We're your hosts -- sparkle_flips and nosocksforme -- and we're going to celebrate summer by getting everyone here even more excited about our favorite fashionable item -- the flip-flop.

feetwantout is a place for you to post pictures of your feet acting naturally -- trying to get away from socks and shoes! Every day, we'll post a challenge for a new photo subject -- from the newest flip-flops in your collection to your most creatively painted toes -- and the best response wins a $5 LJ gift certificate.*

Anyone can be a member of feetwantout, and all members can post their pictures (we just have to approve them, but we promise to be quick about it). Post in comments or make your own post (but please use a cut-tag to spare those on slow connections!).

*Read the official rules here, okay?

nosocksforme and I are happy to announce last week's winners:

azsisters
cheesefries25
xdamagedrosesx
origami_agent
erotic_dralion
leftcleftdo
busyme

Someone from LJ will be in touch with your prizes.

And we want to thank you all for participating, posting pictures and telling your favorite flip-flop stories. We've both had a huge amount of fun hearing new tips & tricks for foot and footwear care, plus seeing all your beautiful and bejeweled toes and toenails.

This is the end of our happy feet ride (at least for now), but you can always visit our sponsor, Havianas, at their all flip-flops, all the time website, feetwantout.com.

Keep your feet happy and free forever!!

sparkle_flips totally caught me buying shoes yesterday! (I bought a pair of Tommy Hilfiger orange espadrille sandals that have a simple tie around the ankle. I did not buy the $50 Steve Madden crystally flip-flops because I just couldn't justify them. I loved them, but I'll wear these more. And mostly, because I was swayed by the lure of the orange shoes that matched a dress I just bought).

So, in talking about all of the fabulous elements of summer and summer shoes, we've neglected one of the biggest issues?

Why flipflops?

What's the appeal? Why are we so devoted to something that started out as a way to keep the skin from burning off your feet on the dash from sand (or concrete) to water? (Aside from that obvious appeal!!)

How did you make the transition from these as practical footwear to serious fashion accessory?

For me, I totally remember the first time they were a necessity. On the first big vacation my family took (from Colorado to California), my mother and I stopped at a grocery store right on the California border and ran in to buy seriously old school flip flops (matching no less) to celebrate the prospect of seeing the ocean.

For me, living in Southern California, I realized that I wanted the freedom of shoes that could come on and off, while still showing off my pretty painted toenails, and here, as opposed to other places I'd lived, flipflops were pretty - they were multi-colored, they came with platforms, they came with heels, they came with jewels and glitter, and yet still did exactly what I wanted from them!

Plus, they always make me think of those first moments of giddy anticipation before I saw the ocean!

So, tell us your own story! Most creative wins the prize.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

nosocksforme is actually shoe-shopping at this very second, in case you were wondering what we do in our spare time.

Since moderating this comm, but of us have become even more obsessed with feet and what people do with them than we were to start off with. I find myself looking at strangers from the feet up, checking their footwear and then trying to guess what the rest of them might look like -- what kind of clothes they'll be wearing, or how they'll do their hair.

What I've learned is that a lot of people -- especially where I live -- really love to have sparkly flip flops and toe rings, no matter how else they look from the ankles up. And of course that made me wonder --

Which pair of flip flops is most representative of you? Which is the kind of shoe that one of your closest friends could look at and just know is the one you'll pull off the rack? Which is the most telling of your personality?

For me I'm going to have to go with this one:





It's got both silver metal and insole, has a little bit of a heel (what one woman I know calls a "kitty heel," though I don't know why!) and that sexy circle right in the middle. I get more compliments on these shoes than anything else I've owned in years.

The most creative answer (bonus points for pictures) will win a $5 LJ gift certificate.

*Read the official rules here, okay?

So, on the other side of sparkle_flips request for the biggest shoe splurge (my own being the endless cycle of pointe shoes that I bought when I went back on pointe as an adult. I spent more than $100 bucks for a pair of Gaynor-Minden's):



which, I'm the only dancer on the planet for whom these shoes (specially designed to not hurt!!) actually killed my feet. Turns out, a $40 pair of Sansha's (an absolute bargain) were the perfect shoes for me.

So, the challenge of the day:

Best shoe bargain ever!?!?

The Sansha's were not the best shoe bargain ever for me. That would be the three pairs of KILLER platform shoes I got from Nine & Co for $40 total in the late 1990's during the brief upswing in platform popularity (this is particulary funny if you bear in mind that I'm 5'10 on a slouchy day, and one of the pairs resembled these:



in height. I wore most of them only a few times, and would love to get a display case or something for them because they're totally works of art.

As always, most creative response wins the prize!*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

It's almost Friday. Got your almost-paycheck burning a hole in your pocket?

This diamond and gold flip-flop charm made me wonder just how far I would go to pamper my feet. (I'm kinda cheap to start off with!)

So -- what's your biggest foot indulgent splurge? It could be a pair of shoes (that's almost too easy) or some other high-end ticket. Even if you never coughed up the cash, what did you wish you could afford?

The most creative answer (bonus points for pictures) will win a $5 LJ gift certificate.


*Read the official rules here, okay?

All right, this is a killer week for me - lots of running around, and a lot of dancing, and I, unexpectedly, got a foot rub that totally made my week. (Mostly getting my feet rubbed makes me stupid with melty glee. Fortunately, when I get a pedicure, I'm often trying not to giggle instead of making embarrassing noises of joy).

So, my question for all of you:

What's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for your feet?

Foot massage? Paraffin bath? Pedicure? Snazzy new shoes? A trip to the beach? Handed you a pair of slippers after a killer heel day?

Be creative, and show us what you're talkin' about. Best example wins the prize.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

Apparently I'm stuck in a rut of questions that I'm way too ashamed to illustrate with personal photos.

But this is a really important question!

How do you clean your flip flops? Throw them in the washer? Wipe down with a fancy solution? Chuck them and start over?

The best tips and tricks for making sure your shoes are as pretty as your feet will win a $5 LJ gift certificate.


*Read the official rules here, okay?

I can't at all complain about spending a week on the beach -- but I will say that I'm glad the salon where I'd planned to get a fresh pedicure upon arriving (too squished for time on the way out!) was overbooked, because 10 minutes in the hot sand and it would have been ruined.

I finally gave in and applied touch-ups myself, but every time I stepped back out into the ocean I lost another toe -- well, another toenail's polish, anyway.

Which made me wonder...

What's the fastest way to ruin a good pedicure? Got any tips on how to make it last longer that seems humanly possible?

(Believe me when I say you don't want to see a picture of this one.)

Most creative and/or helpful answer wins the prize, a $5 LJ certificate.

*Read the official rules here, okay?

So, first of all, sparkle_flips sent everyone a postcard from her vacation:




Apparently the flip flop is not only fashion accessory, but decorating choice in Hawaii!

The winners of last week's challenges are as follows:

15_characters
nuja
jorjioarmoni
floodwarning

Congratulations to all of the winners so far, past and present!

Okay, it is an utterly gorgeous Saturday and I had to drive along the PCH on my way back from my Saturday morning writer's group and all along the coast there were surfers. All of these beautiful, beautiful surfers - men and women, boys and girls - and just people decked for this weather that's all about sand and surf.

So, it made me immediately think of some of my favorite images - men with bare feet. Whether it's surfers or celebrities or the boyfriend du jour, there's something really delectable vulnerable about men with bare feet.

So, today's challenge is totally visual.

What's your favorite image- from your own life or from the big bad outside web - of anyone with bare feet?

I'm particularly looking for situations where the person is dressed normally, just lacks shoes, but I'll take anything that fits the category. (You know those celeb photos, men with levis and white shirts and bare feet...)

Prettiest picture wins the prize.* (And by prettiest, I just mean the won that has that zing of appeal for us, the totally unbiased mods here at feetwantout!

*Read the official rules here, okay?

So, inspired by this article:
Mysterious Thefts at Barney's, I started to think about all of the things that footwear can be used for - aside from, well, footwear. (And I'm totally pulling the ankle strap off my Franco Sardo's because they are hot like burning but they hurt my ankles desperately.)

There's the cat-get-off (launching your shoe towards said cat). The doorstop. The beat on the wall to shut-up. The champagne glass (although seriously, that has to some ridiculously decadent era of the Sun King French thing because I love my shoes, but I would NEVER drink anything out of them!). The paddle. The list goes on and on...

So today's challenge:

Give us your best example - seen, heard, or rumored - of footwear used for other puposes.

Pics are always welcome, but we love stories too. The one that makes me laugh the hardest wins the LJ gift certificate.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

So, I used to work above this furniture store, and in the summer, the lady who owned it would let her adorable Boston Terrier lounge outside and say hi to the patrons and the people walking by.

Bunny (the dog) was cute and sweet and bug-eyed, and best of all, she generally had her toenails painted to match her owner's manicure or pedicure. (Trust me, this was cute and not creepy because Bunny was otherwise just a nice, normal, mildly spoiled pet. Not like the poor dog I see on a regular basis who's been dyed pink to match her owner's hot pink track suit. Seriously.)

So, the question for the day is:

Who's sporting your own manicure/pedicure? Who's your current fashion twin?

Until Saturday, my Mom and I had nearly matching pedicures by virtue of having gone together to get our toes done when I was home in June. Fortunately, we chose different polishes, but simulataneously also elected to get detail work done (a painted flower and tiny paste jewel).

If you aren't currently participating in a Bobsey Twins match off with anyone, weigh in on your favorite sighted match up. Person and parrot? Twin sisters? Father and daughter? Unfortunate celebrity choices (like those articles in the tabloids about who wears it better).

Feel free to illustrate with pictures! (Heavily encouraged is pictures of people who match inappropriately - like my mom and her sister who got their pictures taken professionally wearing matching shirts. I have given them no end of grief about that choice.)

Most creative example wins the prize.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

So, I'm given to understand that there are people out there who dislike summer. Apparently, hot weather is not for everyone.

It is, however, for me. I love summer. I love how the air smells in the American West (all that clean dry heat), and I love being sweater free (outside of my office of course), and I love the riot of things that are blooming (aside from the havoc they wreak on my allergies).

When I get those first hints of summer (even here in Southern California where summer is less about the weather and more about a state of mind), I get positively giddy.

Here, in May, these bloom:



They're a riot of purple for a solid week, the leaves falling down on the street like a Prince song, and then they gear up for another year.

That's how I know summer is here, and it's one of my favorite parts of the year.

So, today's challenge is:

Tell me how you know, officially, that it's summer. And what you love about the summertime.

Illustrations are always welcome, and as always, the most creative wins the prize.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

P.S. - Sorry for the lack of a challenge yesterday. The power outage caught us all by surprise.

Okay folks, I think we're getting the prize distribution under control (at least that's what the fabulous folks at LiveJournal tell me!).

So, here's the (belated) annoucement of last week's winners:

charlibrown
usadari
wind_up_cars
mells
so_sporktastic
carboxyll

You should all be hearing something fairly soon about your gift certificates.

We all have parts of ourselves that we play up, and other parts that we pretend really hard that we love. Feet are DEFINITELY part of that endless loop of love/hate that we run in regards to body image.


So today, I want you to tell us:

What do you like about your feet? What don't you like?

For me, I am fascinated by the bend and flexibility of my arch and my ankle (and desperately wish that I had the ballerina feet I always craved when I was younger and all I wanted to do was dance.) There's a reason that those classic ballet shots frequently zoom in on those perfectly arched feet!

I, for one, HATE my toes! They look like thumbs, which freaks me out occasionally. But I like that my feet do what I want, that I can dance forever, stepping gracefully even when the rest of me is clumsy as all get out. And all of this despite my poor bruised and battered toes. Plus, I love how pretty they look when I dress them up with polish and great shoes.

So, show us what you love/hate/wish you could change/would never change! Show us the things your feet can do! Most creative picture, or illustration of what makes feet cool, wins the prize.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

So this weekend, my flip flops and I went to San Fransisco (where I was terribly grateful to have them, because after walking around all day in my beloved sheep covered Converse, my poor broken dancer's toes were in serious pain. The next day, I wore my sparkly Target flip flops and while my back may have eventually voted in protest, my feet were happy little clams!)

My feet also went to Wine Country where they encountered these:



(Even your wine can be kicky and summery!)

So, for today (and part of tomorrow's challenge):

Tell me where your flip flops have gone this summer!!

Pretty pictures also welcome and appreciated, and bonus points to special use of flip flops as footie salvation!

Most creative traveling story wins the LJ gift certificate.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

This is entirely inspired by my mother as she and I wander through San Fransisco this weekend. (Fabulous city, but ouch do my feet hurt after all those hills!!)

Everyone has beauty tips that they like to pass along - oatmeal masks, cucumber slices, drinking enough water to flood the Titanic, rice scrubs and salt baths. So, how about some beauty tips for keeping your feet pretty. (I'm a dancer, and the only time my feet look pretty is immediately post-pedicure.) And, even then, it's a stretch.


So, What are some tips and tricks for at home feet pampering and recovery?

Do y'all advocate walking in the sand for cheap and fun exfoliation? Bathing them in peppermint tea? Scouring with a loofa? Parafin wax bathing?

(For me, someone pretty rubbing my feet with Body Shop Peppermint Foot Cream is the best pampering I could ask for!)

The most interesting answer (and the best visuals of course!!!) will win a $5 LJ gift certificate.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?

Since it's Friday and hopefully you have some fun weekend plans, here's a sexy shout-out to the other people who help keep our feet looking fab (or give us a good reason to).

Have you ever had a boyfriend (or girlfriend!) paint your toenails? Or does that only happen in Justin Timberlake videos?

If you have, what were the unexpected pitfalls or pluses to getting a helping hand? If you haven't, would you trust them to?

That is to say, does it look more like this?



Or like this:




The most creative answer will win a $5 LJ gift certificate (and you get bonus points for illustrating with photos!)


*Read the official rules here, okay?

So, I love my flip flops. I love my sandals. I love having nothing on my feet at all.

But when I go trolling for shoes, I go trolling for heels. I love the way beautiful, heeled shoes look on their own.

I love the way feet look in sexy, strappy heels. I love being taller than everyone around me! (Not much of a stretch, I'm tall already). I feel like a different person in high heels (even when they inevitably come off an hour into the party! I'm still the person in bare feet who wore those shoes!)

But admittedly, these are very different beasts, the heel vs. the flip. I kind of like being the girl to wear glittery flip-flops, but that is a different girl altogether.

Here we have two of my current favorites, battling it out:



vs.



Both from Target. Both sexy and comfy in the summer. (I love Target so much it is unholy. I also love these two shoes a frightening amount!)

Which brings me to the challenge. Not just the old debate of high-heel vs. low sandals, but really Is there a need to debate at all? Can't the stilletos and the sandals just get along?

I personally think this debate (or non-debate) would best be solved by visual representation of your hottest versions of both shoes! Show me some flip-flops that you can wear to the Ritz! Or better yet, some flips that you have worn for a rockin' night on the town. ETA: Sorry, this got eaten. Best visual wins the prize.*

*Read the official rules here, okay?