We’ve always thought of shoes as works of art (anything to justify our “collection”).

But in this case, there’s some legitimacy to our claim. Vancouver-based Cocopunkz hand-paints shoes in custom designs. So the black pumps sitting in the back of our closet? They can now be reinvented with a new paint job. And yes, the graphics are treated to survive a rainy Vancouver day. We handed over a pair of old heels, which were transformed with a pretty flower pattern inspired by the look of VitaminDaily.com. Starting at $300 per pair, these original works of art are not cheap. But neither is that Masik hanging on our wall.

And these go so much better with our sheer maxi skirt. —KD

http://cocopunkz.com/shoes

Grown-up Goldilocks stumbles into a shoe shop:
“This heel is too high.”
“This toe is too round.”
“This pump isn’t Isabel Marant enough.”

Milk & Honey has the just right pair. The L.A.-based company lets you custom design your own. Using their online shoe builder, choose a heel or flat and take your pick of 16 toe types, 3 backs, 11 straps, platforms, piping and bows. Nearly every fabric and colour is possible, from nude patent to red glitter (á la Dorothy) to vegan black snakeskin.

We played around and created a near copy of the much-coveted Isabel Marant suede Poppy pump for half the price.

And that’s no fairytale.

www.milkandhoneyshoes.com

Getaways to boutique hotels with one-of-a-kind art and custom linens call for a bespoke bag.

Pack the bare essentials into a piece from Palmer & Sons. Beautiful and well-built, the line of leather luggage is made in Vancouver the old way by father and son duo Nik and Jack. Each bag is constructed using hundreds of brass rivets hammered in by hand, fastened with unconventional closures like equestrian panic snaps and marine clasps and individually numbered using 100-year-old metal stamps. Made-to-order in two to three weeks, details like hue, handles and interiors can be customized.

Just be prepared that your Gladstone could get more attention at Gladstone Hotel check-in than you.

$230-$650 at www.palmerandsons.ca

See pics from our studio tour with Nik Palmer on the Editors’ Diary.

In the realm of music videos, we thought we’d seen it all, from Bjork’s gorilla dentist in “Army of Me” to anime eyes on Lady Gaga in "Bad Romance."

That was until Arcade Fire’s “The Wilderness Downtown.”

Set to the tune of their nostalgia-fueled single “We Used to Wait,” the new interactive online film takes you back to your childhood home through tech geekery and Google maps.

Multiple browser windows choreographed to the music appear like magic too, but like all videos its better watched than read about.

Tip: For optimal viewing, download Google Chrome and close other desktop applications.

www.thewildernessdowntown.com

When your son comes home from school with pink Crocs and a Barbie lunch kit he didn't leave home with, either it's time to start labeling his clothes—or buy him a subscription to Vogue.

Purchasing your fifth PCB-Free water bottle this school year, think of all the time and money you could have saved with stick-on name labels by Vancouver's Emily Press.

Specially designed to be laundry and dishwasher-safe, the tiny labels will make sure Poppy and  pencil case will always be reunited.

Design your custom labels at www.emilypress.com

The award for most agonizing item to shop for goes to the swimsuit, but in close second comes jeans.

If you identify, you’ll be riveted by Levi’s new Curve ID line. Focused on shape rather than size, the brand studied the bodies of 60,000 women, charting the difference between hip and seat measurements, to create three styles that account for 80 per cent of the female population. There’s Slight Curve for the straight-silhouetted who find waists too tight, Bold Curve for the hourglass girl who suffers from waist gape and Demi Curve for those in between.

Sans tears and gnashing of teeth, we got fitted in-store and found a skinny and straight style (there’s also bootcut) that looked sexy and felt comfy as all get-up.

Bye bye denim-shopping blues.

$79.50-$98 at Levi’s, 1068 Robson St., Vancouver, 604-331-9960, www.levi.ca

As a kid you couldn’t hit your bratty sister, but you could whack a piñata. In adulthood the same rules apply, but you can commission a piñata in the spitting image of your sibling with Your Piñata.

Call on Meaghan Kennedy, a Vancouver fashion girl turned couture craft girl with flame red hair and Flo-Jo nails to fix you a custom, handmade paper-mâché piñata of any person. She’s made Steve Martin, Kim Jong Il and a spot-on Perez Hilton for will.i.am. If the subject you want spoofed has tattoos, wears designer dresses or has dreadlocks, she delivers on those details. They can be stuffed with anything saccharine or sassy and take 3-7 days to create.

Smashing has never looked so smashing.

From $200, Your Piñata, 604-250-6307, www.yourpinata.com

Vitamin Daily Vancouver reader Elizabeth wrote, “Hi there, I'm looking for a nice wine and champagne cooler or ice bucket for my boyfriend. Ideally, I'd be able to have it monogrammed. Do you have any suggestions as to where I should go? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks very much.”

Herewith, our picks for cool coolers at three different price points:

For the gadget guy who favours function over flash, the Vacu Vin champagne cooler comes with a removable, reusable insert that chills champagne in five minutes flat sans ice. $64.99 at Homewerx, 1053 Davie St., Vancouver, 604-682-2204, www.homewerx.ca

Liberty’s silver champagne bucket is perfect for the regal gent. The front features an elegant engraved crest with a spot in the centre for adding your own monogram. $149 at Liberty, 1635 W. Broadway, Vancouver, 604-682-7499, www.libertyinside.com

A mod man will love the slick and shiny stainless steel cooler by Alessi with room for more than one bottle and a bigger, bolder engraving. $336 at Inform Interiors, 50 Water St., Vancouver, 604-682-3868, www.informinteriors.com

Kate Moss may have made Minnetonka sales skyrocket, but there’s a made-in-Vancouver moccasin that surpasses the supermodel’s mass-produced kind by a mile.

Out of a brick-walled Railtown studio, Ken Diamond and his girlfriend Jolene Eeuwes create leather booties by request. Available with fringe or without, there’s this season’s hues to choose from—marshmallow, black liquorice and mustard—or, for a little extra, request a custom colour (we spotted a bespoke brown pair lined with pastel pink).

The meticulously-made moccasins, complete with hand-braided laces, take four to six weeks to construct and come to you in a cute canvas backpack.

That’s what we call fringe benefits.

$325 at www.kendiamond.com