Complimenting Carson

Last month we received a fill-in order of the Carson Lace Up by Frye. Our customers have always been drawn to this boot; however seem to be unsure as to how they should wear it. After seeing a picture of actress January Jones wearing her Lace Ups with cuffed boyfriend jeans (pictured above), Halle and I decided to take photos of us in different outfits to show you additional ways to wear them. This boot literally can be worn with any style of bottoms.


We also think the Carson Lace Up would look fantastic with shorts during the warmer months. We decided not to photograph me wearing shorts with them to spare you of the discomfort you would experience after seeing my see-through winter white legs.

So, what do you think? Pretty versatile, huh? What do you plan on wearing yours with?


post by Amanda
photos of Halle & Amanda by Halle & Amanda

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Somebody Make Me: Almond Joy Chocolate Spread

So, I came across a recipe for Almond Joy Chocolate spread and my jaw dropped. I mean, almond, coconut, and chocolate combined in a way that allows me to spread it on whatever I want? I can dollop some on vanilla ice cream. I can spread it on toast. I can place a scoop of it inside pre-made croissants to bake. I can eat it out of the jar with a spoon! So many possibilities…so many reasons to have this in my life...so many people I would fight, if need be, to get my hands on some of this.

Please, oh please, I’m begging you, make me a massive supply of Almond Joy Chocolate spread.

I found the recipe on TheHealthyFoodie.net which is ran by Sonia from Québec, Canada.

ALMOND JOY CHOCOLATE SPREAD

INGREDIENTS
(Yields 3 half pint jars)

• 4 cups raw almonds
• 200g unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ cup unpasteurized honey
• ½ cup extra dark cocoa powder
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lay the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them in a 275F oven for about an hour, then raise the temperature to 350F and give them an extra 8-10 minutes or so, until the almonds get really fragrant and take a nice golden brown color.
2. Take the almonds out of the oven and allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add the coconut to your food processor and process until it turns into a crumbly, thick paste, about 8-10 minutes (you will have to scrape the sides quite frequently). Add the honey and process until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
4. Add the almonds to your food processor (no need to clean it, really) and process until smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and process until well incorporated.
6. Add reserved coconut paste and process again just to combine, no more.
7. Transfer to glass jars and allow to rest for a few days before you dig in.
8. You could keep this in the refrigerator if you wanted to, however, I dont’t believe that it’s really necessary, unless you intend on keeping it for an extended period of time (which I dare you to do!)
   
   

Mmmmm, come to mama!


post by Amanda

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Nail Art!

I’ve been an on again, off again nail biter ever since I can remember. The only time I manage to not bite my nails is when I paint them. The problem is that I’m pretty lazy, so my nail panting sessions are few and far between, especially during the wintertime when I don’t feel pressured into painting my toes.

Recently I have noticed that some ladies are freakishly into nail art right now. Celebrities like Zooey Deschanel, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna all enjoy their nails decorated as fabulously as possible. Luckily these girls have heaps of money to pay for eccentric nail art once a week, however I’ve come across a lot of girls through Tumblr (a blogging platform) where they do their own nails and do a damn fine job at it too.

Here are some of my favorites:

They're pretty impressive, right? I haven't thought about painting my nails using different hues of the same color like the purple one above. That one is easily do-able. Embellishing your nails using little 'sticker dots' looks easy enough too. After browsing through tons of photos, I decided that using your nails as a canvas is a great way to express yourself creatively. Nail polish can be fairly inexpensive depending on what brand you buy, and you can easily trade colors with friends. Photographing your nails after they're completed is a great way to document what you've done, and will also serve as a reference if you want to recreate the look.

For painting my fingernails as infrequently as I do, I happen to have a HUGE nail polish collection. For some reason I'm unable to turn down a pretty color. My favorite brand of nail polish is Butter London. Their colors are fantastic, and they are also the first company to sell non-toxic polish in the US. Currently I'm wearing British Racing Green and Diamond Geezer on my ring finger only. That right there is my version of 'nail art'.

So, do any of our readers paint their nails? What's your favorite brand and color? Do you create any of your own nail art?

post by Amanda

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Somebody Make Me: Pumpkin Empanadas

At this point, it’s safe to assume it’s known that I can’t cook. I mean, I can, but I won’t. Every time I cook myself something special, I wind up spending $80 in groceries, and I never eat the leftovers. It doesn’t make sense for me to cook for myself. It makes sense for me to buy Hot Pockets and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Don’t give me that look. It tastes good. The only problem with not cooking for myself is that I come across recipes that look amazing, and that I’d love to try, but I’ll never make them. Because of this, I decided to regularly start posting recipes on this blog in hope that someone out there will take pity on my hungry little soul and make them for me.

PUMPKIN EMPANADAS

Years ago, my friend Monique and I worked together and she made Pumpkin Empanadas to take to our work potluck. I love all sweet things pumpkin. (Read this next sentence like your Bubba from Forrest Gump) “Anyway, like I was sayin', pumpkin is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it.” There’s pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread…Monique’s pumpkin empanadas were obviously loved. I’ve been craving pumpkin empanadas for a while now, and I don’t see Monique around anymore, so I’m going to need someone to make some for me.

Here’s the receipt from the Muy Bueno Cookbook’s website:

Makes 24-30 empanadas

Pumpkin Filling

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed firmly

1 cup organic pumpkin, NOT pie filling

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves with the butter. Stir in the pumpkin and the spices. Continue to stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure the filling is not too watery; otherwise let it cook for a couple more minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool down. After it’s cooled off for about 15 minutes, put the filling in the refrigerator to help it set for 30 minutes or overnight.

You can make the Empanada Dough while the filling is cooling off.

Empanada Dough

Ingredients

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

2 eggs

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Mix the first 3 dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with the dry ingredients. Works better if you use your hands. Add the eggs, milk and sugar. Continue to work in with your hands. Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes. Take out one half of the dough and split it into 12-18 balls of dough. Depending on how small you want your empanadas. I prefer one dozen per half of the dough. They also fit nicely on one large cookie sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You can fill your empanadas with any preserves made ahead of time.

Roll out the dough into small round circles. Add a small dollop of filling on one half of the rolled out dough. Wet the bottom edge of the dough with water to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough to seal. Seal off the edges with a fork by pressing down along the two edges. This also makes for a pretty pattern when baked.

Brush each empanada with egg whites, sprinkle with sugar and puncture each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray, place the empanadas on the cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes on medium rack in the oven. If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes.

Looks good, right? Any takers? Please?

Photography by Jeanine Thurston

Post by Amanda

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Reluctantly Resolving Our Issues with Resolutions

January 1st is approaching, and with that, we pull out a piece of paper and a pen and write down our goals for the new year. I asked the Village Shoes girls to tell me what their new year’s resolutions are, and oddly enough, everyone said in 2012 they want to work out more. Um…am I the only one who considers running up and down the stairs at work all day working out? WE WORK OUT PLENTY!

Besides working out, here are our resolutions:

Halle:

1. Save money out of every paycheck

2. Read more books

Amanda:

1. Save money to travel

2. Eat healthier

Molly:

1. Stay true to Paleo Diet

2. Drink more water

Stacey:

1. Be more involved in the community

2. Walk to work more

Jen:

1. Get more sleep

2. Read more books for fun

The odds of me eating healthier are slim to none, but it looks good on paper, so who knows. Wish us luck with our 2012 resolutions. What are yours? Do you think you’re going to stick to them, or are you a lot like me? Regardless, I hope everyone got a nice smooch on the lips at midnight that started off 2012 the right way.

post by Amanda

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My Hero, the Cobbler...

There are little events in life that make me sigh, look around, and ask, “really?” Events such as dropping something for the third time in a row, stabbing the roof of your mouth with a tortilla chip, stubbing your toe, leaving your lunch at home, and in my opinion, the cake-topper: your favorite shoes breaking. We’ve all had it happen to us, and thankfully, I’ve mostly had wear and tear issues, rather than something snapping off while wearing them. I’ve tossed a lot of good shoes because I didn’t know any better. I thought they were broken and that’s that. They’re done. I threw them away like an idiot. I’ll never forget my pricey avocado colored heels with dark brown piping that I tossed because I wore a hole through the sole of the right shoe. Ugh…I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for getting rid of those. Of course some shoes aren’t worth repairing. I’m never going to take my cheapie flats to a cobbler. It’s more cost effective to just buy a new pair. However, when I realized that my expensive over-the-knee leather boots had a cracked sole, I knew I had to do right by them and take them to a cobbler. Being in the shoe business (hehe), we frequently refer customers to a cobbler in Medford, Oregon that does fantastic work. Messinger Shoe Repair is located downtown, tucked away inside Norris Shoes, a store that specializes in comfort. I’ve sent many customers to Messinger’s, so I figured I should give him a go and see for myself what kind of work he can do. I made sure to have low expectations that way I wouldn’t be disappointed and figured either way, as long as I’m able to wear them again, regardless of how the new sole turns out, it’s better than never being able to wear them again. About two weeks later, my boots were finished. Not only did he re-sole them, he dyed the toe, leaving my boots looking scuff-less. They literally were returned to me better than new. The best part is that the repair cost me $30. These boots would have cost me hundreds of dollars to replace, but Messinger’s was able to make them perfect for only $30. Crazy, right?

So, the moral of the story is don’t give up on your favorite shoes just because the sole is cracked, or a buckle fell off, or a zipper broke. Before you toss them, make sure a cobbler can’t make them as good as new for just a few bucks.

post by Amanda

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Who's Hungry for a Scanwich?

“I believe that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich.” –Liz Lemon, 30 Rock

This is torture. PURE TORTURE. Browsing through Scanwiches has made me so incredibly hungry. I can barely complete a sentence before I’m back on the site, scrolling through the sandwiches...drooling on the keyboard. Okay, wait. I’m going to go eat lunch and then I’ll write this thing…

Okay. Much better.

So, the creator of this website, Jon Chonko, lives in NYC and has access to tons of amazing sandwiches. Apparently the word ‘scanwiches’ popped into his head first, and then he decided to give it a go using an old scanner that his girlfriend gave him, and it took off from there. Aesthetically, the website’s design is minimal, giving it a clean look where nothing detracts from the sandwiches, which makes it pretty easy to spend a good hour or so looking them all over without being distracted by ads or whatever. This site is especially useful because he lists the ingredients, so you can recreate them at home if you’d like!

Watch the magic happen!

Here are some of my favorites:

November 28th: Softened ramen noodles, ham, and american cheese.

May 22nd: Eggplant parmesan on a toasted hero.

May 5th: Sliced grilled steak, onion, peppers, and chipotle mayo on a hero.

June 15th: Hot steamed lobster, drawn butter, on a hot dug bun

Which scanwiches are your favorite?

Oh, and another fun food site is thisiswhyyourefat.tumblr.com!

photos courtesy of scanwiches.com and gizmodo.com

post by Amanda

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Christmas Music for People Who Don’t Like Christmas Music

I had a lovely Thanksgiving this year. I spent the holiday with friends and their family in a cabin somewhere in Oregon. Laughter filled the air while I drank wine and shoved copious amounts of food down my throat. The house and company were warm. The next day? PANIC. BLACK FRIDAY. Christmas is officially near and the meal shared with those dear to us wasn’t necessarily to give thanks, but to carb up so we’d have plenty of energy for when we’re elbowing grandmas out of our way so we can grab the last of the new _____ that’s hot this year. Honestly, I don’t think it’s the crowds on Black Friday that make people hostile…I think it’s the Christmas music. I think people start to snap by the time they hear ‘It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas’ for the umpteenth time, sung by a different artist each time. Oh, and by ‘people’, I mean ‘me’.

As I’m sure you can tell by now, I’m not a huge fan of Christmas music, but I don’t think it’s abnormal. I don’t think anyone is a fan of music that they’re unable to escape for an entire month. The songs are usually all the same, and the repetitiveness eventually makes me irritable. If you’re anything like me, you’re not completely SOL during the month of December. I found a Christmas album years ago, and it doesn’t make me angry. The album is called Maybe This Christmas and it consists of contemporary artists singing their versions of the classics or songs they wrote for ol’ Saint Nick.

If you like this album, you'll probably enjoy the other similar X-Mas albums called Maybe This Christmas Tree and Maybe This Christmas Too.

Here are a couple more songs that I don't dislike immensely:

Mrs. Christmas by Jessie Baylin

Jessie wrote this song as a Christmas present to her husband, Nathan Followill (drummer for Kings of Leon). I love the song’s retro vibe and cutesy lyrics.

O Holy Night by Cartman (via South Park)

I know, I know, it’s a South Park song, but Cartman fumbling the lyrics is pretty hilarious, and true to form, Christmas is only about receiving presents. (The show South Park is incredibly inappropriate as a whole, so if you're not familiar with the show by now, you might want to avoid it all together.)

As of today, there are 19 days till Christmas, which means 19 more days of Christmas music. I hope the information that I provided you with helps keep you sane for at least a couple of them.

photos courtesy of Amazon

post by Amanda

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25 Ways to Wear a Scarf

It's safe to say I love scarves as much as I like shoes and mac n' cheese. I have a duffel bag in my closet filled with them that vary in size and color, but I seem to wear them all the same way. Another thing is that many of them seem too lightweight to wear during the fall and winter months, so their use is very limited. It turns out I just needed to watch a youtube video about how to wear scarves to make my lightweight scarves usable year round and to give me new ideas as to how to twist and turn that fabric around my bare neck.



Did you notice the 4th example? Notice how she used two lightweight scarves? Why didn't I ever think of doubling up on my scarves to give me extra warmth and an extra pattern or pop of color?

The 6th example made me realize most of my scarves could become an infinity scarf if I just tied the very ends together. WHO KNEW?!

Clearly this girl is craftier than I am even on my best day, but you know, I doubt she knows 25 ways to jazzy up Top Ramen.


post by Amanda

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What's Happening at Village Shoes?

Our A.J. Morgan reader collection is out of control! We have every color, shape, and size known to man. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but we seriously have so many of them. Stop by our store and check them out! (Readers are for sale in-store only.)


We recently acquired this beautiful table from Bali. It's an old wooden door that was given a new life as a table. Because of the rustic look, our Frye merchandise looks wonderful displayed on it.


Oh, my! Who's that beeeaaautiful girl? Oh, wait...that's me! I spent the morning lowering the prices of our sale shoes! We have boots, oxfords, pumps, MBTs, and more, and some of the shoes are over 50% off. Grab a pair now before they're gone!

...and that's what's happening at Village Shoes!

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What are you reading this summer?

The ladies at Village Shoes love to read! One of us utilizes the local library, two of us purchase from bookstores, and I purchase books online to download and enjoy using my E-Reader. Now that the weather is warm and lovely, everyone is looking forward to changing their reading venue from indoors to outdoors, and from enjoying hot tea, curled up in a blanket, to sipping iced tea in the shade.

What we are reading:

Amanda:

• In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson "By far his best and most enthralling work of novelistic history….Powerful, poignant…a transportingly true story." -The New York Times

• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs “A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story.” -John Green, New York Times best-selling author of Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns

Stacey:

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee "To Kill a Mockingbird is a first novel of such rare excellence that it will no doubt make a great many readers slow down to relish more fully its simple distinction. It passes the test with honors." -Chicago Tribune

Halle:

• The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers "The symbols of mythology and legend are all around us, embedded in the fabric of our daily lives, and the Moyers-Campbell dialogues are a welcom guide to recognizing and understanding their meanings." - Cincinnati Post

• Mary and the Giant by Philip K. Dick "A retelling of Mozart's Don Giovanni, with Schilling seduced and destroyed by a young woman." -Philip K. Dick

• Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman

• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller "A dazzling performance that will outrage nearly as many readers as it delights." -The New York Times
  

Jen:

• “I’m reading my textbooks. Those aren’t fun, unless you are into reading about psychosis.” (Jen is currently studying Psychology and is knee deep in textbooks at all times.)

What are you current summer reads?

Post by Amanda

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Leaf Leather - Original Works of Art!

Leaf Leather, Inc. is part of the C.L. Whiting Collection. After years of study and countless hours of time, C.L. Whiting discovered the ability to produce tools in the shape of leaves with uncanny microscopic detail. Entire hides are tooled creating an original, one-of-a-kind work of art. With a great respect for nature and acquired knowledge of leather work, C.L. Whiting has personally trained several skilled craftspeople to help with the cutting, sewing, and finishing touches. This enables C.L. Whiting to create more of the beautiful hand tooled hides which are then made into finely detailed, meticulously finished leather goods. These original works of art are sought by fine gift stores, collectors, and notable art galleries across the country.

What I love about these bags... wherever you go you carry an exquisite piece of art with you. After all, isn't this exactly what we love about fashion? It's an expression of ourselves and of the world around us. These bags reflect the beauty of nature in fine detail. The clean lines of the bags themselves are sophisticated and lovely. Hurry and pick up one of these rare pieces before they are gone!

-post by Stacey

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Twilight and Filigree - Hand Painted Leather Jewelry Made in Portland Oregon!

Born from a love of nature and a soul rooted in creativity, Twilight and Filigree was founded by Elizabeth Robinson in 2008. With a background in fashion, costume design, and couture sewing, her strong sense of aesthetics and exquisite craftsmanship shine through on every creation. Her detailed and romantic designs form the basis for Twilight and Filigree: beautiful, charismatic and unique pieces for people like you to enjoy. All Twilight and Filigree products are made in Portland, Oregon.

Hand painted with acrylic paint and finished with a water resistant top coat made from natural ingredients. Sterling silver hardware. Shop Now!

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What's Your Favorite Color?

Since an early age, I’ve been a fan of bright, vibrant colors. My mother can attest to this with many colorful stories of me painting her boring, brown dresser with hot pink nail polish, coloring my little brother green with markers, and INSISTING that I wear every fun-colored barrette in my hair at once. Although my color antics have mellowed out a bit, I’m proud that my inner child reflects in my wardrobe. When you’re young, the only rule about color in existence is that you wear a lot of it. It’s simple to go shopping and find a black top that will go with everything. It’s simple to wake up in the morning and put on a grey shirt to go with your black slacks, but why be simple? Sure, red isn’t the best color on me, but who cares? I like it, so I’m going to wear it! I hear women talk about what colors they ‘can’ or ‘can’t’ wear based on their skin tone/what their mother told them about fashion growing up/what their best friend thinks, but what about wearing something solely because you LIKE THE COLOR? There’s nothing wrong with that!

If the idea of a colorful wardrobe scares you, or you prefer neutral colored clothing, why not compliment those tones with a splash of colorful jewelry? A jewelry line that we carry that I’m a major fan of is Nuna and nothing makes my Nuna jewelry pop like a simple black blouse. Nuna’s brightly colored jewelry is fun, lightweight, and eco-friendly. Neon purples, fuchsias, greens, and blues are the perfect colors to pair with a more professional looking wardrobe or outfit.

If you aren’t familiar with Nuna jewelry, it’s handmade in Florida using imported Tagua (tah-gwa) nuts from Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. The Tagua palm tree produces a lovely seed (that is compared to ivory) that can ‘skinned’, polished, and dyed; all done without deforestation and disturbing the surrounding wildlife. Many South American communities are partially supported by locals searching forest floors for fallen Tagua seeds. Overall, I support their color palate, and definitely I support the way they do business-it’s a win/win!

Ladies, we satiate our coffee fix in the morning, our chocolate fix in the afternoon, so why not allow ourselves to get our color fix? As a child we were constantly asked what our favorite color is, and we always had at least one answer. It’s time we ask ourselves that question again, and wear our picks proudly!

- Post by Amanda
photo courtesy of Second String Swap

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