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Angelus Direct Glitterlites are Gina Mama’s “sole” mates!! Giltterlites can make your Birkenstocks gorgeous and glamorous. For a little less than $5.00, glitterlites can completely transform any of your Birkenstocks, even that old worn out pair in the back of your closet. All you need is a little creativity and imagination. What are Glitterlites? Well....you are just going to have to keep on reading to find out. In a previous blog, Birkenstock Diva, I showed you how I completely transformed a pair of pink rivet Birkenstocks. Remember these?  Birkenstock Pink Rivet Gizehs (before) They turned into this:  Before, during, after the coloring process  Pink Rivet Gizehs Colored Purple (after) Well, guess what? I had another pair of pink Gizehs, just like the ones above. Since I like all of my Birkenstocks to be unique, it took me few months to decide how I wanted to customize them. Call me crazy, but this time, I took on the task of making ALL of the changes myself. I removed the soles and resoled them myself — at home! I applied the same steps, as I outlined in the Birkenstock Diva blog, to remove the soles. However, this time, I took extra precaution to prevent the toe post from melting. If the toe post melted, my back up plan was to send them to Michelangelo at Custom Made Birkenstocks for a total recraft. With a lot patience and a bit of luck, the toe posts did not melt! After the soles were removed, I used Tarrago color cream to stain the uppers. By staining the leather prior to adhering on new soles, I was able to apply the color uniformly. This meant no gaps of pink peeking through where the footbed and sole connect. Once the stain was dry, I carefully colored the white toe post black. I tried paint, but the paint chipped off. I tossed the paint aside and pulled out my secret weapon, a Mr. Sharpie. Mr. Sharpie worked like a champ and easily colored the white toe post black, to match the new black soles.  Mr. Sharpie pens The final step was to glue on the black soles to the footbed. I used Barge All Purpose Cement Glue to adhere the soles to the footbed.  Barge All Purpose Cement Glue Clamps and rubber bands were used to apply pressure and help with adhesion. I let the glue dry for 24 hours and then I removed all the apparatuses. The Gizehs looked so beautiful in red. The red made the rivets “pop”. Now, you would think that I would be satisfied just with this gorgeous red. But, I was not!! Something was missing.  Pink Gizehs stained red (pre giltterites) The red was too dull and too matte for my liking. I needed some pizazz. But, what was missing?! Sparkle, shine, and shimmer…THAT was what these babies needed. Where would I find a bottle of pizazz that included sparkle, shine, and shimmer? Allow me to introduce you to Giltterlites in Ruby Red.  Ruby Red Glitterlites. Photo from Angelus Direct This bottle contains one fluid ounce of pure magic. A bottle of Ruby Red Angelus Direct Glitterlites can turn any boring, dull pair of shoes into something charismatic. When I say Ruby Red, imagine Dorothy’s shoes from the Wizard of OZ. We are not in Kansas anymore after applying Ruby Red Glitterlites to Birkenstocks. The red glitterlites transform any Birkenstock into something elegant and artistic. Think the Land of Oz magical. Ruby Red Glitterlites encompass all that greatness and uniqueness, into a little, one ounce bottle of leather paint. My Birkenstocks went from this:  Red rivet Gizehs before Glitterlites to this: I love the Ruby Red Glitterlites so much that I used the same bottle of paint, to transform two other pairs of Birkenstocks! The pair of Arizonas below was recrafted by Michelangelo at Custom Made Birkenstocks. I had purchased them on Poshmark for $20. I initially thought that I wanted the Arizonas to be black with black glitterlites. But, that was not satisfying enough for me. I decided to aim for that Stardust look that Birkenstock created a few years back. Only I wanted red “stardust” on black, something that Birkenstock has yet to produce (hint, hint). This is what I created:  Customized Arizonas with red Glitterlites I love these and get numerous compliments every time that I wear them!! Interestingly, the final product turned out to be a mix between the Stardust effect and the new Iride Red that Birkenstock has released for Fall/Winter 2018.
Finally....my “Piece de Resistance”...are my brown Temaras. I bought the Temaras in black and really loved the look and the feel of the crisscross straps. I loved them so much, that I could not live without the brown ones too…..but, I never wore the brown. They were a little too dull for Gina Mama. So, what’s a Birkenstock Diva to do?! Pull out some red leather paint and the bottle red glitterlites — that’s what! For this customization, I followed the steps that I outlined in my blog, Bespoke Birkenstock. I primed the Temaras with one layer of white paint. Then I added two coats of chili pepper red paint from Angelus Direct. Finally, I applied three coats of Ruby Red glitterlites. And the final result were these spectacular Ruby Red Sparkly Temaras!!! When I wear these Temaras, or any of my other customized Birkenstocks with red glitterlites, I feel like I am walking in a magical land. Like Dorothy, walking in the Land of Oz, in her Ruby Red slippers. There is something to be said about having a unique pair Birkenstocks. Birkenstocks that no one else has and that no one else can get. It kind of makes me feel like a Diva. But, I am no Diva at all. I am just a hard working woman/mom/wife with a creative edge. If my head gets too far up in the clouds with my artistic side, all I have to do is click my heels together three times and say, “there is no place like home”. This will transport me right back to reality. Right back home. There is no place like home. And there is nothing like wearing a pair of customized Birkenstocks. NOTE: For more suggestions on how to customize or paint Birkenstocks, click here.
Dear Michelangelo, Years ago, while I was exploring the myriad of narrow streets in Venice, I stumbled upon a window display of the most beautiful shoes that I have ever seen. It was the shop window of a Venetian shoemaker. The shop was located somewhere between the Piazza San Marco and the Rialto bridge. I could not tell you exactly where the store was, but I can recall, in great detail, each pair of shoes that I laid eyes on that day.  My husband and I on the Rialto bridge, steps from the cobbler shop This particular cobbler designed handmade shoes. My husband encouraged me to consider meeting with the cobbler to have a pair custom made. After all, what better souvenir to bring home from Italy than a handmade pair of Italian leather shoes? The thought was enticing. Unfortunately, at the time, it was not in the budget. Even though it has been years since I came across that shop in Venice, I have never forgotten it. Nor have I ever been able to shake the thought of owning a pair of custom made shoes out of my head. I have always thought that the next time I find myself in Venice, that I would seek out that cobbler and have a pair designed to meet my needs. The good news is that I no longer have to travel to Venice to have a pair of shoes custom made. I am thrilled with the pair of Birkenstocks Gizehs that you (Custom Made Birkenstocks) customized for me.  Gold Crocodile Gizehs customized by Michelangelo at Custom Made Birkenstocks  These are stunning in the light The gold crocodile print is stunningly unique. The Gizhes can easily be dressed up or dressed down. The gold and the pearl will go with everything. The best part is, after a few days, the Birkenstock footbed will form to my foot, just like a pair of handmade Italian shoes. Maybe even better because, after all, the footbeds are Birkenstock! Nothing beats a Birkenstock, in my humble opinion.  Customized Gizehs in Gold Crocodile
Thank you for my one of a kind Gold Crocodile Gizehs. Your craftsmanship, as always, is simply the finest. You have opened my eyes to the endless possibilities that I have when it comes to creating other custom Birkenstocks. I am not sure exactly what is next on my request list. But, once I narrow down the style, color, and pattern of what I want, I will be sure to give you a call! With Gratitude, Gina Mama NOTE: If you would like to contact Michelangelo at Custom Made Birkenstocks to discuss having him customize a pair of Birkenstocks for you, give him a call at 1-708-453-4900.
To see more of Michelangelo's craftsmanship, please read these blogs: - Birkenstock Recrafts by Michelangelo - Birkenstock Diva - White Sole Birkenstocks Once again, I opted to incorporate Birkenstocks as part of my Halloween Costume. Wearing comfortable Birkenstocks makes Trick-Or-Treating so much more fun. This year, I busted out my high school cheerleading uniform to wear as a costume. After all, what better way to embarrass your kids at their school's parade, then to wear a "vintage" cheerleading outfit?  Birkenstock Bartletts really made the outfit! To complete the outfit, I added my kid's soccer socks. I feel like the red and white striped soccer socks helped modernize a 25+ year old uniform.  Red and white socks with Bartletts  The embroidered flowers are the Bartletts are stunning. Who ever said that Gina Mama does not wear Socks with her 'Stocks? These photos are proof that I wear socks with Birkenstocks. Nothing wrong with wearing socks with Birkenstock high tops!! Happy Halloween! NOTE: To read my blog on what I think about wearing socks with Birkenstocks, click here.
In the fashion of David Letterman’s famous 10 Top Lists, I bring to you Gina Mama’s “Top 10 Ways To You Know That You Are a Birkenstock Addict”. This list was created with the help of other Birkenstock fanatics that follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Thank you to everyone who answered. Without further ado…… Top 10 Ways To You Know That You Are a Birkenstock Addict 10. It is the only brand you wear, all year round, even during periods of inclement weather. Rain, sleet, or snow….you are sporting your Birks like a champ.  Hail Storm and Spartas 9. You spend more time figuring out which Birkenstocks you will wear each day and less time on your outfit. You might have so many pairs that selecting just one causes a bit of anxiety. In which case, you have to rotate your Birkenstocks during the day based on the activity.  Hard to choose just one..... 8. You have a pair of “dress Birks” that you save for those special “formal” occasions. My dress Birkenstocks 7. You preach the Gospel of "The Birkenstock Way" to every soul that crosses your path and try to convert them.  My Birkenstock Family 6. You customize your Birkenstocks to make them even better. For example, you turn boring brown Temaras into a pair of sparkly ruby red goodness. And you cannot comprehend the reason that Birkenstock never made this colorway in the first place!!! Customized Temaras 5. You secretly convince yourself that wearing socks with Birkenstocks is fashionable, so that you can get away with wearing them when the temperature drops.  Birkenstocks with socks: cool or faux pas? 4. You have memorized your favorite cobbler’s phone number…in case of any and all Birkenstock emergencies.  Thank you Custom Made Birkenstocks for this recraft! 3. Wearing non Birkenstock shoes hurt your feet.  Converse are cute and hurt like crazy when I wear them. 2. In an effort to destash and make room for the new seasonal Birkenstocks, you list your rarely worn Birkenstocks on eBay, and break into a cold sweat and start to feel panicky that they might actually sell.  Reluctantly on eBay 1. When you start your own webpage dedicated to all the reasons that you love Birkenstocks because your family has told you to stop talking about your Birks.  My Birkenstock Blog makes me HAPPY Are you a Birkenstock Addict? Shoot me a message. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one.
I have not posted a blog in awhile because I have been utilizing every bit of my time and energy focusing on my fitness and nutrition. On July 4th, 2018, I started the 80 Day Obsession (80DO) program and made a commitment to complete it…no matter what. This meant that I had to put other hobbies and blogging on to the back burner. What is 80 Day Obsession (80DO)? It is a Beachbody workout and nutrition program created by fitness expert Autumn Calabrese. 80DO, consists of three “phases”, each phase lasting 4 weeks, and a final “peak week”. It has one working out for 13 weeks straight and every workout program is different. On September 29, 2018, I completed the entire program!! Despite everything — work, chores, sick kids, catching a cold, one kid breaking a bone, attending a destination wedding, and having a house guest — I did it!! I completed every single workout AND I followed the nutrition plan. I am so proud of my hard work, that I am sharing it with the world. The 80DO workouts are NOT a piece of cake. They are some of the hardest workouts that I have ever done and I have completed a lot of Beachbody workouts. To name a few, I have finished P90X, Insanity, 21 Day Fix Extreme, Chalene Extreme, and PiYo. Even though I have done multiple rounds of the aforementioned programs, I have never gotten results like I have with 80DO. 80DO has changed my life for the better, similar to how Birkenstocks have changed my life. A major component of 80DO is the nutrition piece. Autumn has created a “timed nutrition’ program that tells one what to eat, how much of each macro nutrient to eat, and when to eat it. And the workouts are so intense and challenging, that one is eating like a horse for 13 weeks. Seriously! I ate all day, everyday, for 80 straight days.  Containers I used for Timed Nutrition and my custom Birkenstocks (more on these in another blog) I am not going to sugarcoat it, 80DO challenged me in new and different ways, like breaking-in a new pair of Birkenstocks. I was eating more than I have ever eaten on a daily basis, which at times was a struggle. Some days, I pushed through physical and mental challenges to get through hour long workouts. Since I refuse to be a couch potato, I powered through every single day and learned that I CAN do hard things!! When I started this workout program, my pie in the sky, was to lose weight. During the entire first phase of the program, I did not get on the scale because I was instructed, by Autumn, to focus on “non scale victories”. Non scale victories are changes in your body and mind that have improved and do not reflect a number the scale. When it was time for me to step on the scale between Phase 1 and Phase 2, I thought about all the non scale victories that I had experienced thus far. But all those victories melted away when I saw the number of the scale go up! I will be honest, seeing the number of the scale increase, was extremely hard for me to digest. Since there is no such thing as a free lunch, I continued on. I was not going to reach my fitness goals unless I persevered. I was determined not to get on that scale again until, at least, day 80. I have not yet weighed in because I feel like I do not have to. The non scale victories that I have observed are rewarding enough. Here is some food for thought….I have literally toned up from my earlobes down to my tippy toes. I could list at least a baker’s dozen non scale victories that I have experienced in 13 weeks of 80DO. But, I am going to just focus on just one. The biggest non scale victory that I have noticed, and that I do not want to admit, is related to my Birkenstocks. Yeah, that’s right. I have a Birkenstock related non scale victory. Are you sitting down? I need to make sure that you are sitting down because you are not going to believe this when I tell you. My entire body, including my feet, have toned up so much that I can now fit into a narrow width Birkenstock. OMG!!! I cannot BELIEVE it. Narrow width Birkenstocks have been my forbidden fruit. There have been so many Birkenstocks, made in narrow width only, that I had to forgo because I needed regular width.  My narrow width Birkenstocks fit better after completing 80 Day Obsession! Over the last few weeks, I noticed that my regular width Birkenstocks were beginning to fit me more loosely. I began having to adjust the buckles to tighten the straps and then I realized that the shape of my foot had changed, ever so slightly, as well. Since my foot looked slimmer, I took out a pair of narrow width Birkenstocks, from the back of my closet, and slipped them on. And they fit..SO MUCH better!! This Birkenstock related non scale victory was as sweet as honey. It has opened the door to a greater variety of Birkenstocks for me. Imagine where my collection will go now that I can fit into narrow width Birkenstocks too!! I can take my collection to places that I could not before, since Birkenstock often only makes certain styles or models in narrow width. I realize that comparing regular and narrow width Birkenstocks is like comparing apples to oranges. Don’t get me wrong, I will always default to regular width. Regular width Birkenstocks will forever be the apple of my eye. However, knowing that I can toss a few oranges, or narrow width Birkenstocks, in to the mix is like icing on the cake. Autumn encourages individuals to celebrate their non scale victories and to practice self care with non food items. No cake, no cookies, no alcohol. Rather, celebrate by having a massage, getting a pedicure, or buying a new pair of work out leggings. You know how I celebrate my non scale victories and practice self care? Yeah, you guessed it. I buy myself Birkenstocks. I look at it as multi tasking. I treat myself to Birkenstocks and they take care of my feet!! Since I think Birkenstocks are the cream of the crop in the shoe world, I have celebrated the completion of each Phase of 80DO with a pair of new Birkenstocks. After Phase 1 I treated myself to these Birkenstocks:  End of Phase 1 self care treat: Birkenstock Gizeh Fringe With my completion of Phase 2, I felt like I deserved these Birkenstocks:  Birkenstock Big Buckle Arizonas in Zinfandel were my Phase 2 purchase to celebrate all my non scale victories Finally, I celebrated my completion of 80 Day Obsession by purchasing these beauties:  Birkenstock Arizona Injected Rivets Gunmetal Gray - a gift to myself for completing 80 Day Obsession!! And guess what....I ordered them in 38 Narrow!!!! OK, I will be honest, I ordered them in narrow (mostly) because they were not yet available in regular width. But, also, as a reminder that 80 DO has changed my life and my feet! I did not have to forgo these beauties just because there were only available in narrow width!!
Now that I have completed 80DO, you might be wondering what’s next for Gina Mama. While I realize that variety is the spice of life, I have never gotten results from a home workout program as I have from 80 DO. So, I think I am going to do a second round of the program. I will continue to use the motivation of purchasing a pair of new Birkenstocks to help get me through each phase of the program. This time, however, I am going to toss my scale out the window and measure my non scale victories on how my Birkenstocks fit me. Let’s hope that my foot does not change that much more, because recrafting my entire collection to a different size or width would make me go bananas. |
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