Sure, at Ped we spend most of our time thinking about cool shoes and accessories, but the truth is we simply appreciate beautiful things! Especially beautiful things that are GREEN! And that’s how we fell in love with Flora Grubb (no relation, but I do like her name) and her wondrous garden shop! Flora Grubb  Gardens, along with local favorite, Flowerland in Albany, are responsible for the beautiful environment that surrounds Ped Central. When we step outside for a break, it’s such a treat to relax amid their gorgeous plants, which Mika of Mika Matsui Gardens has arranged into a wonderful landscape. Here are just a few things from the Flora Grubb website to show you what we mean:

Isn’t this “vertical garden” created with succulents fantastic? Art that’s green and growing!

We love Flora’s imaginative approach to creating a bouquet of a dozen roses!

Flora simply knocks our socks off with the drama of her plants and their artistic presentation. We feel so lucky she’s right here in San Francisco, but she does ship all over (although she cautions that the Xerographica, pictured above, won’t survive a trip to a very cold state).

Flowerland doesn’t have an official site, but here’s a pic of the shop, which we’ve snagged from Yelp (check out the rave reviews):

Thank you, Flora Grubb, Flowerland, and Mika Matsui, for making Ped such a beautiful place to be!

We love a good Christmas story, and the one Shana from San Francisco sent us made our day. So, without further ado, Shana’s tale in her own words:

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. On Christmas Eve I opened the door and welcomed the delivery of my Christmas gift to myself: a pair of red Fiorentini + Baker Emma boots. With a huge smile, I quickly wrapped them and placed them under the tree. This Christmas was bound to be special. It was both the first one my 2-year-old somewhat understood and the first one ever for my 8-month-old. Sure enough, when it was time to open the box, it was my 2-year-old who squealed in delight and exclaimed, “The reindeer left Mama boots like Santa!” Red quickly became her favorite color.

Shana in her F+B Emma boots with her red-loving daughter.

We gradually made our way to celebrate the day with a host of family and friends, where the picture-taking phrase of the day became “don’t forget the boots.” No picture was complete without them.

Beautiful Shana in her beautiful boots with her even more beautiful children!

Heart warm, belly full, eyelids heavy, I reluctantly removed my “Santa” boots, climbed in bed and said “good night” to a beautiful Christmas Day. Thanks, Ped, for making this holiday season even more memorable.

You are welcome, Shana! Everyone at Ped is delighted those F+B boots helped make your holidays happy! Your tale—and pictures!— certainly made us happy! As thanks, a $100 Ped gift certificate is coming your way to get your new year off to a good start!

Do you have a Tale of the Sole? Tell us—and show us (we LOVE pictures!!!)—what happened to you while wearing a Ped item, and you, too, might be the recipient of $100 in Ped credit. Each month we pick the most sole-ful tale to share on the blog. So, let us know what in the world you’ve been doing in your Ped!

From the days when Ped was a brick-and-mortar store in Seattle, we have always had the good fortune to have the most wonderful people on staff. None more so than the stylish Nicole Benuska, who now works as a fashion merchandiser in New York City (those are her Fiorentini + Baker boots in this Tale of the Sole from November). So, we were thrilled to the gills to discover her featured as a style icon in Footwear Plus Magazine! They celebrated how fabulous she looks rocking the distressed denim trend in her husband’s jeans. We couldn’t agree more!

We also love that Nicole’s chosen Fiorentini + Baker sandals as footwear for her look. Although we don’t have these gladiator sandals in stock currently (sorry, gals), we are expecting new F+B boots before the end of the month. So, stay tuned Ped fans!

Meanwhile, we can’t wait to see what Nicole wears next!

Ped has THE most interesting customers! From artists to teachers to world travelers, our fans take their Ped goods on some amazing adventures. It’s always the highlight of our day at Ped HQ when we get to hear about who did what where wearing what. So, don’t hold back–share your “Tale of the Sole”!!! To make it worth your while to put fingers to keyboard and upload a few photos, each month we’ll pick one entertaining tale to post on the blog, and that storyteller will get a $100 Ped gift certificate! That’s right–$100 in Ped credit to whoever makes us smile the most with her sole-ful tale!

Maybe you were carrying your Cydwoq Bright Bag when you stumbled onto a Hindi movie set while visiting the Taj Mahal in India. Perhaps your true love surprised you with Jamie Joseph’s Oval Drusy Ring on your anniversary. Or maybe a reluctant editor oohed and aahed over your Chie Mihara Frederica heels and offered you the book contract after all (but we think it’s because you felt super confident and persuasive in your Chies). Whatever your story, we want to see and hear all about it! (And extra points if you tell your tale from the perspective of your shoes or bag or other Ped treasure.) So, send your “Tale of the Sole,” ideally with pictures, to yourfriends@pedshoes.com, and maybe we’ll send you a sweet $100 Ped gift certificate in return.

Laura's worn-everywhere Cydwoq Plant shoes take a breather in the garden.