 Basilique Notre-Dame, Old Montreal I just returned from a week in Montreal, Canada. After visiting Vancouver a few years ago, I thought I knew what Canada was like. (After just one city - how crude and very assuming of me, I know.) It's just a lot of words being pronounced slightly differently, everyone is just nicer, and there's a lot of ketchup chips and poutine. But visiting Quebec has proved me so wrong. Everything is in French! The streets, the Metro signs, the storefronts, the markets. The people were just as friendly, but overhearing French being spoken all day really makes it seem like you've gone somewhere in Europe. Aside from the fact that I don't speak a lick of French (other than the one word "bonjour"), I quickly realized how bicycle-friendly the city of Montreal is. Actual bike lanes?! Whaaaat? I tested out the Bixi system while I was there, and although the bikes are crazy clunky, you can't beat the convenience. There's a station on practically every corner, even in the most random spots in suburbia. And no one will want to steal these monster bikes! Hurray!  a Bixi cruiser I'm so excited about the Citi Bike program opening up here in NYC, so it was cool to see how a bike share system works. There are already a bunch of people complaining about the Citi Bikes, but they'll come around. If London, Paris, and Montreal can do it, New York can do it too. ( Sidebar: If you live in NYC, sign up for Bike to Work day! Free fuel-up stations will be posted around the city!) The vibe in Montreal is very laid-back and calm, which is just the break I needed from New York life. I stayed with friends (thanks Jade and Andrew!), ate good food ( Aux Vivres! St. Viateur Bagels!), saw a good band ( The Babies), and got inspired by the fine art ( MMFA). I'll always be in awe of Monet. What a goddamn master. Anyway, the week flew by and now I'm readjusting my brain to not-vacation-mode. Thank god there's no jet lag to deal with! Basically, if you want to experience France, but don't want the time difference, you should go to Canada. Well... Canada, but the Quebecois part of it. :)
 The Babies at Il Motore |  Caesar at Pizzeria Magpie |  stratta by Jade! YUM |
 outside the Brooklyn Academy of Music I'm still processing what happened at the Boston Marathon. The footage of smoke reminded me too much of my freshman year of high school. My high school (Stuyvesant) is close to the twin towers, and well, I'll never forget it. I'm truly grateful that everyone I know in Boston is safe, and I hope it's the same for you. My heart is with the city of Boston. If you want to help (these are from Boston.com): "Help federal investigators: Email any photos or videos you have of Boylston Street during the Marathon to boston@ic.fbi.gov Boston Police Tip Line: Anyone with information about the marathon explosions is encouraged to call the Boston Police Department’s tip line: 1-800-494-TIPS or the task force tip line at 617-223-6610. You can also email boston@ic.fbi.gov The One Fund Governor Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the formation of this fund to help people most affected by the bombings. Boston Police Help Line: Family or friends looking for info about people injured in the blasts can call (617) 635-4500."
(Find these links and more ways to help at Boston.com) Stay safe Boston, and everyone everywhere else. <3
well, not exactly BLOSSOMING yet, but warm and sunny! I'll take it!!
So... yes, I'm still alive. And yes, I still want to bring you some cool shoes to ogle.
This past winter has been rough - mentally and physically. Most of you know I have a day job and it's pretty killer around the "awards season." Thankfully it's starting to let up, and I'm realizing that time has really flown by - it's been months since the last pair of shoes was posted. My brushes and paints have accumulated so much dust... ugh, straight-up embarrassing, yo.
Okay, real talk time. I got halfway through a Darth Vader pair and didn't even get a chance to finish that bad boy. Damn it! Thankfully it wasn't time-sensitive, and it's going to be a surprise gift, but still. I think I need that pocket-watch thing that Hermione Granger used to go to all those classes. It's the only way I'll have enough time for work, friends, play, bikes, painting, eating, and most importantly, drinking. [sidebar: can we just all agree that Emma Watson has totally WON the whole "growing-up" thing? Sorry, Danny Radcliffe.] And to think I'm looking into taking graduate school classes soon... oh jeez.
Maybe I just need the passion and dedication of Mr. Omori: Teach me all your secrets Mr. Omori!
More soon, apologies, and please don't judge me too harshly, friends.
xoxo
Ange
grab your sleds and line the hill!
 a kid again
Hope everyone was safe and warm during the blizzard this past weekend. Saturday morning was absolutely gorgeous here in New York, so I had to make the most of the fresh snow and head to Central Park.
I'm really good at snow-angel-ing.
In other news, I finally had some time to work on shoes, so I'll have new photos soon. Between this and my day job, I've basically given up sleep. Sleep is a luxury these days!
At least I got some rest in the snow (pictured left).
I know, I know. I haven't been giving many updates lately. I can hardly get my brain to function in these freezing temperatures, let alone my hands and brushes. Today I wore so many heavy layers that someone thought I was a dude. Yeap. That's how cold it is.
Let's see... what random updates can I give to distract you from the fact that I won't have new shoes up for a while? My hair is now lavender, I'm reading literally any/every paperback my friends give me, and apparently Beyonce faked singing at the 2nd Inauguration of President Obama. Truthfully, his kids steal the show every time they make an appearance, so I wasn't really paying attention to the queen B. Malia Obama FTW!
I'm going skiing upstate this weekend - meaning there won't be any shoe-work-time. But the next pair is actually a gift I've been wanting to make for a long time. Honestly, I've just been skipping orders that are either way too insane or way too simple. So please, if you just want me to draw one flower on the back of your shoe, just grab a marker and do your best. I have faith in you.
Meanwhile, I'm daydreaming of summer and where to vacate to:  Aruba? Costa Rica? Chile? Brazil? Or somewhere as exotic as... Montreal?
 The flag we Americans have is kind of awesome. I put a little twist on the classic stars & stripes by turning the red into braids. Unfortunately these never made it to the person they were made for. But I wasn't in any rush to sell them, so they sat safely in storage for last few months. Honestly I was considering just wearing them myself with really thick socks (I'm a size 7, these are a 7.5).Finally, on the last day of the year 2012, they are getting shipped out to a lucky girl in Tennessee. I'm totally jealous that she'll get to wear these. I hope she loves them!More pics in the Gallery!
Welps, it's been a real blast, 2012. So many great orders, so many awesome shoes, and so many good times.Let's keep it going in 2013! Happy New Year everyone!
 my sister always says I look like a Peanuts character when I sing. hehe  baking cookies for Santa. Dear Santa,Here is a list of everything I want this year:- A Kindle. Or some kind of e-reader. (As much as I love my paperbacks, my shoulders are killing me.)
- A Kurt Kinetic trainer. (oh wait, I already got that!! hahaha yessss)
- Interesting orders from interesting people who have interesting ideas. No one likes a boring order.
- Could I get an endless supply of free Blue Diamond Almond Milk?
- A rosemary plant.
- Cool OPI nail stickers. (oh wait, got that too! Some of my co-workers just get me, ya know?)
- An extremely fruitful avocado tree. Or a bowl of never-ending guacamole. Either will do.
- To somehow not be too disappointed when I realize I can no longer bleach my hair (unless I want to be balding) and must return to my normal color.
- Any bike book on this list at Velo Vogue.
Okay, some of those requests are obviously ludicrous. The truth is, nothing would make me more happy this year than to know that all my loved ones are having an excellent Christmas. I want to thank everyone for the emails and kind words about my work. I'm truly grateful for you guys. MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!xoxoAnge
Pinpointing the cause of the food-poisoning isn't easy, because almost everything that comes up and out (during your violent bouts of vomiting) looks like it could've been poisonous.
Yes, I've been poisoned by one of the food places around my office, but I can't be sure which one. So now I'm paranoid and can't go to any of these places again! Damn, and I really loved that one place's pasta.
After 2 days of horrible pain that I'd never wish upon anyone, I'm sort of okay now. I can eat anything that is basically mashed up and similar to baby food. And of course I tried to cheat and jump ahead to some guacamole, but that was a big mistake. (No regrets though - guacamole is just that good.) But I'm back in serious recovery mode now, so bring on the bottles of Pedialyte and bowls of plain oatmeal.
As for shoes:
New orders will be on the agenda after the holidays, so practice patience, friends. :)
 P.S. I just finished this book (at left) and enjoyed it very much. If anyone has any good book suggestions (preferably recent titles) send them my way.
Eating 'til you can't see straight and going directly into a food coma, all to the sounds of family chatter and a TV on low volume in the background. What a lovely holiday it is indeed.
Hope you and yours had a Happy Thanksgiving!
This is what it looks like when your family "forgets" that you're vegetarian*:
*Just kidding, my family had lots of deeelish veg dishes. Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, red beans, black beans, the works. All for moi. :)
 crappy sketch! Thanks to the hurricane, I literally could not leave my apartment for a few days and had no choice but to buckle down on these shoes. (I also did a LOT of baking - like an unhealthy amount of baking - but that's another story.) Over the years I've gotten many different and eccentric orders, but I'm partial to the ones that evoke that utter nostalgia for late 80s/early 90s cartoons. So when this nice lady wanted a pair for her husband's birthday, and requested a Transformers theme, I was so on board. I also switched all my phone's ringtones to robot noises from the cartoon, you know, to get me in the right mindset. Ahem.Inspired by the incessant rain and wind, I decided to throw the two most recognizable characters into a storm. And it helped that I was re-reading all of my Sin City graphic novels as Sandy raged outside. I'm a sucker for Frank Miller.The shoes were delayed by the storm, but I'm told they arrived fine and he (and she) loves them!Hurray! Another success!See more pics of these shoes in the Gallery!! On a serious note, if you live in the NYC area and want to help hurricane victims, please check NewYorkCares.org for the latest volunteer opportunities. If you're anywhere else, you can always make a donation to the Red Cross disaster relief fund.Cheers, stay warm, safe, and dry. xoAnge
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