First off, Happy Mother’s Day!

Okay, I just had to do this quick post. I was surfing over at the TOMS Shoes web-site (remember the vegan wrap boots? and that when you buy a TOMS shoe they give one to a kid who needs shoes?), and they had this crazy special where the creator of TOMS shoes has his mom INDIVIDUALLY doodling over plain shoes for Mother’s Day (yes, at first I thought they were designed by children — but either way I think they’re awesome)! They were $68, and you couldn’t specify the design, but they are all SOLD OUT now (maybe she is tired of doodling!).

ANYWAYYYY, that got me inspired. All you need to do is get some White Canvas TOMS (also in men’s sizes), and you can doodle-em yourself! DIY TOMS! It’s over $20 cheaper and you can coordinate them with your own style. Then when you are out-and-about you can be like, yeah, I designed these myself.

I’ve been excited about TOMS Shoes since I learned about them from Tricia. They’re cute, rumor has it they’re comfy, and they are pretty unique — ie you aren’t going to find them at JC Penny. They’ve been featured in Vogue and Elle, and on the likes of Scarlet Johansen and Toby Maquire. So, obviously they’re hip. (And I personally think they’re going to take-off like-whoa, but maybe that’s because I just finished reading The Tipping Point this week, and think every other hip-side-line fashion accessory is going to turn into an epidemic. Obviously you should not hire me for business advice.)

But they’re extra-special because of their “One for One” concept — for every shoe you buy, they donate a pair to a child in need. So far, they have given 10,000 to kids in Argentina, and 50,000 to kids in Africa. Most of the shoes are shaped liked these, but they come in all different colors and designs and levels of sparklyness (some have sparkle!).

And, although I love the original TOMS Shoes (which run from about $50-70, always have free shipping, and always donate a pair to a child in need) I am even more excited about their new Wrap Boot (in the Women’s section on the web-page, these are $98 and come with all the same benefits), which is one reason why I thought Stickers & Donuts should partner with them (hence the occasional sidebar ad and this post!).

Although TOMS seems to make the selling point that they’re Vegan (yum, vegan shoes!), I think the selling point is the WRAP (something I didn’t understand the first seven times I saw them!!!). You don’t pull these boots on, you WRAP them on like an ACE bandage (they were inspired by horse leg wraps, which is apparently a Argentinean polo thing). (My only concern: do you think they still look good on someone who has a bit… heftier calf than those models?).

They remind me a little of American Apparel’s dresses that can turn into a ton of different outfits. You can wrap these high or low, thick or thin, right over your calves or over your skinny jeans or over your tights. Though they do come in the regular colors (light brown, dark brown, black) they also come in Olive Green and Bright Red. They’re flexible (no kidding!), creative, and original. So, pretty much just my style.

Yasmine, illustrator & owner of the blog A Print a Day (see previous post for more info), has, thus far, had an incredibly interesting life. Here’s the short version. (more…)