When I was a young and carefree gal, one of my favorite activities at the beginning of the summer was to braid daisies into dainty flower diadems for my girlfriends. Any flower with a yellow core and white petals would do, in fact–wild chamomile, which grew in abundance in the parks where we roamed, was often used as a substitute. This color combo has reminded me ever since of summer, freedom, and fun in the sun. So do these fresh-as-a-daisy patent peep-toe pumps from Two Lips with a relatively chunky buckled strap, stacked sturdy heel, and perforated yellow details. Also available in a sailor-themed white-with-navy trim at Shoes.com for only $75.

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Every girl, even the not so girly one, needs a pink sandal for the summer to brighten up her step. And behold, king of preppy and breezy accessories Eric Javits offers these pink suede thong slides, topped with a delicate mother-of-pearl flower. They are also available in ivory and turquoise, but the best part? They’re 80% off at Endless (just under $55), and available in a good variety of sizes. Overnight shipping is still negative $5 at Endless, so the whole affair is only going to cost you $50. Now, that’s what I call a deal!

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(Wow. Another post about wedges. Why, it’s only the 103rd this week. What? It’s a perfectly acceptable number. Ahem.)

Those of you who know me or have read me here or at my former Shoesense blog, know one thing for certain: you’d sooner see wrinkles on Nicole Kidman’s forehead before you see me wearing high heels. It’s true: one forsaken February afternoon, freshly diagnosed with plantar fasciitis/heel spurs, a condition that sent daggers up and down my feet every time I as much tried to get out of bed, I decided enough is enough. I hadn’t really worn my heels (of which I had an impressive collection) in a while, anyway, since I had moved to a walkers’ city (Philadelphia) from the Midwest, where no simple errand was accomplished without the use of a motorized vehicle.

Also, when you’re 5 ft 10 in and your husband falls oh, about 2 inches short of that, somehow the incentive to don 3-inch heels sort of disappears, you know? And I’m glad to say it’s not about pride: luckily, both my husband and I are fairly secure about our own and each other’s height so that it is not an issue at all. However. Incentive to get even taller? Not there. And when you have to walk miles on the hard pavement to get anywhere, you’d be a fool to persist in your high-heeling ways.

Armed with these rationalizations AND my orthotics, I proceeded to purge my closet of all the spike heels I had acquired over the years, having the epiphany in the process that I had worn all those heels on a strictly car-to-bar basis, which is to say, for very brief periods of time. My wild dating days were now over, so I said good riddance! However, you can rid a girl of her high heels but not of her love for shoes–and so started an arduous and hopefully never-ending quest for beautiful AND comfortable shoes.

All of which is a rather long-winded preamble to this: I’ve finally discovered a pair of high heels that doesn’t hurt my feet over long-ish periods of wear! Unsurprisingly (ahem) it’s a wedge: the Easy Spirit Rikki sandal ($79 at EasySpirit.com), also recently highlighted here by my esteemed co-blogger, Jitterbugbaby:

It comes in all sorts of other fun colors (green, orange, brown, natural), and the price is right–but the comfort, what can I say: wow! It’s something I wouldn’t have dreamt of wearing say, a year ago, as it stands tall at about 3.5 inches. However, the arch support is great, the footbed soft and fantastically comfortable, cupping your heel in all the right places, and the leather upper is buttery-soft and super-gentle on your toes. If you need a dressy, comfy, affordable sandal this summer, look no further. I for one, am set for this summer!

And most importantly, my husband doesn’t mind.

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The joys of picnicking in the park.  Picnic baskets, blankets on the ground, and the inevitable insects that come a-crawling.  These little critters have never much bugged me (get it?), and some of them I find downright cheerful.  Case in point: ladybugs.

So, by wearing this adorable ladybug-in-the-grass sandal by J. Renee ($83), do you think I could attract them to me?

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Another day, another wedge here at Shoeblog headquarters. I can’t help it: they’re everywhere, they’re comfy, they’re embellished, they’re summer-y, they’re a must for this season. Especially when they combine a few other popular features, such as the ‘natural’ look and the peep-toe, like these Faryl Robin cuties:

I love the cornucopia of wooden beads in colorful earthy tones gracefully draping the vamp, and also the promise of comfort–that raffia-wrapped wedge is lined in soft microfiber and the slingback is elastic, allowing for a comfortable fit. They’re also on sale for $79, down from the regular price of $129. Sweet!

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