You’ve Never Seen Wedding Shoes like These Before

Brittainy Bell
Aug 05, 2015

We thought we’d hit the customized footwear cap after build-your-own flats, but our new shoe company crush takes the trend a step beyond.

The one-of-a-kind designs are part imagination, part your story. Commission a pair and get prepared to share. “I start by talking with a bride about her unique story or her wedding plans, or even just look at the style of the shoes themselves. It gives me a lot of inspiration and insight into what style would best suit her on her special day,” says Thomson.

Like many of our favorite maker stories, Figgie Shoes originated as a hobby. Thomson, who had always been an artist, was working as a wedding photographer when a fellow photog pal asked her to paint her wedding dress.

Five years later, Thomson has painted shoes for hundreds of people all around the world. At one point, the sole-full designer had a 200 plus waiting list for her beautiful designs!

“In the beginning, I really struggled with handling all of the orders and emails and also juggling my photography business. I thought that asking for help with the tasks meant that I wasn’t as good or it was just me taking the easy way out instead of buckling down and doing what I should be able to do,” says Thomson. “I realized pretty quickly that hiring help was not only necessary but also better leadership.”

Today, Figgie Shoes is a family affair. Thomson’s sister Leah handles all of the office-related responsibilities while another sister, Becky, designed the original website and handled the office for the first year.

Not getting hitched? You don’t need a ring to snag a pair of Figgie Shoes. There are no prerequisites for these babies! “I’ve done artwork on baby shoes, purses, makeup bags, wallets, gloves, scarfs, backpacks, mugs… even cufflinks! If you have something you’d like personalized, there’s a good chance I can do it for you.”

We’ve already started our list.

What would you want to see on your pair of Figgie Shoes?

Master the Art of Watercolor with This 3-Class Bundle

Want to learn watercolor on your schedule? In this three-class bundle, you’ll get access to on-demand classes that you can take at your own pace. In our new Watercolor Lover Bundle, you’ll start with an introduction class, and work your way up to digitization to create all kinds of watercolor artwork.

You’ll get access to these three watercolor classes for just $61 (originally $87):

  • Intro To Watercolor Painting
  • Watercolor Lettering + Illustration
  • Watercolor Painting + Digitization

You’ll start with the basics by learning how to work with watercolors to paint florals. Then, in the second class, you learn how to incorporate lettering into your watercolor skills. And lastly, our third class will show you how to create watercolor fruit slices, but you’ll take it to the next level by digitizing them to create colorful patterns in Adobe Photoshop.

Here are a few more details about each class:

INTRO TO WATERCOLOR PAINTING: In this class, you’ll start with a basic introduction to watercolor supplies, brush up on color theory, and then put it all into action by creating your own flower arrangement one petal at a time. Your awesome instructor, Jenna Rainey, will be guiding you every step of the way. After taking this class, you’ll know how to:

  • Build a custom watercolor palette using the principles of color theory
  • Properly hold your paint brush and create the outline of florals using different brush strokes
  • Fill-in and use shading techniques to bring your florals to life on paper
  • Use Rainey’s tips for bleeding watercolor together and a simple way to fix mistakes

WATERCOLOR LETTERING AND ILLUSTRATION: Let’s combine some of our favorite things. In this class, you’ll learn how to use watercolors to combine illustrations and florals with lettering. Yes, please! Plus, your instructor, Valerie McKeehan, will be teaching you all of her techniques and tips to create beautiful watercolor designs. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to :

  • Layout a cohesive design using anchor points, margin lines, and more
  • Use a Micon pen to add in details to your watercolor illustrations
  • Work with watercolor to add embellishments and quotes into your final design

WATERCOLOR PAINTING AND DIGITIZATION: This painting class is great for both beginner and intermediate watercolor artists! In it, you’ll learn how to paint a variety of colorful fruits, including vibrant blood oranges, lemons, and strawberries. But you’re not done there! Your instructor, Susan Chiang, will also be showing you how to digitize your watercolor artwork in Adobe Photoshop. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to :

  • Use the three most popular watercolor techniques
  • Paint colorful fruit slices with intricate details
  • Import your artwork for digitization in Adobe Photoshop
  • Create digital elements from your paintings to arrange your artwork the way you want it

And don’t forget to scoop up your class supplies. For all the classes, you’ll need the following:

For the full supply lists, make sure you take a glance at the Materials section for each class.

Loving on bundles? Good news — There’s more! Check out our curated collection of bundles hand-picked with you in mind. They have our top performing classes bundled up so you can save big!

Ready to enroll in this bundle? Make sure to share your final projects by tagging us on Instagram and using the hashtag #bcclasses. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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8 “Stunning” ​Ann Taylor Dresses I’m Shopping For Spring

Ann Taylor’s spring dress collection is just too good. They always nail polished styles that still have the perfect amount of playfulness! From fun prints to more basic colorways, these stunning spring dresses from Ann Taylor can take you practically anywhere in style.

Scroll on to shop 8 Ann Taylor dresses I'm definitely eyeing for spring!

Ann Taylor

Belted Sheath Dress

Springtime is prime time for pastels, and this light pink number nails the seasonal color. It's pretty polished in the details throughout, plus it's all cinched together oh-so nicely with the thin belt around the waist.

Ann Taylor

Studio Collection Silk Flutter Sleeve Midi Dress

Oh, yeah. The ruching on the side of this silky midi is nothing short of flattering – I could definitely see this style working wonderfully as a wedding guest dress.

Ann Taylor

Striped Pleated Sweater Tank Dress

With contrasting vertical and horizontal stripes, this sweater-y (but still lightweight) tank dress doesn't have to work too hard to make a statement. Thus, you can easily pair it with some basic black shoes and a colorful cardigan to complete your spring look.

Ann Taylor

Tweed Sheath Dress

This color, though! Aside from the stunning buttons and modest coverage, I love the bold shade of this dress for spring. Again, it really speaks for itself, so you shouldn't have to dress it up too much to pull a 'fit.

Ann Taylor

Square Neck Flare Dress

Easy-wearing and oh-so soft thanks to the light material it's made of, this midi dress is practically begging to become your everyday piece this spring. A square neckline is always flattering, plus this design's skirt is the right amount of casual.

Ann Taylor

Dotted Crepe Column Midi Dress

Polka dots are the pattern to rock this season, so I'm obviously eyeing this chic silhouette. It's fairly free-flowing, but comes with a sleek belt at the waist to gather your look together.

Ann Taylor

Denim Sheath Dress

Denim dresses are everything to me, and I love that this one makes a more formal departure from the other casual denim pieces in my closet. It definitely has a workwear quality to it – I'd wear it with ballet flats and a polished cardigan for an easy, yet put-together spring outfit.

Ann Taylor

Striped Smocked-Waist Midi Flare Dress

Hello, waistline! This midi comes complete with a smocked waist that flatters your bod to a tee.

Subscribe to our newsletter to shop more spring fashion finds!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

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Peggy Dean Is Back To Teach You How To Create A Quaint Illustration of Your Home

Capture your home or apartment building in a unique way by learning how to illustrate with line drawing techniques. In our Line Drawing: Illustrating Your Home online class, you’ll use loose, playful lines to sketch out the structure and details of your home. Then, you’ll add a pop of color to your illustration by learning how to apply a watercolor wash to your design.

Taught by student favorite, Peggy Dean, in her second line drawing course she’s going to teach you how to create an illustration of the place you call home. Your new skills will help you create a unique art piece to use as decor or as a gift to family and friends.

ENROLL IN THIS CLASS TODAY!

But hurry! For a limited time, you can get this class for 25% off. This offer ends on 12/16. Enroll in Line Drawing: Illustrating Your Home online class today.

Your final project will have you sketching out your home, looking something like this:

And then you’ll add a watercolor, to make your design look like this:

After taking this class, you’ll know how to:

  • Let loose and start drawing without things looking perfect
  • Use shapes to sketch out the structure of your home or building
  • Find the small details of your house and add them to your illustration
  • Add a watercolor wash to your house, bushes, a sidewalk, and more!

You’ll be able to use your skills to illustrate all kinds of things, including interiors, landscapes, cityscapes, and more!

So what are you waiting for? Enroll in our Line Drawing: Illustrating Your Home online course today!

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Yay! Kylie & Jason Kelce Just Had Baby No. 4!

As much as we love talking about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce...Jason Kelce and his wife Kylie Kelce deserve their time in the spotlight too! They have a loving and hilarious dynamic that's somehow made room for not one, but three kids. And guess what? They recently welcome baby number 4! From their very funny announcement to everything they've said since, there's a lot of fun to unpack here.

Here's everything to know about Jason Kelce & Kylie Kelce's exciting pregnancy!

OMG, when did Kylie Kelce give birth? 

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A post shared by Kylie (McDevitt) Kelce (@kykelce)

Kylie and Jason welcomed their fourth daughter March 30, according to PEOPLE, but an official announcement was shared via the couple's joint Instagram post on April 1. "Whoop, there she is! Finnley “Finn” Anne Kelce 3/30/25," reads Kylie's caption and we think it's the cheekiest way to describe her arrival.

The subsequent photos of Finnley are just as cute as she's seen wearing the cutest floral onesie and being held by her parents. Call us biased, but she has the most precious face we've ever seen. Even her uncle Travis thinks so!

PEOPLEalso reports the NFL player incredulously told his brother how much he wanted to see Finnley after the latter asked how he felt. "Yes, I want to see my new niece, Jason! You only sent one picture. You didn’t even tell me what name you picked yet."

But his complaints stopped the minute Jason showed him Finnley during their latest New Heights podcast episode. Travis immediately melted and said, "Hey, little muffin! Look at you. You hanging out with Mom? Tell Ky I said hello. I’m glad everything’s going great." He even thinks her name is "adorable."

When did Jason and Kylie announce she's pregnant?

Amazon Prime

Kylie Kelce shared the huge news on Instagram November 22nd! Of course grandma Donna Kelce was the first to leave a comment. She wrote, "🔥🔥🔥🔥😍😍😍 Love it!!!" Brittany Mahomes also commented by writing, "Ahhhhhh Congrats you guys!!!🥹🤍."

How did Jason and Kylie's other daughters react?

Amazon Prime

In Kylie's same Instagram post, her and Jason's daughters can be seen expressing a range of emotions. There's an 'Eek' expression from their oldest daughter Wyatt, a happy look from their middle daughter Elliott, and pure tears from baby girl Bennett. Kylie wrote, "I feel like we captured a very accurate representation of how each of the girls feel about getting another sister. At least Ellie, mom and dad are on the same page! 🤷♀️"

How did Jason and Kylie prepare to be a family of six?

Amazon Prime

Jason Kelce took the news of being an official girl dad like a champ. He told E! Newshe's "got it pretty easy" because "the clothes are all going to be hand-me-downs or already bought." Not only that, but they'd already secured a baby crib prior to their newborn's birth.

“I love my kids so much, and especially my daughters,” he added. "I was telling somebody out there because they're expecting their first — and they look at you. They smile at you. There's just a way that kids have to warm your soul in a way that nothing else can.”

He also shared his excitement about watching his daughters grow up with a new sibling. "And hopefully we'll welcome a fourth into this world, and we'll be able to watch them fight and tear each other apart and all the good stuff."

He even appeared on The Rich Eisen Show where he joked, "I'm screwed [in] like in 10 years. The moment they’re all in middle school, I feel like it’s just gonna be chaos." He also hopes Wyatt "can start helping out a little bit more." But, he's still looking forward to it! "I obviously have not had a son, but there is something about a daughter in the way I think as a dad, you feel an extra amount probably of protection and love toward that child," he shared.

What did Kylie say about her fourth pregnancy?

Kylie previously opened up on her new podcast, Not Gonna Lie, about her feelings on her fourth pregnancy. At the time, she said she was "so incredibly grateful to be able to get pregnant, but it is a means to an end." She further said, "When I tell you that I cannot stand being pregnant, I mean it. I don't have a a fun time."

If that sounds a little uh...negative, it actually makes a lot more sense when she explained more! She elaborated, "I am nauseous for most of my pregnancy. It tapers off a little after the first trimester, but I continue to have nausea throughout my pregnancy." Woof, I know that's tough!

Kyle continued by explaining she hasn't even really had the fun, wacky cravings many pregnant people get — instead she had more "aversions" in each of her pregnancies. I'll take cravings over aversions any day!

The podcast host then joked, "When you're super pregnant and someone comes up to you and says, 'Isn't this just the most beautiful thing ever? 'I want to punch you in the face. I'm not going to, but I want to."

Follow us on Facebook for more updated about this cute family!

This post has been updated.

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Did Natalia Grace's Parents Go To Jail? Here's What Really Happened To The Barnetts

Ever since Good American Family premiered on March 19, there has been renewed interest in the real-life adoption case of Natalia Grace.

The latest Hulu series stars Ellen Pompeo as Kristine Barnett, who adopted an orphan from Ukraine with her husband, Michael Barnett. However, after taking in Natalia, who had a rare form of dwarfism, Kristine began to suspect that she was an adult pretending to be a child.

New episodes of Good American Family are being released on Wednesdays, but as we wait to see what happens next in the TV dramatization, many fans are wondering whether Natalia's adoptive parents ever faced jail time. Here's everything we know.

Scroll to find out what happened to Natalia Grace's adoptive parents, Kristine and Michael Barnett...

Who is Natalia Grace Barnett?

Max

For those unfamiliar with the infamous case, Natalia was born in Ukraine in 2003 and was first adopted by a different couple, Dyan and Gary Ciccone, back in 2008. She only lived with the Ciccone family for two years before they claimed her behavior was disruptive and relinquished their parental rights.

This led Natalia to be placed up for adoption again, and in 2010, the Barnett family welcomed her into their Indiana home. She was thought to be 6 or 7 years old at the time, but soon afterward, the Barnetts claimed Natalia had adult traits, such as adult teeth and body hair, and believed she wasn't actually a little girl.

Additionally, they alleged Natalia was a "sociopath" and had tried to harm them and their biological children, Jacob, Wesley, and Ethan.

What happened to Natalia Grace and the Barnetts?

Max

The Barnetts ultimately petitioned an Indiana court in 2012 in order to change her birth year from 2003 to 1989. Legally, this made Natalia 22 years old, and she was placed in a Lafayette, Indiana, apartment by herself; meanwhile, the Barnetts relocated to Canada with their three sons, Jacob, Wesley, and Ethan.

Afterward, the Barnett family reportedly cut contact with Natalia, who moved in with another couple, Cynthia and Antwon Mans, about one month later. The Mans family petitioned to become her legal guardians in 2016, and by 2023, they were able to legally adopt Natalia.

What happened with Natalia Grace and the Mans?

Max

Nonetheless, Natalia wound up leaving Cynthia and Antwon's home by the end of 2023 after alleging they were controlling. She currently lives in upstate New York with the DePaul family and appeared in the docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks. There, she called the Barnetts abusive and alleged Kristine had hit her with a belt and pepper-sprayed her.

What happened to Kristine and Michael Barnett?

Max

Following their move to Canada, Michael and Kristine eventually got divorced but maintained that Natalia had exhibited violent behavior. Some allegations include that she'd appeared at the foot of their bed with a knife in her hand and attempted to poison Kristine's coffee.

Despite the fact that they filed the petition to change Natalia's age in 2012, Michael and Kristine weren't charged until 2019. They faced multiple counts of neglect, but Michael was found not guilty in 2022, and the charges against Kristine were subsequently dropped in 2023 after Michael testified in her pretrial.

Kristine Barnett reportedly wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post, "If there had been any abuse of Natalia or evidence of it, I would have been found guilty of it, and I would be in jail. I believe Natalia takes advantage of that sympathy to manipulate people."

Michael filed for divorce in 2014 and later appeared on The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks. As for Kristine, she has mostly flown under the public radar.

Still, following the finale of the docuseries, Kristine shared a long post on Facebook, responding to allegations against her.

"Natalia was a very much loved and cared for member of my family. She was not abused by anyone in my family. Let's get straight to these allegations. Nobody ever took a belt to Natalia, and the allegations that she was 'beaten' are just plain false. Any discipline of Natalia was very minimal and not out of the bounds of normal parenting," she wrote.

Natalia went on to call the docuseries "highly sensationalized," adding, "Michael Barnett and Natalia Barnett may have the same monster, but that monster is not me. That monster, whether it's mental illness, sociopathy, or whatever it actually is, may be different for each of them. But it's within their own psyche."

Who plays Natalia Grace Barnett today?

Disney/Ser Baffo

In Good American Family, Imogen Faith Reid plays Natalia Grace, and Mark Duplass depicts Michael Barnett. Ellen Pompeo has said the latest series intends to show both sides of the adoption story in an "intentional and thoughtful" way.

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