11 Years Ago

I started this blog 11 years ago. 

Mainly to talk fashion and shoe design influences without boring the people around me.  

I don't post here nearly enough due to work and time... 

but I'm still thinking about shoes, even when I should be doing other things. 

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter and want to chat shoes, I'd love that!

New Stuff, More Organization

So as you can see, I'm starting to make some changes around here. Interim things as I try to further define how I want the site structured. I'm open to all suggestions!

One thing I want to add are more categores for content. I have a schedule in progress that I will share with you but some key ares are:



Le Sigh... - These are some of daydreams and wishful thinking items.



Sparklers are some of my favorite people and where we get to see what makes them so cool. I plan on rounding up a ton more folks for this!



I've been adding my Shoe of the Day on Facebook. I'm going to add pictures and video here too!



Bubblegum Plastic is my other site but I think it may be more fun to add the cute accessories and other fun stuff here under their own banner. More of the fun in one place!

I hope you'll be patient as I work my way through this. And please, give me any feedback or tips you can!

Thank!

Luv
Poochie

Sneak Preview

I had some posts planned but I decided to work on a spur of the moment huge undertaking.

Think of this as a sneak preview....



Better shots to follow!

Finally... a dedicated Facebook Page

I created a dedicated page on Facebook for Shoe Daydreams. I will keep it stocked with fresh images and fun content! Stop by!

Find me at - Shoe Daydreams

Photo Advice Needed

I've been struggling with doing the posting I want to do lately because I've been more and more frustrated with my camera equipment. I have a great DSLR, but it's too big to carry around with me every day to shoot on the fly. I have a craptastic point and shoot that I hate. No remote so I can do pics on my own with the DSLR. And I want a macro lens too.

So I need your help and advice. What recommendations do you have for me???

Here is what I'm looking at right now.

For my point-and-shoot replacement, I was thinking about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. It gets good reviews on Amazon, has a large back screen and quite a few features. But I'd love to know what other cameras are out there that have worked well for folks and may be a bit less pricey.


I have a tripod, does this remote seem okay. I didn't realize they were so inexpensive. What have I been waiting for!?!?! Does this seem in line with the remotes you may use? Do they focus okay?




I've also been dying for a macro lens to take detail pictures of clothes, food and the pets. I found this neat little option that may be a good first step before a dedicated lens. The reviews and samples seem very positive and the price is low. For $30, I'll give it shot.




I am open to more ideas. If you have them, please send them my way.

- Poochie

SD Review: Flojos Flip Flop Sandals

A while back I was contacted by the lovely folks at Flojos and asked if wanted to try out some of their sandals. I'm always looking to try things out so I can give a first hand impression, so I gratefully accepted their kind offer.

Flojos, located in Thousand Oaks, CA, have been around since 1979 and have a HUGE selection of styles for women, men and kids. I told them to surprise me with the styles they sent.

When I opened the package I found a pair of the Zebras in pink and a pair of the Edens in silver/white "snakeskin". The Zebras have a flat padded sole, a bit of arch support and a cushy rolled thin strap.



The Edens have a slight wedge to them and the strap is flatter.



I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge flip flop wearer. In spite of growing up in Florida (one of the official flip flop/sandal states) I never wore the style a lot.

Now this may have been because as a child I wore a pair while riding a bike and happened to get my foot caught on the pedal, knock myself over and scrape up the top of my foot (let that be a lesson to you kids, wear protective shoes while riding a bike). My other theory is that I find this style of shoe to be very casual. And while they go perfectly for a beachy lifestyle, I think they should not be worn to work, the mall etc., like many people do today.

Flip flops are ideal for the summer. Of course, I also tend to get mauled by mosquitoes during the summer so I don't wear these in the yard either.

All that said, I like them! I have found the Zebras to be very comfy and I have been wearing them around the house quite a bit. The pink/black combo is bold and a lot of fun.



The Edens, which are a bit more subdued, have become my yoga sandals. They're sleek with a bit of shine to them. Calmer and more upscale.

Both sandals have held up well from a wear and tear standpoint, in terms of comfort and even keeping clean.

There are lots of styles, colors, patterns and prices, so make sure to check them out!

Luv
Poochie

Happy 2nd Blog-o-versary!

I hope you all had an amazing holiday weekend. July seems to be a great time to take stock and get things done! Apparently it worked for me because today is

Shoe Daydreams' 2 year blog-o-versary!

Thank you all for being great readers and friends. This site has created some wonderful connections for me and been way to meet so many new people. I just wanted to express how much I love talking with you all!

Thank you again!

Smooches!

Poochie

Image via flickr from Carrie and Brian

Color Study - Pinks

A long time ago I started doing shoe lists of what I owned by color. But a list with out any images seemed kind of boring so I stopped. I wanted to do images of shoes by color, material, brand, style, vintage, etc., but the task was a bit daunting, frankly.

So, because I know there are a number of shoes I've never photographed or found images of, I thought this would be a fun project.

However, it's still daunting.

Luckily, my shoes are mostly storted by color anyways, so that's where I'm starting. And what better color to start with than pink!

Pink is such a happy color, and obviously I love it for shoes.



Pink total: 24

I'm taking detail shots of some especially pretty ones... and some favorites. Although they are really all my favorites, especially the pair I am wearing at the given time.

By the way, these Jimmy Choo candy pink sandals from the Cruise collection about 5+ years ago may be the beginning of my love for special shoes. They have gold glitter heels!

There are a ton of shots on Flickr in the Color Study set, and there are more to follow.

God help me when I get to black!

UPDATE: I realized I should have listed out the names/brands of these so here we go!

From front row to back row and left to right -

Row 1:

- Kate Spade Joan rose print mules

- Vintage 3-stap button mary janes

- Isaac Mizrahi Kelly driving mocs

- Colin Stuart pink and black slingbacks

- Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops

- Delman Grable silk oxfords

Row 2:

- Isaac Mizrahi Carla slides

- JCrew pink satin mary janes

- Guess Pyramid

- Christian Louboutin Bella Brown ribbon tie-up pumps

- Viktor & Rolf for H&M heart sandals

- Christian Louboutin Simple Pump in pink patent

Row 3:

- Vintage pink and white loafers

- Marc Jacobs peep-toes

- Jimmy Choo Cruise pink satin sandals with gold glitter heels

- Ashley Dearborn ROY G BIV sandals

- Chinese Laundry Dagger

- Vintage rose embellished sandals

Row 4:

- JCrew Liza in Cherry Blossom

- Colin Stuart Butterfly sandals

- Michael Antonio Rucci

- Charles David Fever

- BCBG MaxAzria Caldea

- Manolo Blahnik Tuccio fuschia

For the Love of...

Well, I'm all for testing out new social media... especially as it's my job!

Are you following blogs? Do you have Blog Love? If you've joined...

Follow my blog with bloglovin´

See you there!

Start Daydreaming

I want to give a warm welcome to any new folks who are visiting today. Some of you may have been pointed in my direction because today I was featured in an article in the News & Record (Do I come off sounding a little bit crazy and snobby and spendy? I hope not!). I hope you'll come back and I look forward to hearing from all of you! Every post has a link to submit comments, so please feel free to talk back. And my email address is just over there to the right.

You will also see that there are embedded links with some of the text. These will take you to additional or related info. Click on them but be sure to come back because we aren't done yet!

What is this blog all about and where did the name come from?

Well, the site does seem to have two names. "Hello, Lover..." is from SATC, Episode 66 "I Heart NY" where Carrie looks into the Louboutin store window and sighs those words to her newest infatuation. I too have felt this urge to coo at many of the shoes out there, some of which are in my closet.

The raison d'être of the site, and the Shoe Daydreams, is predominantly because I like to talk about shoes. Shoes I like, shoes I don't like, shoes I have or want, etc. I started this blog just over a year ago to help keep in touch with distant friends and to give my husband and co-workers a break. They just didn't seem to want to talk shoes and clothes all the time! I don't know why?

I like to mix high and low fashion and I don't feel anything is too precious to wear with anything else. Because I get bored with clothes easily, you'll see a lot of Target and Old Navy items in my wardrobe. But I love classic styles done in a unique way, so I tend to "invest" in some designer shoes and quirky clothing choices.

I think you can find something cute in almost any store, so one day I'll wear a pair of shoes from Payless and the next may be a pair of Manolo Blahniks. As long as I like them and the feel good, I don't care what their pedigree is.

One thing you may find a little silly is my pen name - Poochie. Where did that come from anyway?

Well, Poochie is a nickname between me and a good friend. Since Poochie was an adorable dog who went on adventures and loved pink, I thought it would make sense to keep using it for the blog. You can't resist a pup with pink paws and fuzzy pink ears. And don't forget her purple sunglasses!

In addition to talking about shoes, I like to write about all the other things I love - travel, vintage, Etsy, afternoon tea and crazy funny singers. Along the way we'll cover shoe searches and shoe luck; I'll probably ask for your advice and I'm happy to help track down some answers or options for you.

I also write Bubblegum Plastic, which is about jewelry, accessories and more, and The Daily Coop, which is about what happens when a city girl and guy try to raise some chickens!


Some of the big themes you'll see are:

- Ensemble du Jour - The outfit I wear for the day. I hope they'll inspire you to try a new combination or look at something in a new light. Most of the collages are created on Polyvore which is a fun site to play around with.

- Lots and lots of shoe pictures - often mine or on me or ones I just admire and pine for.

- The Eeeewwws!!! - some times good designers go bad. We have to let them know we won't just let it slide.

- Store and Designer Focus - There are lots of amazing designers, big and small, and some great stores out there. We can check them out together.

- Imitation = Flattery? - Being inspired by a design and interpreting it is one thing. Blatent knocking-off sucks! Get some originality, people!

- House Tour - And if you can't make it by for Tea, I'll still invite you in for a house tour.

My Favorite Posts

You'll see a lot of posts over there in the archive, so there is lots of reading you can catch up on. But here are a few of my favorite posts to give you a quick snapshot of what this site is all about:

- How Do You Wear Those All Day?

- You're Worth the Good Stuff

- Professional in Pink

- Professional in Pink at Work

- On a Scale of 1 to 10... They're a 20! - Limited edition Louboutins

- They're Here! They're Here! - The adorable Miu Miu Tea Cup heels

- Inquiring Minds Want to Know

- Back to Bespoke - You can also learn more about Hetty Rose here.

Now, go and read some more and then let me know what you think. If you have something you're excited about or a great pair of shoes that you just adore, drop me an email. I love to hear about the things you're excited about too.

Stop by everyday or add me to your RSS feed. I publish new content at least daily if not even more often.

And if you want even more Poochie-ness, especially on those in-between times, make sure to follow me on Twitter - click here then click the "Follow" button. Are you not on Twitter??? You should be! I could give you a whole slew of reasons, but I'll let another advocate tell you all about it. Check out what the CEO of Zappos.com has to say and get started.

Also, while I try to add lots of pictures to my posts, I have even more on Flickr. If you add me as a contact you'll see the latest and greatest as soon as they're added. Or just stop by and leave a note.

On the right there, you'll see some other great, smart and funny bloggers, check them out as well!

Hope to see you soon!

Luv
Poochie

Shoe Daydreams 1 Year Anniversary Celebration

Pink Explosions by tzatziki

Today is a very special day around here because today is the 500th post and the 1 year anniversary of Shoe Daydreams!!!

I can't believe that a year has already flown by since I did my first post. Back then I had been reading several blogs and was inspired to try my own. Little did I know how much I would enjoy it.

Part of writing this blog came out of my sheer love and enjoyment of shoes and fashion. North Carolina is a great place to live but, where I am, is not a high fashion capital. And, frankly, I think some of my office mates were getting bored with all the shoe talk!

Online I found some amazing friends who are great writers, hilariously funny and amazingly inspirational all around, not just in the fashion department. Just a few to mention are:

Manolo was very supportive and added me to his blog roll right away. I was so excited.

Miss WendyB has made me laugh my ass off and taught me a thing or two about crazy monarchs, something I already loved but now know lots more about.

Winona has also been so funny it's almost wrong. I've embraced by shiny addiction with Martin's support and learned to fear what five guys could be thinking about some of my crazier choices.

Style Spy is too ready of an enabler and entices me to get more red patent leather in my life... as if I needed more!

Susie Bubble - Her layered masterpieces and overseas selections help me keep my eyes and mind open.

The Queens' style has made me want to add more toughness to my selections. And more adorable jewelry choices.

Lady Coveted's vintage selections make me wish we lived closer so I we could share closets.

And Miss Gala - it was great to meet her in person and I'm glad she's online so I can get my fix each day. I'm sure there are tons of loyal nonpareils who feel the same.

Of course these are just a few of the people who keep the blogosphere running for me. I can't say how obsessively I check back to all of my favorite sites (and Tweets and Flickr) because it might be a little scary. Only their analytics programs know for sure.

I also love love love that you all come by to read my ramblings and listen to me babbling about new shoes or a designer I just found. I love the comments I get on here and via email. It totally makes my day like you would not believe.

To celebrate and to show my love and appreciation for you all, I'd like to give a little a little present back to YOU!

Since I love to hear your stories, send me a story (or a photo or a collage or anything) about your favorite/funniest/most mortifying/happiest shoe or fashion-related moment. You can send it to me either in the comments here or to my email (see up there to the right). I'm on Flickr, Polyvore, and Twitter - so any contact method is cool.

And what sort of a prize will we be having for this Celebration??? Well, you have two choices -

Option A: $50 Zappos Gift Certificate

Option B: Two amazing books - Manolo Blahnik's Drawings and Blahniks by Bowman book of photos.

The Shoe Daydreams Share Your Shoe Story Celebration contest will run through July 20th. I'm looking forward to some fun stories for everyone. I'll have this button up on the left so it will be easy to check back.

If you want to share the contest with anyone, please feel free to do so. You can grab the image here or I can even send you the html code - just drop me an email.

Thank you all again for being here and for making this so much fun. I was asked when I started this if there was really that much to say about shoes and all, I would have to say, resoundingly, YES! And I can't wait to keep going into the next year.

Luv,

Poochie