Arabella is Loving Her New Sandals from Soft Star Shoes -- Review and #Giveaway

Disclosure: I was sent a sample from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views shared are mine and mine alone.

If my 20 month old daughter, Arabella, could talk, and you asked her one of the negative things about being the baby in the family, I think I know what her response will be....the hand me down clothes, including shoes.  While we had clothes with tags on them that Savannah never wore, due to growing to fast, or forgetting they were in the closet, Arabella has been wearing for the most part, all of Savannah's hand me down clothes and shoes.  It was only recently that Arabella has gained weight and now weighs the same as Savannah -- even though there is a 15 month difference.  I guess she wants to catch up to her, or wants her own "new clothes."  They are now wearing the same size clothes, but Bella is one shoe size behind Savannah.  So, she gets to wear many of Savannah's old shoes.  

But, the other day, I surprised Arabella with a brand new pair of shoes just for her from Soft Star.  Not familiar with Soft Star?  Here is a little back history on this family run business, which recently celebrated their 25th anniversary:

"Soft Star Shoes has been handcrafting quality, soft-soled shoes since 1984. Tim Oliver and his wife Jeanie started the company as young parents who wanted a soft, quality shoe for their baby girl. As their family grew and moved, so did their business—from a garage in Laguna Beach, CA to the back of an old bus in rural Texas, to  before finally settling into a little workshop in Corvallis, Oregon. The Olivers raised their girls alongside them as they made shoes for mail order companies and local fairs. Over the years they have sold shoes to families, Waldorf and Montessori schools,  celebrities, and even US presidents! (President Ford, to be exact.)

In 2005, Larkin and Tricia joined forces with Tim with a desire to introduce more people to this beautiful product. Tim's girls are now grown and exploring the world, but between Trish and Larkin's two families, there are now 6 new little ones who have made their homes here in our workshop, carrying on the tradition of integrating our families and work lives. We have made some changes since 2005—including the ability for our customers to order online—but there are some things we don't ever want to change, like our foot-friendly designs, our friendly customer service and our ability to satisfy each person's unique needs and styles."

I stumbled across their website last year looking for sandals for the girls, and fell in love with their product offering.  It was only recently when I was sent a sample of their Child Sandal with Velcro - Shiny Platinum / Chocolate for girls (which retails for $42) that I was able to see their top quality product up close.  

"This beautiful minimalist sandal features shiny platinum leather with a pink leather flower and matching Velcro strap. Because safety is supreme, the toe openings on our sandals are smaller than most other brands. Your child will have the coolness of a sandal without the safety concern of slipping through the front of their shoe." 

I had hoped to buy shoes from Soft Star last year, but Nana and Papa swooped in and get them sandals and matching dresses. :-)  Like always, Arabella was sleeping when the mail came, so didn't see the cute sandals until after she woke.  When Savannah saw them, she started to take off her shoes, as she was eager to try them on.  I had to break it to her that these shoes were for her sister, and explain how Bella was wearing all of her old shoes.  When requesting a sample, I ordered up a size, to ensure that they fit, as the top of Bella's foot is still chunky, which makes fitting into shoes difficult. Savannah ended up trying on the shoes when I went to get Bella up from her nap.  I walked into the living room to find her dancing around in them. :-)  But, she quickly took them off, and brought them over to her little sister.  Savannah told her that these were her new shoes, and how they were so pretty.  She even helped Bella put them on.  

Once on, you could see that Bella felt like a million bucks.  She was all smiles, and couldn't wait to stand up and twirl around in the them.  While they seemed a little dressy for the outfit she was wearing in the photos I took, it didn't matter to her.  She loved having a new pair of sandals, especially these from Soft Star.  

Even though Bella doesn't talk yet, Savannah let me know that they were comfy and made her feet feel good. :-)  So, I can only imagine, beyond Bella's smiles, how comfy they felt on her feet.  Now, whenever we get ready to go out and I ask the girls to pick a pair of shoes to wear, Bella always grabs these sandals. :-)  Who knows, maybe her feet will grow, and Savannah will be wearing her hand-me-down shoes?   All I know is that when it comes time to get more shoes for the girls, one of the first places I will be looking is Soft Star.  

Soft Star shoes offers a line of shoes for babies (0-12 months) children (size 4-13), youth (size 1-8), as well as adult shoes.  Always wanted to be a designer?  Then, why not design a new pair of shoes for yourself or your child.  Soft Star lets you choose your own colors, materials and motifs for almost any style they make.  I love how they will even let you exchange or return these custom designed shoes if they don't fit.  Now, how is that for customer service? :-)

So, with Back-to-School shopping in full swing, why not save yourself trouble in finding just the right pair of comfortable fitting shoes for your child(ren).  Instead, head on over to Soft Star and browse their selection of shoes for the whole family.  Click the image below to be redirected to the Soft Star website now --  

You will not be disappointed with the quality and feel of these shoes.  And, I have to say that after viewing their line of shoes for children, that their offering is truly unique, which I love! :-)

---GIVEAWAY---

Want to win a $25 gift certificate, to apply towards your next online order at Soft Star Shoes?  Thanks to the kind folks at Soft Star Shoes, one lucky reader will do just that! :-)  Complete the entries on the Rafflecopter form below to enter now.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was sent a sample from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views shared are mine and mine alone.