Exciting Events

Well friends, I was on track for a little bit with blogging on a regular basis, but failed greatly since the winter. Once again, I am recommitting to blogging regularly- it's not like there is nothing to write about! So, the last few months have been really busy with awesome events. The biggest event was our sold out spring fashion show at Copley Place in April which was hosted by Jackie Bruno of NECN. This was our best event ever! Copley did an awesome job with the fashions and the food/beverage vendors were excellent- there was a plentiful amount of delicious food and drinks. This was definitely our best show so far.  Here is a photo of some of our models wearing their spring outfits.

I'm really excited for our fall show during Boston Fashion Week- aptly titled The Show. It will be at an awesome new venue, the Harborside Inn on State Street in Boston. The venue is donating the space and we will be bringing in outside food vendors. We're working with an event planner who reached out to us to work on an event. She is donating her services which is great. I can't wait for this event!

So, I can't write a shoe club blog without writing about what shoes are on my tootsies. For the last 2 summers, I practically glued my feet into a pair of Clark's platform sandals. They were amazing and I loved them, but they are now a little worn out, so they are relegated to the rain. Clark's no longer had the same style available and I wasn't a fan of their new styles. Most of their new sandals have ankle straps which don't fit me properly- the buckle rubs the little bone that sticks out on my ankle. SO- I switched over to my next favorite comfy shoe brand- Aerosoles. Their black sandals with a 2 inch heel are now my go-to summer shoes. They are cute enough to wear out for work and socializing and best of all- I can walk a decent distance in them! As everyone knows- cute and comfy rarely go together in describing shoes. I snagged these shoes for only about $29 at Marshall's. I was in the Fenway Marshall's a couple of weeks ago and they had a very similar pair on sale for only $20, so I plucked those ones up too. Their shoes don't last very long, but given the price- that isn't a big deal.  It takes a few wears to break the shoes in, but after that they are great.

Well friends, that's the latest for tonight. I promise to blog again next week. I am committing to blogging at least once a week. There is always lots to write about! Until then.. happy tootsies!

Great Red Shoe Soiree

Greetings friends and shoe lovers! So what's new? Well, we had a wonderful annual event last week, our Red Shoe Soiree at Vlora.  Luckily, we had the event the night before the blizzard, where people could still come out and have fun without having to deal with snow. The event was a lot of fun. We had shoe designer, Thom Solo, who showcased some of his latest shoes. He brought two models with him that wore gorgeous clothes and jewelry which made for two fantastic looks. He also donated a gorgeous pair of shoes that we auctioned off during a live auction. One of our long time members bought the the shoes. We also had a local designer, Bondij by Blondi who showcased some of her latest fashions. We had some of our members model in a pink carpet fashion show. ShoeBuy.Com donated a gift certificate for the Best-in-Shoe prize and I also had a pair of shoe earrings that I gave for a prize. Here is a photo of Thom, the shoe designer and his models. My sister Eve who is close friends with Thom came to the event as well- she's in the photo.

Here is another terrific photos of our Smiling Stiletto members who modeled in the fashion show portion.

This photo is from Jolie Lune photographer.  They attended on behalf of Bondij. Our photographer, Walter, was there too. I can't wait to see his pictures. We should have them soon. Here is a picture of Bondij designer Dionne (far left) and the models along with her brother and business partner.

When we get our photos, I'll post them on our FB page. Here is the link to the rest of the photos from Jolie Lune photography.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.532338543473431.122414.479874985386454&type=1

We had the event at Vlora which is a great venue. They donate excellent appetizers and they have a wonderful private function room.

I was so glad that I brought the backdrop with me. I was feeling a little lazy in the afternoon and thought about not bringing it. It takes a little while to set-up and you have to load/unload- it's a lot more effort than just bringing our sign.  However, we have the backdrop precisely for events like this. Obviously, we don't need to bring it to every event, but for larger events like this with a fashion show, it is important that we bring it. It adds to the event and it makes for great photographs. Sometimes, you have to remind yourself not to be lazy. I was so grateful that I made the effort to bring the backdrop. I love the photographs that we have so far!

Well, that's the latest for tonight. I promise to blog again soon. There are so many fun things to share! Until next time friends...

Welcome 2013!

Welcome 2013! It is a new year and I'm re-committing to my Smiling Stiletto blog! I keep intending to write more often, but I've been pretty bad about it. I have a blog for my full time job, Project Smile, so I spend a lot of time on that blog. In the spirit of new year's resolutions, I am committing to blogging at least once a month about Smiling Stiletto!

2012 was a wonderful year for the Shoe Club. We had so many fun events. The Copley Place fashions shows were the biggest events and they were great. We just booked our Step into Spring fashion show at Copley Place- Thursday, April 25, 6pm. We're only doing one show this year at Copley, so this event will be extra special. This week, I've been working on reaching out to food and beverage vendors as well as a host for the event. We've booked a new food vendor- a sandwich shop which just opened last month on Newbury Street. I left a message yesterday with the woman who handles catering. She called me today, it turns out she is also one of the owners. She was so amazingly nice on the phone and was happy to participate. We also have a soda vendor on board for the first time. Finale is returning to provide some more delicious desserts! We are off to a good start for vendors!

One of my favorite events last year besides the fashion show was our 1st Annual Diamond Drop. DeScenza Diamonds in Peabody reached out to us in the fall about having an event at their store. I was a little reluctant at first, because attendance has been lower at some of the events we've tried outside of Boston. They came out to Framingham to meet with me and they planned a phenomenal event. We had the event the week after Thanksgiving, so it tied in with holiday shopping. DeScenza provided guests with complimentary cocktails, wine and champagne along with a delicious selection of hot and cold appetizers and desserts. They offered guests a 10% discount and then they donated 10% of sales to Project Smile. They also gave all the ladies really cute black t-shirts with a tasteful diamond slogan. They also did some amazing prizes for the Best-in-Shoe walk-off competition. Best of all- they gave away a diamond pendant necklace worth $7K to one lucky winner! It was an amazing night! I don't live anywhere near Peabody, but it is the type of event that if I saw it posted, I would definitely attend. The young woman who won the necklace was so excited that she had tears in her eyes! We had an awesome attendance and we received a $500 donation for Project Smile which was great. We've already booked our event this year. It will be the Thursday after Thanksgiving- same as last year.  Here is a photo of the necklace winner!

We had our first event of 2013 tonight- a cocktail party at a new bar in the Faneuil Hall area called the Wild Rover.  The venue did a wonderful job- they provided a huge selection of complimentary appetizers, a large private area with our own bartender and a DJ. I love working with venues like that. The event was a lot of fun. There were a few new members as well which was great.

Well, that's the latest for tonight. We have so many fun events coming up, I'm really excited for this year. I promise that I will be blogging more frequently! Until next time... keep smiling in those stilettos!