I won. At least, I’m pretty sure I did… This past Father’s Day, I got my dad the best present of all. A present that would make him love me the most. And a present that would make him all sorts of stylish without anyone having to know it was my idea. Enter: TOMS shoes. Natural burlap men’s classics, to be exact. Ever since I jumped on the TOMS bandwagon a few months ago, I have been in looove. With the comfort, the style, the convenience of slipping them on, and the cause behind it all. That is why July’s 1 For Me // 1 For You winner will receive their own pair of TOMS of equal or lesser value as my very own rope sole classics!! That way, you can be as cool as my dad. Or at least, try. :) Here are the rules!!
- What is it? It’s simple! If I have one of something that I find functional, fashionable, or just plain fun, I send the winner a duplicate!
- Who can enter? Pretty much anyone and everyone. Whether you’re a friend, client, past client, future client, or random reader, enter it up! (Please see the not-so-fine print below for full rules and restrictions!)
- How long do I have to enter? You’ll have until next Sunday, July 10th at midnight CST to enter. The winner will be chosen at random using the random number generator at Random.org and announced the next morning, Monday, July 11th.
- Sweet! How do I get my shot at winning? You must comment (and answer the specific question asked at the end of the post) on this 1 For Me // 1 For You post to enter. Comments left via Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere will not be taken into consideration.
- But why? Because contests are fun, and TOMS shoes are funnest. Yes, funnest. :)
My new kicks. I also have the ash canvas classics. I love both pairs so much, I’d totally wear one of each. If that wasn’t totally weird.
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And YOUR pair can be found on the TOMS website! Upon winning, I’ll just need your shoe size and style preference, and they’ll be on their way to your door!
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Question to enter: How are you celebrating the fourth of July this year? And if you’re reading this after the fourth, how DID you celebrate it?
Jessica - This year for the fourth i did a few things. Yesterday I went to a very fun party and played soccer and volleyball for three hours. Needless to say i am sore today lol. Today I am catching up on some summer work and having family BBQ as well asgoing to the fireworks with my dad tonight. :)
Karen A. - What a great gift! I love my TOMS. I celebrated the 4th of July by walking around Rome in my TOMS with my friends! They are so comfortable. I’ve visited Florence, Torino and Verona while wearing them and they are my sworn traveling shoes!!! Haven’t let me down yet! I got them just for this summer cause I would be traveling. Happy 4th of July!
Jessamy - We spent the morning in Lakeville, CT with the kids and grandparents. Lakeville is the most gorgeous, ritzy little town with a fabulous private lake. The kids had a blast playing in the water while we listened to a band play patriotic music after the reading of The Declaration of Indipendence!! Super morning! ;)
Annie S - I love the fouth usually! We celebrate with a bbq and fireworks. This year my husband and I are taking turns taking care of our just turned two yesterday son who has been running a very high fever and getting ill all over us!
DJ C. - My boyfriend came to visit me and we climbed a mountain, did fireworks to nights in a row, went to the lake, made smores, went out to eat a bunch, and spent time with my family. Great giveaway, TOMS is a wonderful organization and cause. I’m def buying some for myself before school starts if I don’t win! Happy 4th to you :)
Jesslyn Amber - OMG! I die!! I have been wanting a pair of TOMS for foreverrrrr!!! What a great prize. You’re amazing, Alyse! I am celebrating the 4th of July with my boyfriend and our friends tonight by watching fireworks and grilling out at the lake! :)
Chelsea Brown - I spent the beautiful day swimming at my aunts house playing with my two little cousins who refused to let me float peacefully :). Tonight, my sister and I will be going to see fireworks with my church friends at the plaza in Albany, NY.
Debby Morales - My husband proposed to me two years ago, today, while we were helping my family pack for our two week vacation. We laid out on the grass and named cloud shapes when he, suddenly, slipped my great grandmother’s engagement ring on my finger. He asked me to be his wife that day and every year since, and future years to come, we will celebrate by laying out and naming clouds shapes:) We would be going to see fireworks as well but his job requires him to work at night many days of the week so that is unlikely. I am perfectly content with spending as much time as possible enjoying time with him on this day and remembering all the ‘butterflies’ that went along with it on that special Independence Day:)
Happy 4th of July!
Molly - Okay, I really want to win. I need comfortable shoes that are not former running shoes. On this 4th of July, I went for a 4 mile run and soon I will be stuffing my face with hamburgers and potato salad, followed by fantastic fireworks when the sun goes down.
Riley Woods - I’m doing Teach For America right now, so yesterday we celebrated with a BBQ and fireworks here in Mississippi, but today I am spending the day writing lesson plans for the upcoming week of summer school.
I would really love these TOMS because apparently they’re the cool shoe to have among TFA Corps Members lol and I don’t have any!
Allison Waken - I’ve been dying to try a pair of TOMS! We are celebrating the 4th by BBQing, swimming, and watching fireworks on the roof :)
Brandy - I will be spending the 4th baking strawberry and blueberry muffins with my little one and and some fun in the sun and then a walk to the park to enjoy the fireworks. Of course, a night without homework means we will have to have our own little dancing celebration. Have a wonderful holiday!
Aimee - Toms saved my life (aka my feet) when I vacationed in NYC last month. They are awesome!! Today I hung out by the pool and is cooking my meals for the week. It’s a low key kind of 4th this year. :)
Faith - This is such an awesome idea!! :) I’ve spent my fourth of July having no particular agenda… I went with my family to Cookout (a hamburger restaurant) because I’m pretty sure it’s mandatory to have a cheeseburger on the fourth of July! ;) We rode around town and visited a friend’s new bakery. Today has been relaxing and I’m loving it! How is (or was… depending on when you read this!) YOUR fourth of July, Alyse?! :)
Kata - I am spending my fourth of July just relaxing with my hubby because it is our first day off in 3 weeks!
Alicia Pyne - We just laid low around the house and watched movies all day! It’s nice to have an extra day of relaxation!!
Dawn M - I spent the weekend taking pics of a wedding, Lisa &Dave! We barely escaped the nasty storm that started right after the ceremony.
Athena - My 4th has been spent lounging around and watching television/movies all day. I had a busy weekend so I just wanted to relax before going back to work tomorrow.
Casey Gable - I spend my 4th of july shooting beautiful a morning wedding! My boyfriend was also in town, so he assisted me, then we got to spend some quality time together afterwards. :)
p.s. from one photographer to another, I LOVE your work. Keep it up! I hope you enjoyed your holiday!
Michelle Lynch - We spent today in NC, visiting family. It rained for a huge chunk of the day, so we spent it inside playing board games. It was nice to really be able to do something everyone could do, and interact with. Now that the rains let up we’re just waiting on the fireworks! Happy 4th!
stephanie rita - Nate & i went in to Boston today! so fun to celebrate in the most historic city i can think of. also, i was legit telling him earlier today how i want a pair of Toms! great minds think alike.
Carine U - I love TOMS! :) Such a great summer shoe! I spent the 4th at the ocean and had a great bbq with fam and friends. Just came back from watching fireworks! Happy 4th!!
Erin - Parade and a picnic! No fireworks…too late for the kids. Hopefully next year!
Lauren - My siblings and I ran a 5 mile race together in our hometown. It was pretty exhausting but makes you feel so accomplished the rest of the day.
lindsay - super cute!!! =) 4th of july was spent with my adorable family at a hometown parade…then home for naps and picking up the house before a few friends came over for a bbq…no fireworks this year due to our recent arrival (and her delicate little ears!)
Lindsey - I looove toms!!! Hehe… This year for the fourth of July I slept in… Yahoo!!! And then went to the pool with some friends before heading to a bbq with all sorts of fun people.
Jenn - I spent the 4th helping friends remodel their house. Hard work and good company topped off with a dip in the pool, brats, and fireworks made the day perfect.
Taylor - hanging around a huge bonfire with lifetime friends, watching illegal fireworks go off only feet away from you while hardly being able to keep your eye open as they go off,(due to them being so dog gone bright), and simply enjoying company on a very special day!
Heidi Ann - Family, cheese burgers, potato salad, games, and fireworks of course! :)
Allison Brophy - Oh my! I LOVE TOMS! They are so comfy!!!! Focus Allison, ok 4th of July – I spent the morning drifting around my aunt’s pool soaking up the rays and playing bumper floaties with my cousin (it makes me laugh so hard!). The evening was spent sitting on the stairs of the museum at the Empire Plaza watching amazing fireworks show! I love the 4th!!!!
Amy Chandler - Love Toms!!! Ryan and I went to a friends’ house and grilled burgers, swam, played volleyball, then watched Harry Potter! Lots of fun on the fourth!
Brittany Nissley - Yay TOMS are my absolute favorite shoes.:) I celebrated July 4th by watching fireworks from a plane over Baltimore [on my way home from vacation]:)
Danielle Nurenberg - I spent it out at Camp WOW with my fiance and friends that are working there. My sister and niece also joined me. My poor little niece was getting in her molars and so she wasn’t feeling well and ended up crying almost the entire time. It was fun and good to see everyone, but now I’m exhausted and have my baby fix for a LONG time!
Chelsea Davis - We celebrated with friends this year– swinging by a fun pool party and later, sitting under the glow of white string lights as we watched the fireworks over downtown Houston. We may or may not have inhaled BBQ and patriotic-looking cupcakes along the way :)
Rebecca - We went to the lake, sat out on the beach, and watched the city firework show! It was grand! :) – Rebecca
Rachelle - Strangely enough, I also spent part of my 4th of July working on my taxes. I followed that up with a barbecue with the family and fireworks with friends.
Alexa Rose - I had a lazy day for the 4th. I relaxed and watched movies all day with my hubby :) andd listened to the fireworks.
Jess Z. - Ohhhh goodness, these have to be the cutest Toms I’ve ever seen! Let’s see, onto the 4th… Ryan, myself, and two of our friends drove back from NYC, watched the Adjustment Bureau (loved it! The ending wasn’t so strong, but interesting movie) and then watched the Boston fireworks from afar. I’m firework-obsessed, but I’m not into the whole three hour ride on the subway because of the hundreds of thousands of people who went to the fireworks show kinda thing. Just not worth it after a weekend in NYC. Next year? I think so!
Weslea - I slept til 2 in the afternoon, relaxed for a while, ate dinner, and watched Gnomeo and Juliet… So incredibly relaxing! :)
Erin Haase - My 4th was a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I snuck in some time at work and cleaned the kitchen before my fiance and I met up with friends for a picnic while we waited to watch the fireworks!
Aysha G - I spent the 4th of July at home with my family! I’m not one for fireworks, even though I could hear and see them from my bedroom door. It was nice to just have a day to relax :)
April Russell - Spent the day with family at the pool eating pork chops and watermelon!
pam - I saw the movie Cars2…okey my son could only sit through 45 minutes and go bored of it. So we ate lots of junk food during the day & to make up for it we had a very healthy dinner of salmon with steamed spinach & soybeans on the side. Oh and we watched a marathon of hoarders which made us feel sick to our stomach after the 6th episode. UGH the animal hoarders were the worse.
Okey totally boring 4th but whatever we went to the beach on Sunday, that makes up for the boring 4th right?
BTW I’ve been dying for a pair of Tom’s but I haven’t had time to go to a store that sells them LOL
Cari - I celebrated July 4th by going to Austin and ending up in Houston bc of On Star. I floated down the river and got to play with my new little nephew. It was full laughter, memories and lots of gas in the car.
Imani F. - Oh, how I would love a pair of Toms!! I had a pretty quiet & relaxing 4th of July. Watched a movie with my sister. Cooked dinner for my family. And then ended the day by making 4th of July cupcakes!
Hope - My hubby and I spent the morning playing volley ball at church, the afternoon in the pool, and the evening hanging out with cousins! Super fun and relaxing. :)
Jaime O. - My fourth of July was the best ever!! I went camping the night before, so I woke up in a tent and then watched the parade in my hometown! Then my best friends from school came and we went kayaking alll day! It was getting late and we were starving so we went out to dinner and got done JUST in time for the fireworks over the lake. They were absolutely gorgeous! It was the best day :)
sandy wood - hubby and i had a relaxing day near the pool..then quietly celebrated with ‘poppers’ on our patio :) Made a mess..but it was a happy mess :)
Melissa Waller - Oh, I have been wanting a pair of these forever. I bet they are comfortable for photo shoots. For the 4th I spent the night in the ER with my daughter. She has serious stomach issues and unfortunately had to go through a battery of tests to discover that she suffers from IBS. We did get to see the fireworks on the way home though. ;)
Lacey Rabalais - I spent the forth hanging out with my family at my aunt’s beach house is Alabama. I got the most awesome “wave runner” sun burn (life jacket, sunglasses, and only the fronts of my legs). But I enjoyed the celebration and great company.
Alison - ooooh these look so comfy!!! July 4th is my favorite weekend of the year! family, fireworks and food!
Jillian Tree - Oh, I’ve been wanting a pair of TOMS for a while! Last night for the 4th of July we hung out with friends, and later with other friends we went to the city park & watching the fireworks! :)
kristen padula - for independence day, we went to breakfast with my dad’s family, had our neighbors over for dinner, then went to this lil fair a minute from our casa. ps. i’m excited to hear more about the new project! =)
April Islip - Since my husband at I live at Howe Caverns we have the best view of the Schoharie Valley and of 5 different Firework shows!! This year we purchased our very own charcoal bbq grill and invited the family over for a BBQ, previous to that we marched in the 4th of July Parade with the Fabulous Beekman Boys!!
Lisa Miedema - I spent my July 4th making goat cheese, having a picnic with my family, cousins, and grandma. We had sausage cooked in the fire pit because we didn’t have any gas for the grill. lol In the evening my husband and I watched fireworks over Colgate University. It was a lovely day!
Amy - I had such high hopes of seeing fireworks on the waterfront! …but sadly it thunderstormed all day and night. (As much I adore thunderstorms… i wanted to see me some fireworks! haha…) Anyways so instead I spent the night hanging out with some beautiful friends…so sad to not have fireworks but quite happy to spend the day with some lovely people…:)
Rebekah Lyn - I went to see the fireworks over the bay in my town!
Sarah Korzun - I spent some of the day relaxing outside reading a book; then had a small cookout with friends and family; then finally went to see fireworks!
kate - so this year, i spent my holiday bustling through airports and sleeping uncomfortably in airplanes. BUT i do love traveling, and being in San Diego for two weeks was so worth it. ALSO:: hundreds of fireworks shows from the airplane= wayy cool.
Kandi - We spent the 4th with family! Pool party at my brothers, parade in small town George, Iowa (yea!), eating at the Pizza Ranch (if you have not tried it, you should!), sat through a pie auction, played with the nieces, watched fireworks and then drove back home to Minnesota at 5:00 am the next day! :-)
Aly - We celebrated the day before the 4th with a Red Sox game and then an amazing meal with the two awesomest people ever! Then we spent the 4th doing a whole lot of nothing and enjoying the leftovers you sent us home with!
Mackenzie Mitchell - I celebrated the 4th of July with my fantastic husband driving 9 hours back to Virginia Beach after spending the weekend with our family in NY
Bethany McDonnell - My husband and I invited some friends for a BBQ cookout at a park. Then we waited for the fireworks–eating snacks, playing ApplesToApples, throwing the frisbee, and singing patriotic songs. We watched gorgeous fireworks over Pensacola Bay…and we had front row seats :)
Jess S - We STRETCHED our 4th of July celebration out! We started with a wedding on Saturday, then spent Sunday and Monday at the lake with my family, playing volleyball, swimming and setting off oh so many fireworks. Then we ended the long weekend Tuesday, with a huge Spaghetti dinner and ice cream with my husband’s family. It was wonderful! Just what summer’s all about! :-)
Charlene Padula =) - On the 4th of July, we had a lovely breakfast with my in-laws, did a little work around the house, had neighbors over for a barbecue, then went to a local fair…which ended with fireworks!
Erin Caywood - spent the 2nd at my favorite place- Lake Ontario and the Chimney Bluffs- an amazing geologic formation along the shore that creates numerous, weird shaped bluffs that are so fun to climb and make me feel like a teenager again ;)
Also, the annual fireworks at the NYS Plaza could be seen from my street, wo we just watched them from there.
sarah s. - We watched the fireworks in NYC over the Hudson River!!!
Nia - This 4th of July was very different for me :D It was spent as being a youth leader at my churches youth camp. Aside from the usual “church” camp rigmarole, we had a tug-of-war competition, which we won. played basketball. Got “blobbed”, played uno, and had an incredible night praise and worship service. Unlike my usual 4th of July’s spent admiring beautiful firework displays, there were none this year because of the burn ban in recent drought. HOWEVER, in God’s majestic”ness”, you could say they were better than fireworks ;)
Noelle R - This year Chris and I continued our Fourth of July traditions by going to the Plaza at Albany for the big fireworks. The fireworks last for about a half an hour and are amazing from beginning to end. Love them & our tradition <3 Hope yours was great too!
Jill Bogli - Little one and I spent the 4th with my family and then off to Josh’s side for pool side fun and Lake Avenue fireworks. :) Oh yeah, with TONS of food.
Sarah Jane - I had a laid back 4th of July- barbecue with my family, then fireworks. It was great!
Chris Potash - The fam and I climbed a baby mountain in the Adirondacks (only 2 miles up and back)- then marveled at the beauty at the top and counted ourselves blessed living in the USA!
Katie E - This year we had a cookout at my parents house (ate a lot!!) and ate even more when I went out to sushi with friends after :) And then watched the most amazing fireworks with a glass of wine. Such a good day!
angela p - HI!! We spent part of the day unpacking and then watched neighborhood fireworks from our balcony, then walked to the waterfront to see the big guns fly :) I’ve never owned a pair of TOMS before but I’ve heard they’re quite comfy, being preggers and all, I’ll put them to good use! :) Miss you! xoxo
Cesilia - Unfortunately, my fiance’ works nights and that includes ALL holidays, so the kids and I spent it at home relaxing and watched “Rango” (the animated movie starring Jonny Depp’s voice). Had he not worked, we would of all gone downtown for the fireworks show.
Martha - I spent my 4th at home editing!! Not too glamorous, but since I had some family time that weekend I was definitely in need of some quality catch up time!
Dareth Haley - Eric, the kids and I had a great day hanging out with friends. The kids were able to swim in their pond, Isaiah FINALLY conquered the diving board. An all around beautiful day here in upstate NY.
Emily - This year I was on vacation in the Thousand Islands! After a long day of boating across the St. Lawrence river with family and friends. We came back and ate s’mores and sang songs by the campfire while watching fireworks go off in the background. :)
Thanks so much for the chance to win a pair of Toms. I love your blog! I always get so excited when you post new pictures. Keep up the amazing work! :)
Stephanie Briant - This year was a very special Fourth for my family. It was the first for my new daughter and first for my husband and I as a married couple. We spent the day relaxing poolside. Later at night we went to see fireworks at Trinity River over the water. We taught my 3 year old it was Americas birthday. It was so cute to watch her sing happy birthday to “Amerdada” all day! The baby loved the fireworks and it made me smile to watch her face light up and hear her squeals of delight with each brightly colored boom in the sky. It made me realize how lucky I truly am. I am blessed with a beautiful family. Thank you to our nations heroes for giving me the opportunity to lead the life I do!
Wesley - I spent it with some of my best friends. We had a BBQ/swim party to celebrate my friend’s birthday, which was that day. Then, we went to watch fireworks at a high school near my friend’s house. It was a nice family atmosphere and I really enjoyed spending it with great company.
Kaley G - This year for the 4th I had wonderful grilled hamburgers with my family made by my dad! Then we went and watched fireworks at night :)
Heather - I spent the weekend and Monday, the 4th, at a Native American Pow Wow as a vendor. I so appreciated the sincere honoring that occurred of our US veterans, military, fallen soldiers and deceased veterans.
Natalie Dawley - Our 4th was spent relaxing and resting at home with our boys. We met family for dinner and then went to the ROCC for the best display of fireworks in Houston! I teared up thinking about how free I am in America and life with Christ!
Breanna Klontz - For the Fourth we… went to the Sacandaga Lake with friends and went out on a boat to watch the Lanzi’s fireworks on the lake!! :-)
Kathy - Woke up on the 4th in the tent I’d pitched in my own backyard for an overnight mini-camping experience. Then spent the afternoon with my friend’s family. Finally at home flipping between TV specials to find the best acts (Steve Martin playing banjo).
Samantha S. - We sat home all day, chillen with the kids. It was a very relaxing 4th of July! Then at about 9pm fireworks started going off everywhere around us. We went out back and watched a few go off. It was a great day! :D
Hannah - I went sailing on the Hudson and watched the fireworks at West Point. I also saw the cutest pair of Toms (on a 10 year old, but maybe the kids size would fit?) and immediately wanted the same pair!!
Ashley Woods - I celebrated the fourth at ocean city, new jersey with some of my best friends. We listened to glee, came up with songs to almost everything that we said, waited in endless traffic, walked the boardwalk and we’re just thankful for time off to be able to spend together. And for the freedom we all share daily.
Emily - We went to a parade and then a picnic at my parents. Would have loved to go to fireworks but the kids were cranky and needed to go to bed! :)
EmilyBellinger - In Bethel Maine, you always celebrate the fourth of July on a Saturday, and so my family gathered for fireworks on the 2md.
On the actual fourth of July we did what all the cool kids do… and alternated between watching Washington DC and NYC on TV. I mostly watched DC to see JOsh Groban perform… but all in all it was a nice low key day with the people I love the most!
Deborah Crosby - Well, this 4th was terrific because the weather was terrific and our country is terrific too (thank you Founding Fathers as well as all those brave terrific people in the military, including my wonderful Dad, who’ve kept us free) And so we went to the 2nd oldest running parade in the US, in Springfield Center, NY and then came home and had a picnic with all of my terrific family and then went to fireworks and visited with some wonderful friends! :) Thanks Alyse, this is fun.
Barbara Van Spanje - will I ever get picked :)
Kathy - I celebrated 4th of July by sitting in a boat and watching fireworks with friends :) I hope you had a great one!