5 Tips for Shoe Shopping with Wide Feet

My feet have been a source of frustration and insecurity for a while now. I'm not sure when it happened, but my feet have become incredibly hard to shop for. This difficulty stems from their width and the impending bunion. Yes...I said it, bunion. It's not exactly a cute word, and it doesn't really look all that cute either. But hey, it was the hand I was dealt. Could be a lot worse.

About 90 percent of shoes rub me the wrong way, and I mean that literally. Shoes are usually far too tight around the base of my toes, which has resulted in a lot of returns and lonely shoes in my closet. Sometimes they feel alright when I first try them on, but about 20 minutes into walking around my feet are killing me. It's pretty frustrating, especially because I love shoes! I would kill to simply order a pair of shoes online, and have them fit. It's the simple things, right?

It has been a struggle, but I have come to terms with my feet. "Strong castles need strong support structures," my grandma would tell me when I would complain about their size. It's a little saying I have been telling myself more lately. Anyway, I know there are a lot of wide footed people out there, and I want to offer a few tips I have learned when it comes to buying shoes for my difficult feet.

1. Always shop the "wide" selection first. The worst part of having wide, difficult feet is there are some shoes you simply will never wear. It's just not gonna happen, unless you feel like hobbling around all day due to the pain (don't do it!). Luckily, finding shoes for wide feet is pretty easy thanks to the internet. I always shop this category first, that way if I find a pair I like, I won't be as tempted by the other cute, non-wide pair I find later in the general section. If I'm shopping at an actual store and there is somebody who can help me, I will ask them if they have any wide shoes in the style I'm looking for.

2. If they feel a little "iffy," walk away from them. I have wasted so much money on shoes that I really wanted to work for my feet. But my wanting didn't make them any wider, or my feet more narrow. If you try a pair of shoes on and they feel like they are rubbing the wrong way, don't buy them. It's true that most shoes stretch and become more comfortable, but this can take months. And if you're in pain for more than a few days, I'm beting you are not going to wear them for a few months. They are going to sit in your closet, unless you bought them from a store with an awesome return policy. If you think they are gonna hurt, they probably will.

3. Find a brand that works for you. For me, I find that Naturalizer works pretty well. I have also had decent luck with Aldo flats, which is kinda surprising. If you find a pair of shoes that make your feet sing with glee, stalk that company's website and buy from there! Most likely other styles will work as well.

4. Invest in good shoes. This is something that I still need to work on. When I buck up and spend a little more on shoes that are quality, they usually don't bug my feet. Those cute flats at Forever21on the other hand? I wore them once and my feet died a little. It's so hard to resist a cute pair of shoes at a good price, but if you are not going to wear them, what's the point? Sure, they look cute in your closet, but you know what looks even better? Money in your wallet! Or a cute pair of shoes on your feet. All that being said, if you find a pair of cute,  cheap and comfortable shoes...buy a pair in every color!

5. Love your feet. Yes, your feet are wide, but they are pretty good to you. They carry you around all day, and put up with being stuffed into shoes that are probably too small. They help you run, skip, swim, dance and do cart wheels. Paint your toes, convince somebody you like to give you a foot rub, scrub off that dead skin, and show them some appreciation!

Asian Chicken Salad

As much as I love rich and creamy comfort foods, summer begs for lighter and fresher meals. I find myself eating as many blueberries possible, adding mint to every drink, and craving fish tacos. I also eat a lot more salads during the summer time, and this asian chicken salad is one of my favorites. 

My mom made this salad quite a bit, and then we lost the recipe so we just started winging it. I can seriously eat bowl after bowl of this stuff, it's just so dang tasty! Tommy loves it too, and getting him to eat salad can be difficult. It has crunch from the carrots and cabbage, tang from the dressing and lots of freshness from the cilantro, green onion and mint. I love it even more on the second day! If you'd like, you can add some little orange slices for sweetness, but I usually leave them out. 

Asian Chicken Salad
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped (My head of cabbage was huge, you might use the whole head if yours is on the smaller side)
2 cups shredded chicken
1 1/2 cup carrots, diced (or shaved)
1 cup La Choy chow mein noodles
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
3/4 cups green onion, diced
2 tbs mint, finely diced
1/2 cup shaved almonds
*mini orange slices, optional

Dressing:
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar (I used light)
2 tbs soy sauce
1/2 lemon, juice only
2 tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tbs. sriracha sauce
fresh ground pepper
2 tbs warm water

1. In a very large bowl, add cabbage, carrots, chow mein noodles, and almonds and toss to incorporate. Add green onions, mint and cilantro.
2. Prepare dressing! Add all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to incorporate. Taste and adjust if you find necessary (some people like more spice or sweetness).
3. If your chicken is cold, place it in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up. I used a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Add warm chicken to the large bowl of cabbage, add half of dressing and toss to combine. Add the last half of dressing orange slices if you are adding them, and thoroughly combine.
4. Store covered in fridge. After a day or two the chow mein noodles may absorb some of the dressing, leaving it a bit dry. If this happens simply add a small squeeze of lemon juice, a squirt of oil and a dash of vinegar to moisten it back up.

Infused Vodka, Two Ways

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of trying infused vodka. It was so delicious that I knew I needed to try making my own! I decided to make one with vanilla and lavender, and the other with green tea and lemon. Both turned out so great that I can't wait to make another batch.

For these two infusions I purchased one 750 ml bottle of Smirnoff Triple Distilled Vodka (any middle shelf vodka will work, just make sure it's plain) and separated it between two 16 oz. mason jars. One wasn't quite as full as the other (750 ml is about 25 ounces) but that's okay! You don't have to be super precise with this.

Vanilla & Lavender Infused Vodka
1 vanilla bean, cut down the center
2 tbs lavender
12-16 oz. plain vodka (I used Smirnoff)

Green Tea & Lemon Infused Vodka
2 tbs loose green tea
1 tbs grated lemon rind
12-16 oz. plain vodka (I used Smirnoff)

1. Place ingredients into an air tight container (I used mason jars) and let sit in a dark and cool place for four days. After the four days, strain out ingredients and pour vodka back into mason jar, and place in the freezer. Mix with whatever mixer your heart desires!

Both of these vodka infusions were delicious when mixed with some lemonade. My favorite was probably the vanilla and lavender, while Tommy really loved the green tea infusion. For the drink above I mixed 2.5 oz vanilla infused vodka, 5 oz. lemonade, lots of ice and a wedge of lemon. So tasty! These infusions would make great gifts too.

Bleach Pen Jeans

I have seen a few jeans with bleach designs and thought it would be fun to recreate them at home for a lot cheaper. I thought about just using plain ol' bleach, but then I found out about Clorox bleach pens! Genius. The bleach pen is a gel consistency, which makes it harder to mess up your design.

I picked up a pair of shorts from the thrift store, but you may already have a pair of jeans/shorts you are ready to update/don't mind if you mess them up.

You need:
Jeans
Clorox pen
Wax paper
Needle (optional, but helpful)

Lay jeans out and place pieces of wax paper under the area you plan on bleaching. This way the bleach doesn't bleed through the other side. Using the bleach pen, carefully draw your design. I recommend practicing with it on a piece of paper first so you get the feel for it. After, use the needle to straighten out your lines and pop any bubbles that might have formed.

 Tip: Make sure your design has an even layer of bleach, otherwise certain areas will have a stronger color (in the picture above, the bleach isn't as even as it should be, I went over it again with more bleach).

 Now just let the bleach sit for about 1 hour. The bleach will look drier, and you will be able to tell the area you bleached is lighter. If you are using very dark jeans, you may want to leave the bleach on longer. Rinse your jeans in the sink to get off the bleach and then wash them in the machine. Let jeans dry and examine your work! If you want the design to be brighter, simply go over the design again with more bleach.

Ice Cream Sunday: Raspberry & Rosemary Sorbet

Expectations can make or break an experience. Sometimes we set our expectations too high, and when these expectations aren't met we feel let down. On the flip side, when we lower our expectations, the results have the ability to blow us away.

I think it's important to expect good things. Expecting good things promotes positive thinking and motivates yourself and others to strive for more. That being said, lowering ones expectations leads to more pleasant surprises, and possibly a more content life. It's tricky...it's about finding a balance that works for you.

Which leads me to talk about this raspberry and rosemary sorbet.

I knew I wanted to make a sorbet this week. My expectations were lowered because, well, sorbet is not ice cream. I also wanted to try something slightly unusual. My expectations continued to drop because you never know how unusual things are going to turn out. You probably saw this coming, but this is one of those incidents where my low expectations were blown away by the awesome reality.

This sorbet is so good you guys. If I'm being completely honest, it's better than I planned. Obviously rosemary is the wildcard in this recipe, and it adds just the right amount of earthiness to the sweet and tart raspberries. It tastes just like summer should taste.

Raspberry & Rosemary Sorbet
6 cups fresh raspberries
1/2 cup lemonade
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 large tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves (about 3-4 sprigs)

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a slow boil and add rosemary leaves. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 3 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit  for about 10-15 minutes.
2. While syrup is cooling, add raspberries and lemonade into blender or food processor and puree. Once smooth, strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove all seeds. Place puree into fridge and let completely cool.
3. Once rosemary syrup has cooled considerably, strain out rosemary leaves and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
4. Once raspberry puree and rosemary syrup are completely cooled (I left mine in the fridge for about 7 hours), add syrup to the puree and thoroughly combine.
5. Place mixture into ice cream machine until the texture of soft serve. Transfer into an airtight container and let freeze overnight.

4th of July

Hope you all had a fun and safe 4th of July! Mine was really relaxing, full of good food and sitting by the lake. Since yesterdays post was not very festive, I thought I would just share a few quick snaps from yesterday.

Society6 Collage Favorites

Happy Fourth of July! Hope you are spending the day enjoying some sun, eating a hotdog or two, and maybe catching some fireworks. Tommy and I are spending today at his parents house where I plan on eating my weight in ribs and relaxing by the lake.

Today I thought it would be cool to share some of my favorite artists on Society6. If you're unfamiliar with the site, it's basically a place where artists can sell their artwork. My favorite thing about the site is the wide range of art, and the fact that you can buy it as a print, pillow, phone case, stretched canvas, ipad case or several other options! Really neat. I just bought this pillow case today :)

There are a lot of different categories of artwork, but collage is probably one of my favorites.  It  has such a cool vintagey vibe to it, and yet can sometimes feel a bit creepy and hallow. I love it when art makes me feel different things at once. Definitely check some of these artists out, they all have really cool images that I didn't include. Do you have a particular kind of art you feel especially drawn to?

Richard Vergez 

 Exhalation // Brain Ticket

Jesse Treece

 Untitled // Untitled // Goofbutton Collaboration #1a

Beth Hoeckel Collage & Design

 Sunbathing // Float

Sammy Slabbink

Television - Drug of the Nation // The (Make Up) Artist // Learning the Ropes

June in Review

And just like that, June is a goner! The month started out pretty crummy here weather wise, but boy did it end strong! It's officially summer, woo! Here is a quick June recap...

I shared a few easy food photography tips! This was probably one of my favorite posts this month, I'm so glad that some of you found it helpful.

 I guess I was full of advice this month, because I also gave you some tips on cosmetic shopping in a department store. 

My blueberry and peanut butter smoothie is something I made all the time, especially for breakfast! 

While we are talking food, I gotta mention the new "Ice Cream Sunday" feature that was born! I made this Nutella and cookie ice cream, but there was also some mango and coconut milk ice cream, and red velvet and blueberry ice cream. You scream, I scream! 

This lace top is one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe! So effortlessly fancy. 

Listening:  I have been kind of obsessed with the Joy the Baker podcast. Joy and Tracey from Shutterbean just crack me up, but even when they don't I just really enjoy listening to their random ramblings. 

Watching: The Killing. Tommy and I blew through the first and second season in no time, and have now started watching the third. I love the dynamic of Holder and Linden, and it's set in Seattle which is neat too!

Reading: Okay okay. I'm SO CLOSE to finishing A Dance with Dragons. It will be done by the end of the week. Fo sho. I obviously need to watch less Tv and read more...

Instagram // 1. This crazy bus was parked outside my house.  Pretty cool looking! // 2. Enjoying some drinks on the porch. // 3. Sometimes Atticus will start cleaning himself then forget to put his tongue back in. // 4. Can I eat this pizza everyday? // 5. Beautiful birthday flowers from Tommy. // 6. I attended my great aunts 50th wedding anniversary. These are the love letters they wrote to each other while he was in the Navy. How sweet is that?

A Few Favorite Posts:

Food 52 // How to Make Any Baked Eggs in 5 Easy Steps

The Kitchn // A Do-it-Yourself Polka Dot Tablecloth: Made with Potatoes

Delightfully Tacky // Candid Thoughts of Bloggers "Perfect Lives"

MaskCara // In the Hood

How Sweet It Is // Everything White Bean Hummus

Keiko Lynn // And She's Got Knee High Socks

Mel's Kitchen Cafe // The Great Cookie Experiment: Butter Temperature

Free People Blog // DIY: 3 Ways to Reuse Wine Corks

Lottie and Doof // One-Pan Pasta

Sincerely, Kinsey // That's What I'm Chalkin ' About

The Nectar Collective // How to Grow Your Blog (Like a Boss)

Japanese Onigiri

Today I'm really excited for Melyssa from The Nectar Collective to share a Japanese dish called onigiri! In case you aren't familiar with Melyssa, you can find a whole interview with her here, but you should also check out her awesome blog! I think you'll quickly find out why it's one of my favorites. Melyssa actually lives in Japan, so I was excited for her to share a recipe that I was totally unfamiliar with! I'll let Melyssa take it from here...



Hi everyone! My name is Melyssa and I'm a California girl currently living in Tokyo, Japan. I have a blog called The Nectar Collective where I share my travel adventures, creative projects, and tips on maintaining a positive lifestyle. I also have a corgi named Monja who makes an absurd amount of appearances on my blog. He even writes his own column...let's just say he's a pretty eccentric little guy.

Anyways, today, I'm sharing a traditional Japanese recipe with you for a food called "onigiri." Roughly translated into English, this means "rice ball" and I think you'll see, that is literally what this is! Except better, because a ball of rice would be kind of a boring recipe to share with you, right? No, onigiri is stuffed with anything under the sun. In Japan, you can walk into any convenience store and be faced with 20+ different onigiris for your choosing. Today, I'm sharing a typical Japanese onigiri and one that I invented called the California onigiri (don't tell Japan about that one). Shall we begin?

Ingredients:

- White rice

- A bowl of water with salt in it

- Fillings (We'll talk about this below!)

First of all, cook your rice and let it cool a little so that you can handle it easily. Also, coat your hands in your water/salt mixture, which will keep the rice from sticking all.over.you. Then, as seen in step 1, take some rice and mold it into a ball-ish shape in your hands. Next, in step 2, make a dent in your ball. This is where your filling will go! Finally, in steps 3 and 4, add your filling into your ball! 

As far as fillings go, you can honestly use water you want (so long as it isn't super wet/mushy, which will make your onigiri soggy). In picture 3, I used avocado and cheese. This is the California Onigiri! In picture 4 I went for cooked salmon. Other popular alternatives are tuna with mayonnaise, seaweed, or fish, cooked or not. Lastly, add more rice on top of your ball to cover your filling. Mound it all together with your hands. If you want it to be triangular in shape, which is common in Japan, then it helps to make an L shape with your fingers and work the ball of rice against your hand.

That's it! Your'e done!

Once your rice and ingredients are cooked, you can make each onigiri in just a couple minutes! It's also pretty fun - like clay for hungry adults. I hope you enjoyed this little cultural recipe and I'd love to talk to you more over on my blog, The Nectar Collective. Have a great day, everyone!