if this shoe were a party

We did a feature last year, If this shoe were a room. You all seemed to like, so in honor of NYFW Shoe Week in NYC, we’re introducing…

IF THIS SHOE WERE A PARTY.

Sometimes the perfect inspiration for an outfit or a party can be found in your closet…or by looking down. If your feeling stuck on a color scheme or ‘theme’ to a party, just look at shoes. I promise, you will be inspired. And, you can shoe shop while you’re at it…who doesn’t love that?

#1: Sacha Black Shee Footwear
Shee is a designer this year at NYFW Shoe Week


IF THIS SHOE WERE A PARTY…it would be a Palm Springs 30th Birthday Party featured at 100 Layer Cake. You have to see the full gallery here because it’s gorgeous!

#2: Sam Edelman Shay Bootie, Nordstrom {$159.95}

IF THIS SHOE WERE A PARTY…it would be a Vogue On Safari Party for Tim Walker . It’s fabulous. A safari party with a chandelier, sign me up.

#3: Licorice by Kate Spade New York, Piperlime

IF THIS SHOE WERE A PARTY…it would be a girly, neutral setting with white, tans and champagnes. These neutral shoes would be the perfect accessory for such a beautiful setting.

#4: SixtySeven Baxter Bootie, Nordstrom

IF THIS SHOE WERE A PARTY…it would be a camp-style, rustic-chic shindig. More photos from this outdoor camp wedding from The Sweetest Occasion here.

#5: Valentino Couture Bow Platform Pump, Nordstrom

IF THIS SHOE WERE A PARTY…it would be a pretty, lovely party full of pink peony’s, feminine touches and woman-to-woman conversations. This pink peony dessert table featured at The Party Wagon is just stunning.

{images via 100 Layer Cake, Vogue, Nordstrom, The Sweetest Occasion, Piperlime, The Party Wagon}

beer birthday cake


My hubby turned 30 recently…and I must say, he’s hotter and more amazing than ever. He seems to get better with age…good for me! He had a wonderful dinner celebration with friends and family at his favorite steakhouse, received most of the things on his list and the ultimate gift for us to enjoy is a trip together {maybe Nashville or Cali wine country} without the kiddos to celebrate our 30th birthdays. {Now I just have to get over my fear of flying…working on it but it’s not going so well as the flight is not yet booked}.

Being a DIYer, I wanted to create something fun for him from the kiddos and me that included some of his favorite things and the number 30. The end result was a beer, sparkling water and ice cream cake, topped off with cigar candles.

Ingredients
12 Stella Cans of Beer
4 Guinness Cans of Beer
7 glasses of Pellegrino Sparkling Water
1 Dreyers Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
2 spotify gift cards
1 pair of designer glasses
3 cigars
= 30 gifts

And, to make it more special, the kids and I listed all the reasons why we love daddy/Tommy, and the kids wrote special notes too.

How To
Enlist adorable and priceless help from your kiddos

Write love notes/reasons why we love you notes on small pieces of paper, punch a hole in the corner of each one and use twine to attach to each beer/gift on your ‘cake’


Find the spot where you want to display your cake because once you make/layer it’s really hard to move {i did have to hide it for a little bit in a big box, so if you need to do that, just make sure each layer is on a separate base}.
Place the beer, or bottom layer of your cake in the shape you want – I created a circle with each beer next to each other.
Find a cake pan or strong base for your second/middle layer. I used a small metal cake pan base {the kind where the side can be removed}.
Add your second layer, which in my case was bottled water. Because my hubby likes the bottles, I used 2 cans of the Pellegrino Sparkling Water on the inside of the circle so top layer {half-gallon of ice cream} would fit snugly in between the bottles.


I used a hot glue gun to securely place the bottles exactly where I wanted them to be, with the base of each bottle ‘hanging’ of the edge of the cake pan {the hot glue was easily removed from the cake pan post celebration}.
Empty the ice cream half-gallon in another frozen-friendly container or buy 2 and eat one before you make the ‘cake’ so the ice cream doesn’t melt.
Use a knife to slit 3 x’s on the lid of the gallon ice cream container to tightly fit the cigars.
Add the cigars.

Wrap each cake layer with thick burlap or rope

Place other gifts, such as gift cards, glasses, etc around the cake
Get your vocal cords ready to sing ‘happy birthday’ to your loved one

{images via Tutto Bella}