When the Cheshire emerges...

A long time coming, although to say anyone was hanging out for this could be a stretch.

My final shoes of the week for 2012:

The black pump was alright although it had purple diamantes on it. Then there's a mother-daughter combo, a Christmas boot (there were three of them to choose from if you can believe), another fluffy heel (there was one earlier) anad points. Always lots of points.

Shoe of the month for November: the black pump above. With shoes representing San Fransisco and a cow, that wasn't too difficult.
Shoe of the month for December: I don't particularly like any of these (I know that was the point of this whole exercise, but still)... I'll pick the Christmas boot for the festive spirit.

Shoe of the year.

Well, we're at that point. There's been everything from satanic footwear to that of the formal kind. There were summer wedges and a few days' homage to The Wizard of Oz. But my favourite?

I actually found it hard to pick just one in the end... but I did.

Second runner-up:


First runner-up:


And the winner:


Do you agree? Tell me what you think!

***
- Once you become detached from things, they don't own you any longer.
- Re-examine the sentence: "Just do your best.". I would substitute it with, "Just do.".
Why?

Little did I know I'd be getting my country on and going on a road trip yesterday (to the Warrumbungles, but that's a story for a later time), but something struck me when I saw this on my fridge back on Wednesday.

One of the more random Shoe of the Week choices I think, this is a shoe purely for the farming/animal enthusiast. One would hope it is not real cowhide or PETA activists would surely have something to say. I would too - but not for that...

***
So who's seen the Downton Abbey preview for Season 3 on Seven?

I feel like fistpumping every time I see it... Whoever thought of putting a montage to David Guetta is a champ. DA in da cluuuub (OK that's really lame but what else can you say, it's so random).

It's been done so well, not least because of what looks like excellent content. I can't wait until the end of January (no doubt it'll premiere after the Australian Open) - but I will; looking for this was hard enough not to read any potential spoilers.

Here you go :D

This week my calendar offered a few doozies, so a pretty steady week. This was the worst of them though, a homage to a city that I've never been to but sounds amazing.

My calendar actually served up something really interesting this week: a theme.

This shoe is pretty disgusting overall, but imagine my surprise over the next few days with these beauties. I give you my joint Shoe of the Week winners!


Ideally the witch shoes would not have the peeptoe, but I'm seriously impressed by both of these. While I was excited about the Shoe of the Week two weeks ago, these two get joint Shoe of the Month to beat them and other competition including tuxedo shoes.

Shoe of the Week double whammy for you tonight. Getting closer to the end, meaning I'll never have to subject myself to these again. Honestly, I wait for that day.

I know we all want to support breast cancer research, but really? The square toe and toe separater are just horrible, it could have been a slight possibility if you cut off the front part. But still, this is a bit distasteful.


I purely picked this for the web. If I was Mary Jane Watson I'd totally wear this shoe. Because I'd be in love with Spiderman. Oh hang on, I already am...

And last week went so well.

I've gone on a driveabout this last week to land myself back in Adelaide (you will read about that in the coming days should you choose to accept that challenge), but I still thought it was worth a sneak peek at what my calendar had to offer at this fine time of the year.

I took a sneak peek at the shoes for the week before I left... and I must say, I did appreciate the beading on the side of this shoe.

It's a little bit bling-bling but actually OK.

***

On a different note, there are two big birthdays today. Thinking of my mum and cousin Maree, can't believe it's just about spring!

Shoe of the Week is a day early again, but all will return to normal next week and this series will return to Friday nights.

I was reminded by the works of Antoni Gaudi and even Charles Rennie Mackintosh seen during my travels on first sight of this shoe, but a moment later I realised they wouldn't make a shoe like this. They would've made shoes so much better. I'm just wondering if the heel would feel funny... unbalanced...

I couldn't really pick a shoe of the month, but these two stuck out for me amongst the other weekly picks.

"Flamingos are no longer just for the front lawn." LOL. But really, these are so trampy hooker anyone in their right mind would not wear them for any other purpose.

The bottom wedges are not my style at all but it was what had been written here also that got me, especially having visited home. Where my monstrous wedges all are. Wedges here do not make this city girl feel right at home while in the country - they're alien to the majority of people walking down the street. Oh fail.

I don't think I ever revealed my black boots in any of my previous Friday blogs! Pardon the additional items, I was excited that Diva had a massive sale and I rarely buy jewellery these days so I did well that day. And pardon the lateness of this entry once again, long day at work to end the week. And I was back at work already today!

Anyway, these boots were held for me as the shoe store's latest stock came in after I'd been on a citywide search and not really found anything else I liked. Yes, the ones I'd found on that day with the massive distraction of snowboarding pants. And you know what store they're from? Williams the Shoemen. Not exactly where I'd have gone in Adelaide but they had the best range in Dubbo for what I was looking for, which surprised me a bit.

Since wearing them I've come to appreciate the ease with which they match my outfits more and more. You can chuck these on with anything! And I got them for $42 during their 40 per cent off sale. Win.

***

Shoe of the week time:

I went shopping down Newcastle's Hunter Street Mall during my weekend escape to the coast. And among some great finds I bought shoes!

This photo's not great with the lighting, they're actually a rather bright dark purple colour. $30 down from $110 at the Wanted clearance outlet. Not an 'I need' purchase, but I thought they could come in handy and I rarely spend a lot on fancy flats.

***

Shoe of the week now, and I couldn't resist this beauty.


So my calendar is confirming its worst kept secret: it is American. And patriotic they are. Would any decent American WEAR these ghastly things? The 'Ms. Independence' also found themselves in the same pool for the week as a heel inspired by pink flamingos (no, not the film, the actual creatures).

I really want to give the designers of these things a good kick in the pants.

*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.

I'm off on a weekend road trip to the coast so I'm hoping to score some mid-winter shoe bargains somewhere... here's hoping. Meanwhile, Shoe of the week and the month for June goes to these.

*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.

I'm going to tell you a story that I find hilarious because it's about one of those blonde moments you have that are more ridiculous than your average slips.

I went to drive to soccer training last Wednesday night, and going out to the back where my car usually sits, I discovered it wasn't there.

I was dumbfounded.

What was more confusing was that none of the three cars were under the carport as they normally are so my brain was going into meltdown thinking there'd been a mass exodus by way of theft. But then I saw my neighbour's ute parked right on the space by the clothes line, and then my other neighbours happened to pull up in the driveway just as I thought to myself "OK, so maybe someone moved them all out for work out here or something". No-one else has a key to my car. Doiiiing.

Tense seconds pass as I ask my neighbour twice "Where is my car?" He's looking at me with a blank expression, jaw slightly open, and my brain's still mush.

Then I remember.

Instead of the regular walk to work the day before I'd decided to drive. And that's where my car had been for the last 36 hours or so.

Ohhhhhhh my gawwd. That's why I don't drive. I FORGET that I do and still walk home. And what was worse on realising that was that I looked like a fool with my dark blue Bruce Lee kung-fu shoes paired with my orange socks and shorts and I was NOT prepared to walk down the main street looking as I did. Luckily my neighbour offered to take me to my car and I got to training on time. Laughing my head off at the whole situation.

Damn shoes could've made me run late if they couldn't take me, I would've had to change.

***

And on that segue I'm giving you a terribly late Shoe of the Week. It's not the worst of them all, but it reminded me of Snow White, which was interesting because Snow White and the Huntsman was my review of the week.

*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.

There's a bottle of wine I bought last year with the intention of cracking it open with Mum and Dad at Christmas, but they brought their own up so I never opened it. One of this week's shoes has reminded me so. How this manages to happen, I don't know. By that I mean the reminder and how this shoe even saw the (production line's) light of day.

But it's not the worst of the week. A pole dancer would not even wear these platforms.

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*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.

*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.

Timely that I write this on the first day of winter (which I haven't been around for since 2009, feels a bit strange). But with the cold nights settling in quite effectively, I've broken in my new winter slippers. That comes with specks of tandoori sauce too it seems.

***
*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.

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Shoe of the Week's a day early to end a week which for me has felt like slowly completing a marathon as I get myself together ahead of a special long weekend. My one-day weekend last week was filled with Showgirl judging, so trying to sort my life out from cleaning to out-of-work commitments has been hectic. Not to mention that I've fit in four films since Sunday (you'll find out about a couple tomorrow). Phew!

To the aforemention shoe now, and a sneak peek at tomorrow's did it for me. Dainty but totally not what my mother or myself would wear. Ever.

But I respect them for trying. Come to think of it, this shoe makes me think of beauty pageants...

I wish all the hardworking mums out there a happy Mothers' Day.

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*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.