Will Bake for Shoes

Food

Macy’s Culinary Council Presents Chef Tom Douglas

Posted on July 17, 2016by Brandy Saldana

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know I’ve been off in Japan the past week enjoying delicious food and seeing some amazing sights. I will be in the country for another week but I already have added the next Macy’s Culinary Council event to my calendar to attend when I return.
Chef Tom Douglas will be at Macy’s in Union Square, San Francisco Saturday, July 23 at 1pm.
As always, tickets to the demo are free and you can RSVP to the cooking demo at tomdouglasmacysusq.eventbrite.com. When you check in at the event you’ll be presented with a $10 Macy’s gift card, so make sure to RSVP beforehand!
I can’t wait to learn the secrets from some of Chef Douglas’ award-winning dishes, but primarily for all the delicious samples that will be available. You’ll also receive a free copy of Tom Douglas’ book The Dahlia Bakery that he will sign at the event with any $35 purchase in the home department.
Looking forward to seeing you there if you RSVP and and if you can’t attend make sure you follow me on Twitter for live-tweeting during the event!
This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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Outfit
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- Work

Spring to Summer

Posted on June 27, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Beige Trench Coat Banana Republic Factory Store | Floral Print Dress Uttam via Le Tote (here) | Rose Gold Mirrored Sunglasses Kate Spade (here) | Druzy Pendant Necklace Camilla via Le Tote (similar) | Rose Gold Pave Bracelet Express | Cliff Grey Maise Kate Spade | Nude Mary Jane Campy Heels Manolo Blahnik (here) | Rouge Volupte Shine 41 Corail A Porter Lipstick Yves Saint Laurent (here)I look back and can’t believe June is almost over! I’ll be heading out to Japan at the beginning of July, but of course the minute I reminded my office of that detail every assignment/project I was assigned will need to be complete before I take off. Needless to say, I’ve been coming home really burnt out and feel like I have no creative energy to write up a blog post after a long day at the office. I feel this upcoming trip will be worth the extra hours, but it is my hope blogging isn’t taking a back seat for long.
Since I’ve had to focus on work a lot lately, I have been pretty grateful for having Le Tote back in my life. Getting dressed each morning is my favorite part of the day, but sometimes I spend way too much time trying to put something together. I’ve had to come in to the office early and can’t afford to spend too much time staring into my closet. Luckily, Le Tote makes it easier to pull something together, especially if you have the app on your smartphone. You can customize your totes so the items that come in can create more than one outfit and so that all the pieces are ones you would wear.
The necklace and dress from this outfit are from my latest tote. The necklace is a little simple, but I could not send it back because it wasn’t like anything I currently own and I could see myself wearing a lot more often. I loved the feminine print and body-hugging fit of the dress. While I loved the print, it wasn’t a piece I felt I couldn’t live without. The cut of the dress works for a day at the office but also for upcoming brunch, weddings or graduation ceremonies. If floral isn’t your cup of tea, Le Tote does have a ton of other dresses perfect for the next summer event on your list. And to help convince you Le Tote makes like life easier, you can use my code WILLBAKEFORSHOES at checkout for a 20% discount when you sign up for the first time. Offer expires on August 8th, 2016, so make sure to sign up in time to enjoy picnic and bbq outfits for 4th of July weekend.
Regarding graduation ceremonies, I am really proud of my photographer/significant other, Armando Cortes, for completing his Bachelor Degree at SF State. I haven’t had a chance to recap all the festivities in May, but I still wanted to congratulate him here and thank him for taking my photos in between class, school, and work. It means a lot to me that he was willing to help me out to continue by taking my photos despite having a lot to work on. I am really happy he was able to accomplish so much and I am excited for the adventures I’ll be able to share now that we can get back to enjoying photography sessions together.
I hope you have a great week and don’t forget to sign up for Le Tote!

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Food

Macy’s Culinary Council Presents Todd English

Posted on June 6, 2016by Brandy Saldana

By now I think it should be of no surprise that I am a fan of cooking demos. One of my favorite shows on Netflix is Chopped and I love seeing how creative chefs can be with food. Seeing a cooking demo live is always a treat and with summer get-togethers just around the corner I wanted to let you know that this Saturday, June 11 at 1PM, Chef Todd English will be hosting a cooking demonstration at the Macy’s in the Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Chef English will be sharing some of his favorite award-winning dishes for Summer in his demo and plenty of delicious samples will be available to nibble on. No event is complete without a good deal, and any purchase of $35 or more in the Home department will result in a special gift from Macy’s.

This event is hosted by the Macy’s Culinary Council and tickets to the demo are free! All you need to do is RSVP for a seat and to secure your samples. RSVP to the cooking demo at toddenglishmacysvf.eventbrite.com. You’ll get a $10 Macy’s Gift Card to use at the event when you RSVP. If you’d like more information for the event, you can check out Macy’s events page here. I recommend arriving early to get a seat, but also to shop and take advantage of the gift card.
I’ll be away for the weekend and will unfortunately be missing what sounds like a fun event, but let me know if you are attending!

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Outfit
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- Weekend

Blue Steel

Posted on June 1, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Dark Wash Denim Jacket Kut from the Kloth via Le Tote (here) | Blue and Grey Necklace French Connection via Le Tote | White Silk Blouse Alice + Olivia | Grey Tulle Skirt H&M | Ring Macy’s | Silver Capped Blue Flats DV Dolce Vita | Le Rouge Brun Createur – Dusty Rose 103 Lipstick Givenchy (here) |Another warm weekend in the Bay Area and I my love for this denim jacket is still going strong. It’s been my go-to for summer outfits throughout the month. This dark wash denim jacket has paid for itself by this point. It was a piece I discovered through Le Tote along with the necklace. I opted to return the necklace despite it being a Serenity Blue, one of the colors of the year by Pantone, and I kind of regret it since it was such a cool piece. On the bright side, I can always request to have it be part of my next tote if I can’t stop thinking about it.
Besides the jacket, necklace and ring, all the other items were thrifted. My Alice + Olivia top and H&M skirt are from Crossroads Trading Co. My DV flats are from Poshmark. I wore this outfit for a movie date. Pairing the silk top with the soft, grey skirt kind of gives off a dreamy look and I love the small pops of blue.
May went by so fast and I am so excited to share that my photographer (and boyfriend) Armando has graduated from SFSU! I spent a lot of time focused on preparing for the graduation, a small party I had for him, and on planning a trip to Japan next month. I feel I finally have more time to really dedicate to blogging, so stay tuned for some more outfits, beauty reviews and recipes sprinkled in for June.

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Outfit
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- Work

Designing Your Own Shoes With Shoes of Prey & Nordstrom

Posted on May 9, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Beige Trench Coat Banana Republic Factory Store | Pink Polka Dot Portofino Button Down Shirt Express (similar here) | Pink High Waist Skirt Express | Mint Green Statement Necklace Kate Spade | Teal Arrowhead Bracelet and Crystal Bracelet LE TOTE | Gold Wrap Tassel Bracelet E. Kammeyer Accessories (here) | Eat Cake for Breakfast Bracelet Kate Spade | Gold Bow Moon River Bracelet Kate Spade | Teal Cross Body Avery Purse Rebecca Minkoff (similar here) | Custom Teal Suede d’Orsay Heels c/o Shoes of Prey | Le Rouge Fuchsia Irrestible 205 Lipstick Givenchy (here) |
About a year ago, Shoes of Prey launched their pop up shop at Nordstrom located in the Westfield Mall. Walking in to the opening party made me feel like a kid in a candy store. Not only did I get to meet Janie Bryant, the amazing costume designer from Mad Men, but I had a sneak peek of her shoes from her collaboration with Shoes of Prey at the opening. The highlight of the evening was receiving a voucher to design my own shoes as a thank you for attending the event.
I set up a follow-up appointment after the event since I wasn’t sure exactly what type of shoes I wanted. I created a few designs in store with a helpful Nordstrom employee on iPads setup underneath large flower structures made of shoes. I was really unsure with which shoe I wanted designed, although I knew I wanted classic heels, and left my appointment without placing an order and left to ponder what shoes I needed in my life. I tried thinking about shoes I missed out on because they weren’t available in my size and flipped through magazines for inspiration, but felt like I was back at square one.
The nice thing about Shoes of Prey is that they have plenty of fabric options and sizes (from 3 – 13). The turnaround time is pretty quick too, and are made-to-order and shipped in about 4 weeks. Having too many options became a problem for me and it was tough choosing between satin, suede or glitter. I was inspired by the colors from this outfit post and decided on this turquoise suede with a pop of pink leather on the inside. When building your shoe, you have the option to customize the sole and can even add text (perfect to commemorate the date you get married if you were designing your own wedding shoes.)
These heels had been in their box for a few months and I wondered if I would ever have the chance to wear them or if I needed to ask for them to be remade in a neutral color (you have 365 days to decide on having the shoes remade.) I am glad I didn’t change my mind because these heels have already been paired with more outfits and they really compliment my wardrobe since they are unlike any other heels I own. Their insole is comfortable and are now pretty comfortable since they have been broken in. I matched the heels with my Rebecca Minkoff Avery purse I scored through ThredUp and a statement Kate Spade necklace I found on Poshmark. My top and skirt are from Express and I bought them on sale last year, but I’ve linked similar options above.
I loved that customization experience didn’t just end with me ordering the shoes. I was able to build this outfit from the ground up and it took a little patience, but it was worth having all the pieces fall into place. It really is gratifying to be able to tell people who compliment my shoes that I designed them and that they can do it too! I am already looking forward to designing my next pair and to add shoe designer to my list of skills.
Let me know if you have tried Shoes of Prey and what you’ve designed!

Outfit

The Butterfly Effect

Posted on April 20, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Black Hat Express | Black Wrap Knit Sweater Diane von Furstenberg (similar here) | Dark Wash Skinny Jeans Madewell | Chiara Suede Ankle Boots Sophia Webster (here) | Grey Maise Satchel Kate Spade (similar here) | Le Rouge Carmin Escarpin 306 Lipstick Givenchy (here) |
Taxes were due!
Since I received a refund, I decided to treat myself with these Sophia Webster Chiara booties. I’ve wanted them for a couple of months and decided this was the perfect time to get them. The weather is bouncing between winter and spring, so I anticipate getting a lot of use out of them still. The detail is amazing and they are a statement all on their own. Sophia Webster is now one of my favorite shoe designers. Her shoes are whimsical and fun which is how I try to approach getting dressed every morning.
I feel a great sense of relief now that an event I was planning for work was completed last week. I had to pull some overtime and was coming home with very little energy and even less energy to get back to my computer and blog. I love getting dressed every morning, and I do feel a little bit sad when I am excited with how an outfit comes out and there isn’t a photo of it.
When I look back at my photos from when I first started blogging, I realize I didn’t just capture an outfit of the day. I captured memories. I remember what I did in a dress or how much I accomplished with a certain pair of shoes, and that seems to be missing as of late. The drop in content comes in part because trying to find a photographer on short notice is difficult and because Armando, my boyfriend and blog photographer, is focusing on work and school. School is almost over so I hope we’ll be able to resume a daily shoot. I love being able to look back and see what I wore and to remember all that has happened while wearing a specific outfit. I feel a little incomplete without some outfits being captured, but I am also trying to spread out the content that I do have. I am optimistic things will resume back to the way they were in a few months.
I hope you are having a great week! Since I didn’t share an outfit post last week I am tempted to share two this week, but we’ll see if I can live up to that!