I have too many shoes

Apologies for my lack of posts, while celebrating my 40th birthday a close relative became seriously ill and remains in hospital.  I'm just not able to post at the minute, my mind seems and is elsewhere.  I will do some posts hopefully towards the end of this week.  I just wanted you to have a peek at my big present for my 40 years in existence!

 The requisite 40 badge I had to wear  So my birthday celebrations got off to a fabulous start with my ladies night on Friday.  Great food, fabulous friends and family ,as well as a 90's boyband made the night extra special.  After meeting in the Champagne Bar of the Sands and sharing a bucks fizz with 42 of my closest friends and family, we made our way to the restaurant for some food that was simply delicious and then the entertainment started . . . Little homemade cookies were party favours for my ladies Re Take That surpassed my expectations - great singers and really cute guys singing some of Take That's greatest hits, they even managed to do a great boyband dance routine that took us all back to the nineties.  So, even if I didn't get to see the real Take That, I did manage to be given a birthday dance on stage with the 'Howard' of the band who had lovely dimples and a Middlesborough accent.  My 'moment of glory' was caught on film bu...

So my last shoe of the week nomination before my 40th birthday, these lovelies from Aldo are on my present list. Now I wonder which, if any of my shoe nominations, might I receive as a present? Tune in next week to find out . . .

So you can't celebrate a birthday without a bit of cake!  This is my birthday cake made by a very special and talented friend Sylvia.  Its a pair of Yummy Shoo (the cake equivalent of Jimmy Choo) with their shoe box and tissue paper made of icing.  It's honestly too good to eat but as it's filled with vanilla sponge and buttercream, it would be a waste not to.  I'm sharing this lovely cake with over 40 fabulous ladies at my party on Friday night, I'll let you know if I have leftovers.  And I'll get a better picture too! Now I wonder why she choose shoes for the design . . .

So, in a week's time I will be partying with my ladies to celebrate my impending big milestone birthday.  I've asked them to wear their most fabulous shoes (I'm taking every opportunity to get some shoe pictures for my blog). So my sister Kelly has bought herself these shoes from ASOS .  She's bringing up two teenagers on her own, so you can imagine that she doesn't really spend money on herself but sometimes its nice to have a little treat.  It just a pity that my teenage niece is now the same shoe size as her mum, so I think she needs to hide these somewhere safe.

So I have two more weeks until my 40th birthday, that means there is still plenty of time to research shoe possibilities for my birthday present. It does feel like a moral dilemma, deciding on a pair of designer shoes in this current climate but what the heck, isn't the world meant to end in 2012 .  So if I can, I am going to go out in style! So, now the question is . . . do I make a statement with my designer choice? Or do I choose classic style? Well my current 'shoe crush' is on these statement shoes by Camilla Skovgaard at Net-A-Porter, I'm going to start research my classic choice now.

Forget Christmas! Its officially just 24 days till I am forty years old.  Like the Queen, I am going to have two birthday celebrations, the first in two weeks time where I will be partying with around 40 ladies at the Sands Venue where we will enjoy a lovely meal, cocktails and a Take That Tribute night.  I'm sure that this will guarantee that we will be hitting the dance floor. As Take That have split for a while then I'd be happy for Howard Donald to join us to 'Take That and party' , I heard that Gary Barlow is a bit busy at the weekend so won't expect him to turn up!  I asked all the ladies to wear their most fabulous shoes. Then, I will be celebrating my official birthday in Liverpool where I plan to shop and drink plenty of cocktails! So at the present time I am organising and planning activities. Finding a suitable dress seems a bit of a struggle but I'm hoping that this dress from Wallis will fit the bill for one of my nights out. Now I'm off t...

Its been a while since I've done one of these posts but these are a couple of the shoes that I've spotted on the street recently, well actually at a family meal last night. So, my sister Tara treated herself to this wedges from New Look although I have an unconfirmed rumour that she has bought these in two colours! And my friend Linzi has treated herself to some sequin Toms .  I really like the idea behind Toms where you buy a pair of shoes and a pair of shoes is then donated to a child in poverty. Getting them in sequins and doing a bit for charity seems like a great incentive to do some retail therapy don't you think!

Its four weeks till my 40th birthday, so I am still on the hunt for a perfect pair of party shoes.  These gold and mesh shoes from Office  would be fabulous, I just need to track down the perfect dress . . .

Continuing my search for potential shoe parcels that I would like to see on my birthday.  My shoe collection is missing a pair of decent red heels and these would fill the gap.  I wonder if these will be making their way to my house in a couple of weeks time?

My work, life, balance has gone out of the window this week so I am late in publishing posts, I'd been tagged by the lovely Pennyblossoms  for a Sunshine Blogger Award.  So what I have to do is: 1. Thank the person who gave you this award and write a post about it. 2. Answer the following questions. 3. Pass it on to ten fabulous bloggers and send them a message to let them know. Favourite Colour : red, you can always bet on red! Giving or Getting Presents:   I'm actually really good at buying presents and getting something that I person really wants.  I'd rather spend the money on something that fits the person rather than spend money on something that will be put away in a cupboard, never used. Favourite Pattern: I'm not a huge print person but I would have to say a graphic print Favourite Flowers: hydrangea Favourite Animal : I should really say dog as I have two Jack Russells but my all time favourite animal is an Otter, have you seen how cute th...

To be honest, these days we are need something that will make us smile.  Well in this online article , Mr Louboutin himself explains how his shoes definitely bring a smile to woman and more.  What it doesn't explain is why Posh Spice, who owns a number of LB's rarely smiles. Now, while it would be great to get a designer shoe to put a smile on one's face, some of us aren't that lucky and have to look to the simpler things in life to get our thrills (not quite the thrill you would get from a Louboutin but I'm not that kind of blog!). So what puts a smile on my face at the moment, it's this simple: a roast dinner after coming in from a blustery winters day; a pair of red shoes; a cupcake; my dogs greeting me like I've been away from home for months; Glee. What's putting a smile on your face?

As of today, it is officially 40 days (and nights) until my fortieth birthday, so for the next few weeks I will be dedicating my shoe of the week posts to the shoes I would like to see wrapped up in a bow on my birthday. Although I know that I probably won't be getting loads of expensive designer shoes bought for me, I might as well aim high with my wish list! These shoes have been a previous nomination for shoe of the week and I definitely have Bibi-fever for these Louboutins .  In fact, if I'm lucky I may be purchasing a pair on my birthday so I'll keep you posted. x

I've heard the saying that 'fashion is pain' but this is taking it a bit too far. An online Daily Mail article discusses the toll Fashion weeks take on a model's feet and its not pleasant viewing. I hope they've been able to take their feet for a nice long rest somewhere sunny and treat them to a couple of garra fish treatments!

These might make me stop feeling so blue So this week's shoe was found during research for potential outfits for my 40th birthday. Due to my unsuccessful search for a fabulous outfit to celebrate my impending milestone, I'm resorting to my extensive collection of LBD s (I'm exaggerating this, really I only have two) for my planned events and I'm hoping to revamp a pre-worn outfit with new accessories.  I thought that as its a party, then a splash of colour is in order, so what do you think?

I know tattoos aren't everyone's cup of tea but here is a picture of my newest on my wrist.  It's my maiden name, that I miss quite a lot and its also in memory of my Dad.  It bloody hurt, but I like it a lot.

Now these fabulous topshop boots are definitely moving to the top of my birthday list.  I know its still a couple of months till Christmas but I think anything with a bit of sparkle or a hint of gold will definitely be a hit this year, well for me it definitely will.  I totally agree with Top Shop about this boots, they made me go WOW too.

Is this really me?   I quite like word clouds and found this site, Wordle , where you can create your own or use a link to your blog for one to be created for you.  Although I must sound like a complete geek, it is interesting to see what words I seem to be using the most . . . Is this really me?   PS I just wonder who the Peter is?

For those of you lucky enough to have Sky+ and a football fan in the house (or should I say unlucky enough) might be aware of the Goal Alert service.  You can keep track of eight football games on the go, with Goal Alert taking you direct to a match when a goal has been scored.  Obviously, you can tell I'm having an exciting Champions League evening tonight! But, I have a message for Sky, that its not just men that enjoy the delights that Sky plus can bring: from recording 80s movies to relive your youth (Footloose was on last week, I couldn't resist recording it, although I've forgotten my pin number so am currently too young to watch it?!), endless supply of SATC for the darker nights or the panic that sets in when you realise that you only 4% of memory to use and have a full list of programmes ready to record!  Now I want Sky to give us ladies a Style Alert, so that when a fabulous shoe is worn, or a gorgeous frock is twirled or when ...

  This week's shoe is courtesy of Reiss . Now like me, Reiss is hitting the big 4-0 this year.  However, Reiss is looking far better four decades down the line, while I have developed a habit for being in my pajamas by 6pm, can have hangovers that last days and been encouraged to have a chemical face peel (although I would say the hangover, a long, long working week and lack of sleep didn't help my fight against aging!). 

I spotted these on the Facebook newsfeed of my friend Anna's.  Purchased from Ebay, these unique designed Converse are perfect for her.  The best way to describe Anna is a modern-day Tinkerbell with a rock chick attitude.  I'm sure this Converse boots will easily help her keep any Lost Boys or a pesky Peter Pan under control! From being a staple part of a teenagers wardrobe to someone in their later years, Converse are the perfect complement to your casual wardrobe.  And even better, you can even design your Converse to match your style or if you need a bit of Sparkle adding to your Converse, then make like Justin Timberlake and order yours from StarSparkles  here ! I have a black pair of Converse pumps which are a bit worn out as they are my go-to shoes for walking the dogs, a pair of customised Converse would definitely be on my Christmas list (did I dare mention Christmas?).   Did you have a trusty pair of Converse lurking in your ...

I'm torn between two wedges from Next for this week's nominated shoe.  Both are perfect for the autumn months. So here's this week's nominations . . . These lovely Orange suede wedges , And these fab oxblood boots that Next have styled with cute mini-dress and socks.

Over the past few years, John Lewis has fast overtaken Marks and Spencer's with adverts that captures everyone's imagination without over-emphasing what products you can buy in store or online. The premise of their latest advert is nostalgia trip through the years and the music that defined them and the statement 'never knowlingly undersold'. Just a reminder to consumers that they have been here throughout the years and they are here to stay. Building on individual memories of music that will have defined your youth, John Lewis succeeds in pricking your memory and an urge to seek out what they have instore, well that's how the advert worked for me, what about you?

La Wesley - my favourite I'm sure the majority of you will know that Mary Portas has launched her clothes range, providing a 50s-friendly range for ladies.  Its been reported today that her collaboration with Clarks has reached an all time high with a reported 1,000 ladies waiting to buy the 'La Magdelene' shoes.  Buying these shoes is now limited to online sales but even now the sizes available are limited.    La Contrary   I love Mary Portas, I find her style is inspiring, chic yet contemporary (I'm aiming for her style when I finally grow up) and I think she and Clark's have created a collection that will suit whatever occasion you're buying for, whether its boots, some comfy loafers or the foxy La Magdelene shoes. There's 26 shoes in the collection and I love the fact that the styling is centring on colour-blocking, so it highlights that the trend transcends the age barriers (which is a good job be...

I'm not even sure that Posh Spice could walk in these heels ! But there is something so sparkly about them ,that they'd be the kind of shoe you'd be happy just to see in your wardrobe.

I keep meaning to use my Twitter more and tweet daily pictures of the shoes I am wearing but haven't managed it yet but in the meantime here's a little post on what I did over the past couple of weeks. My camera is on the blink so haven't been able to upload my new pictures yet :( so I'm relying on my picture archive for this post. I wore these shoes to celebrate a good friend leaving work, to complement my shoes I work a vintage-style lace top, khaki chinos with turn-ups and a cropped denim jacket.  This was only the second time I'd worn these 'glamazon' heels and they definitely added such much needed height to little 5'3" me.  In fact someone I've known for years said they had never seen me so tall.  After eight hours of celebration, I made 'like cinderella' and put these gorgeous shoes to bed, to be honest my poor feet were aching but I have to say for the first five hours of wear I walked tall, they made me feel so confiden...

Forget the nation's current obsession Red or Black , This is my kind of game, choose which is your favourite shoe - red or black? So will it be RED ? Or will it be BLACK ? Only you can decide . . .

Who says that the Autumn months have to be dull.  These shoes from Wallis would definitely add a pop of colour to my wardrobe and I'm a sucker for a block heel.

I have developed an addiction to my kindle and have been lapse on my blogging, but I have now managed to prise myself away from it to plan some posts and catch up on blog reading. I bought the kindle a couple of months ago but I have to admit I hadn't used it until now.  I'm not sure what was putting me off using it, perhaps I was thinking that the experience wouldn't be the same as reading a book.  I have to say that its great for reading and the technical aspects like downloading books or searching for new books to read is easy.  I just wish it had an alert to say 'Clare stop reading this book and sort your chores out!'. I'm currently working my way through The Hunger Games trilogy and I've found it hard to put the Kindle down.  So if you have a kindle and got any great tips for how to get the best out of it, let me know.

Well I'm not sure how your bank holiday weekend is going, but here in Blackpool the weather is hit and miss. Its either blustery wind, torrential rain or the sun peeking through clouds. So instead of enjoying the final month of Summer, I am indoors catching up on Sky+ and looking at events that are coming to Blackpool in the next month. Next week Blackpool Illuminations are being switched and that's usually a signal for the nights to darken earlier and the schools to be back open (seriously, what happened to summer?).  The illuminations are only a ten minute walk from my home so I might take a walk along the promenade to enjoy the lights. Image courtesy of http://www.blackpool-illuminations.net/ I'm also going to see Adele at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool on the 8th. I'm really excited about this and currently undecided on what to wear but we are planning to have a few cocktails, so thinking something cool and chic to wear. I'm also listening to her alb...

 Flowers were delivered throughout the day (on her official birthday)  It was my gran's ninetieth birthday last week and we celebrated with a family tea party. She is still quite sprightly (although a bit deaf) and she baked all the cakes and cheesecakes for the do. Like the Queen she had her official birthday and then a second birthday (with a party) on the Sunday. The big day had been in planning for weeks and gran's excitement has been building up too.  I can't really explain in words how joyous her birthday was, she simply had a fabulous day and the whole family got involved.  I think I might have got a bit too involved as I managed to hurt my big toe dismantling the gazebo!  Note to self - do not dismantle a gazebo in open toe sandals while under the influence of lambrini wine (at 2 bottles for £5, I could not resist that bargain).

For reasons I can't explain, I am totally obsessed with thse gold boots from Irregular Choice.  I'm not even sure how I would style them but I'd give it a bloody good try!  How would you style them? Answers on a postcard please . . .

I have been a lazy blogger, I have a week's leave and I'm at home catching up on errands and stuff I've not been able to do until now. I've also managed to retrieve some images that I've taken over the past few months but haven't been able to load onto my laptop, due to reasons unknown to my un-technical mind. So this post is really a little bit about a bit of that . . . Summer shoes have staying power Do you have summer sandals in your closet that you dig out year after year and they never date and are perfect for those sunny days?  I've got a few sandals that I've had for years that still are perfect to use. My friend Karen has these great sandals - a new purchase and a pair from last year, that will be her Summer heroes, perfect for her current holiday in Istanbul. Zara, Istanbul, 2010 Debenhams sale, 2011 One person's trash is another person's treasure A few years ago and you wouldn't have seen me shoppi...