My Beloved TOMS Shoes

Two years ago I bought my first pair of TOMS shoes.  The plain white canvas shoes I bought had great intentions.  I gave them to my brother in October and said "this year, all I want for Christmas is for you to decorate my shoes."  This seemed like an easy task, he is artistic and enjoyed making small pictures and bubbly letters all over his sketch pad and canvases.  Apparently the task was not that easy.  After begging, pleading, and offering to allow my shoes to be my gift for so many different occasions, two years later I got my shoes!

So yes, I cried in excitement and happiness and joy this Christmas as I unwrapped my shoes.  I had seen the work he had been doing over the years because I was so anxious and recently gave him a couple ideas as to something he could add to them.  There they were, with so many things that relate to me and he added my favorite quote from Gandhi "Be the change you with to see in the world."  Last year for Christmas my brother and my friend both gave me a pair of TOMS for Christmas with the Gandhi quote, my girlfriend exchanged mine for a necklace with the same quote that I loved just as much.  I wore those shoes till their dying days as my toes popped through as I galavanted around Botswana this summer.  I wish there was video footage or a photo of my face when I opened my shoes, certainly more emotional than I have ever been over a gift.  Thank you Chris!

So enough about my personal shoes.  The reason I love TOMS sooo much is because, not only were they created by an awesome traveler, but Blake made it so that every pair of TOMS purchased another pair is donated to a child around the globe.  TOMS goes out and does shoe drops with thousands of pairs of shoes in places like South Africa, Argentina and more.  The shoes have developed over the years, when I first bought them they were mostly just for women with a few designs.  Now TOMS has many designs, patterns, shapes, sizes, vegan, boots, sparkles and still the same white canvas like I bought.  People have TOMS parties where the buy all the shoes and everyone comes over and makes their own special pair and just remember at the same time children in another country will be soon surprised with their only pair of shoes.  (If you have not yet linked on a hyperlink above, what are you waiting for!? hehehee)

Some photos of my TOMS

- My Gandhi TOMS, with a photo that TOMS had put in their TOMS blog of my feet in my favorite shoes hanging out at the Self Realization Fellowship in Pacific Palisades, California.  This is a place where some of Gandhi's ashes remain.

And NOW for my new TOMS :)
Front View

Left Shoe

Right Shoe

I know you want your own pair of TOMS and they are available all over the internet.  Once again I recommend going through Shop at Home and then link to TOMS SHOES.   Shop at Home will give you 9% CASH BACK and you will be giving a pair to a child.  If you want to try them on in person, there are many local South Bay retailers.

Whole Foods Market 2655 Pacific Coast Highway Torrance, California, 90501 (310) 257-8700

Playa Clothing & Accessories 1722 S. Catalina Ave. Redondo Beach, California, 90277 (310) 316-2149

Nordstrom South Bay Store # 342 1835 Hawthorne Boulevard Redondo Beach, California, 90278 (310) 542-9440

Terranea Resort 100 Terranea Ranchos Palos Verdes, California, 90275 (310) 265-2800

Spyder 65 Pier Ave Hermosa Beach, California, 90254 (310) 374-2492

Go Barefoot 1693 West Artesia Gardena, California, 90248 (310) 519-1414

Cima 16901 South Western Ave. #104C Gardena, California, 90247 (310) 464-8460

Whole Foods Market 760 S. Sepulveda Blvd. El Segundo, California, 90245 (310) 333-1900

Active Ride Shop 720 A Allied Way El Segundo, California, 90245 (310) 606-8621

Miyamo 3738 E. 4th Street Longbeach, California, 90814 (562) 434-0612

A little TOMS video about some of their work in Ethiopia.

xo Erin