The new intern has arrived!

Hello everyone!

I am so excited to be the newest member of the ITSDF team and I can't wait to get started with everything. I would like to introduce myself and my first question to you is: Have you ever heard of Susquehanna University? Almost every time I ask this question most people don’t believe that it is a real school and no one knows how to pronounce it correctly. Well everyone, it is a fabulous university in the center of Pennsylvania and it is surrounded by farms, Amish, and well… more farms. It is the university where I just recently graduated from in May with a degree in communications. Although it is a small school and in the “middle of no where,” it was my home for the last four years and it has provided me with the skills and tools that I will be using for my internship with If The Shoe Doesn’t Fit.

I decided to get involved with an internship after graduating from college in order to stay in touch with the world of social media, PR, advertising and everything else that may interest me. I enjoy staying active and learning new things, which is why I have taken on the challenge of having an internship while making my path in the real world. My duties will include attracting fabulous people to the website and social media pages and engaging them in various conversations in order to build lasting relationships. I will also be sharing my somewhat wacky thoughts and ideas with all of you on a regular basis as well as taking on a few fascinating projects that I will be keeping a secret for now!

If The Shoe Doesn't Fit is pretty much my picture perfect internship, yes that sounds cheesy, but it's the truth! I have a semi-huge shoe collection and I am not afraid to admit it! I started collecting shoes ever since I could remember being obsessed with fashion, and recently, I thought I was becoming a mini Rachel Zoe... have you seen her shoe collection? It is BA-NA-NAS! Whether I am secretly hoarding shoes or just lost in a pile with no way out, I know that surrounding myself with other shoe fanatics will just make the internship extra special. I look forward to having a great adventure and I can't wait to see what the future brings. Keep an eye out for a few pair of my own shoes on the website!

And just so you all know, it is pronounced – SUS-QWAH-HANNA!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Debbie

Disney Princesses Shoe Collections Make-Over

We all have a princess deep inside and that's why we have to care about the girls who raised us: The Disney Princesses.

I remember my granny reading Cinderella and Snow White to me. I would slide down Rapunzel's hair and land right into Dreamland with Sleeping Beauty. I had a read-along book and cassette (did I just give away my antiquity?) with Rapunzel's story which I listened to until I was at least 10 years old. 

Oh man! I loved those stories. I could listen to them over and over without ever tiring. 

On my way to Dreamland last night, contemplating the much more gruesome book I am busy reading, the Princesses popped into my head for some reason and I realized that they need a make-over. Their shoes are just not sensible and I think they'll find their dream princes more easily if they wore sensible shoes. These ladies need some serious help and we're here to help them.

Here are my suggestions:

Aurora runs around in thorny bushes to rescue her dream prince. The girl needs some running shoes!

Nothing like pink New Balance to help a girl pick up a guy speed!

Our beloved mermaid, Ariel has been complaining that her man wants her to wear fishnet stockings lately. So when the fishtail disappears and she shows of her pins, she has to make the most of it. 

Tell me this Aria - Teal Soft Patent was not made especially for her?

Snow White is a busy girl. She runs after seven dwarfs all day and doing that on heels is simply impossible. Finding something to match her dress style is hard, but I found something that we can both wear to compliment both our styles.

Pretty cute, don't you think?

Jasmine is an adventurous and stylish jet setter - or is it a mat sitter? She loves bling and glamour and is a fun retail therapy friend!

These are so very amazing!

I don't know what the Fairy Godmother thought when she gave Cinderella glass shoes. Really, has she ever been to a party where the bubbly flowed and the music boomed? That is completely impractical, pretty irresponsible and potentially lethal!

Cindy would NEVER have lost these!

At the moment I feel as though I have a close affinity with Sleeping Beauty. It could have to do with a long day in the office, or just the feel of perfectly pedicured feet slipping into a pair of delightfully beautiful slippers...

I could fall asleep just looking at this comfy slipper!

Do you like my suggestions? Which princess are you? Me - I'm going to be Sleeping Beauty now!

Day 5 of the 10 day Challenge

Five foods - I supposed there are other foods in the world besides chocolate huh?

1. Is it any surprise... yes I love all Chocolate! Truffles so amazing and rich that the taste lingers on your tongue, hot cocoa that feels like it swirls in your mouth, fudge that you eat with a cold glass of milk...you name it -chocolate!  Just don't ruin it with fruit, or coconut or glazes - I'm a purist!
2. Cheese - I love most cheeses - even stinky cheeses!  I don't think I've found too many I don't like.
3. Steak - Yum! Medium-rare please.  I love Morton's Steak House Filet that literally cuts with a butter knife -oooohhh!
4. Vanilla Creme Brulee - ok I know -odd for a chocolate gal to have vanilla on the list - but a really well made creme brulee can almost make you forget about chocolate...almost....
5. Lobster bisque - I search for the best lobster bisque and order it where ever I go.  It has to be thick but not heavy, and have just the right balance of cream and sherry and a hint of pepper.  Some of the best I've had is at Legal Sea Foods or Morton's Steak House. 

What's your food favs?

Naughts & Crosses: Check out these great plaid shoes

Call me strange, but I like plaid. I also like floral print. In rare instances, the two can be combined to look really amazing.

When I was younger, my mom was a bit of a plaid-nut. I must admit that plaid was pretty popular at the time. She made me one of those 80s fold-over plaid skirts that we wore those days. It had a black background with narrow red, yellow and blue lines. I wore with black stockings black shoes and a black top. Very stylish!

Lately, I have seen some of the younger celebs wearing plaid shoes and thought I'd go check out some of the cool styles.

These look so comfortable!
Wear them with jeans, tights or shorts at home.

These are available in pink too!

It's hard to see the pattern, but they are gorgeous!

Very stylish!

Do you like plaid? What's your favorite pair? What do you wear it with? 

Celebrating Shoes in Advertising & Shoe Fridays

All of us at ITSDF and all our readers love shoes. Before I started writing here, I didn't realize just how much shoes feature in our lives and those of others.

Of course most of us wear shoes every day, but I didn't realize just how much time we spend thinking about shoes and just how creative we can be with shoes. I only became aware of it the other day as I was sitting on the beach with my daughter making sand Crocs for me and taking photos of it. 

Then I started noticing how shoes feature in advertising:

- Mobile phone adverts almost always feature youths doing hip-hop moves while wearing bright neon sneakers.

- The women in hair care or make-up adverts are always well heeled, usually in red.

Laundry detergent or breakfast cereal ads always feature curly-haired blonde kids, often wearing shoes like these.

Another popular shoe-related advertising ploy / charity fund raiser is to name days after shoes.

A bank recently started allowing employees to wear sneakers to work on Fridays to deliver "faster" service to clients.

Flip-flop Friday is for coastal dwellers to enjoy the fun, the sun and the sea.

On Casual Friday, people are encouraged to wear slippers to work.

So how do you celebrate shoes? Do you have special Fridays?

foldflops Review and Giveaway!

I'm excited to review and then announce an exciting giveaway for our readers and shoe lovers! So make sure you stay tuned until the end of this post...however, this does not mean skip over my review, lol.

Disclosure: I was not paid for this review of foldflops; I did receive a free pair to try.  All opinions are my own.

Foldflops has already met If the Shoe Doesn't Fit. Now it's time for the If the Shoe Doesn't Fit readers to meet foldflops.

I was given a pair of my own foldflops to try out so I could tell you about them. I am fortunate to have a very comfy and convenient pair of flipflops that fold up and conveniently fit in your purse, gym bag, or wherever else you would like to store your convenient pouch. I think for me they will be fantastic if I want to wear heels but then have my foldflops as an option to switch to super comfortable flats and flipflops, which are even better!

I took some pictures of my foldflops to demonstrate how they work (because visuals are always better) and to honest, at first I was afraid that my foldflops would break in half! But silly me...these foldflops were designed to be durable, safe, and lesson the space it would take to carry normal foldflops. They definitely prove that functionality and comfort can co-exist.  I think they work quite well!

Here are what my foldflops look on my feet. I think my favorite feature is that they are very comfortable and stylish (they come in additional colors such as pink, black, and red). They feel very soft and are not hard like other flip flops are. I love this feature about them.

I really liked the side of the box that they came in. Cute design!

Okay so are you ready for a foldflop grand tour? I'm going to show you step by step instructions how to fold them up and how they fit in their cute little pouch. I know it doesn't take rocket science how to fold the foldflops, but I found it really interesting how it is done so I wanted to demonstrate via pictures because I think it's a really innovative idea. ;)

So as you can see, there is an indent where you fold the foldflops in half. Then you use the stylish red rubberband and keep them folded together like this:

Now that your foldflops are folded and ready to go (they are also very lightweight by the way,) you can stick them in the convenient pouch and then you can be on your way! As for me, I can head to the beach and wear heels while I'm walking near the shops and then switch to flip flops to head down to the sand and water! Hooray!

Now to the exciting part! We (thanks to foldflops) are going to give away one pair from foldflops to our readers! The giveaway will end on September 29th so hurry and enter while you can! Thanks for reading and entering! Be sure to check out their website to stay updated on their foldflops and new product.

Day 6 of the 10 Day Challenge

Six places... not sure if it's places I've been or want to go or what, but I'll make my own rules :-). 

1. The highlands of Scotland.  I believe in Brigadoon and I'm a hopeful romantic.  Someday I want to go to the highlands of Scotland, and see the heather on the hill. 
2. The Kingdom Of Wisdom from The Phantom Tollbooth.  Although I enjoy Harry Potter and am transformed by Hogwarts like today's kids, I grew up reading different books and this was one!  The places this took me to: Dictionopolis, the Mountains of Ignorance and more, helped me grow and learn.
3. The Emerald City - Oz - who wouldn't want to go there?
4. Greece - all I can think of is Blue and White and amazing history!
5. Stonehenge - what a fascinating place  it seems to be - how did those stones get there?
6. While I don't want to go to this place too early - unless I could visit and come back - Heaven.  Wouldn't it be awesome to know what it's really like to be there? 

How about you?  What are your places? 

Shoes to make you go AAARRRRRRR!

Lately, I've been seeing photos of many celebs wearing animal print clothes and shoes in particular. It took a while for me to get used to it, as I like bright single color shoes. I remember in the 80s (when I was still very young) only the bad girls wore animal print leotards with bright red shoes and scarves and that put me off. But since I've made the switch to red shoes, I think it's about time I enjoy animal print shoes.

Leopard print is probably the most common and loved by Beyonce, Nicole Richie and Christina Aguilera who wear these shoes with a variety of styles of clothing from leggings to jeans, dresses and shorts. It actually looks great!

If, like me, you have not allowed your animal instinct to lead you to the wild side, you will want to take a look at these adorable styles.

How cute is this? 

 

If you have a wild child, she will adore these:

So tell me, do you wear animal print? What is your favorite pair?

Day 7 of the 10 day Challenge

Seven wants...wow I never thought past 3 magic wishes!

1. I want to enjoy exercise - everyone talks about how great they feel when they are done and how I should love it, but no matter what I do (walk, run, elliptical, bike, even dance) when I am done I'm exhausted, ready for a nap, and in pain!  I want to have that "high" and great feeling everyone has so that I "want" to exercise, cuz I really don't enjoy it.  OK I love dance - but even that causes me pain and I'm soooo tired when I'm done - never energized like people say. 
2. I want to like healthy food.  It would be so great to order like a normal person in a restaurant - eat veggies, eat balanced meals.  I'd love to eat fruit and have healthy snacks.  But I literally gag on that stuff.  
3. I want my hair extensions back!  For years I did Great Lengths and then SoCap hair extensions and loved them!  I enjoy having long hair - granted it took longer to get ready, but I felt better about how I looked and I think it made me look younger.  They are too expensive though, and my hair is soooo baby fine that I can't do clip in extensions even if I tease it.  So I have short hair now. 
4. I want to find someone to share my life with.  It really is a "want" not a "need". I am OK on my own - I am very independent and self-sufficient.  It would be nice to find a man who can, communicate, is intelligent, who understands life and love and who can love me for who I am and not feel he has to be "needed" but is happy to be "wanted". 
5. I want "enough" money so I don't have to worry.  I don't have a number for that - maybe that's my problem is I can't quantify it - but it isn't a number.  I just want enough - to pay my bills, to dance, to pick up the dinner tab when I'm out with friends, to do for others, to not have to ask myself if I can afford something if I want it.  Whatever that number is - that's it - just enough.
6. I want knowledge and books.  Knowledge comes in lots of ways - from people, from the internet, from animals, from experience, I love to learn and never want to stop learning.  A dear friend once said to you "you are either green and growing or ripe and rotting".  I want to stay green and growing. Books (traditional and audio) are a way to gain grow and learn and be entertained and transformed.  When I don't have time to read, I listen to audio books - I want to always have books in my life. 
7. I want that ever elusive pair of incredibly gorgeous heels that fit my feet like a glove, that I can walk in for hours comfortably, easily and without pain, and that go with every outfit.  <sigh>

What do you want?  

Day 8 of the 10 day Challenge

Eight Fears... hmmmm

1. Spiders and crawly things... yuck!
2. Scary movies - I don't understand paying to be frightened!
3. The dark - yes I still have at least one light on at night.
4. Revolving doors - OK I know it sounds silly but I've gotten stuck in them more than once! 
5. Trains -they are much tougher to get right than airplanes - at a busy train station you only have a minute or two to figure out what track to run to and get on the right train and although someone is supposed to check your ticket, I've ended up on the wrong train! I can laugh at it now and call it an adventure - but I admit I'm afraid to travel on them alone.
6. Failure -sometimes I won't try something because failing is too scary.
7. Success - sometimes I won't try something because succeeding is too scary...hmmm starting to see a pattern here...
8. Rejection  - like me.. me please..

So tell me - what are you afraid of? 

Day 9 of the 10 day Challenge

Time for Nine Loves- as promised, these will be a bit lighter!

1.  Shoes.. do I even have to say that? High heels, flats, you name it I love'em.
2. Chocolate....even though I can't have it anymore, I still love it.  I gave it up because I don't have an off switch- literally, I start and never stop - so I gave it up.  But I love it so much I dream about it!
3. My dogs: Morgie is 12 partially blind, has arthritis, and is afraid the water monster lives in her water bowl, but she is the sweetest old gal! Lacey is 7 and lazy; she prefers to be put on a red wagon and taken for a ride instead of walked! Sadie is just about to turn 2 and she loves shoes as much as I do; in fact when I first got her she ate one of my coveted Louboutins! Good thing she is adorable!
4. Ballroom dancing - I've never worked so hard at something to be mediocre in my life - and I love every second of it!
5. My sister-she inspires me, makes me laugh, keeps me grounded and makes me a better person.
6. My friends - I am blessed with people in my life who are there for me; thank you!
7. Fall - there is something magical about that moment when a leaf that changes color drops off a tree and floats to the ground and the air is cool and crisp...mmmmm.
8. A hot cup of tea (I'm a Salada gal) in a great big cup.
9. Musicals - especially the old ones!

So what about you?  What are your loves? Leave me a note!