Just a peek into what I've been creating lately...working on cuffs and lots of creamy pearly rhinestone infused things...maybe because so many weddings seem happen in the spring and early summer months...and over this past year, I've been so inspired by an amazing wedding blog called "Ruffled".
When you visit, be sure you have some time to look and be inspired by all of the amazing DIY weddings. Some serious creativity and l.o.v.e. over there...as well as creative wedding photography that will delight and amaze you! I get it delivered to my mailbox each morning and it is a sweet way to start the day with a peek at people in love. They also celebrate same sex marriages, which I find extremely refreshing and poignant to see.
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| Antique Assemblage Cuff in the SHOP |
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| Custom Vintage Assemblage Bridal Comb |
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| Custom Bridal comb in Silver, pearls and rhinestones |
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| Shabby Chic fern and pearl earrings |
OK, so in my last post, I spoke of an attempt at re-simplifying my life. Letting go of extraneous stuff...and stuff I am keeping from a woman that no longer exists. I figure, if I really want to remember certain things like these~
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| Steve Madden Mary Janes Circa 1998ish |
Things like these very outdated, almost vintage Square toed Steve Madden Mary Jane heels that I bought so long ago and have worn only a handful of times. I am so not a "shoe" person. Really. I am a very conservative shoe person. I wear only Mary Janes. I only have a few pair now...but really only because I now have to wear very good shoes due to the fact that my feet have chosen not to function properly anymore. Heels of any kind are no more.
These shoes are a part of a woman that does not exist any more. She hasn't existed for many years...and neither have her heel wearing feet, but still, there was that hope...you know? I know you know.
So as a symbolic gesture, these go first. Because believe me, these shoes are extremely difficult for me to part with. Silly isn't it? They're just shoes. Outdated shoes. They hold no power over me...yet I have had them in the "to go" pile sooooo many times, and taken them out and put them away sooooo many times. This time is it.
Even as I write, I'm thinking of how I can salvage them! Bookends? Doorstops? Planters? Decoupage? Paint?
Remember in my last post when I talked of having the 100 things already down pat in the mid nineties and I didn't even know it? Well, these shoes were a part of my 100 things. I've carried these shoes all over the country. They are more than just shoes. They were a part of me. They were apart of my identity. A regular resident in closets here and there, from Florida to Washington to Florida to Washington and finally to Michigan.
If I can let go of these shoes, I can let go of more.
I'm doin' it.
I'll put the photo in my journal for old times sake.
I had some Steve Madden shoes very similar to that. Probably still have them somewhere. I wear mostly Mary Janes as well, but I've learned that some shoes are only masquerading as Mary Janes. My Steve Madden shoes were wannabes. Real Mary Janes are more than a strap across the top. I've learned that lesson over and over. Do you remember when Pier 1 had actual authentic imported unusual goods in the 70s/80s and they always had those wonderful cotton cloth Mary Janes with the thin rubber soles and they were $5? I loved that.
ReplyDeleteI remember!
DeleteOh, pier 1 in the 80s...memories ...
Thank you for your comments! My current everyday Mary jane-ish shoes are red leather Keens. I'm in love...and so are my feet!
Xo
Me
I had some dark sage Keen Mary Janes but I had to give them to my sister. they were a half size or so too small (got them at the thrift store) and I thought I could get away with them but they were just too small. Seeing your comment and then remembering how great they were I just went to zappos to buy some in my right size and got distracted and now I've got some workout shoes on the way instead.
DeleteThe only thing better than Pier 1 in the 80s is Pier 1 in the 70s. I live there in my head a lot of the time. The smell--weird dried pods and flowers, bamboo and eucalyptus...
I have a pair of green Doc Martens, from my youth, that I can never part with. I've thought about putting them in a shadow box. I wore them with everything! And, I am a Mary Jane girl too. I've had many variations over the years. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the fresh new look Jennifer!!! All part of the simplicity....which is something I think many of us are looking to achieve these days. Less "stuff" and more room for simply what we love. Shedding the old and not necessarily making room for the "new". I do understand about the shoes...I think we women are very attached to our footwear because it symbolizes so much of who we are, who we have been. Letting those shoes goes is very freeing in so many ways. I love the idea of keeping the photograph and just think of all the things you could create with the photograph that would be easily displayed as a constant reminder of a fond past. Having them in a closet where you don't see them would never be as rewarding. You can do it... :) xoxo
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