Dreaming of spring!

The new spring items from Ruche have me dreaming of spring and, perhaps even more so, dreaming of summer! Lovely light dresses paired with bold accessories...right up my alley! If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and give a gander at their spring lookbook!

But perhaps my favorite item is this fabulous pair of Kate Spade slides. Canvas upper, wooden sole, and that lovely bright green button and ribbon detail...easy, cheerful, and versatile! I can see slipping these on with almost any of the spring/summer dresses and skirts already in my closet!

Kate Spade "Toby" natural canvas sandal

Black and white all over!

From Anthropologie, Feb. 2010

Why hello there, world's most perfect pair of black-and-white striped wedges! Would you like to come home and live with me? Yes, I think you might!

Shoe Obsession -- Flats

Hi, my name is Artful Magpie, and I'm obsessed with flats!

Hi, Artful Magpie!


Yes, it's true. As much as I do love heels and boots, I have a special fondness in my heart for flats. Easy to throw on with just about any outfit, easy to walk around in, and so, so simply chic. I guess I'm a little bit Audrey somewhere in my soul. But then, aren't most women?

I have a few pairs of go-to flats already in my closet, but I always find myself eying more whenever I go shopping in real life or online. Some of my current obsessions:


T-Strap flats! I always thing of the t-strap as a feature of heels. I love the idea of a flat with that detail! And the pointed toe would look particularly good paired with skinny jeans or a pencil skirt.






Studded or otherwise embellished flats. We're not talking a little bit of beading here; we're talking some serious hardware. Over the top? Yes, definitely. Fun as hell? That, too!! Specifically, I have a fondness for this pair by Steve Madden.




Bright, fresh, summery colors. Both these sweetly preppy grey-and-green canvas peep-toes and these rich vibrant yellow leather flats fit the bill, in very different ways!





So much lovely, so little space to store them! And only two feet! I know I don't need any more flats in my life, but a gal can dream, can't she?

Studded Ballet Slippers

Okay, I saw these amazing studded ballet slippers in another blog the other day, and I totally fell in love. They're a little bit tough and a little bit sweet and they'd probably be quite soft and comfortable to slip on and dance through your day.

They're real ballet slippers, though, with the soft leather sole, which might make them rather impractical for actually walking around in outside of one's house.

And the more I looked at them, the more I got to thinking, "I bet I could do that!" It seems it would be very easy to go buy a cheap, comfortable pair of soft leather ballet flats (preferably with street-use soles, not dance-use!) and a handful of metal studs and make your own pair of these, probably for much less than $50 + shipping.

Of course, I'm also lazy, so I might end up just ordering these! I wonder...can ballet slippers be re-soled by a cobbler for street use? Anyone know?