Another Beautiful Valentine Swap

Happy Valentines Day to all of you!!

My ebay group did a valentine swap also. They have spoiled me for almost 3 years now with their love, humor and gorgeous crafts given to me. I cannot say enough about these women. I was partners with Shirl of Shirlsrosecottage this time. This woman does the most gorgeous silk ribbon embroidery. Shirl has been doing it a long time and does exquisite work.

But Shirl sent me my favorite kind of candy — coconut and almonds. It's almost all gone and I just got it a couple of hours ago. I'll TRY and leave some for Love Bunny but first come first eater is my motto!! :-)

But look at this beautiful little fleece embroidered roses hearts banner. It is fantastic in person, let me tell youuuuuuuuu!! I'm hanging it in a very special place also.

And Shirl does lovely cards also.

And this little valentine pillow with embellishments galore. I cannot tell you how much she has thrilled me today. I am truly blessed by these women. Truly!!!!!

In the Garden of Earthly Delights.......

About this time of year we're all wishing for some greenery, flowers and warm breezes. At least that's how it is here in Idaho, so I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of some beautiful gardens.

Just imagine walking with a loved one beneath this allèe..........

Or sitting in this beautiful garden of roses in a sunny part of France..........

Or meandering down this azalea strewn path with a child and showing him or her the delights of a "secret place"..........

Or picking the sunflowers growing on the side of this old weathered barn..........

Or leisurely floating in a row boat on this beautiful lake..........

Or playing hide-and-seek with your hubby or sweetheart in this park..........

Or passing a few private moments on this old park bench while gazing at those lovely pink rhododendrons..........

Or watching birds flitter about in this bird bath while listening to the tinkle of water while maybe even floating a tiny boat in it..........

Or walking down this pansy strewn path in the shade of the trees with hostas growing underneath them..........

Or glimpsing these beautiful pink, red, purple, orange and yellow majestic tulips..........

Or lying on the bench while dreaming of lovely anemones just within your reach..........

Or climbing these lichen or moss covered stone steps to a secret place known only to you and a loved one..........

Yes, just sit and dream of the new awakening of the earth during these winter months. Ahhhhh, the anticipation. It enlightens my soul!

Fashionista Shoes

Okay, now don't gag or retch, chicks, but this old pair of shoes is my favorite flat pair of shoes. These are size 8 1/2 M so why am I now wearing 9 1/2 -10 W? They still fit but they are absolutely falling apart. Sole, insides, toes. Hubs said they've given up the ghost and to just bury them. They've always been bright candy apple red but I had to paint them with shoe color about 10 years ago because polishing wouldn't do it anymore. They're about 25 years old. Macy's, of course! I wish I could find another pair like them but I can't. None that fit the toes as well as these. I think I'm going to cry........ Excuse me while I go grieve a bit.

Back........I wonder if I saved the heel could I put it on another shoe? Hmmmmm, I've been having "separation" issues here I know. I would put clip on bows on them and ............okay, okay, time to let go.
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Okay, I took the new pair of high heels I ordered and that finally fit and jazzed them up a bit with some vintage millinery roses. While they don't even come close in comparison to the shoes below I'm happy with them. It's been sooooooo long since I've worn a pair of heels so let's hope I don't kill myself on sunday when I wear them to church. I shall also make some ribbon clip ons for these shoes. I may do a black ribbon but I'm going to have several different colors to go on this shoe so it'll change the look without buying any more shoes. What?!!?!? Did I actually say that?!?!?! I must be getting sick or something.........

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I was looking for some clips for shoes recently and came across these handmade shoes. Are they not incredible?!?!?! Squeeeeeeeeal. If I wore heels a lot—and I don't— I'd buy these in a heartbeat. They're designed and made by a woman in England who obviously has a lot of talent. Although I can't "make" shoes like she does, I can at least take a hint and froufrou them up with some bows, vintage millinery roses and such. So that's what I did with the above shoes. See what we can do to save money. Fix up an old pair of comfy shoes.

Are these simply adorable or what?! I love these shoes. The right one looks different than the left one. Clever, huh?

Bows and flowers.

Heel glamour with cutout toe!!

Even her insides have pizzazz.

Not your granny's old shoes, are they?!

I don't think any two are alike. I haven't seen any yet. Buttons on your toesies.

Looks like a silk kimono.

These are one of my favorites. Look at how red they are. And those bows??? Whooooaaaa, just adorable!

These are my favorite I think. Just kinda flirty and sassy. Too high for me though. *Sigh*...................

Talk about your s*xy shoe!! I'll bet even the hollywood elite doesn't have anything this cute.

I love these bows but dragging them on the ground would get them awfully dirty in a short time, so I think I'd make them a bit shorter for the shoes I may do something with. We'll see.

Fun for valentines day or a first date. Would he just faint all over ya with these on, chicks?!?! Yesssssssssssss...........

I truly don't know how women walk in these mules but these are cute. I'm be sitting on my backside if I tried this one though. ;-)

I think she used a lot of different fabrics on this one, but she has talent, I tell ya.

Another pair that are my favorites. You'd be the only gal at the party with a pair like this.

And these???? Look at that stitching. These look almost like a tropical shoe—something you'd wear to a formal luau. ;-)

I've never seen such fabrics as she uses. Gorgeous! Now just eat your heart out. These are the cutest shoes I've ever seen made by hand and a woman.

This woman knows what a woman wants! I adore these shoes.
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Now if you want some "no limit on the price shoes" then you might want a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. His shoes usually run from a few hundred dollars to $2,000.00 and let me tell you there aren't many at the lower end! I'd say most of them are in the higher price range of several hundred dollars. But these little beauties are $6,300.00 and he's only making 3 dozen of them. Better hurry while you can get them. Oooooh, you recognize them because his soles are always red. Of course, they come in a designer box also. I'm not seeing a run on these from my neighborhood.

Baby's Got A New Pair(s) of Shoes!!

I've been doing my best to "stimulate" the economy, chicks, truly I have. But my tale of woe goes way back to a year ago.

I lamented on having these lovely tootsies operated on by a podiatrist just over a year ago. Well, these feet have never been the same since. (Don't ever get them operated on if you don't absolutely have to!! Trust me on this. I'd never do it again - never.)

Anyway, I kept these lovely new feet shod in Crocs and Teva sandals because they were the most comfortable. I had some of the sexiest high heels you've ever seen and I had to give them away or sell them on ebay. I could never ever wear them again. Women used to ask me where in the world I'd get my shoes. I told them that for the most part I'd buy them at Macys. I did buy some Cole Haan at Nordstroms though and those are the most comfortable pair of Italian leather loafers I've ever had. I love those shoes and can still wear them because I've stretched them out so badly that they'll still fit. But anyway.............

The podiatrist told me I've got to get back into a regular shoe. So this past week I went shoe shopping. I shopped on line at Zappos because they have cute shoes and free delivery to my home and back to them if the shoes are returned. How in the world can you beat service like that?! Well, the first pair were too narrow so I got another pair in a different style and they're too wide. How can shoes be so different?! I used to wear an 8 - 81/2 medium; I know wear 9 1/2 - 10 wide or medium depending on the cut of the upper part at the toes. I also wanted a low pair of heels for church so I looked and looked for a black pair that I can wear. I've give them a try but they are only about 2" heel. If I only wear them on sunday I think I might be okay. We'll see. Here are some I've bought.

These are really cute and I like the wedge heel and they look adorable on. I didn't like the white stitching so I took black magic marker and colored the stitching black. I might put shoe polish on the whole shoe to make it look better. There are different shades of black, ya know!

These are open on the top and also very flattering to my feet. My toes "peek" out and I like that. Comfy also.

These had to go back but I loved the ribbon on the front. Part leather and part patent leather. Really cute but they didn't have the size I needed when I realized these didn't fit. Too tight in the toe area.

I loved these the minute I saw them!! You only get one guess as to why. Okay okay, give up?? Pink and a rose on them. How cute are they! My kinda shoe - roses and pink! Squeeeeeeeeal.......... Very cute and very low cut on top.

Okay, these are my "just so cute I can't do without them" shoes. Hubs won't know about these just yet. I think he's in shock from the 4 other pairs I've bought. These will be a "surprise!!!!!" pair down the road. *Wink*

These were on my porch when I got home from shopping. I love them but they're too big. I'll exchange them for a smaller pair.

Shopping in San Francisco

My favorite place in the whole world to shop: San Francisco Union Square! It just doesn't get much better than this for regular normal people. Hah. I borrowed these from Mo with her permission because when we moved here from the Bay Area digital cameras were not on the market then and I was one of the worst photographers ever. My skills have improved greatly since then! So thank you to Mo and a gift is making its way to her door as we speak!

This is standing on one corner looking at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. I love to dine here. They have a few dining rooms at which to eat and we've eaten at each one I think. But the one I love most is right inside the entrance. They have sofas at some of the tables in the middle of the room, not those banquettes along the walls. Very elegant. And the staff is exceptional.

We took a friend's teenager back with us one year for the holidays because she was struggling in the small Idaho town we were in at that time. She was mesmerized! She couldn't believe such a place existed. She then looked at me as we were reading the menu in the front of the restaurant and said, "Connie, you're going to have to translate the menu for me because I don't understand a word of it." I did because it was all in french.

Neiman-Marcus. Wheat else can I say. The last time I was in here several years ago I was in the linen department and looking at some pure linen sheets. One sheet - not a set, but just one sheet - was $400.00. I've never slept on pure Irish linen sheets and at that price I'm probably not going to if Love Bunny has his say about it. I'm sure the sheets must last a lifetime though as linen is a very sturdy fabric. (He isn't buying that one, chicks! Hah) One of the most elegant stores I've been in outside of Hollywood's Rodeo Drive.

My favorite store in the whole world - Macy*s! I've been in many of them but this one on Union Square has 4 floors I believe and a basement. Dining is a real treat as the food is superb. But if you can't find it here then it probably doesn't exist in the world. And when they have a sale, it's a sale! I once bought an $80 blouse (this was 25 years ago) for $10.00. This place wants to move their merchandise, ladies! Wonderful place to shop, just fantastic!!!!

The Westin St. Francis up close. I cannot tell you how gracious the staff is in this hote. They see to your every need with the utmost care.

Nordstroms. I love their shoes. They originally started out as a shoe store in Seattle and then expanded. The S.F. store was put in about mid 1980s I believe and when we went in there you gasped it was so lovely. Glass escalators - which actually was a bit frightening to me because of the heights. I cannot begin to describe the beauty of this store. It kind of feels like you're in a gold mine with all the gold and glitter. And the employees are very attentive to your every whim. You do NOT need to ask for help; they're right there helping you. Their staff is also as exceptional as the St. Francis.