Happy Feet: Birkenstocks

Birkenstocks are the new Jack Rogers. Okay, that might not be totally true, but it is for me right now. Given all the foot issues I've been having (for basically my whole life) I really need to start trying to wear more practical shoes, especially as I recover from surgery. At the end of last summer, my platinum Jacks finally broke and I just assumed I'd get a new pair this summer, instead, I ended up with a pair of platinum Birkenstocks.
When I first had to start wearing Birkenstocks in 2nd grade, they were not cool, there were not a lot of styles for girls, and I was pretty bitter about having to wear them. Today, I really can't complain because there are some pretty cute Birkenstocks out there. If you are allowed to wear sandals to your summer job (i.e. retail) I would highly recommend these because they are so supportive, unlike almost all other pairs of sandals.
I featured a couple of my favorite pairs here on the blog, but there are tons of options and each style comes in a bunch of different styles. I just got a pair on Amazon with Prime shipping, which was great. Zappos also has them, as does their website, so you can usually find your size and ideal style through one of those avenues.

shop the set here

Happy shopping for happy feet...seriously, so comfy.

xx
erin

Mother's Day Shopping: Kate Spade Sale

Sorry for my absence on the blog this week. I have been busy with job hunting and catching up on classes after surgery. Oh, and of course, I was having some pain in my foot, went in to student health, and found out my surgery site had gotten infected! No worries, it looks like the meds are working and I am being diligent about the care right now, but it's never good to get a surgery site infected. On that note, if you ever feel some pain in the region of a surgery site, get it checked out. I almost didn't go to Student Health about it and I am so glad that I ended up doing so because I don't want to know what would have happened if I hadn't gone.
Onto happier subjects, my bed rest has allowed plenty of time for me to scour the internet for some of my favorite new summer pieces. I have so many items to share with y'all so check back throughout the week. To be honest, I have resisted most shoe shopping though, since I am pretty restricted after surgery, but I do have a post about them coming out. One sale that caught me by surprise, in a very pleasant way, was the Kate Spade Friends and Family Sale! I love when this site has sales because her items are so cute and 25% off is a great deal...especially if you're still looking for a present for Momma! Here are some of my favorite pieces from this sale to shop. One thing that I do want to mention is that they have changed the clasp on watches so that it is still a butterfly clasp, but it has side release, so it is less likely to just pop off randomly!

watch // purse
earrings // shoes
tote // phone case

What are your favorite pieces from this sale?

Happy Shopping!

xx

erin

Easy DIY Ribbon Crutches

When I had my first foot surgeries, they were way more invasive and I was non-weight-bearing for six weeks. That is a long time to be on crutches and who wants to be on some boring metal crutches for that long? Not me, that's for sure. So I decided to decorate my crutches after each surgery to make them a bit cuter. Although I am not going to be on crutches for as long this time (thank God), I do have to use them for the next week or so to help me walk, so I decided to use this time of sitting around doing nothing to spruce them up again.
I actually have formal on Saturday so I picked a light pink color that will go with my dress (which I will feature on the blog this weekend) and it is perfect for Relay For Life today since this year I am relaying for my aunt who has Breast Cancer.
To decorate your crutches, all you need is a pair of scissors, some ribbon, and a hot glue gun. Seriously, so simple. Here are the steps to decorating your crutches since they look cute. Fair warning, if you're on heavy pain meds, this is easy enough to accomplish, but you might want to consider some assistance with that glue gun if you're feeling loopy!

Materials:

Crutches

2 Rolls 10yd Sheer Wireless Ribbon- 1.5"*

Hot Glue Gun

Scissors

Steps:
One: Remove the handles of the crutches
Make sure you don't lose the screws and remember what setting you have the handles on!

Two: Begin to wrap the crutches with ribbon
Start wrapping them from the top of the crutch. Hot glue the first piece of ribbon you use so that it sticks and wrap once around the top in a straight loop. Then do another dot of hot glue to hold that loop there. Once you've done that, start wrapping the ribbon around the crutches going diagonally down the crutches in an even pattern so that the ribbon looks even. Put a dot of hot glue down every couple of loops so that it holds throughout the process. I recommend putting gluon the inside of the crutch so that you cannot see it. After you wrap one side, leave a tail of about 6 inches of ribbon and cut it from the rooll.

Three: Wrap the Second Side.
Repeat Step Two on the other side, making sure to wrap the crutch in the same direction. Once you reach the bottom of the side, glue it off but do not cut the ribbon.

Four: Wrap the Base of the Crutch
Personally, for this step, I like to incorporate both the ribbon with the 6in tail and the ribbon on the roll so it's a smooth transition. Wrap the ribbon around the bottom of the crutch handles horizontally before you go diagonally down. This way you can't see the glue dots, and you can finish off the short tail. Continue wrapping around the crutch until you get to the bottom.

Five: Glue it 
Finish the ribbon off with a  full strip of glue (you don't need to use much, but use a strip so that the edges don't peel off) and cut as close to the glue line as possible. I wrapped mine a couple of times around the bottom, because this is one of those places that can get messed up, pretty easily.

Six: Replace the Handles
Screw the handles back in place. Choose which way to put them in based on how the ribbon wrapping went, just put the better side in front!

Happy Crutching!

xx
erin

*I prefer the sheer ribbon because it doesn't show the glue marks as much as the grosgrain ribbon does since it doesn't change the color. The wireless ribbon is definitely easier to manipulate than wired ribbon. However, any ribbon will technically work.

Friday Five: Empowering Women

Today is the day we've been working towards all year...RELAY FOR LIFE AT UVA! I am so blessed to be a part of such an amazing organization for such an incredible cause. Together, we are finding a cure for cancer and helping those who already have cancer. If you go to UVA, come out to Carrs Hill tonight for tons of entertainment, food, and to support the cause, and don't forget, walking a lap is on the 115 Things to do Before You Graduate list! You can register at the event, and if you want to donate to my personal fundraiser, here is the link to my page!

Today's Friday Five is themed to women empowerment. This is not the first time I have talked about women leaning in (thank you, Sheryl Sandberg) or going after what they want, and it won't be the last. I believe in gender equality and empowering each other. I hope y'all enjoy these links as much as I did!

One: Vote for Kayleigh Roy
I don't normally do these, so you know it's a big deal that I want you to do this, but please take a quick minute to vote for my friend and sorority sister, Kayleigh in the Challenge Detroit  Fellowship. She is a talented Urban and Environmental Planning major who has been interning for VDOT since last July in the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation. Here's a quick word from her on the challenge and why she deserves to win it (which she does):
"I was recently selected as a semi-finalist for the Challenge Detroit Fellowship which is a program that brings professionals into the shrinking city of Detroit to promote positive social and economic change and development. I am so excited about this opportunity. I even halted my job search for next year to solely pursue this fellowship. Please take the time to go to this link, like this page, and then make sure to click VOTE for my video! The voting runs through this Sunday, April 12 at 11:59pm so please take a second to help me out. It would mean the world to me to have your support and vote of confidence in showing Detroit how passionate I am about bringing about change in their valuable community."
Also, she has a great post on LinkedIn about this, so check that out, too! On that note, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn!

Two: Ladies Who Laptop
Here is another inspiring woman who started a business I am really interested in. I love their phone cases and other accessories. It's always so interesting reading about entrepreneurs and how they got started. Does anyone else want to be an entreprenuer? I seriously cannot think of a better career than starting my own business. #Ask4More

Three: 10 Steps to Executive-Level Confidence
First of all, you know this WSJ post was going to be good because it uses a picture of Miranda Priestly, which is one of my all-time favorite Meryl Streep roles. I found this article to be really great and not too corny, which tends to happen in a lot of these articles. Don't get me wrong, I still read articles about stuff like this to reinforce those ideas, but I really liked this one and am leaving it bookmarked.

Four: Here's What Happens When Women Choose to Call Themselves Beautiful
Say what you want about Dove and their campaigns, but I think they are wonderful. It can be so hard to remember self-worth in a world where photoshopped models plaster billboards and magazines every day. Yesterday I got a text from a co-worker that totally caught me off guard that said "You are so beautiful, you also need a beautiful toe." Obviously, the toe comment was in reference to my surgery, but I was so touched by her sweet words. I am not great about remembering my self-worth and value, but it's something I work on and these campaigns really remind me to do that. #ChooseBeautiful

Five: Notorious RBG on Women in the Supreme Court
First of all, I really want one of those shirts. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a powerful woman who anyone can look up to. I believe that young women should look to women in power as inspiration regardless of political parties. Being a republican does not mean that I am not inspired by her journey to her position. Think about it, she was a woman going through Law School in the 1950s, that was no small feat at the time. 

Shopbop 25% Off Sale

Today is the last day of the Shopbop sale. If you use the code "SPRING25" you will get 25% off your purchase and there are some great items in this sale. For those who haven't shopped on this site before, it has a bunch of different designers and covers a wide variety of styles and fashion tastes. I didn't end up getting anything in this sale because I am currently just looking for a few specific items for upcoming events, but I do love a lot of the items they have right now. I rounded up some of my favorites for y'all to shop. Personally, that Ella Moss swimsuit is sitting really high on my wishlist right now. I think I want a one-piece and I love the cut and pattern of it. Happy Shopping, friends!

Re:named crop top and skirt // Rebecca Minkoff bucket bag // Ray-Ban sunglasses // Tory Burch studs // BB Dakota romper // Ella Moss swimsuit // Kate Spade pendant // MICHAEL Michael Kors wedges // Birkenstock sandals // S'Well water bottle

xx
erin