Once upon a time, a long time ago…
There was a university student who made clothes and shoes.
She made all sorts of wonderfully crazy things and wasn’t afraid to wear it..
Or paint it.
Or concoct it.
Or try it.
And then proudly display it.
She had a super hearty sense of blind self love and acceptance.
Blind confidence too.
Not necessarily a good thing, but I guess it worked out okay, haha!
She also had low expectations (still does), so she was always happily surprised.
Testing limits, trying everything.
She was so brave and free.
Painting like a mad woman in the middle of the night.
Stitching this and that.
She made lots of shoes, but there was this one pair that she extra loved.
And then, lost.
Poof, gone.
However.
Just the other day, she re-found them.
Those flowery happy shoes she made all those years ago
Hooooray!
They just turned up, sort of like the sprouts of spring that are pushing up through the garden ground.
Sleeping and then awake.
And so she wore her magical shoes for a day.
Poor little tattered things.
She took them on a tour of her life now.
Studio and paint.
Mixing colors.
She did some little repairs.
And just stared at them.
Memories swirling about.
Funny little shoes.
Fuchsia painted sides.
I love memories.
Good nostalgia.
Sooo happy I refound the shoes.
They inspired me to go through piles of old photos and letters.
Spending good gobs of time in the studio.
Working on a garden witch…
Taking breaks in delicious sun rays.
Watching light bounce off of winter as spring seeps in.
And then the sound…
It was coming from the ornamental rosemary, which lives on the other side of the garden from the culinary rosemary.
Faded purple bouquets…
With the sound of…
The bees.
Love love love!
Oh wonderful bees.
If only I could taste their rosemary honey!
As they buzzed about, I sort of was shocked, at how spring really is bursting forth this week.
Hollyhocks grow huge…
Pruned roses, having a wonderful unfurling of fresh new leaves…
Hydrangea leaves peeking out…
Hyacinth everywhere.
And now…
Gerbera daisies.
Yes, it’s here.
Spring, you sneaky thing.
It’s so early.
I wonder if it’s here to stay?
Glorious magical spring.
How I love this time.
When everyone comes out of a deep sleeping beauty slumber.
And poking around the garden is beyond words exciting.
It’s wonderful.
Isn’t it?
And now I have my snazzy old new shoes to wear.
Although, they are hanging on by a thread.
So, maybe I’ll retire them to the shoe case.
And fondly remember that girl who made them.
The me of then, that helped create the me of today.
Funny little hot glued soles.
Haha!!
I think we should all make a pair of shoes.
Or up-cycle some oldies.
I’ll go through my trunks and find some others I’ve made or painted.
We should do this as a group project.
Upcycling!
What do you think???
Oh come on, say yes 😉
Love, V
Swoon….I adore Gerbera daisies! They must be from fairyland as they are so enchanting and so, so perfect! And, it seems the color of pink they are blessed with is the ‘in’ color this year, in lighter and darker shades.
I love your beaded flower shoes! Gosh! I was going to do so much with a lot of beads and beading books I bought, and here it is, five years later! Maybe I will take you up on the ‘challenge’ to make some decorated shoes, fantasy shoes…yes!
Our two fruitless pear trees bloomed over night with hundreds of small, white flowers…you can hear the busy bees loving the blossoms. Amazing!
Oh yes, we’re all blooming early. Especially with our record rains for January. I love it so. OKay yes, we should do the shoe thing. Just choose some old shoes you don’t want and we can play, I’ll choose some too 😉 <3 <3 <3
What a fun pair of shoes, Vanessa! You can’t help but be happy wearing those! : ) Sounds like fun to me – upcycling a pair of shoes. I have to go to the thrift store in the next week so I will see if there is anything that catches my eye to play with.
Love your witch’s face! She looks like she is going to be wonderful when she is done. Please show us her finished look!
It is snowing here. Again. Seeing your flowers makes me wish for Spring and I am dreaming about what I want to plant this year.
These happy shoes remind me that one day spring will be here again — spring with its flowers and beauty and joy instead of winter with its frigid cold and unbearable losses. Keep those walking shoes handy — they’re like magic slippers.
Oh you made those dainty shoes!?? I have always wanted to be able to make shoes….as there are just not very many shoes in the wide worlds that suit my fancy (at least that I can afford…tee hee). Can you teach me??? ; ) Your always full of such delights to share!! Wishing you a most merry little mid-week!!
Oh how absolutely lovely Miss Vanessa!… your shoes are so beautiful… made with love… filled with loving memories… and now dancing around in your Spring garden like the flower fairies in the moonlight… oooh, I have some wonderful Cinderella shoes I could fufu up a bit!… they look kind of like a glass slipper of sorts… and since I am a self!appointed Princess, I think I must make them a bit more regal looking… how fun!… sending you an email also, I will want to order one of your art dolls with the long hair… xoxo… Julie Marie PS LOVE all the Spring goodness in your gardens!… xoxoxo…
Supposed to say I “still” want to order one of your art dolls!… xoxo…
I love your shoes!! they are so cute. I’m glad to hear it is spring somewhere as it is a -10 wind chill factor where I live today!!
I have a pair of Happy Shoes that I bought from a mail order catalogue about twenty five years ago. The catalogue was call The Planet Earth and it had all kinds of hippy/gypsy/free spirited stuff I loved. The shoes are nice leather Mary Janes, but several colors with stars and moons on them. I still love to wear them. It’s exciting to watch spring coming. I love in the Deep South and it’s starting here as well. So fun. So full of hope.
Love. Love. Love. your posts.
Dearest Vanessa,
Reading your post this morning gave me goosebumps! Just this past week my beloved Victorian brooch turned up missing. It belonged to my great great Aunt and was passed down to me from my grandma on my mom’s side. Finding your shoes after so long a time gives me hope that I may find my brooch too. Sometimes me thinks our little possessions have personalities of there own. Do you think your shoes purposely hid from you all these years? Maybe you made a new pair and your old one felt neglected so buried their sweet little selves at the bottom of the closet. “I’ll show her,” said the little shoes!! “Hide I will, till she searches frantically for me, then I’ll magically re-appear.” Sweet little shoes!! I LoVe the little beaded flowers and the hot pink soles.
Oh! Spring has sprung here too…must get to cleaning up my winter beds.
Much love to you on this lovely February morn!!
Coricakes
OH i needed those pictures today! With windchill it was -21 this morning and we won’t see any hints of spring for at least a month here in Iowa. Send some heat up north please!
I just love those shoes. I remember once upon a time I had a pair of shoes with flames on them, oh I loved those shoes. My other favorite, hot pink converses I bought another pair of when the first met their end. I just could not give them up!
Wolfboy is super determined to build his own nudie suit (Nudie Cohn), so we’ve been having a blast visiting fabric stores and websites and getting every manner of patch, sequin, and outrageous glittery sparkled fabric!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudie_Cohn
They know us at the craft stores now.
But with leftovers, once we get said suit properly outrageously embellished, well…hmm…you gots ma ta thinkin’…..there’s this boring black pair of espadrilles in my closet….hmmm……
Happy almost spring Veevala!!!!
xoxoxvii
Love those cutie pie shoes!
Once upon a time I took a pair of very nice cornflower blue suede heels (don’t step on my blue suede shoes!;) and tweaked them with estate clip on earrings and loads and loads of cornflower blue feathers gifted from my beloved Blue and Gold Macaw, Oliver.
I’m looking at them right now, and they look like they are ready to take off and fly!! Oh my gosh, HaHaHa!
LI think making shoes sounds wonderful! My daughter has painted a fun pair of canvas ones she loves with things she lives like Dr. Who and marvel characters but I would love to make my own! So great to see you are still creating pretty things friend!
I love all the colours and sparkles and the garden and studio!!!
Buried in snow, can’t wait to hear the sound of bees again
You’d have to provide a tutorial…for those of us who love your creativity but aren’t that…your spring photos remind me that your last four months are the only thing I miss about living in Arizona!
You have a fun Mexican Betsey Johnson vibe going on with the shoes, color of hose and the leopard print skirt. I love it!
Things aren’t growing at my house yet, mostly because our sprinkler system is broken 🙁 hopefully the property management people will fix it soon!! Mister B is super into home brewing now, so I was thinking about trying to grow some hops this year! Have you ever grown hops or known someone who has here in Tucson?
Love your shoes! I agree with Teddee Grace–tutorial please!!
Dearest Dear Vanessa,
I am so, so happy that you have found your shoes!!! Doesn’t it make you crazy to think you lost something, know it couldn’t have gone anywhere, but yet, you still can’t find it??? Maddening! Your fourth photo makes me think of a project I’m working on so I don’t lose my mind from cabin fever (we’re lucky to get to leave the house once a week or so). I’m painting (and Photoshopping more colors) on old dictionary pages for my book project! The colors make me think of the stripes you have painted! These lovely colors are making me think of summertime and keeping my spirits up, in spite of seeing nothing but white out our windows!!
As for the shoes, count me in! You know I’ll try anything like this once (twice if I didn’t like it, just to make sure!!!)
Sending hugs,
Betty
Why do you taunt us so? Spring is nowhere near to being here! The only soul I’ve seen brave enough to investigate our horribly cold weather is a cardinal sitting in a backyard tree today. His red was beautiful against the dark branches. The sun made a rare appearance for several hours. But there will not be anything green for many, many weeks! The wind chill has been -15, and the ground is quite covered in snow. We live in Michigan. I can’t imagine what the poor folk in Boston must be doing in all of their snow. Is there room for all of us in your gypsy home? I bet it’s larger in the inside, just like the Tardis! Maybe I can find it in my dreams tonight.
Hahahahahaaa!! Oh William, so sorry about the cold, but you are quite
funny!! So thats good, you have not lost your sense of humor to the ice
queen 😉
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 2/20/2015 8:23:45 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
What a lovely surprise to find those shoes again! And they are so charmingly pretty! Maybe my eyes aren’t great (!), but I don’t see anything really that tattered about them. They look wonderful to me! I used to paint plain white tennies, and I’d love to do that again, or even try beading as you did with these. Great idea, and thanks for the inspiration! Love your tales, and love seeing spring come alive. The hyacinths take my breath away; always a top favorite flower of mine, since childhood. 🙂