Darby Smart

February 16, 2014What I madeDarby Smart, Darby Smart February Review, Ink blot tilespacificnorthwestpear

I recently signed up for a new DIY subscription service called Darby Smart. For this subscription service, you have the option to sign up for a monthly box for $19 a month, or opt for a prepaid 6 month subscription or 12 month subscription at the same rate. The project is different each month and the type of craft varies.

This month I got my first box, and it was an ink blot coaster kit.

The kit contained the tiles, cork stickers for the bottoms, a prep fluid for the tiles, 3 colors of ink, a sponge brush, and some mod podge sealant.

The whole project took me about an hour, but I gave it some more time to dry. If you don’t like the way your tile turns out on the first try you can wash it off with soap and water and try again. I did this with the first two tiles because they got a bit streaky. My one suggestion to anyone trying this project would be to wear plastic gloves during the inking phase. I got ink all over my hands and neither soap and water nor nail polish remover could get it off. I’m sure it will eventually wear off.

Here are my finished projects:

I enjoyed the first project and can’t wait to see what next month will be.

My missing Stitch Fix has appeared!

February 15, 2014Stitch Fix Reviews41Hawthron, ezra, pear shaped body, Stitch Fix February, stitch fix review, TCEC, under skiespacificnorthwestpear

This afternoon we were pulling away from the house to go grab some lunch, and what did I see on my porch? A stitch fix box!! Apparently the one that was packed on 2/5 somehow magically made it’s way to my house. I eagerly opened it up to see what was inside, and while I wasn’t thrilled with what I saw, I ended up liking most of it. Here’s my February Fix.

I had asked for more patterned pieces this time, and apparently that amounted to stripes. At least there was only one solid colored piece.

Ezra Haines Striped Dolman Sleeve Top $48

By itself I don’t love this top. The scoop goes pretty low in the front and the back has a really open neck too which makes me feel cold. Since it is a nice light layer though with soft fabric I paired it with a military style jacket like the card suggested and it makes a great layering piece. Also looks cute with the necklace.

41Hawthorn Wrenn V-Neck Cap Sleeve Jersey Top $48

Again, by itself I don’t really care for this top. The color is nice and I like the neckline, but it needs to have a top layer. It also looked really cute with the necklace from this fix. Overall I’d say it’s a decent layering piece but definitely needs a good ironing first!

Under Skies Travers Short Sleeve Striped Knit Shirt $38

The fabric on this top is soft, but I’m not loving the navy and the sleeves were tight on my arms. (I seem to have abnormally large upper arms, despite almost never working out.) Again it would be cute under other items I own. I think it would look cute under a white jean jacket which I’ve been eying on the Old Navy site. I guess now I’ll have an excuse to buy it.

TCEC Roxanna Chevron Open Knit Cardigan $58

This was my least favorite piece. I’m not a fan of drapey cardigans (which I’ve stated in my profile before) and I don’t think this works for my body type. Since I was considering keeping the other 4 pieces I decided to go ahead and keep this in order to get the 25% discount. Otherwise this would have been going back.

Bay to Baubles Tatiana Delicate Rhinestone Pave Necklace

Love the necklace. It’s delicate but also unique. I’ll definitely be wearing this one a lot.

Overall Impressions

Nothing really thrilled me with this fix, but for the total price of $153 I decided to keep everything. I think some of the tops will make good layering pieces an I can definitely wear them under some of my favorite jackets. I had really been hoping for some patterned blouses, but maybe that’s just not something they are carrying right now.

If you like reading my stitch fix reviews and are interested in signing up for a fix, I’d be grateful if you use my referral code. Thanks!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2014What I'm wearingBoden, outfit idea pear shape, red pencil skirt, stitch fix, Valentines Day outfitpacificnorthwestpear

Today I decided to dress up a bit more than usual since I’m going out to a movie after work with my hubby. I paired this stretchy red pencil skirt with a black heart print blouse and a pair of adorable scotty dog shoes. I’ve had these shoes for years but never had a chance to wear them until now.

And here are a few other outfits I put together this week.

This is a sweater and skirt I got from Boden and had been waiting for an opportunity to wear. The skirt is my favorite color and I love the fit and pattern of the sweater.

Heritage Sweater – Boden $76.80

Wool Skater Skirt – Boden $70.80

This is a wrap top I got in my last stitch fix, and I’m wearing it with a necklace I made from “For the Makers”. The top was an interesting piece and I’m glad it made it into my last fix.

Where is my Stitch Fix?

February 14, 2014Stitch Fix Reviewsstitch fix customer service, stitch fix lost packagepacificnorthwestpear

I am so disappointed by my Stitch Fix experience this month. I was originally scheduled for a fix on Wednesday February 5th while I was finishing presenting at a conference I had been dreading. I thought coming home to a stitch fix would have been the perfect “pick me up”. Instead, I went to check the tracking information and the label had been created and I could see what items were in the box, but by Wednesday it had never left the warehouse. I contacted stitch fix customer service, and 2 full days later, I finally got a reply that they had lost my fix and promised to send me a new one the following week on 2/14 a week and a half later than the original one. I figured that a Valentines Day Stitch fix would be pretty cool and anxiously awaited the new one.

Fast forward to 2/12, and once again I noticed that no label had been created and nothing had been sent. I knew it took a minimum of 2 days to ship so if it hadn’t shipped by Wed I wasn’t getting a fix for Valentines Day. I once again contacted customer service by replying to the original thread and asked what was going on.

Two days later (Valentines Day when my fix was supposed to be arriving) I finally get a response from them saying they are sorry but it happened again. Wait, seriously??? They lost my fix twice in one month? Supposedly the glitch in my account has been fixed and now they are saying I’ll get a fix on 2/21, a week from today. I checked my credit card and I had been charged the $20 styling fee for the 2/5 box that never shipped, so I hope they don’t charge me a second time. I’m feeling much less confident about the service overall, and highly dissatisfied with the amount of time it takes customer service to respond to issues. A two day delay per inquiry is not very good, and so far they haven’t offered me a credit or anything for the so called “glitch”.

I’m really hoping that my February box (If I ever receive it) is awesome and worth the wait. I’ll update this post when I have more information.

Update:

The 2/5 stitch fix showed up on my porch out of the blue ten days late. After trying everything on and deciding I’d keep it, I contacted customer service since there was no way for me to check out online and let them know that I got it. Within minutes, they had fixed my account and I could check out online. I’m still getting another box this month which is fine, but I was a bit surprised that when I had a problem it took 48 hrs to hear back, when I magically get a box and need to pay them money I get a response within minutes on a weekend no less. I’m grateful to have the whole thing sort of taken care of (there is still the extra box coming this month) but at least things sort of worked out and I got a box with some okay pieces for a decent price.

Week of casual layers and one skirt

January 25, 2014What I'm wearingbooties, circle skirt, For the Makers, Golden Tote, H&M, layered looks, Loft, military style jacket, outfit ideas pear shape, skater skirtpacificnorthwestpear

This week I mainly picked out outfits with casual layers so I could stay warm at the office but still look put together.

stripes and layers — stripes and military jacket

Here I’m wearing a new faux layered look top from LOFT, and a necklace I made from my January “For the Makers” kit. The top is really comfortable and gives the look of layers without the bulk.

Two in One Softened Shirt – Ann Taylor Loft $59.50

Crown Vintage Samantha Bootie – DSW $69.95

Necklace – For the Makers

I got this lace blouse from Golden Tote , and the jacket is from Kohls. The delicate layered necklace is from H&M.

Diba pilot lace up boots – DSW $59.95

I got this quilted puffer vest from Banana Republic last weekend and the coordinating sweater on the same shopping trip. I had actually been looking for a puffer vest I saw in the H&M catalog, but the store I visited didn’t have it. When I saw this in Banana Republic I tried it on and knew it was a keeper. Everything in the store was 40% off and I had an additional $40 gift card so I got a great deal on it.

Quilted vest – Banana Republic $98.00

Striped textured cotton sweater – LOFT $59.50

This outfit was actually layered as well, but I took off the black faux leather jacket for the photo so you could see the cute pattern on the blouse. The blouse and skirt are both from LOFT.

Circle skirt in mid weight scuba – LOFT $49.99

Diba Pilot Bootie – DSW $54.95

For the Makers – January review

January 19, 2014What I madeDIY projects, For the Makers review, homemade jewelry, project ideaspacificnorthwestpear

This month’s For the Makers box arrived on the same day as Paper Pumpkin and I was really happy they got here in time for the weekend. I ended up spending Sunday morning doing crafts. Here’s what came in this month’s box.

This month’s collection was called “Sedona Sunset” and consisted of a chunky necklace, a stretchy bracelet, a faux leather notebook cover, and a clay bowl. All of them were fun to make, and the degree of difficulty was pretty low compared to the necklace from last month with the super thick chain.

Here are the finished products:

For the Makers Sedona Sunset — Chunky Necklace

This one was fun to make, but the metal beads that hold the rope together were rather stubborn and again my jewelry pliers were too delicate to really close them so I borrowed a pair of heavier pliers from the toolbox in the garage.

This one was super easy but really cute. I will probably end up wearing it quite a bit.

It’s hard to tell from the pic, but it’s a lavender faux leather notebook cover. You sew the edge then attach the metal piece that holds it shut. Pretty straightforward but I had to cover a notebook that already had a cute cover because it was the only one I had that fit.

For this one, you needed an oven safe bowl to shape the clay and bake it in the oven, but I wasn’t sure if any of my cereal bowls were oven safe so I found the only thing that was specifically labeled as oven safe, and it was a small ramekin used for fondue. The shape is a little weird, and the clay wasn’t quite as swirly as I had been hoping for, but it was a fun little project.

Overall, I think I liked the December kit best with all of the sparkle, but these were great projects for a slow Sunday afternoon. I really like this subscription service!

For more about For the Makers, learn more here.

A Pear to Remember

How to dress a pear shaped body