I'm Back!

So the craziness of summer has gotten the best of me, and while it has been fun, I have let some things slip. Laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping, and my blog. But I am back and plan to stay even more committed than ever.

Do you have ideas for posts? Or would you like to see me do a reoccurring weekly topic ... hmmm like Esty find of the week? Let me know. I always love (and need) ideas.

Thank you to my followers. I hope you haven't lost hope in me.

Blog Award 2 - Hello Lover!

Thanks to Ms ARSCOTT for my second blog award, likely given to me because she knows of my not so secret obsession for all beautiful footwear.

The essence of this award is to share with you five of my favorite accessories for my feet (so I fudged a little and picked six ... it is like choosing a favorite child ... impossible).

This award resulted in being an interesting exploration into true fashion love. I didn't pick the platform heels or booties that are currently all over the fashion pages. But I immediately gravitated to my shoes with behind the scenes stories to their purchase or because of their quirky or beautiful construction. In fact, I only currently wear one of the six below but can guarantee all six will stay in my collection for eternity.

To me this showed that fashion and style is truly about personal taste that reflects one's uniqueness ... forget about needing to emulate the celebrities.

Enjoy! I sure did!

Purchased off of eBay with 5 other vintage pairs from the 60s.

My only pair of designer heels (Moschino) but more importantly they remind me of my first trip to NYC with my best girlfriends.

Random find at a antique store, but I love them for their over-the-top "themed" details. Yes, I have worn them, and yes, I got lots of crazy looks.

These lucky guys have already been featured on my blog as a gift from my hubby and symbolize his sweet, thoughtful love he shows to me everyday.

In love with these sweet delicate heels. These is how plastic on shoes should be done.

Found these one-of-kind shoes at a vintage shop in Tuscon, designed by a local Tuscon designer in the 50s. Uh-MAZING!

Now to pass along the love!

I award the Hello Lover blog award to:

I HEART HEELS (fitting ... I know)

Cupcakes and Cashmere

A Few of My Favorite Things

The Budget Babe

Just the Four of Us

Army of One

I am totally obsessing over army green, olive green, whatever you want to call it. I love the safari-esqe appeal it brings and how truly versatile it is. I treat it like a neutral paring it with anything from a punchy color to other neutrals like navy or beige. But my current preferred combo is an olive green piece with an overly feminine companion like this floral, peachy-pink top, creating a strong juxtaposition of the hard and soft.

(Skirt and top - Zara, belt - vintage, necklace - Adornments)

Tried Hot Yoga

Please give me a moment to stray from my fashion explorations to share a fitness find. After hearing about hot yoga for years, I finally mustered up the nerve to try it (I was originally paralyzed by the idea of fainting in an awkward position because of the heat, inevitable causing a domino falling of my fellow yoga-ers). To my surprise, it was approachable, relatable, doable, and totally refreshing.

The "can-do" tone was very much set by the instructor, owner of Yoga Story, and well practiced and passionate yogi, Cindee Joslin. The cute studio off the Bentonville square proved to be a place of peace and inner exploration as I managed to somewhat successfully contort my body into all the positions.

Miss Cindee offers several different class times with several different types of yoga all in the comfort of 90 degrees (it literally felt comfortable). The best part: she charges by donation only ... now that is true passion. Check out Yoga Story's site for more info and look for me in future classes, the one sweating buckets and loving it.

Cargo Pants as Dress Pants

I am loving the trend of cargo pants as dress pants. From my observations, the secret to pulling it off is cuff 'em and pair 'em with sexy heels and a feminine top.

Cargos - Gap, Blouse - JcPenny's, Shoes - Dillard's, Necklace - Tiffany's

Cynthia Vincent for Target

I have been coveting Cynthia's work in shoes for over a year, but the steep price tag has always prevented me from making them mine. When I heard Target was collaborating with her to say I was excited would be an understatement. I am now a proud owner of what I think she does best--overly strappy wedges--for only $30. They are super comfy, and I have already gotten tons of complements on them! You better hurry to your closest Target because they are selling out fast, or you can always buy them on eBay for about $15 over the current retail price.

My First Giveaway!!

I am so thrilled to be offering my readers my first ever giveaway. A dear friend of mine, Wendi, has a special talent for making sweet, feminine jewelry with a vintage twist (some pieces even use real vintage beads). On top of that, her prices are so reasonable! She has offered to let the winner of the giveaway pick her (or his) favorite piece! Here is how it works--you will receive one entry if you are a current follower or sign up to be a follower and you will get an additional entry if you leave a comment.

Check out Wendi's Etsy site to explore her whole spring/summer collection.

See below for some of my personal favs!