Red Shoes blog

red shoes Soup.

 This is a random post, a potpourri of things, like a big pot of vegetable soup.
  My head is full and stuffy, so I'm not really thinking clearly.
I caught a cold from my kids,
  the lure of carbohydrates was Too much for me,  and I had a bite of a sick kids mac and cheese.
darn it! 
  I've spent the past 2 days laying in bed as much as humanly possible for a mom.
  Today My son woke up and informed me that he wanted to take part in the 5K big house/big heart run at the U of M football stadium.
not something I really wanted to do when I was feeling like C.R.A.P. but I did it because he really wanted to do it,  and It was for a good cause.
  I am really happy I went.

   It was a beautiful day,  and It gave me a nice time to just walk and think about things.
 deep thoughts,  shallow thoughts,  and everything in between.
oh, and I did just WALK it,  I didn't run.  I couldn't run, I was ill, that's my excuse.

it was a neat experience,  there were 1,000's of people there, a big sea of people at the starting line,  all shapes and sizes.
 We wound our way through the streets of campus and ended up running through the tunnels at the Football stadium and out onto the big honkin' field.
  just running (me,fast walking) through that tube gave me such a thrill,  I imagined what it must be like for those football players to come down that tunnel and blast out onto the field.  it was pretty cool.
but then again,  I was kind of embarrassed having all of those people looking at me as I am hobbling and sniffling my way to the finish line in my ungraceful attempt at exercise.
I am really trying to beef up my exercise regime because I have managed to gain a few pounds back from that 60lbs that I initially lost.
  17 pounds found it's way back to my rear end.
 I think it actually may be my right and left hemispheres of my brain because half the time I think my head's up my A**  so that's gotta be where that weight went to right?  ;)
So Now i've become obsessed with trying to get it off.

is it bad that I am trying to document my rear end?
how shallow is that?  I should CLEARLY be cleaning my bedroom!
but hey! I guess it's a welcome break from the depressing news and economy woes on T.V.

 i wanted to just try and capture it's size so i can plaster it on the front of my refrigerator door to try and keep me out of there.

now I am sharing it with you,  aren't I nice?
  By now,  you must think I am high on cold medicine.
SO moving on,  besides documenting my hiney,  I have been making those number pillows and shipped off a few.
  I have been trying to think of a fair way to sell them.
for now I have been just emailing the people who contacted me
months ago,  and kind of going down in the order in which I received them because I want to be fair.
  can anybody think of a better way i could do it?
 should I just have a sign up sheet for them,  with what number you'd like?
right now I am just making the following because they are the most popular.



 I don't know what the best way to proceed is.  let me know if you have any brilliant ideas!  (because remember where my brain is)
Also,  I am working on re-configuring some elements to my website...anybody have a good place to find cute icons, or pictures for web buttons?
 let me know!
so that's it for now....i'm just plugging along at wrapping up some special orders,  blowing my nose, obsessing about my hindquarters,
and making some new goodies to share with you soon.
  So even though my head is clogged,  the ideas are still flowin'.
 oh,  and i thought I would share another nice little write up I had in the current issue of Detroit Homes magazine!
  it was so nice to be featured there!


 I was actually fairly pleased with the picture he took,
most of the times I HATE my picture. or having my picture taken... I am NOT photogenic.
but he managed to make my bags disappear,  and for that I am eternally grateful.

o.k., so on that TRULY shallow note, I am off to watch more coverage on Paul Newmann,  *sniff*
I really, truly miss that guy.  
what a remarkable human being indeed.
xoxoxoxo
c.

Halloween Goodness

This will probably be the only time I write the worlds shortest post,  but I am flying here this morning trying to get these images up before my people are up and we have to head out the door!
  Just wanted to share some of the GREAT halloween goodies we got in stock the past few days....
they are now available online HERE.....

can you believe how hard I have been working?  I certainly can't!
  so there you go!
enjoy!   hope you like them.  I will check in later and write more.......
for now just be amazed i actually got some work done for  a change!  hee hee!
xoxoxo
c.

Feelin' Fall!

So I finally managed to carve out some time to switch out the
shop rooms to a more fall style palette!
  It has been getting trickier as to when I can do this now that we are open everyday of the week, and these things take hours to do.  so most of it was accomplished at night,  with my friend Mary-beths help.
  When you move one thing,  it kind of has this waterfall effect,   everything else has to move too.
  Most times I mentally rearrange things in my head,  I kind of have this "loose" plan about where I think things should go,  or a "vision" of what I'd like to see happen.
but most times I forget,  say Oh,  like an armoire,  or a certain table that has to have it's legs removed in order to move it from one room to the next.  So that can kind of complicate things a tad.  but nevertheless....I am pretty happy with how they turned out!
So I am warning you in advance that this will be a long photo filled post!
  So here is the new entrance to the shop......not Super fall colors here,  but bright cheerful ones!

starting to move that palette of mine into more earth tone rich saturated colors now. (not in this room,  but the next, mind you!)  baby steps people!

 thinking about all of those cozy fall sweaters, pinecones, squirrels, and acorn style motifs,  along with CROWS of course!

isn't that the cutest house plaque?!  we only have one of those on hand!  it's from the nice people at Berries in the Meadow.
  we also have an adorable assortment of smaller houses and wooden magnets from them,  all handpainted on recycled wood.
very rustic, charming and super cute!

as you can see we also have some of our halloween stuff starting to come out too,  (more is on the way,  and I have no idea where I am going to put it!)
but for now there is some on hand, and it's so cute!





  So that's that......
now on to the other room,  finally brought that Red Bed down
to the shop.  Ian was happy to finally have it out of our kitchen.
 what?  beds don't belong in kitchens?  hmmmmm.
anyways...here it is.


isn't that the cutest little red iron dog?
(we also have a little yellow cat that's not shown)

along with some of the new adorable pillows we just got back in stock!  our very popular dog "sit" and "stay" pillows along with some crow pillows too.  so cute!



we also have ONE,  and I mean only ONE of this adorable little tricycle pillow.
 I think it is absolutely SO stinkin' cute I could scream.  but sometimes what I think is cute doesn't neccessarily mean it will sell,  so i am just trying out one of these to see if it will go. 
I think it will.

 
and I can get more if it does.

we also have these cuter than cute cow pillows in too.
along with ONE red truck pillow left in stock.

because I think cows and trucks go so well together!
heck anything goes well with a red truck.  in fact I'd like to see myself in one someday,  like a nice vintage one....
but for now,  I'll settle on a pillow.  that way I can lay my head down on it,  and dream about the day i'll own a real one.
o.k.......moving on.  OYE!  can you tell I am lacking sleep?!
so here is the middle bath and body room.
I left it still primarily cottage-style retro looking.

with the sweet little berry tablecloths and nice french soaps.

couldn't you just picture yourself at the table with this adorable little good morning set?!

set your table all nice with a warm glowing candle, (baked appple pie is our current favorite)

 a nice little vase of flowers to go with that cheese dome and rustic loaf of bread...(very european breakfast you know!  YUM!)

or,  if you are lucky like me,  you can spread your toast with some nice home made huckleberry JAM,  because along with her beautiful POTS we just got it in from FARMER JULIE,  I was lucky enough to receive a jar of her homemade jam!
she is so sweet!
 so come on down and see her sweet little ceramics!
 we now have a ton of them in stock!

they also make great gifts!
 Now in this room we have a few of the French products in now..
the entire line isn't all here yet,  but what we DO have is some fantastic smelling body wash, and wonderful Lotion, that is perfectly sized to pop into a purse.
  the smell and feel of this new line is AMAZING.  seriously.
it's the best stuff I have ever tried.

we also still have the wonderful big blocks of french soaps in too.  they have been in all of the magazines lately because
1.) they are all natural
2.) they are made from some of the best things on the planet
3.) they have been around for centuries
4.) they are made in france
5.) they look super stylish.

 SO along with this room,  I also rearranged my garden room and moved all of my paper products into one space, it really lightened up the feel in here.  It's very restful.  plus it's great to be able to see all of our great paper products in one spot!


 SO i think that's it!
  I will just leave this post with a few more random images......if you can,  please stop by and see the real deal in person...we have some cute stuff in really!
O.K.
I am off to make kids lunches and hopefully send them to school today (they both are sick with colds,  so we shall see how they are when they wake up)  cross your fingers for me will ya!
  because if they are well,  I am going to be a pillow factory today for sure!
 Oh,  and don't ask me how I did it,  because I don't even fully understand it yet myself,  but I added an RSS feed button on the side of my blog over there,  so if you want to subscribe to this here blog,  you may do so by clicking that.
 I don't really get it those RSS feeds and all  but evidently it's what you do these days.   :)
be well my friends! talk soon!
xoxoxo



 

oh, I forgot to mention that I am also purging some of my own personal vintage goods.   more will be filtering into the shop in the next few days.  :)
xoxo

Life as a disaster......

O.k.,  By now I think we have firmly established that I am one of those "creative types" who doesn't have one of those cute little studios where everything is organized and in handy-dandy little bins, labeled and perfectly arranged so everything is at your fingertips for easy retrieval.
 NOPE,  not me.
  I'm just a series of piles.
little disasters here and there.
I like to think of them as "life explosions"
because for me,  creativity comes in bursts......
fast,  quick, exposive.
 leaving disaster(s) in it's wake,  but sometimes coming up with some o.k. stuff in the process.
  SO yesterday I  started working with some scraps of fabric that were left over from the previous house-pillow making session. 
because YES,  I like to hang on to stuff, can't throw anything away. nope, not me.  (ironically these scraps are in a bin!)
 
In my defense,  some of these pieces were too cute to toss,  plus they were large enough to still use.
so I turned these scraps into Mini houses.....

 I actually cranked out 9 of them yesterday!  it was a bloody miracle,  but there you go.

 you see I can actually BE productive when I let everything else go.  that's how I roll.
 here's my table yesterday while I was working
 
 do you like my paint cans,  bed, wallet, clothing, discs,dresser drawer and jug of syrup?
 because for me,  somethings gotta give when I am on a creative roll.
 I don't know why I feel compelled to show you these things.

my dark,  messy side,  but there you go.

maybe it will make you feel better,  because that's what I am all about.
here's my side of the bed too, why stop at the kitchen table?

 but it's because I have been a ding-dang factory robot lately
cutting out numbers, mass-production style for those number pillows.

 It totally goes against my whole being,  I absolutely hate mass production.
 I kind of have this mental rebellion against it,  and want to seriously RUN when I am doing these kinds of things.

 but I am pushing through it,  and will have some of these ready for sale soon.
  What has been helping me lately to keep the focus,  (and I use the term "focus" lightly for sure)
 is walking.
My friend Molly and I have been walking in the mornings at the Arb.
it's such a beautiful,  awe inspiring place.
 you feel very tiny here.



 I'm thinking I should position myself near large trees all of the time.
(you know,  to feel small)

 it's a great place to exercise!
 SO the other day when I was out with my friends walking I had the unique experience of being in a neighborhood that was hosting a party.  my friend knew the people hosting it, so we stopped by for a second and actually got to see the REAL STANLEY CUP in person.
 if you are a hockey fan,  you will know that this is the big trophy you win,  when you are like really good at hockey.  :)
(i'm so non-sport,  it's not even funny)
but I could appreciate this,  and knew it was special.





 pretty cool!  it's not every day you get to see these things.
it's funny How I just fall into these types of situations.  probably part of that disaster theory.
my life is just so random, and wild at times.  always fun though!
  SO on that note,  I should get back to work, gonna finish up those pillows,

 and hopefully have them on the website soon.
they are filled with Lavender,  SO I am feeling all Zen-ed out,  even though I just had a huge honkin' Starbucks coffee.
I am at the shop today,  only one more hour left before I have to head out and pick up kids and head out to the pool for my son's swimming and my daughter soccer practice.  OYE!
  one good thing is,  I can eek out a little time to work with felt while I am sitting there!  :)

more things to come soon, I promise!
hope all of you are doing well!
talk soon!
xoxo
c.

Gloomy weather

Nothing like a little gloomy weather to make me want to do absoUTELY nothing!
  we are evidently feeling the effects of hurricane Ike up here now....
tons of rain lately!   my heart goes out to all of you Texas friends affected by the hurricane!  I hope you all are safe and sound! let me know you're o.k. will ya?!
  O.k.,  So I really never really paid attention to my facebook account, (past confirming friend requests on there.)
  I just didn't really know much about it,  or honestly have anytime for it.
but NOW I have sort of started to become addicted to it,  playing with my "virtual" chihuahua, sending "cupcakes" to people,  looking at my friend's lists of friends,  and feeling VERY inadequate!  Ohmigosh,  some of my friends have over 300 people on their lists,  I have like 9 or so.
  Shrivel up!
 Oh well,  it's not like I have a ton of time to do that anyways,  but
it sure is fun,  and an excellent time-waster which I am ALL about lately!
 Actually I shouldn't really say that, because for the past few days I made some pillows for that client of mine,



  got a new computer and transferred files over,

I love you apple mac products!......
 ordered new product and got back to work at the shop!
 SO I guess I wasn't THAT much of a slacker!  though at times I feel like one!
 So here is a little preview of what we have coming in to the shop soon.....
 
wonderful french soaps and lotions that are so AMAZING you will flip over them.....



adorable cozy fall rugs.....


the cutest darn purse line EVER!
and of course way more things than I am showing here,  like
halloween/fall goods,  more handmade products from myself,
and friends,  like wonderful ceramics,  wooden houses,
and jewelry.
  I also have a few things up my sleeve and will clue you into those at a later date,
so for now,  that's all I have to share,
I gotta get back to my facebook account you know!  ;)
have a great sunday and talk to you all soon!
xoxo
c.

Fiscally responsible

O.k.,  so my goal this year to to try and save some money.  or at least be better with it.
 You see,  I am kind of a spender.
 I try to tell my husband that at least I'm not one of those girls who's into diamonds and fancy things like THAT.....but I do tend to buy more expensive things like shoes and groceries.
  Our grocery bill is about the same price as our mortgage.
  SO for the past few weekends I have decided to start bringing my sweet Ian along with me on a trip to the grocery store.
 In part,  so he can SEE what it actually takes to buy, meal plan, and shop,  but also so he can keep me on a short leash
spending wise.
 not that I want to be all bossed around and stuff, but I'm o.k. with that. 
I want to reform myself.
  oh man,  was that an eye opening experience on both ends!
       
           Actual Grocery store conversations

Bagged salad 
 Ian:  "did you actually SEE or LOOK at the price of that bagged salad?  it was $4.99! "
 Me:  "no,  but our son will actually EAT this kind!!!
 O.k.,  I'll just buy a head of lettuce",  bowing my head in shame
Toaster Muffins
 Ian: "my god,  why don't you just buy the kids a box of Waffles,  it will be cheaper than $1 per slice of dough"
Bread
 Ian: "o.k.  I can buy 2 loaves of bread for the price of that one you have there,  SEE!  I saved you $1.50!"
Coffee creamer
 Ian, giving me the hairy eyeball
 Me: "but,  it's my one luxury!"
Ian: "honestly,  do you really need that stuff? can't you just use milk?"
  Well he really rained on my parade,  but we came out of that grocery store with a $120 food bill  4 meals for the week plus lunch foods for the kids, and snacks.
 If it were left to me,  we would have spent DOUBLE that amount dollar wise,  and most of it would have probably gone to waste.
  SO I will give him a silent nod that maybe on SOME occasions he just MAY be right.
 but SHush!  don't tell him!
  The one thing that unfortunately he DID allow me to buy and I wish he wouldn't have was a bag of Salt and Pepper potato chips from Better Made in detroit.
  OH my!



these are the best tasting chips I have ever consumed.
 if I could have curled up in a fetal postition eating them I would have.
 the potato is my friend.

Although I must say they need to come up with a new name for their website  SOme how B.M. chips .com doesn't really sound
appealing. O.k.  on that note I am off to finish working on some new pillows for my special order, and some for the shop.
 I am thinking of lots of cozy wools and vibrant colors now that there is a crispness to the fall air.
  I will be back to work tommorow at the shop for a few.
looking forward to placing new orders and sharing some of the great stuff we have been getting in lately!
  hope you all have a great day!
xoxoxo
c.

Wildlife

I think that because my life is so wild,  I naturally attract wildlife.  seriously.
 I have now moved on from little lizards to baby squirrels.
like I've said before I am an animal magnet. 
 Yesterday when I went to my kids school to pick them up I saw this woman and her daughter in their front yard screaming,  and these 3 little chipmunk sized critters attacking them.  so of course I have to stop and help.
 They were teeny tiny baby squirrels that had obviously been abandoned and looking for somebody to take them in and mother them.
 They kept running into the busy street and trying to run up to us and climb us like a tree.  I'll admit at first it was a little scary,  even though they were so tiny I didn't want to get bitten.
 I mustered up some courage and grabbed a couple by their tails and flung them onto the lawn to get them out of harms way.  one of them literally climbed up my leg like a was an Oak tree.  (maybe my thigh resembled one)
 They were actually quite friendly.  I did what I thought best for them and took them to the nearest tree and they scrambled up.
  I went there today to check on them this morning,  and they were still there all 3 huddled together.



 Now of course I know they must be abandoned for sure,  so I have called some wildlife rehabilitators to see what can be done.  because,  you know I have nothing better to do.
  In fact when I was out feeding/checking baby squirrels I missed my SECOND attempt by the Fed X guy delivering my new computer!
 DAg NABBIT!
I swear I am a self-sabatoger,  but if you saw these little guys,  you'd be shirking all of your responsibilities too.
 So now I am back safe and sound in my home working with a pile of fabric today.....ready to start making pillows for my special order,
and another set to fill up my new bed That I refinished yesterday.



  It's  nice large queen sized Jenny Lind bed with cute little turned spindles. 
 And just to give you an example of how wild my life is,  I spent the entire day sanding this thing down,  then primed it, and hand painted it all......taking a break, I ran to this guys house to pick up a dresser that I bought on Craig's list.
I had never bought anything on craigs list before,  so of course I thought since I was going to some strange guys house, I would end up in a body bag,  but the lure of a nice 1940's dresser for $25 made it too enticing to pass up.  so after I survived and scored my purchase I raced home and applied my second coat of paint,  then went to pick up kids......
had squirrel encounter...raced home fed snacks, then raced to drop off one kid, then take another to swimming,  when the skies opened up and poured RAIN!  (my bed is sitting outside in the middle of my yard)  so of course being the Luckiest person in the world,  my side of town only had a few sprinkles.  my bed was fine.
 you really have to laugh about it all.  I do.
  So miraculously my bed survived, and everyone got to where they needed to be.
  Yesterday the driving alone was insane, now that we have 2 kids in team sports!
  one kid to soccer practice,  the other to swim team orientation.
 Jackson has now moved on to Club Wolverine,  the same club Michael Phelps trains with...it's very exciting. So happy to see him embracing this sport.
I have to say seeing Fiona in tiny cleats is just too cute.

 Her team couldn't be more perfect for me either...they're called the "bluebirds"  because you know how much I love birds.
and her number is 3 can you believe it?  my FAVORITE NUMBER!
  which reminds me to tell you that I will be making more of those number 3 pillows soon too.  I have quite a pile of names of people that want one.  but soon it will all come together in a nice and orderly fashion.
 well,  I guess as (dis)-orderly as I can do it.
  just know I am busy as a little squirrel over here!  :)
xoxoxoxo
c.
 

Postcards 2

 

Well,  day 2 of being back to school, and my kids so far are loving it, ( me too.)
 Just slowly easing myself back into some routines,  trying to play catch up with certain details, and slowly creaking this old body back into hyper-drive shop-mode.
  I actually just had to do the mundane things like go to the verizon store to have my cell phone looked at, and to the apple store to get a new computer for the shop.
  it's CRAZY how much time those things take.
so because I nearly had a brain hemmorrage waiting in line for these things yesterday,  I decided today to treat myself to a pedicure. I never, and I mean NEVER do those kinds of things.
 I am not really that kind of girly-girl,  I usually just have plain old nails,  no polish, and a pound of beach sand in mine.
  SO today was a treat indeed......they put you in this massage chair, soak your toes, buff, sand, wrap,  massage your legs, and feet,  all the while I got to watch a movie in peace,  it was heaven.
  I will show you pictures of my toes tomorrow,  but promise me you will not laugh at my paws.
  because they are paws,  hooves really,  but today they look purdy.
  so on that note,  I will leave you with some more images from my trip (hope I'm not boring you)
then I am off to work on something to start getting prepared for the new fall displays at the shop.  it's SO fun to be back to work!
  hope all is well in your neighborhoods!
xoxoxo
Hugs to all!
C.








she loves her daddy!

my boy loves me. .....can you tell he didn't brush his teeth for a few days?!  they are like wild animals up there I tell ya!






















he's happy really!

don't think I didn't bring my sweet wheels!
(just don't ask my friends about my wipe-out.
in involved gravel-road + Face
oops!)








had enough today?  me too,  makes me wish I was up there again,  such a beautiful place full of memories.
  have a great day ya'll!
xoxoxoxo
c.

Postcards 1

 Well, I'm Back from my Vacation,  and boy am I pooped!  So I thought for the next couple of days I will just post some pictures of our favorite place on earth and let you use your own imagination as to what went on!  :)
  Let me just say,  we had a ball,  did many, many things, and seriously squeezed out every last minute of each day, staying awake most nights around the fire until 3 in the morning.  OYE.
 It was a memorable trip as usual,  but we are happy to be home in our warm and comfy cozy nest, ready to start a new day tomorrow
the first day of school!
 Hard to believe it's that time of year again, but happy to be getting back into a new routine.
 Fiona is beyond thrilled to be starting kindergarten,  and Jackson is happy to be with his friends again.
  So this week will be a busy one establishing new schedules and getting caught up with the shop.
   hopefully my pictures will keep you entertained until I can get back to having loads of things to say!
 I hope all of You out there have a great start to the school year!
 as always thanks for being here!
 Talk soon!
xoxoxo
c.