Wood Treatments

Townshend has a fascination with chewing shoes. Not sure what the draw is really, but he won't be dissuaded. So, we started keeping the shoes in a couple wooden crates by the door. It works marginally well, but the untreated, blond wood really didn't go with the rest of the living room. So, I decided to give it a bit of color.

Some time ago, I played around with weathering wood (making new stuff look old) for a bit of fence to use with my shop and it was a great success! So, I decided to do the same thing with these crates. That old tutorial was no longer available, but a Google search pulled up this one and we were good to go.

I used apple cider vinegar (instead of white vinegar) this time around because it's what I had on hand. I think that it added a little bit of redness to the color, but I like it all the same! Last time, I left the steel wool in the vinegar for a couple days before applying it and I think the color is darker for it. This time I only waited 24hrs, but if I do this again, I'll wait longer to let it darken. But, all in all, I am quite pleased with how they look!

Though, the added color has not done much in increasing the effectiveness of the boxes in keeping the shoes from being chewed on....

Winterizing

This winter will mark my fourth winter here in Chicago. Still, each time it comes around, it seems to catch me a little by surprise just how COLD the cold is. In reality, I like to just imagine that my whims have power over the weather; if I just pretend that it's not snowy or cold then it can't be that bad, right? Riiiiiiiight.

For the most part, I do ok dressing warmly. I've got a warm coat and gloves, I even wear a hat (when it gets REALLY cold).. but somehow it seems that my feet are rather neglected. It wasn't until my second winter here that I decided that I needed to upgrade my winter footwear; my tennis shoes just weren't cutting it. So, I bought some Keens:

this pic is from an earlier post,
and they've seen some more wear since then,
but they're still great and I still LOVE them!

These actually do a reasonable job of keeping my feet warm, and they're cute!! But, however cute they may be, deep down I had to admit that they aren't actually very good at keeping the snow off my pants or socks. Still, I rationalized: I would just avoid the snow piles and puddles on the way into work. Besides, my pants usually dry out before I'd go home at night anyway... It doesn't snow that often in Chicago, right?

Then, last year, I moved and the train ride part of my commute got shorter, but the walking part got longer. Consequently, the wetness factor was significantly increased. And maybe I'm just getting old, but I find that my tolerance of coldness is decreasing.. So, finally, in anticipation of the 2009 winter, which is pretty much already here, I caved and got me some winter boots. 100% waterproof and fully insulated, purportedly able to handle up to -20F. And, more importantly, they look awesome:
Old Man Winter's got nothing on me!

Let's get some SHOES

I like shoes. While, for the most part, I tend to shun most "girly" tendencies (shopping, pink, ruffles, bunches of purses, gobs of makeup and hours of primping when getting ready in the morning) I must admit that I do like shoes.

Now to be fair, even if I were to have access to unlimited amounts of money to devote to my shoe collection, I will never be Imelda Marcos.

Still, shoes are great. Not only are they the final touch that makes the outfit complete, they also can add a little subtle pizazz to any ensemble, even the most formal. Honestly, I see no need to have 2700 pairs (you can't even wear that many shoes in a year!) But, I do support having a collection with..... personality.

Of course, there are the staples:


But then there must also be others, just to add spice. Now, when I shop for shoes, which I don't actually do all that often, I tend to buy those that jump off the rack and beg for me to buy them.
Who could say no to these???




My love of shoes is almost completely consigned to casual shoes. I'm not much for dressing up outside of church and so, for the most part, my dress shoes are less diverse:





However, every now and then, a shoe - yea, even a dress shoe, will call so loudly to me that I am unable to resist.
Behold, my most recent purchase:




This is a particular personality trait that my dear fiance finds quite amusing. His reaction:




Admit it.. they even make you smile.