I know, I know. It’s too early to start talking about Christmas, but I couldn’t help myself. When Skip ‘n Whistle sent me this Tacky Christmas Sweater Tee I thought it was too good not to share. Since I haven’t put my tree up yet (that won’t happen until after Thanksgiving of course), I figured I’d take pictures some place that was guaranteed to have plenty of Christmas decor. . . Tarjay!

Was it a little awkward taking photos in the middle of the day at a busy Target? Absolutely! But it helped me get in the holiday spirit.

My Snow Deer Tee is only one of many Tacky Christmas Sweater Tees that Skip ‘n Whistle makes. Check out the sale going on at Fab.com to see all the other styles. If the sale is already over by the time you read this, you can find the tees on Skip ‘n Whistle Etsy site.

Photo from Skip ‘n Whistle

If you end up getting a Tacky Christmas Sweater Tee, post it on Instagram and let me know about it, @AsianCajunsCath!

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Dearest Lar,

I wish it was warm enough in Edinburgh for you to wear a Tacky Christmas Sweater Tee. The good news is that Skip ‘n Whistle does have Tacky Christmas Sweater Sweatshirts! Other good news? The company is eco-friendly and based out of New Orleans.

I can’t wait to see the your new work clothes you got this weekend. I’m sure you’ll inspire me to dress better at work and get out of my black pencil skirt rut!

Hope you have a wonderful start to the week. I love you!

xoxo, Cath

While Lar is out and about in Edinburgh exploring castle ruins and city farmers markets, I’m at home. . . shining my shoes. . . on my deck. . . still wrapped with Christmas lights from last year (no point in taking them down now – Christmas is just around the corner!). I lead an exciting life.

While I’d much rather be visiting the Scottish countryside, I do get a lot of pleasure in taking care of my clothing. Somehow shining my shoes is cathartic; it feels go to do something that prolongs the life of an item when so many products these days aren’t made to last.

I’m no expert, so I’m not sure if I shine my shoes correctly, but it gets the job done. So, without further ado, here’s how I go about taking care of my shoes.

Tools: Horse hair shoe shine brush, can of Kiwi Regular Shoe Polish in black, applicator sponge, shine cloth and SureHold SureFlex adhesive. Everything except the adhesive (more on that later) is from a shoe shine kit that I’ve had for ages. All these items are available online or at your local drugstore.

First up, I brush off any excess dirt. If my heels are really caked in mud I’ll use a toothbrush with soap and water to clean them. When I asked Troy to take these photos the other day I was feeling way too lazy to use soap and water, so you only get a pic of me dry brushing:

Next, apply the polish. I dab my applicator sponge in the polish and then move along the shoe in circular motions, making sure to cover all of the scuff marks.

I love how the polish packaging is so still old-school. I rue the day Kiwi decides to make their tins out of plastic!

Last step: take a shine cloth and buff in the polish. If you want some extra shine, you can sprinkle on a little bit of water and buff a little bit more. Or you can go really crazy and add another layer of polish and buff again! I usually just stick with one application of polish and a little bit of water.

Now for some satisfying before and after shots:

Ah. So much better, no?

But we’re not done yet! I have two more shoe care tips I want to share.

Tip 1: Buy a tube of SureHold SureFlex adhesive. I hate, hate, hate that feeling when your inside sole detaches from the bottom interior of the shoe and starts bunching up right under your heel. Eventually all of my favorite pair of shoes suffer from this because I tend to over-wear shoes I love. So a few years ago I did some research – and by research I mean I Googled “best glue for inside of shoe” – and discovered this SureHold stuff. I was so concerned that any glue I used inside the shoe would make the sole too stiff and make it even more uncomfortable, but this stuff works like a charm. The inside sole becomes as good as new!

Tip Two: If you don’t want your boots to get slouchy and don’t feel like buying expensive boot shapers or making your own, just use a rolled up magazine. I’ve had these Frye boots for over two years and whenever I’m not wearing them I’ve used the same rolled up issues of Yoga Journal inside each boot. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

So there you have it! Now you’re all shoe shining experts!

Next post: polishing silver! I’m kidding. . . mostly.

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Dearest Lar,

I bet you don’t have to shine your Hunter boots – those things are indestructible. If it rained more here, I would absolutely buy a pair. Now, on the issue of ethical clothing, I like the idea of purchasing vegan shoes and purses, but they never seem to last nearly as long as leather products. I wish there was a shoe shining equivalent for non-leather items.

I had so much fun at the Lady Foot Locker/Under Armour event last weekend – even though I’m completely out of shape. It would have been even more fun if you could have come with me. The icing on the cake was that every blogger at the event got a pair of Under Armour shoes – the ones I’m wearing in the top photo and below:

Photo via Lady Foot Locker

I’m hoping there will be some fun blogger events when you come into town for the holidays. I’m so tired of saying, “Hey, I’m Cath, one half of the AsianCajuns.”

Love, Cath xoxo

Happy Monday! Let’s talk about the weekend.

This post should really be titled, “What the hell should I wear this weekend?” With my limited budget, I end up spending my money on work-appropriate items. If it wasn’t for Lar leaving me a bunch of her fun, laid-back clothing when she moved, I’d end up wearing my pencil skirts* and button-up shirts on the weekend.

I wore this outfit to brunch on Sunday. The sunglasses, belt and purse are Lar’s. The denim skirt is a hand-me-down from my aunt. I bought the top right before going to a Minnesota Twins game when I was freezing my butt off in Minneapolis last month (proof here). The boots are the only item that I sometimes wear to work.

Target fleece • H&M skirt and belt • Urban Outfitters bag • Frye boots • Michael Stars sunglasses

If I had an unlimited budget, I’d buy a couple of pairs JBrand jeans and these sweaters in different colors and wear them as a weekend uniform. It might sound boring, but really I just want some comfortable, good-looking clothes that work just as well for sitting around watching TV as they do for a Sunday brunch.

Since I don’t have an unlimited budget, my fall clothing wish-list includes nothing but work-friendly items: navy blue heels (I have my eye on these), button-up silk shirts and a perfect black blazer. If I buy any or all of those items, I’ll include them in some upcoming blog post.

*This might be a little bit of exaggeration. I do own a few pairs of jeans that I have on heavy rotation on the weekends.

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Dearest Lar,

I know you feel that you don’t have many interesting clothes, but your eye is so much better than mine. You always look great in your outfits even with just a few key pieces in your closet. You’ve actually inspired me to do more thrift store shopping this season – I think that’ll be the only way I get some items on my wish list.

I hate that we weren’t able to Skype this weekend. Who knew yard work was so time consuming?!? I thought it was only going to take me a few hours – not 7. Mom and I ended up working well past sunset. Maybe we can video Skype during my lunch break this week.

Miss you so, so much,

Cath