212 Organizing Shoes Challenge & a Giveaway!!

This morning I shared with you information on how our family organizes our fancy footwear, as part of the 30 items in 30 days challenge that started this month!

And today, I am partnering up with an incredible Shoe Company, Report Footwear, to offer you a shoe giveaway! 

So here is the deal, Report Footwear is my new favorite shop to check out when looking for lovely lady shoes.

And because pictures tend to speak greater than words, here is why...

{PENDROY, CALYER, MOSBY}

{GILLES, COBB, LEDGER}

Do you see what I see?  Chic, beautiful, versatile and trendy footwear that would be sure to leave your feet smiling big!  Ooooh la la my friends!  I am personally drooling and toggling between the Cobb:

And the Kipton:

And considering I am purging 11 pairs of shoes from our shoe inventory, I think I may be deserving of bringing a new ultra girly chic pair back in!  The hardest part is choosing which ones!

Now, let's recap my shoe organizing tips from this morning {these are important if you are in love with the shoes above}:

My Shoe Organizing Tips:

1.  Sort shoes by individual.  PURGE!  I believe that each kiddo really only need 2-3 pairs of shoes max, one nicer pair and a play pair {then again, I don't have little girls either}.  For adults, it's all about asking those same questions we ask when purging anything else in our lives.  Do I LOVE this pair of shoes?  Are they in usable condition?  When was the last time I wore these shoes?  Are they worth the valuable space they are taking up?  Do they fit?  Are they comfortable?  Do I have a similar pair?  Girls, bear with me, but it's true.  Sure, if you have the space that allows you to place all your pretty pumps on display, live it UP!  But most of us don't have that luxury and we need to be realistic about what stays and what goes.  A lot of the shoes I decided to say farewell too, didn't make the cut because they were duplicates to another pair that I loved more. 

2.  Once you have your shoes paired down and purged, take inventory and begin searching for a shoe organizer.  It's important to select a shoe organizer that allows you to visually see each pair of shoes, allowing for you to quickly "grab n' go".  I also believe in keeping the families shoes in one central location and grouped together, vs. keeping them in multiple locations around the home or in individual closets.  Over the door hangers allow you to maximize vertical space while shoe racks/shelves are great lower levels of closets and near entry doors.

3.  When placing into your organizer, keep your daily grabs or your "top picks" at easy reach, and store away the pairs used less frequently or for special occasions.  Shoe boxes with photos placed on the front or bedroom closets are a good place for the "special" shoes.

Donating your "Purged" Shoes:

•  There are many fantastic organizations that take shoes.  Let's face it, many of us are blessed with pretty footwear to keep our toes in tip top shape, however, many are not.  Many individuals are in need of shoes so donating your extras is such an incredible and IMPORTANT thing!  Here are some sites I found online that take old shoes:

• http://www.soles4souls.org/
• http://donateyouroldshoes.org/
• http://www.recycledrunners.com/
• http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/
• http://www.goodwill.org

• Remember, when you donate your shoes, you are not only helping a fellow friend in need, you are being "green", and helping the earth.  Soles4souls reported the followings scary statistic, "Last year alone, Americans discarded more than 300 million pairs of shoes. When these shoes break down in our landfills, the toxic glue that holds the shoes together can leak into our water supply and atmosphere."  Not OK peeps.  Tossing shoes really isn't a great idea, there are even places that recycle your shoes to make new shoes, so let's do our part in getting our shoes donated and keep them out of a landfill!
• I spoke to an employee at my local Goodwill store.  I asked about their process when it comes to taking shoe donations.  I was informed that only the best of the best make the cut to be sold in the stores, however, the rest are always salvaged and sent to those in need.  Music to my ears! 

So now, let's talk giveaway details, shall we?

There are a couple of ways to enter:

One GRAND PRIZE Winner will be selected to win TWO pairs of shoes from Report Footwear, of their choice {up to $450}!

To win this INCREDIBLE Grand Prize:



You must participate in the shoe challenge and link up your awesomeness to be eligible for the Grand Prize, however....

Two additional winner's will be selected to win ONE pair of shoes of their choice {up to $100}! 

{Each of these chances to win requires a separate blog comment to be considered, also ensure to leave your email or blog address so we have a way to contact you if you are selected to win!}

1. Head to Report Footwear's website, browse their beautiful collection, and comment here about which pair of shoes you would select if you win!
2. "Like" Report Footwear on Facebook, and comment here that you did so!
3. Follow Report Footwear on Twitter, and comment here that you do!
4. Blog, Tweet or Share this giveaway and comment here that you did so!

That's right, if you count the challenge entry for the Grand Prize and the 4 comment entries, that's a total of 5 chances to win some stylish shoes!

Anyone in the US is eligible to enter and you will need to ensure you leave your email or blog address so I have a way to contact you when you win!

Giveaway is open from Monday, April 4th through 9 p.m. central time Monday, April 11th.  One winner will be selected using random.org {and announced right here on Tuesday, 4/5}

A special THANK YOU goes out to Report Footwear for sponsoring this FANTASTIC giveaway!