One for One | TOMS Shoes

One for One, that’s what Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS wanted to realize when he founded TOMS in 2006. TOMS is a company known for selling shoes and matching every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes for a child in need. TOMS is now also selling glasses and doing other amazing work to improve children’s education, health and local economies all around the world.

So where does that leave me? I bought a pair of shoes this past weekend at a local shoe store. Let’s rephrase that. I finally bought my own pair of TOMS shoes. Not only do I love the TOMS shoe design, I think the One for One concept it brilliant. It’s a practical and fun way to help out in a world where basic items like shoes and glasses aren’t available for everyone.

Instead of donating to a good cause (which is also a great way to help out) you can buy yourself an awesome pair of TOMS and help out a child in need at the same time. It’s easy and it’s a win-win situation for everyone. Also, don’t you just love these shoes? I can’t believe how awesome they are!

You’ve probably figured it out by now, but I’m extremely excited about my new shoes. If you’re interested in the One for One concept or if you’d like to buy shoes yourself, check out the website right here!

    

The Story of two Lasts

Sometimes I just have a vision in my head. Something I’d like to create, happen, see or buy. It often takes me a while to make that vision happen and that’s fine with me, because I like the process of making it ‘just right’. You might be wondering what I’m talking about, well let me explain.

I love IKEA. I love it because it’s affordable, it’s diverse, it’s scandinavian, it’s clean and fresh. However, a lot of items in my room are from IKEA and that shows. It shows because even though I try to add my own style to my room everyone knows where my chairs, bed and cupboards are from and they’re all pretty common. That’s fine and all, but I’d like my room to be more unique, to have some character. That’s why I love hunting for unique and characteristic stuff. 

A few months ago I walked into a second hand/vintage store in Middelburg. My eyes immediately fell upon a box filled with lasts. They were sitting there in an unorganized pile and I suddenly saw myself putting them among my modern and fresh furniture. Sadly I didn’t have the money at that time to take them with me. I went back a couple of times in the months after that but every time the store was closed. Until now. The store was open, there were still some lasts laying there and I found a perfect pair. It was meant to be!

So why lasts, you ask? Well, why not, I say. Think about the story, their life, what they’ve been through, the craftsmanship behind it. Lasts are used to make shoes. The lasts I bought are in a Dutch size 36 and they’re from a well known factory in Waalwijk, the Netherlands. They’re truly part of an invention. Imagine how life would be without shoes, how different our day to day life would be. I just really love their shape, the wooden material and the used look. If you could’t tell already, I just fell in love with a pair of lasts.