Friday, July 29, 2011

Guest Post: Moorea from Moorea Seal


Hi everyone!  My name is Moorea and I blog over at Moorea-Seal.com.  I am a jewelry designer, an illustrator focusing in portraiture, a blogger, and a blog designer with Freckled Nest Designs.  Being a 25 year old, running my own businesses, I try to be very cautious with my money and I feel pretty guilty if I ever go on big shopping sprees.  Most of my money goes towards bills, feeding myself, and investing back into my businesses.  I've never been into collecting knick knacks of any kind, I buy almost all of my furniture second hand, and I prefer my spaces to be clean and minimal.  But, as it seems true for everyone, I do have my one guilty pleasure.  SHOES!



As with most things, I try to only buy things when they are on sale.  I love my shoes, a lot, but I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on them.  There are lots of ways to get high quality things without paying full price.  Having been a shoe addict since I was little, I've come to find that the best place to get really high quality shoes that will last for years and years AND are really affordable is Nordstrom Rack.  I've gotten shoes that were originally priced in the hundreds marked down to just $20 before.  I think I bought the tall boots in center of the image below for about $30 marked down
from $180 at Nordstrom Rack at least 7 years ago and they are still in great shape and still stylish.  So worth it!



As you can tell, I definitely have a certain style that I stick to.  I prefer neutral colors, leather, sometimes I'm a little bit earthy/woodsy and sometimes I'm a little bit edgy with tall tall heels.  I don't wear shoes that will kill my feet, so I am picky about the heels I pick out.  And honestly, heels are much more comfortable for me than flats because I have a super high arch.



I think that shoes are the most important part of any outfit I put together.  Accessories are my favorite (obviously, since I'm a jewelry designer, haha) and shoes are a favorite accessory of mine.  They make me feel comfortable while I'm on the go and each shoe style reflects my varying moods perfectly.



After taking these photos of my shoes stacked on my living room shelves I definitely took a step back and said, well, I probably don't need to buy any more shoes ever again!  I've got all my bases covered for styles that I like.  I've collected these shoes over a very very long period of time, years and years.  And I'm glad I almost never pay full price because I'd feel awful if I looked at these shoes everyday and thought about the amount of money I'd spent on them.  So, I doubt I'll be buying any shoes anytime soon.



Do you have any guilty pleasures or vices?  What do you do to make sure you don't go crazy with it?  I am thankfully at a point, looking at my shoes, where I can say.  Alright, I don't need any more at all unless I sell some or donate some.  I also have spending limits so I'm not just buying every shoe I see as I walk down the street.  How do you keep yourself in check?