New Shoes: Vintage Fluevog Moonies

Dress and cardigan: Old Navy | Maryjane wedges: Fluevog Mary (Moonies family)

Last month, I bought a pair of vintage Fluevogs through the FlueMarket, the neat online webpage that Fluevog has set up for those looking to sell or buy some well-loved vintage Fluevogs. I'd never seen anything from the Moonie family before, but I really liked the wedge heel and maryjane style, as well as the dark gray/orange colorway. When I received the shoes in the mail, however, I realized there were some problems that the seller hadn't disclosed:

I decided to take them to the Fluevog Melrose store so they could help me figure out what to do. The scuffs were fine and understandable considering these were vintage -- and a nice polish would do the trick -- but the straps seemed to be in a more-delicate condition than I expected from the photo (no mention of their state in the seller's note). And it was dealer Anthony at Melrose who figured out that the upper on the right shoe had separated from the wedge heel at the toe; I didn't even realize it when I first tried it on! Anyway, I had them take the shoes to their cobbler to see what could be done. Polishing the leather and re-gluing the upper were straightforward, but we were concerned that the straps would need major repair work.

Well, fast forward a few weeks later. I was finally able to pick them up last weekend (they were done almost two weeks before that but I couldn't come in until recently), and they looked like they got a facelift. Years younger! The straps were deemed okay, so the cobbler just matched the orange and recolored them. The scuffs are gone, and the upper is definitely back on properly. I think the only other thing I would have liked them to have done was recolor the pinstriping on the wedge heels. (I looked at the work order and that detail wasn't on it. Bummer.)

The shoes look fantastic under both pants and skirts/dresses. And because the wedge heel is the same color as the upper, the shoes look like flats but add height, which is a plus in my shortie book. :-) The casual style and color of these shoes fill a gap in my Fluevog collection, and if I take care not to be too hard on them, I can probably wear them on a regular basis the way I do my cream Amie flats and red Nzame loafers. Thanks to Fluevog Melrose and their cobbler!

xo, Gladys

Retro Candy Dots with Fluevog Liz

I love, love, love this outfit! I wore it over the weekend to have an early-birthday lunch with family. And since I was going to stop by the Fluevog store on Melrose once again to pick up some special items (more on that in a later post), I decided that dressing up was a must. Birthday + Fluevog combinations are among the best reasons to dress up. :-)

Dress and belt: Trollied Dolly via ModCloth | Shoes: Fluevog Liz (Kitschy Kitschy Boom Boom family)

You might remember me wearing the dress in my December snapshots post (look for the family photo on the stairs). I definitely didn't do it justice there. The tailoring on Trollied Dolly dresses makes them totally drool-worthy, and this particular style fit me just right. I'm lucky that the waist on the dress hits me at the right place. What's amazing about it is that the cut and fabric -- which is non-stretch cotton -- act almost as shapewear. (No need to worry about tucking in my tummy because the waistband on the dress does it for me!) Super flattering! And the cap sleeves accentuate the hourglass shape. Of course I love the Peter Pan collar and button accents. And: pockets. Need I say more?

I was happy to wear the dress for the holidays, but I think it needed the Liz maryjanes to complete it. The moment I put the two together, I knew it was a match made in heaven. Even though the dress is navy and the shoes are black, the white and the pink accents (especially the white piping on both) make it seem like they were made for each other. I honestly didn't think about the dress when I bought the Liz last month. In fact, I was planning to sew a dress just for the shoes, but now it doesn't seem so high on my list of priorities.

There's nothing like a great outfit to help celebrate one's birthday month ... and this is a big one for me -- I'm turning 35! :-)

xo, Gladys

Doctor Who Paraphernalia

Happy Friday! It's a silly, geeky post for today. I thought I'd share some of my fun new Doctor Who items in honor of the new episodes in Season 7, which started last Saturday. (I'm very excited about the new companion, Clara, and I can't wait until the episode with River Song, which is supposed to come this season. I'm hoping for some fireworks from that woman!) Anyway, I haven't gone this crazy over collecting paraphernalia since the height of my Harry Potter fangirling in my early twenties. *g* To my growing collection of Doctor Who tees (Teefury), fabric quarters (Spoonflower), TARDIS beach towel, sticky notes (both available at ThinkGeek), iPhone case, and license-plate frame courtesy of my older sister (Amazon), I have recently added these three gems:

River Song's blank journal, in which I must write my own spoilers (ThinkGeek | Amazon)

Journal #2: TARDIS Deluxe Journal (Amazon)

Bigger on the inside? It will be after I start writing in it.

A ridiculously-adorable and quite-unnecessary TARDIS mini-fridge that makes the whooshing sound when you open the door (exclusively at ThinkGeek)

It holds a six-pack -- four on the bottom and two on the rack, lying down. It can also be used to warm food instead. What's really neat about this is that you can bring it on car trips, and it plugs into the cigarette lighter. #WIN

xo, Gladys

Retro Polka Dots

Dress: A. Byer via Amazon | Belt: borrowed from Trollied Dolly dress | Cardi: Gap | Ballet flats: Fluevog Amie (Integrity family) via Amazon

I wore this outfit over the weekend to visit my parents-in-law in Camarillo. It was perfect for a nice sunny day with occasional breezes. It looked fantastic for a quick trip to buy a full flat of sweet Camarillo strawberries (imagine the bright red color with this dress). Plus: a yummy lunch, some window-shopping, and a stint in the kitchen making crispy rice treats. Great day with the grandparents.

xo, Gladys

Easter Weekend

Sprinkle time

Recipe for these egg-shaped rice crisp treats (with candy egg surprise inside) found here

Chocolate whiskers before the egg hunt

Not sure why they did this ta-da pose, but it was cute.

On the hunt

Not an original outfit on this blog, but I was thinking I don't have enough crazy poses on here. I was obviously channeling the kids' ta-da pose from earlier.
Dress: Tulle via ModCloth | Maryjane clogs: Fluevog Guide (Prepare family) | Leather bracelet: Made for me in Hawai'i, with a Hawaiian translation of my name

E wore the art smock I made for her birthday last year, getting ready to dye eggs.

My little artist at work

We don't know how he made that spectacular marbled teal/turquoise one, but it became the gold standard! He made the rest of his eggs all green, his favorite color.

Hulk hands at the end

Trying my hand at egg-dyeing (I had two Hulk fingers on my right hand afterward.) ... Verdict: not as pretty as my kiddo's :-)

We don't celebrate Easter religiously, but we do enjoy celebrating the new spring season with our family and friends. We spent the weekend with my husband's parents and our friends in town, making crispy eggs, hunting eggs, and dyeing eggs. We also ate. A lot. And listened to disco music. There may or may not have been some dancing involved. I can neither confirm nor deny whether it was line dancing. It was a great fun weekend that made me thankful for all the love we have in our lives. I hope you also had a wonderful weekend, however and with whomever you chose to spend it. :-)

xo, Gladys

P.S. Here's a bonus photo of the eggs dyed by me and the kiddo. They made for a yummy Monday lunch.