Hobby: F-Stop

So, I decided that I would play with the camera. A lot. Then, when I read the book about the buttons and what they do it will make sense. Less jibberish. More experience.

Tonight was F-Stop night. F-Stop and Manolo Blahnik.



Meet my first ever Mr. Blahnik. We had a quick date at Neimans and I fell hard.


If I'm going to drop this kind of cash on shoes they have to be special. Real special. You want something that you can wear forever. So it has to be timeless. But Payless can pull off timeless. They also have to be creative. Inspiring. Conversation Starters. Not easy to find in one shoe.


I've worn these to death. Should take them somewhere for a little work. A tip here. A tap there. These puppies will be with me forever. So they have to rock fierce forever.



I am continually amazed at how my buttons can produce such different images. Again, same everything but the buttons.



I am enjoying the warmer light ones much more than the cold/bright ones. Think it has something to do with the exposure. Longer exposure=warmer light? I could spend all night with Manolo and Nikon, but Chris leaves tomorrow, so I should spend some time with him. I guess. :-)

Houston, We Have a Problem

I love to shop. For anything really. Even groceries. And office supplies. There's something about picking out the perfect super cool Post It notes that gets me excited. No icky yellow standard ones for this girl.

But, when Chris and I took over wedding finances last May all shopping came to a complete halt. Cold Turkey. If it wasn't wedding related or vital to our surivival we didn't buy it.

But now the wedding is over ::insert evil laugh here::

It's Chris' fault really. He wants to take his dress up a level. No more t-shirts for this husband of mine (THANK GOD!). We hit Macy's on Saturday and Chris discovered the beauty that is English Laundry (is that what it's called?). The details are to die for. The buttons, the lining, the stiching. I'm so happy for Chris!

I was so good. Didn't buy a single thing. Mostly because the Sherman Oaks mall closes at 7:00 pm. That's the most ridiculous closing time for a mall I've ever heard.

But then he wanted to go to Nordstrom Rack. We'd never been, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I had taken the day off yesterday because I have to work on Saturday. And Chris' flight to Milwaukee was cancelled (yeah!) due to snow. So we were given a free day by the universe. Chris bought nothing. I accidently shelled out $200.

But I picked up an Elie Tahari dress that I want to move into. Forget other clothes. I could live in this thing for the rest of my life.

Originally $398, I snapped it off the rack for $99.50. It's much snugger and sleeker on me and I don't think I'll rock the belt because it looks funny. The sleeves are my favorite part!

Also, last night, I accidently typed in "ebay.com" and "manolo blahnik 36". There are Manolos going for under $200!!!

I sense an issue bubbling.

Shoe Drama

I adore shoes. And I'm not quite sure why finding a pair to wear to the Rehearsal Dinner is sooooooooo difficult. Perhaps it's because women's feet are getting ginormous, so shoe sizes are changing. I once wore a 6.5. Now I wear a 5 or 5.5. Either I am shrinking or other people are growing and damn you marketing folks. I've found many pairs that just don't fit. boo. Nordstrom was a treasure trove of beautiful pewter heels… but NOTHING FIT! I’m not miniature!!! I’m normal sized… this should not be an issue.

This is the dress...

Perhaps I can't find the shoe because of the dress. I don't want to go gold or silver because that's boring.

When I bought the dress I asked at BCBG and they showed me this pair. AKA the pair that I adore...

But I just can't bring myself to pay $225 for something that isn't the most absolutely stunningly fabulous thing I've ever bought. And I'm a shoe whore... I've paid way more than that for something stunning, but it was the most amazing shoe I've ever seen in my life and I wear them at least once a week. My heart fills with joy when I think of those stunning kitten heels... yet, this is for another post.

SOOOOO... there was this pair.




Carlos by Carlos Santana and I found them on Zappos.com for $99. I liked them online, but in real life they are really green and I stepped right out of them. Their 5.5 is whack, it got sent back. (Thank You Zappos for prepaid by you shipping both ways. It was sweet!)

So, to ninewest.com my fingers trotted. I found a pair!



And just as I was checking out, a little sign told me that buy 2, get ‘em 30% off. Well, I reasoned that they might not work, so I should go ahead and get a second pair. And even if I have to return them, I got the first pair 30% off. It was perfect!

I continued shopping and I found a hidden pair!


They’re almost like the BCBG pair, except without the fancy stuff. Perhaps I can fancy them up myself. Perhaps another DIY project. I’ve never DIY’d a pair of shoes. Can I do it?! Perhaps I shall!

I checked retailmenot.com and snapped up a free shipping promo code, upgraded the shipping to 3 day and I will now await my shiny pewter shoes and keep fingers crossed that they will compliment the dress. If they don’t… I go barefoot. End of story.