You're my obsession...I cannot sleep...I must have you!

"El Naturalista shoes express a different way of thinking and acting. Being a naturalist entails respect for a rich, profound philosophy that lays its trust in life and attributes everything to nature. Making El Naturalista shoes out of vegetable-dyed leathers and recycled rubber is part of our holistic approach to shoe design. We provide footwear for people who advance while they walk." (http://www.planetshoes.com)

I was in a shoe store last week with my husband. He was buying shoes for work. I was browsing. Then I saw them. My future shoes! I smiled at them. I picked them up. I admired them. I really liked them. Then I looked at the price underneath. I gasped! I put them back on the counter. Three hundred and something-something dollars for a pair of boots from El Naturalista. There has to be more to this shoe than meets the eye.

I jotted down the name of the shoe company and back at home I surfed the net until I located the main website online. I also found a Canadian distribution site for 'El Naturalista'. What can I say other than I am smitten by all of their shoe designs. From an aesthetic perspective, they look great from every angle. Even the sole is beautifully thought out and styled. The attention to detail is remarkable. I'm obsessed. These are the shoes that a perfectionist dreams about.

Furthermore, they're the product of a Spanish shoe manufacturing company. Spain is also home to the uber stylish and comfortable Camper shoes, which we all know and love. Could there be another Spanish shoe line that is comparable to Camper? Perhaps. But wait, there's more!

In terms of the manufacturing and quality of the shoes, here's what the company is touting:
El Naturalista shoes have been " impregnated with olive oil" (no kidding! sounds good enough to eat) and they are made with recycled cork, recycled rubber, and leather that is tanned using vegetable extracts and ground tree bark among other things. How eco-conscious of them. These shoes also provide reflexology attributes, breathable insoles, anatomic insoles and ergonomic rubber. And they can also help you lose those unwanted 10 pounds with a revolutionary weight loss 'nanosphere' technology. Just kidding! The true test though, would be to try on a pair and see for myself just how great these shoes are. If you own a pair of El Naturalista shoes, please leave me a comment and let me know what your experience has been.

For now, I guess I can ONLY dream about them.

Here's a song that explains exactly what I am feeling right now.

The ritual of good chocolate

I received a bag of these delicious Pavlidis "Giaconda" (Tzokonta) chocolates from my mom, who just got back from Greece. The bag is almost empty. Only in Greece, eh? Pity!

Just for fun!

I enjoy a good, hearty laugh from time to time. I think laughter is an important part of our overall health and mental well-being. So, on that note, I have a little treat for you.

I'll be the first to admit that I have a horrible singing voice and I also enjoy making up my own words to songs when I don't know what the heck the singer is saying. For instance, Pete Townsend's song, "let my love open the door" was once sung as, "you might have opened the door" by yours truly, until my husband (the Pete Townsend fan that he is) made it his mission to correct me.

I do not watch television. I do not enjoy watching shows like American Idol or Canadian Idol but I do occasionally enjoy a good laugh at someone elses expense.

When watching this video clip just remember that the performer is attempting to sing in English.



To my fellow Canadians: Happy Thanksgiving !

I'm it!

I've just been tagged by the very talented, jewelry designer, Charlene of "Adding a Little Colour to Life."

The rules:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here's the dirt on me:
1. I'm a night owl. I do my most creative thinking late at night, usually after midnight.
2. Long fingernails and toenails on people is a BIG pet peeve of mine.
3. I think I've got the widest hips of anyone I know. It makes buying jeans extremely difficult.
4. I can go for weeks without listening to music. Then one day, a song will pop into my head and I will become obsessed with that song until I listen to it half a dozen times.
5. I like hiding behind doors and jumping out and scaring my husband when he least suspects it.
6. I have an extremely acute sense of smell to the point where I will get a headache from scented products or other foul odours like sewage or rotting garbage.
7. My favourite film genre is horror movies. I watch them all year round and not just during Halloween season. I prefer movies about hauntings and the supernatural as opposed to slasher flicks.

I'm tagging:
Kickpleat of "The Small Joys"
Laurie of "Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska"
Lindyloo of "Yeah, that Vegan Shit"
Megan of "Raised on Sunshine"
Kalliope of "ich Kalliope"
Dawn of "Vanilla Sugar"
Fiber of "28 Cooks"

before and after

Before ...

and after...

After a series of setbacks with scheduling a hair appointment, waiting over 2 weeks for the appointment to arrive, being 20 minutes late for the appointment, having the Aveda salon send me home for being late (can you believe that?), and re-scheduling for the very next day, only to have the salon call me a couple of hours earlier and tell me they will have to re-schedule due to a an issue with the student appointed to cut my hair - sigh !

I gave up on Aveda and went to a girlfriend's trusted hair salon...And, I actually got an appointment on the same day!! The haircut itself lasted a mere half hour compared to the hour and half that I normally am required to sit in a chair when an Aveda student cuts my hair.

So...f-ck Aveda and hooray for me!! I was inspired to write that from one of kickpleat's (Everybody Likes Sandwiches and The Small Joys) fab greeting cards found on Etsy!!

Anyway, I will no longer be clogging up the bathtub drain with grotesque amounts of long hair. Hip hip hurray! Hear that husband? You will no longer have to fish out huge wads of wet hair from the tub drain. Nor will you find hairy dust bunnies around the house when you use the Swiffer duster. And you won't find a curly strand of my hair in the Greek salad either...actually, that's not entirely true...the hair just happened to be on the plate and then the salad was placed on top!

The best thing about having short hair is less time required to fuss with it. Also, less shampoo and conditioner and styling products are required, which means "save your money" (think ING banking commercial).

Finally, I have spotted the cutest cloche hat on Etsy which I truly need to get in order to keep my head warmer in the winter months. So, here's to nice haircuts and nice cute hats!!

My New Kitchen Buddy: Double Action Potato Masher

I purchased this potato masher a few months ago but had not used it until this weekend. The most obvious reason being that mash potatoes is just not a summer time food. This evening however, I was in the process of making tofu chili and had just emptied the contents of two cans of plum tomatoes into the pot. I decided to use my potato masher to mash up the whole tomatoes, rather than dice them up beforehand.

This kitchen tool worked like a charm. The 'dual action' mashes both the tomatoes on the bottom of the pot as well as any tomatoes floating around in the liquid. Awesome!!

With Canadian Thanksgiving just around the corner, this masher would be perfect for making sweet potato mash or garlic mash potatoes!

Best Features:

• stainless steel for easy clean up
• can withstand high temperatures
• comfortable handle
  
• minimal use of force required; great for people with arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome
• can be used for mashing tomatoes, potatoes, boiled eggs, tofu, bananas and cooked carrots
  

Custom orders

Two bracelets, hot of the pliers, ready to be worn on someone's wrist. These two bracelets are actually custom made for a client. The client wanted a "gaudy" bracelet with a little bit of vintage thrown in. One for her, the other for her sister. The client has seen photos of both bracelets and is very pleased with the results.

I have also acquired a new selection of Fall/Winter inspired beads and will be creating some new pieces for my Etsy shop. Coming soon!