because I love the cheese!

In all seriousness, knowing people actually read this silly thing lights up my life like whoaaaaa

So..

FROM,

Sam , her puppy, ...

Vegas Elvis and I- we say a very big...

"THANK YOU!"

CHRISTMAS LUSH GIFTCARD GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-16T18:26:00.001-07:00

Let me start this post by saying...

Today, has been a very exciting day for me because I planned on spending my day off from working for my dad to update my resume and apply for as many jobs as I possibly could before nightfall.

INSTEAD!

I woke up to a wonderful email from a nonprofit organization I interviewed for (but had no real hope of getting because they were interviewing SO many candidates) that started like this..

"Lindsey, we have some great news to end your week.."

and went on to offer me a position within their organization to help plan this HUGE and super fun event in the springtime.

Needless to say, I SPRUNG off the couch, grabbed my phone and called my parents and my closest friends to let them know the good news!

I am reveling in this moment because I have been looking for a job that fits my degree for almost a year now. I am finally breaking into the event planning field ee!!

SO, in the spirit of the holiday season and of todays good fortune I want to do another giveaway!

We will be giving away a : $25 dollar gift card to my favorite store LUSH!

(A little blurb if you're not familiar with their products/store"We specialize in handmade, 100% vegetarian (and over 70% vegan!) products for shower, bath, hair and body that are loaded with fresh, natural ingredients and minimal preservatives. Our products and ingredients are never tested on animals. To learn more visit http://www.lushusa.com/shop/")

So here is the deal the only thing you have to do to enter is:

**Leave a comment with a silly/corny joke

AND

your email address/name.**

**The email address is REALLY important because the giftcard is going to be an E-GIFTCARD which means it will come in an email **

This Giveaway will end SUNDAY 12/18 at 12 MIDNIGHT EST

GOODLUCK! :)

A Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

2011-12-15T15:28:00.001-07:00

We have been quite busy with holiday madness, traveling, work, and the like so this is going to be quite the bomb of pictures and short descriptions of what has been going on in our lives as of late...

First off, let's go back about three weeks to Thanksgiving time. We host an annual Friendsgiving dinner the day after Thanksgiving every year where our second family (our friends) get together to have food, wine, and play silly games. This is honestly one of my favorite "holidays" and one of the only traditions that has kept after 6 years with everyone moving away and on with their lives.

Here are just a few pictures from the night.

...and then we all went into a food/libation/silly games coma so the pictures stopped..! But we had about 15 people show up all together and it was a very successful "Friends"giving indeed.

Next up, Samantha and I got contacted through our Etsy, about being in a Fashion Trunk Sale type event on the UNLV campus called Sassy City Chicks.

Unfortunately, we only had about a week notice and Sam could not get out of her day job so I went alone with my friend to just check it out so that we would be prepared for the one in February in San Diego.

Plus, how could I pass up a trip to LAS VEGAS??!

We stayed at New York, New York because it had a SMOKIN deal for mid-week.

**I didn't feel too comfortable taking pictures in the actual event but I'm sure they are online somewhere!**

The event was really cute though!They had a DJ, cocktails, and plenty of great booths and deals on super cute clothes. I skipped the designer deals because getting to Vegas to check out the event took some savings but I did buy some fun shirts from Jac Vanek, a sassy lady with fierce style.

Plus, another one that is based off the "Keep Calm" series and it says " Keep Calm and Party On"

I pretty much love it.

After the event, CC and I went out for our one night in Vegas and spent it at the club Rok and had a little bit too much fun in a way only Vegas can provide

Lastly, as a second year tradition I helped my good friend turn his office into a Christmas/Holiday Explosion. We played Christmas Music, Elf the Movie, Home Alone 2, and pulled an all-nighter decorating his whole office to surprise his co-workers who walked into a winter wonderland the following morning.

One of the things we did was make a fireplace out of cardboard boxes to create a "living room" scene

Next, we set up the Christmas tree, wrapped some miscellaneous things from around the office and created a "window" that looked out into a snow filled valley that included snow capped mountains and a happy snowman.

Things not pictured(but hopefully I will be in possession of soon!):

*A Christmas Wonderland that we created at the front entrance with snowflakes and twinkling lights

*A sleigh set up for photo ops

*An igloo built over an entire desk

*A "candy cane" room where everything was decorated in red and white

Overall, the night was a huge success and from what I hear his co-workers loved it :)

**Vacation Santa approves of this post.**

We are hoping to have another giveaway very soon just in time for Christmas so stay tuned!

New York, New York

2011-11-29T00:20:00.003-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen,

If you haven't been to New York, you have not lived.

Well that's not true, but you are seriously, SERIOUSLY missing out. In the same way that Vegas is other-worldly, New York's charm is not like anything else I've ever experienced. Crazy people on subways, pigeons in airports, and memorable celebrity sitings (we had one- Carson Kressly of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy sipping on a martini..I know, not THAT impressive, we did have to look up his name when we got home).

Wednesday night we left on a red eye from Sky Harbor to JFK. We were on our way to the land of honking horns, bright lights and the most breathtaking skyline you will ever see. Seriously, it's not one of those things that you see once and each time after it starts to lose its appeal (*COUGH* Grand Canyon); if I had to choose one thing to look at for the rest of my life (well besides Scott Avett), it would easily be the view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Anyway, once we arrived and made our towards the big city via subway very, very early, we checked in to our hotel on the Upper West Side.

We had easy access to the 1 subway and the cutest darn jazz bar in the city- Smoke. We got to check this out on Saturday-it is truly a nostalgic and romantic place (it has a very 40s feel to it). If you get the chance to go, you definitely should. You will love it.

The first day we were there, we grabbed some delicious breakfast at Cafe Lalo (they filmed a scene from you've got mail here! Tom Hanks would be proud).

Afterwards, loopy from the coffee and full of excitement, we wandered around Central Park pretty much all afternoon. We just couldn't get enough.

We then wandered around through The Plaza, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, etc. Lots got done this first day, including a much needed nap to the lullaby of angry New York drivers holding down their horns (Fun fact: did you know that people get fined for using their horns in NY? I told you, it's like another world!).

The next day we got up and headed straight for the Empire State Building/34th street. Annie and I went by our lonesomes to the top of the Empire (do yourself a favor and don't pay the $15 extra to go to the 102nd floor. It is indoors and the pictures aren't as neat. The first level pretty much gets the job done.)

When we got back down, Lindsey and Megan were watching the Veteran's Day Parade.

We took the Staten Island Ferry so we could get a free view of the Statue of Liberty. In New York, free is good, and the view was certainly not terrible! We didn't get as close as I'd hoped we would, but a view on an afternoon like this makes it really, really difficult to complain.

We met up with our friend Lance (he came down from D.C.) and went dancing at a place called Home Sweet Home. The girls were Stylin' and the blue walls in our hotel were great for fun photos beforehand.

Before we went out, we wandered around Chinatown (great for looking at Graffiti, not so great for wandering at night), and ate at a Mexican food restaurant that claimed "we have black beans" several times on their menu...strange, but the quirky kind of stuff you have to love and embrace in New York.

We went, we dance, we conquered..

(Wow, this post is getting pretty long. I'll speed it up a bit.)

We also were able to check out the 9/11 site, occupy wall street (not very impressed), and OF COURSE the infamous Carrie Bradshaw's stoop (and Lindsey was interviewed by it for some British documentary!)

Overall, it was a very successful trip with some FABULOUS friends. I truly can't imagine a greater city to hang out with your girlfriends (and boy-friends *ahem* Lance) in. So much to do, so little time. I guess that just gives us an excuse to go back...

For now, New York..

We are back from the Big City

2011-11-15T16:04:00.002-07:00

Well, we have been out of commission for the last week because of our travels and adventures in the Big Apple. I'm still compiling and editing my pictures and waiting to collect some of Samantha's photographs for a real update on our vacation. Needless to say, I left my heart in NYC and my body is ready to move there and catch up already!

Here is a lil preview though:

I made it to Carrie Bradshaw's Stoop!

Nostalgia, Art Walk and a Masquerade Party

2011-11-07T01:37:00.003-07:00

After spending Friday job hunting and thrift shopping for our Etsy I was really excited to just relax and visit with some family.

My parents and I drove out to visit my grandma and bring her dinner. We ended up spending the majority of the evening looking at old photographs and listening to her recall stories of her youth. I felt giddy and nostalgic looking at her pictures from the 1930s,40s, and 50s. They included pictures of her friends in high school, their parties, my grandpa's WW2 photographs, and my grandma's old restaurant.

My favorite ones though were pictures of my grandma and grandpa's journey of love and starting a family.

I could listen to people's "how we met/fell in love" stories forever.

Below is a picture of my grandma's dining room table. It just made me smile.

After my grandmother's house, my friend Andrew and myself decided to make a trek down to First Fridays in Downtown Phoenix hoping to not get caught in the rain before we saw some galleries and visited a few booths. I only got to snap a few pictures before we were making a run for it back to the car.

This was done out of colored dried frosting..crazy!

I love glass blown...anything, really especially if it's colorful and whimsical. I want to someday take a class.Marking that down on the life list.

Overheard the artist telling a couple: "If you like Hitler, I'm out of prints right now but I can special order some".

Andrew and I before actually seeing the Hitler painting: ".....?!?!"

First sign of Christmas! eeee!

Saturday was spent getting ready for Andrew's Masquerade party at our house to celebrate his 25th birthday.

The Birthday Boy, Andrew. Welcome to your Mid-Twenties!

I tried to wear Ricky's hat for the picture but it was just slightly too big for my head. oops!

Taken one second after Anthony pinched Sam's butt. This is why candid pictures are the best!

Matt and Leah looking stylish and adorable per usual

The traditional "boys" picture

The traditional "girls" picture minus quite a few of the girls

Ahh the Santa hat on Grant makes me so happy!

Bekah and Sammy- you girls keep me young

We had a full house of people that made for a crazy night of copious amounts of dancing and flip cup tournaments, laughter and new friendships (and a hatchet thrown in our pool?! but that's for another time..but seriously, what?).

Here is just a taste of the night's happenings...

**The awesome backdrop for the pictures was from the brain of/put up by our good friend Tiffany over at Kitten Paws Vintage**

If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!

2011-11-04T14:34:00.001-07:00

Only five more days until my roomies, our good friend Megan and myself are headed to the Big Apple for some autumn awesomeness in the Big City. I can hardly contain myself! Just thinking about it sets my stomach in to a butterfly mess of excitement. I have been to New York twice before but not since I've turned twenty one and now being in my mid twenties its time to go back and live up the night life of NYC with some of my dearest (see: crazy) friends. Plus, it's a place I have always dreamed of living and hope to get there someday( heres to hopin, wishin, and prayin it's before I turn 30!) and I'd like to see how my dream fits with my personality and spirit in reality.

I've done all the tourist-y/time square stuff with my family back in the day so I'm really ready to venture off and get down with the locals (after having a picnic in central park and seeing Carrie Bradshaw's stoop of course..got to have little tourist-y fun!).

(photo credit: Samantha's photos from her NYC trip in August)

I CANNOT wait to explore, thrift, eat, drink, meet people and give my dance shoes a much needed night out on the town.

Any local recommendations for food, fun,shopping, dancing, drinks?

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself" - Amelia Earhart

2011-11-02T13:07:00.001-07:00

Ah, the inevitable crash back to the usual. Its a gnawing feeling that usually happens to me right after a long anticipated vacation or a fun/friend filled weekend (such as this past one with Halloween shenanigans)- the movement right back into the daily grind and right back into the mundane.

As my roommate and myself were sitting in our living room last night settling down from the day and watching our usual weekday wind down show Law and Order: SVU (don't you judge us!) we decided we refused to let this feeling grip us and even if we had to create adventure for ourselves we would! I feel this is a pact that is really important to us at this point in our lives. I currently live with two of my closest friends and at this particular time all of us are single and do not have any prospects. I point this out because our house to me has become this really comfortable blanket of supportive and like minded friends that are there whenever I want to do something or need to talk. This is truly the household I am meant to be in but at the same time it has made me really lax in meeting new people which is something I loved to do when I was still in college.

Needless to say, last night we ended up turning our Tuesday night from one where we were going to sit around having wine and talking about who just announced their engagement/pregnancy on Facebook all while making self deprecating jokes to hanging out with a few guys we didn't know. And you know what?

We had a really, really great night.

It may not be a big deal but it's a step towards putting ourselves out there more and I think that's a beautiful place to be.

Sometimes a girl just needs a lil' adventure even if she has to create it for herself.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.”

-Mark Twain,

Style Watch: My Favorite Fall Trends!

2011-11-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

As October went zooming by and as we officially enter into November, it is finally (FINALLY!!!) starting to feel like Fall in Arizona which means stores are currently stocking up on cardigans, leggings and boots...mmm fall love! Aside from those staples of autumn fashion, here are a few trends I'm currently loving..

Usually reserved for little boys or men attending black tie events, I'm currently loving the bow tie for women!

How cute is this? She looks like a chic Mary Poppins!

(photo credit: first three pictures from unknown source, last picture of Lindsey from Phx Fashion Week)

Another staple of male fashion that I'm currently digging for women is suspenders:

Suspenders AND bow tie? Ahhyeahhhh

GLITTER SUSPENDERS, PEOPLE!

I know its totally 80s and doesn't follow the typical "fall color combinations" (we don't really follow those rules anyway) but I can't help but love scouring Ebay and Etsy for color block clothes/shoes/anything really. How fun are these?

I basically want this exact outfit. Please? Ok

(photo credit: sources unknown. If you know the source, let us know. We will happily credit them)

Happy Halloweeeeeeeennnnnn!!!

2011-10-31T18:59:00.003-07:00

After a weekend of costume parties, eating desserts, and general shenanigans with friends, I think tonight is a great night to just enjoy a (not so) scary movie and enjoy some comfort food. I love seeing all the costumes coming in online, especially DIY ones and here are some of our own from this weekend..

Leah as a Pinata and Lindsey as the Riddler

Sam as a Christmas Tree and Annie as a Christmas Present

A super easy Halloween dessert made with chocolate pudding, oreo crumbles sprinkled on top and RIP written on Milanos Cookies

BATMAN VILLAINS: Lindsey , Ricky as the Scarecrow, Matt as the Joker

"How can this be healthy?!": Banana Ice Cream!

2011-10-27T16:44:00.001-07:00

I recently stumbled upon this SUPER easy, SUPER quick recipe for ice cream made out of bananas (!!!) online when I was trying to figure out what I could make out of my almost overly ripe bananas.

First, cut up your ripened bananas into 1/4 to 1/2 in slices. Put them on a plate or as I did put it into a 8X8 platter and covered with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight.

Add bananas into blender or food processor and set it to high and puree it.

This might take a few minutes and you might need to keep pushing the bananas down with a long spoon.

Finally, the bananas will become fully puree'd and ready to eat.

Pour Banana Ice cream into bowl and it's ready to eat! It will be more like soft serve at this point. If you wish to have it more like regular ice cream place it back into the freezer covered for a few more hours!

Great healthy treat!

You can also add:

Peanut Butter

Honey

Pie Crust Crumbles

Nilla Wafers

or other unique additions to make this delicious treat even better!

Let's go to the Fair Fair FAIR!

2011-10-27T12:23:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite annual fall traditions is to go to the Arizona State Fair! I get so excited to see the farm animals, shop around the expo, check out the art/cakes/collections of fellow south westerners, ride the kiddie rides, watch the demolition DERBY!, play some games, and eat the ridiculous food you can only find at fairs. Here are some pictures from this years Fair-ventures

Some Fair-goers: Our friend Kevin, Me (Lindsey), and Sam

Some of the animals in the Agri-Section: LlamaFace

Fluffy chicken-I want one!

Demolition Derby with the most epic comeback I've ever seen! Underdog FTW!

Deep Fried Dessert Vendor...mmmmmheartattack!

I went with the Fried Oreo..SO DELICIOUS! Next year I want to try the deep fried Peanut Butter Cup

The Haunted Mansion Kiddie Ride-It's so cheesy and amazing. I will even admit I screamed on this one...

Our friend Ricky and myself after winning some of the fair games! Ricky won the GIGANTIC minion from "Despicable Me" after actually getting a ring on the bottle at the ring toss- that never happens!

All in all, one of the best days at the fair yet!

We Have a WINNER!

2011-10-24T18:05:00.002-07:00

The Winner: Congrats to Claudia at The Shallow End for winning this month's giveaway! You will receive the Limited Edition Halloween Products featured as well as a code for 15% off your entire purchase at our Etsy Shop.

How we picked the winner: We entered everyone's name/email addresses into an excel spreadsheet( Twice if you also became/were a fan of Purple Party Shoes on Facebook) in random order. Next we did the Random Function for Excel to give us a random number and whoever's name correlated was the winner!

Our Thanks: Thankyouthankyouthankyou to EVERYONE that participated in the October Giveaway! We were not expecting such a great response for being a very new blog but we are excited by all the feedback! We will be having giveaways often (especially with Lush products because we love them so!) so check back!

Love,

The Ladies at PurplePartyShoes