Red Shoes blog

revisiting the summer, just for one second :)

2010-01-07T15:16:08-08:00

SOmetimes I just need a little dose of summer color in these dark cold months......

But only for a second, because I actually LOVE winter!

Well, all of the months actually.... each one has it's own charm and specialty.

In fact, We've got a little snowstorm happenin in our neck of the woods right now, I'm all comfy cozy in my little house, and I am completely happy with that!

There is something beautiful about this time of year, It's a time to rejuvenate, hibernate, and motivate!

The colors of the sunset are just a little bit different, but they are just as wonderful, and there is TONS of magic to be found indoors and out around these parts.....

INDOORS, The DIA, is one of my MOST favorite spots to do just that. Just walking in feels magical, and to be around all of those impressive pieces of art work....well, they are just SO inspiring!

so these next few weeks I will be enjoying winter for what it brings to my creative spirit. I can't wait to share what I come up with!

Hope you are enjoying this time of year in your neck of the woods too!

XOXOXO

HellO 2010!

2010-01-02T10:45:36-08:00

I've never been one for resolutions, I think they put way too much pressure on people.

Real change comes over time. It takes a lot of determination and drive to make lasting changes stick, it doesn't happen over night.

so I believe in setting goals and working towards them, it's what makes a new year so exciting!

....seeing what new directions and interesting paths you may take. it's the beauty of the new year, and I for one am so excited to start a new chapter in this wild life!

I've certainly had a nice, long, and restful vacation to think about it all!

Racing around town.....

soaking up the sights and sounds of the season...

going out to various restaurants and venues with friends and family...visiting with my sister who flew in for the holidays..

spending lots of time with family, very fun!

traditions being passed along (check Ian's pants, they've been passed down from one generation to the next) because let's face it, in our household, christmas wouldn't be complete with out a pair of plaid pants,

blackwatch I believe, to be specific ;)

getting time to spend with my little people!! so fun to be together without having to think about work, or anything really.....

spending extraordinary amounts of time in bed, with dogs of course, and good books.......

also spending an extraordinary amount of time eating, eating, eating, ohmyWORD!!! stop the insanity!!

discovering numerous ways to get creative with HAM. :) these are the beginnings of homemade fresh bean and ham quesadillas! mmmmmm.

some meals more elegant than others, This is from the local restaurant LOGAN, if you haven't been there, oh my!!

make a special trip, it's AMAZING, and wonderful, worth every penny.

some elegant meals prepared at both my sister-in laws, AND my mother in laws. beautifully executed as always!

some meals a little less formal.... like diners in the wee hours with friends, eating Hippy hash (eggs,hashbrowns and veggies) at the Fleetwood at 4 AM!!

hilarious!

always a fun experience there, meeting interesting folks along the way! beatniks, poets, musicians, roller derby girls, locals, young and old.....always an experience!

hanging out with my best girlfriends, laughing, partying, being wild....(in moderation of course ;)

dancing, having fun.....

basically enjoying myself, and living life to the fullest, squeezing out every last minute of the days.....happy that we had a WONDERFUL Holiday season at the shop, a nice and relaxing couple of weeks with family after.......and plenty of time to think about the future, getting re-inspired and ready to start the new year fresh with all sorts of great ideas for the coming months....my wheels are spinning as always, and I am So excited to share it all with you!

thanks for coming to take a peek, as always, I am so happy you're here!!

XOXOXO

Merry Christmas....to me!

2009-12-16T20:32:27-08:00

Well there is one thing I should probably not be left in charge of and that is the Christmas shopping.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE to shop!

I love to give presents, thoughtful gifts.. putting my whole heart into it, I mean, it's what I do for a living.

and let's face it, I am the organized one in that department.

but Christmas shopping is a whole different ball game. It involves going to a wide variety of stores that I wouldn't necessarily frequent....

and that becomes problematic.

I end up buying more things for MYSELF than others!

do you find yourselves doing this?

oh my, it's bad!

I mean I RARELY shop!! seriously.

(mostly because Ann has me locked down in the basement strapped to my sewing machine making pillows all of the time. ha ha! just kidding Ann.)

So this week since I've started the process of buying gifts, (for others) I've come home with a few for myself.....

1.) couple of new shirts,

2.) some earrings,

3.) new lotion,

4.) some more earrings......

5.) a dress (or two)

etc.

you get the picture.......

well tonight,

I ended up going into a little vintage shop in town because

I had to pick up something on somebody's list

(don't read this mom) ;)

...... found myself coming home with these

I mean, How perfect is that old gumball machine, with it's chrome base, and perfect vintage lettering.

right? well how about a nice, perfectly rusted old toy truck?

because everybody needs a Buddy right? :)

with the perfect amount of old dirt in it's tires,

like it had actually traveled along old back roads

and forgotten highways........

I just had to have it~

and what about this?

I have a thing about globes.

the fact that this one was old AND lit from within, well....it had me at Hello.

completely captivated by it's ethereal glow.

these by FAR my most exciting scores (for myself) this week.

now the more I thought about it, and my complete lack of self-control, I started thinking ........

WAIT!!! I DESERVE these things right?

I mean, I've worked HARD this season,

I should be rewarded with a treat right?

SO if you find yourself in a similar situation like myself,

go easy on yourself.....

you probably have worked hard too!

and you deserve that little extra something

for yourself, so go ahead!

your secrets safe with me! :)

XOXOXO

HOliday Blur

2009-12-10T08:57:39-08:00

Where am I? who was we?

ha ha ha. Oh the time is just flying by isn't it? If I hear one more person tell me that we have only 2 weeks before the big day I might go all postal.

kidding of course, but shoOey, where DID the time go?

It feels like it just crept up entirely too fast this year!

I am completely behind in my own decorations at home, no tree yet, we usually have it up the weekend after thanksgiving!

my sad little attempt to whip up SOMETHING!

hey! it's a Wreath right! ;)

and HellO! big fan of the charlie brown style christmas tree over here!

Now don't even get me started on the whole shopping thing,

haven't even started. and I am o.k. with that. it'll get done, it always does. only this year, I will NOT flip out and stress myself out.

in fact I have been taking it easy, getting my hands dirty, working on new things...

tiny little 6X6 inch canvasses that have now become little 4X4

wood prints! and cards too!

with little distressed dots on the edges....pretty cute, and easy to whip out, so that will be reflected in the price....

but I have to consult my boss (Ann) ha ha!

on how much they'll cost, but they will be cheap! weeeee!

I am also working on getting them made into little framed prints too.

very exciting!

and of course life wouldn't be complete with out my trusty little artful sidekick happily painting by my side

obviously inspired by those little paintings herself.

when I said "oops, you mis-spelled OUr House"

she replied without missing a beat,

"no, I meant to say that, here's our blue HOSE"

and promptly drew one.

oh she kills me! :)

SO in between Swim meets with my boy,

and running here and there.....

wondering how we went so quickly from this...

to this.....

in the blink of an eye...

things ARE getting done.

we are just in the slow lane when it comes to some stuff.....

not so much in others

ahem......

can I tell you just HOW MUCH i love my new CAR!!!

holy cow, I love that thing.

in fact just last night I received a package in the mail from them, my cute little car company (note the 'essential Non-essentials' comment) too funny!

a little box full of goodies....like decals, window clings, a journal, a PEN,

and a bunch of other hilarious little goods....

my favorite of course being the little antenna ball!

HELLO and Holy cow, can they read my mind or what!?

how did they know I just love numbers?

it's so silly how easily excited I get over things, I mean I was excited about that PEN,

but this one, made me scream OUT LOUD!

yes, I'm cuckoo like that.

but I love my car. :)

and my little antenna ball!

Grandma driver NO more!

I am officially in the fast lane.

SO if you see some little blur whizzing by you on the road with a big ole cheesy grin on her face....

it's probably me,

and I am happily motoring my way thru this crazy little life, one day at a time people.

Hope you are too!

XOXOXOXO

HOlidays in Full Swing!

2009-12-01T07:30:53-08:00

Well The SHop is officially transformed and we are in full swing!!

WE're making, creating, selling, ordering..you name it!

we are DOING IT!

We are also going to be open late this Friday Dec. 4th for midnight madness until 11pm!

I'm kind of sleepy just thinking about it, ha ha ha!

just kidding! really we LOVE that night! it's so festive and fun, and this year instead of offering the typical discounts people expect on this day, we are taking a percentage of our sales, (20% to be exact) and donating them to our local Food bank Food Gatherers!

We are also going to have a donations barrel set up to accept canned goods and non-perishable items we can donate too...Because the thought of one hungry child, or an adult for that matter is too much for this heart to bear.

So please stop by and help us in our mission, not only will you be spending time in a warm and loving atmosphere surrounded by wonderful gifts you can buy for your friends and family, but YOU TOO will be doing something so wonderful and remarkable for someone who may be less fortunate than you, and that is what the HOlidays are truly about right?

Love to you all!

XOXOXO

oh, and p.s.

Pine scented candles are in, handmade ceramic dotty soap dishes are back in stock, more Austrian blankets are coming any day, along with More Mood swing jewelry, and Beth Quinn Jewelry,

glass bird vases, and other fun gift items!

ohh it's all SOOOO exciting! ;)

XOXO

Holiday OPen House 2009!!!

2009-11-19T18:22:50-08:00

Hello All!

Just popping in for a quickie, because seriously my life has become INSANE!! what the heck!?

when did life become so wild? :)

Anyhoo~ We are working into the wee hours of the evening to prepare things for our annual Holiday OPen House tomorrow at the Shop!

It's the time of year when we close down our shop for 2 and a half days to prepare. it's a massive endeavor, rearranging things, setting up and decorating trees, painting, hanging lights, crafting.....you get the picture!

So FOr you Locals, we sure hope you can join us! and for those of you, my sweet computer buddies, I thank you for your virtual visit! I promise to post more pictures soon!

So for now, here is a sneak Peek!

(that tiny little mouse in a matchbox with a mattress. pillow. and blanket KILLS me! SOOOO cute!)

(we are still feverishly working on displays, and I of course am right down to the wire making things!)

But more is coming in the next coming weeks too, so never fear!

This is a dynamic little shop, always moving, always changing, so you know there will always be something fun to look at!

o.k., so on that note,

please join us tomorrow

Friday Nov.20th 2009

Shop doors open at 5p.m. and stay open until 9 p.m.

hope to see you there!!!!

XOXOXO

oh, and P.S.

I forgot to mention, if you are local, we are part of a window display contest going on downtown.

various merchants are participating in a contest to see who has the best window display!

so of course being the wildly competitive person that I am, I HAD to sign up! ha ha ha!

no seriously, I thought it would be fun, you can learn more about it here

I designed a window for Seyfried Jewelers on Main street.

so if you are local come check out the various displays,

and should you feel compelled to vote for us......ahem,

you can vote for us here (under seyfried jewelers)

;)

here are a few pics :)

they are great guys, have beautiful jewelry, and

yes, we want to win :)

XOXOXO

The Need for speed

2009-11-02T09:09:11-08:00

Lets' face it, who doesn't want everything to be lightning fast these days?

I certainly know I am guilty of it.

I want my high speed internet connection, my digital satellite T.V. with the DVR so I can tape my shows and fly through them commercial free....my high speed cell phone so I can check emails on the fly...of course with the texting package so I can get immediate responses from friends and family.

complete with a cell phone camera, so I can instantly take pictures and upload them remotely to facebook, or other social media sites for instant gratification.

Ridiculous really, but it's the way society has us programmed these days.

and of course I love it.

to a certain degree.

I am sure many of you have seen this video, but how true is this? I can totally relate.

SO even though I want this speed, I AM aware of how silly it really is. I believe there are and should be limits.

Which I am learning by way of my son and his middle school.

Since when did kids become so advanced at such an early age?

can we blame the media? the internet? Who knows.

All I know is that there are things out there that I see on T.V., or the internet that completely disgust me.

So these past few weeks have been a learning curve for me, having a child in a new school, figuring out new schedules...tweaking things here and there.

We have decided to remove his cell phone, AND texting and restricted his computer activities. because even though he is a great kid,

HellO!!! he's a KID.

and kids do NOT have the maturity to limit themselves, or to even handle what's being thrown at them on a daily basis.

this lightning fast everything has completely altered who we ARE as human beings.

turning young kids into little adults far faster than they should be.

I believe the things that kids text to each other are not necessarily the things that they would actually SAY out LOUD to one another if they were on the phone.

Social media is just TOO easy. and too fast!

All I can say is that I really wasn't prepared for this age. So I am learning.

I am AWARE.

I am paying ATTENTION.

and I am involved.

it's the single most thing you can do for your kids in this fast paced world. because in the end, they will probably thank you for it. maybe not now, but hopefully in the future.

SO, that being said,

(phew! now I am climbing down off of my soap box for the day, ha ha ha,)

I will now share some of my fun tips and discoveries that have revolutionized MY fast paced life this week. You know how I just LOVE to share! ;)

So, In this life, with driving and activities galore, cooking and feeding a family can be a complete nightmare.

welcome the crock pot into to your life.

little trusty crock pot, I love you.

This is my quick recipe for the week. I threw this baby together in less than 10 minutes, and had a wonderful HOT delicious meal for my family 11 hours later. whaHOO!!!

Meatball Stone soup!

Ingredients:

1 bag (16 ounces) frozen Italian style meatballs

2 cans (14 ounces each) beef broth

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes with Italian Herbs

undrained!!

1 medium potatoes chopped and diced (about 1 cup)

truthfully, I actually used two potatoes, because lets face it, I adore the potato!

1 medium onion diced about 1/2 to 1 cup, I used a lot of onion. :)

1/4 tsp garlic pepper, again, i used a bit more!!!

1 bag (1 pound) frozen mixed vegetables.

salt and pepper to taste

Literally throw all of this stuff into a 3.5 to 4 quart crock pot cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours.

omigosh! so easy and delicious!

I made some cornbread muffins to go with it, and sprinkled parmesan cheese on top of the soup and EVERYONE ate it! so good~!

Next up in my wild repertoire is this baby....

how funny that it's called Urban Decay, but!

It has completely revolutionized my life. seriously.

I mean this is life altering stuff. (o.k. I'm a bit shallow about some things)

But If you are like me, and have to REAPPLY your eye make up like 10 times a day because it smeared and creased on your eyelids, then this stuff is for YOU!!!

It literally keeps my makeup in place, and I do NOT have to do ANY touch up of any kind ALL day long!

it's fast! dries quickly, and really will add tons of extra minutes to your day by not having to check to make sure your eyeballs are still looking wide and haven't slipped off down by your chin. :)

you can find it here

or at Sephora. (located in the mall, don't tell anyone I actually WENT to the mall, but there you go. I HAD too. hee hee)

now lastly I will show you my new baby in my life.

I pick it up tonight.

I am so excited I could literally explode.

this day cannot go faster for me! ha ha.

I know it will help to make my fast paced life a little zippier. speeding me from here to there......

SO meet my new car.

a Mini clubman S.

with a turbo charged engine, and road rally potential..... :)

which is hilarious, because in all actuality, I drive like a GRANDMA, seriously!

I drive really slow, and conservatively. ask my kids, they'll tell ya.

The funny thing is that even though I like obvious girly things like makeup products, I AM part boy, and love, LOVE , LOVE cars!

I love that this car is European. I have always been intrigued by the little foreign cars at the auto shows.

(sorry American car companies, if it's any consolation my husband still drives a chevy truck)

I also love that it has a wonderful vintage tradition behind it!

So since I have decided to do the OPPOSITE thing that most people do with families, and go from a honking SUV

(our lease was up on our chevy Tahoe)

I've decided to BUY a tiny little sport vehicle, and I am REALLY excited about it!

It will save me money on gas, be sporty enough to have fun in, and will force me to slow it down a bit as to how much I can literally pack into my fast paced life.

I bought the stick shift model. I love to drive stick, and really, c'mon, if you are gonna have that kind of car, doesn't it need to be a manual transmission? :))

My husband was telling me "cathy, you are going to get REALLY tired of that quickly! I mean you won't be able to drink a cup of coffee while you are driving, or talk on the cell phone!"

but I'm thinking, it's O.K.!

i'm doing my small part to slow it down a notch.

I really shouldn't be doing those things anyways right!? ;)

XOXOXOXOXO

Tables and Tea 2009

2009-10-21T10:20:20-07:00

Life is a blur as always, whipping here and there.

flying by the seat of my pants on everything I do. I will say that honestly I feel like the luckiest person alive...because if you actually saw how I operate, you would be amazed...because yes, I am a whirling disaster.

but Somehow, miraculously, Things always seem to work out, don't ask me how or why, but they do.

Case in point, this morning.

I was scheduled to set a table at the Women's city club for their annual "tables and tea" event.

As usual, I was running behind, shuffled kids to school, came home cleaned kitchen and prepared dinner in the crockpot a nice pork tenderloin with an apricot glaze and stuffing mind you (don't be impressed it is super easy! ha ha ha! it just sounds fancy ) ;)

then I prepared to head out to get my table ready. it was now 9:45.

the event started at 11 AM.

I decided to call the place to just double check that they furnished table cloths. well evidently they DID NOT.

O.k. don't panic.

I only has consumed 2 non-drowsy sudafed loaded with ephedrin to clear my sick stuffy head, and consumed 2 cups of coffee, so yeah, my heart wasn't racing one bit. noOOO.

I raced to the store twitching and shaking to try and find a 60 inch round white tablecloth, no luck.

thankfully there was an amazing woman there who suggested I go around the corner to the rental facility and rent one!

brilliant!

WIth tablecloth in hand I raced to the shop and started to load up on supplies. mind you, I had only thought about my table in my head, I really had NO idea what I was going to do....so trying not to decompensate I grabbed Ann, my few goods, and raced to the place, 40 minutes till it opened.

We unloaded things at break neck speed...

of course right on top of my table was a white tablecloth,

that they supplied.

O.k., mentally telling myself, don't get irritated. things happen...it's o.k. it ALLL worked out! ;)

So This is what we ended up with, I think it turned out pretty good!

AND we had 20 minutes to spare, not bad huh?

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't take too much thought to pull together a fun table.

I literally spray painted twigs that I had ripped off a tree that fell down in a storm on the side of the shop.

Now on another lucky note,

We were completely surprised that a television crew from Philadelphia contacted us to film a commercial at our store Free of charge!!! holy cow.

SO they showed up last week and we survived it.

I even got Ann to go on camera! how hilarious is that!

we made up the rooms just so, adding a few extra touches like the green plants in sap buckets attached to the wall.

again, flying by the seat of our pants.

So on that note, I am going to sit back and take a deep breath, happy that I am finally sitting down for a nano second sipping a delicious hot cup of soup watching Ann unpack the fabulous christmas boxes that just rolled in. :)

but shushhhhhhh we aren't talking about Christmas right now AT ALL!!!! no, no NO!

it's FALL and we are enjoying every last crisp minute of it!

Have a Happy day everyone!

thanks for taking a peek!

XOXOXO

Boo!!

2009-10-06T09:17:48-07:00

Don't you just love this time of year? the crisp fall weather, the pumpkins, burning spicey scented candles, and of course the
fact that you get to embrace your slightly sinister side, and celebrate one of my most favorite holidays ever, HALLOWEEN!

weeeeeee!

I love Halloween!

But when it comes to Halloween,

I do NOT think Orange!, no, no, NO!

I like to decorate things a little bit differently.

I like to use more of the plain black and white themed goods, with only tiny amounts of orange accents.

So this year I decided to decorate the front room in a more elegant fashion, but not too elegant, because that's not what we're all about here.

we are about comfort, and style of course, but we believe in also being able to fling yourself, and your dog on the sofa next to you within those stylish rooms.

SO this year, this is what we've cooked up.....

spare rooms with bold black and white accents, white pumpkins,

black crows, and chalkboards....

of course we need to add a little drama with some greenery, and the topiaries seem to add just the right zip.

Now you of course could do something like this to your rooms,

paint a canvas that you can buy at the craft store, with blackboard paint and hang them on your walls! add white pumpkins to galvanized pails, find accents at your local shop, or come here of course! ;)

The point is, have fun! If you have kids, they will LOVE this! trust me.

Even my sister's grouchy old trial attorney that lived in her

apartment complex used to hang a rubber skeleton from his door!

some more tips might be to use pumpkins as candle holders, drill a large hole on top and plop a candle that is slightly larger than the hole right in.

or scoop out a pumpkin, and use a drill to poke a bunch of holes all over your pumpkin to make a polkadotted one!

if you don't like to get messy, don't carve them at all, PAINT them!

you don't even have to be a great painter to do this, i did these last year in 2 seconds....

now moving on, we have been busy changing up our other rooms to a more fall palette. I painted a vintage bed in a nice green,

adding some rich BRIGHT fall colors to this room!

we have gorgeous new pillows and blankets in, and absolutely stunning baby blankets in new colors, like browns with chartreuse dots. SO FUN!

of course, I am STILL working on wool pillows.....

moving slower than molasses of course, a billion things on my never ending list, but it's ALLL good!

I was just asked to be a weekly contributing writer for Ann Arbor.com our local online newspaper! SUCH an Honor!

and next week, we have a TELEVISION crew coming here to film a small t.v. spot for the "best of the city"

too say that I am nervous and excited about THAT is an understatement! but it is truly super exciting!

SO on that note, I am OFF to finish working on some things.....

and if you'd like you can check out the wonderful Halloween goods we have in the store, I FINALLY loaded up some to my website! whoo-HOOO!

have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

XOXOXO

oh, and P.s.

if you want a fabulous, and I mean FABULOUS candle that smells FANTASTIC, and made by a REAL person, by hand....then check out my friends shop!

she is a sweetheart, you will be glad you did! ;)

A2 Treasure Hunt starts october 1st!

2009-09-25T14:42:24-07:00

You know you want to do it!

it's free,

it's fun,

and you win some serious pirates booty!

check it out here. or click on the side bar link ;)

ARRRRRRRRRR