On the Hunt: Fashion Sneakers for Late Winter

I am a pretty low key person. I will pick flats over heels nine times out of ten. I've been looking for shoes I can easily throw on to run errands that fit the following requirements: less clunky than boots, I can wear socks with and that don't look awkward with skinny jeans.

Not only are these shoes wicked cute (even though they are technically for guys) part of the proceeds from these shoes will go to to A.skate: 501c3 non profit that allows children with autism to be part of our social world through skateboarding. It's a great cause that I've worked with before, that I am happy to support.

You Can't Eat Your Shoes: An Open Faced Sandwich with Mozzarella and Basil on Ciabatta

I love caprese salad in the summer. In the winter I turn this salad into an open faced sandwich. I'm not the first person to do it for sure, this is my favorite variation.

To make this sandwich you will need:

• Olive Oil
• Basil, finely chopped (you can use fresh, but I like the Basil paste from Gourmet Garden)
• Fresh Mozzarella cheese
• A tomato (I used Roma)
• Ciabatta bread

The key to this is sandwich is lightly toasting the ciabatta first. You don't want to brown the bread, just make it a little crusty. This ensures that the moisture from the olive oil, mozzarella and tomato doesn't make the bread too soggy.
Create a mixture of basil and olive oil. Once the bread is toasted I spread on a liberal amount of your basil and olive oil mixture on to one side.
Slice the tomato and mozzarella. I take out the squishy part in the middle of the tomato with the seeds to prevent my ciabatta from getting soggy.
Layer on the tomato, mozzarella on to the ciabatta.
Melt the cheese using the broiler function on your oven or toaster and enjoy.

Favorite Things: February

Here are some of my favorite things for February:

Clockwise from top left:

• A Cut Above from Essie & Theodora You from OPI - I like to layer the pink glitter polish from Essie over the pale pink polish from OPI. The glitter adds a nice sparkle without being gaudy. Great for Valentine's day!
• Rabbit Fur Pom Beanie from City Hunter - Although this hat isn't especially warm it's cute and can be worn folded up and slouchy. I wore it on a walk around the city last week and received quite a few compliments.
• Wicked Good Clog from L.L.Bean - BEST SLIPPERS EVER! Their shearling liner makes them fluffy and warm. They have a cork and rubber outer sole so you don't need to change shoes to take out the dog or to make a quick trip to the store. I've had mine for more than 3 years and they are still holding up great!
• Daron Terry Cardigan from Jack by BB Dakota - This is a great sweatshirt for tall girls with long arms. The back of the sweatshirt is longer in the back (covers my bum) so I can wear it with leggings. 
• Sweet Pea & Pomegranate Candle from DW Home - I love the way this candle smells. It's sweet, but not over bearing. I have the neon pink version of this candle from T.J.Maxx and the combination of the bright color and warm weather smell is a nice pick me up on overcast winter days.
• Cocoa Butter Hand and Body Lotion from Queen Helene - This is my skin saver in the winter. It doesn't feel heavy or greasy. It's incredibly inexpensive (usually around $5 for 32 oz.) and can be bought from the drugstore. It also smells like summertime.

On the Hunt: Wide-Calf Equestrian Boots

Being an atypical shape sucks. This is especially true when it comes to footwear. I used to be a woman who would shove her size-10 foot into a shoe and hope for the best. I'm not talking heels, just regular shoes. My friend has a similar issue with boots. She was unable to find a wide calf boot that wasn't slouchy or cheap looking. All of these boots are less than $200 and most are leather which is great.

On the Hunt: Get Down

Its freezing out! If you haven't purchased a winter jacket yet its not too late. There are still many styles available and most of them are on sale! Here are a few things to look for when buying a down coat:

• Not all puffy coats have down fill. Make sure you check the tag to ensure the coat's fill is down feathers or waterfowl, not polyester or other materials.
• The higher the loft, the warmer the down. The British website, Gear-Zone , has a great guide to understanding the different types of down.
• Make sure the jacket has water resistant properties. Down is warm when it is dry, but as soon as it gets wet it is not longer effective as an insulator. 

On The Hunt: Embellished Aztec Pattern

The winter Aztec or Jacquard pattern is a great, more formal, alternative to Fair Isle. I've seen it on skirts and dresses and it looks especially nice when it is jazzed up with sequined or metallic details.

On the Hunt: Fur Vest

Fur is fabulous. In an attempt to embrace my future as a spinster who embraces her senility by wearing a floor length fur coat all the time I'm on the hunt for a fur vest (tee hee a pun). Here's what I've found thus far and some fab faux jewelry for good measure: