I live in a small town of around 12000 people and our shopping options can be quite limited. Usually, if you want to find something new and different, you have to look online to find it.

I'm pretty particular about my feet and my shoes. Not just any pair of shoes works for me. My feet just don't tolerate cheap shoes or poorly made shoes. Comfort is number one in my book and if I don't pay close attention to that, my feet let me know it. Thus, I can't just hop online and order shoes that are my hearts desire or that are fun eye candy. I need to try shoes on and even then, it's often hard to tell if they're going to work for me until after I've walked in them a while.

So, imagine my surprise when my sister-in-law bought me a pair of shoes for my birthday. She was a brave soul for sure! Or perhaps she just didn't realize how hard I am to please in the shoe department.

Since I had commented on a couple occassions how cute her tennis shoes were, she thought I'd like a pair too. She knows I'm all about organic, all natural and sustainable products.

When I saw the gift, I was super excited. They're super cute, and not just any shoe, but eco friendly shoes no less! Oh, but in the back of my mind, I was nervous that they weren't going to work for me. Were they going to fit? Were they going to be comfortable? I tried not to show my nervousness. I hope they work she said and if not you can exchange them. That gave me a little comfort that I could always try for another pair.

Initially, I thought they felt good, but I wasn't ready to say I was keeping them. After a few days of wearing them though, I realized that these cool looking, fun and eco friendly shoes were actually the right size and they're comfortable! Awesome!

Well, not only did my sister-in-law buy just one pair of shoes but she went out on a limb and risked buying my teenager a pair as well! Since my daughter and I wear the same size, she thought we could share and get the benefit of wearing two hip styles. Here's where she got it wrong. My daughter has already expressed to me that there is a very slim chance she is sharing her fab purple eco friendly shoes with me. Darn!

So, what makes these great shoes eco friendly? The company Simple Shoes strives for 100% sustainability. The materials they use include organic cotton, hemp, silk, wool, bamboo, coconut, cork, recycled paper, recycled car tires, recycled plastics, recycled carpet padding, natural rubber and certified eco suedes and leathers. Vegan? They have vegan friendly shoes too!