Christmas Squares

I love the combo of teal and red at Christmas time.  I also love the idea of taking a basic shape and turning it into a themed cookie.  So... here are some square Christmas cookies using the bright colors of red, green, teal, white, and black.  I made these with no particular purpose in mind but I ended up using these as teacher gifts.  Each one in a little clear bag looked so adorable.  There was a tiny bit of left over dough so I made a few bit size cookies as well.  If you are interested in ordering some cookies, click here for details.

Frozen Themed Birthday

I was so excited to be asked to make cookies for a Frozen themed birthday party.  The cookies were to be given as party favors to all the little guests.  I made four designs... a tiara, blue snowflake, white snowflake, and a #5.  Each of the cookies were individually wrapped in a clear bag and tied with a silver twist tie.  If you would like to order some cookies for a special event, please click here.

Thanksgiving is here!... well, almost.

My sweet husband volunteered our family to host Thanksgiving this year.  Yes, I say sweet because I am working the entire day so he will have all the prep and cooking to do himself.  Of course I had to make some Thanksgiving cookies to go with our meal.  There are SO many cute design ideas floating around out there so I pulled a few of my favorites and gave them a try.  This tray is a dozen regular size cookies plus a dozen bite size.  I love to put the little ones in with big ones.  It helps to really make the tray look full and they are just such fun little sample cookies.  If you would like to order some of these yummies, click here for details.

White and Gold Christmas Cookies

These Christmas cookies were made to match a white and gold Christmas theme.  Gold sprinkles and gold powder dust were used as accents on the white cookies.  For pricing and details, click here.

Pink and Black Birthday Cookies

These birthday cookies were made using bright pink, black, and white icing for an 8 year old's birthday.   For pricing and details click here.

Stitch Fix Review August 2015

Can you believe the summer is almost over??  The kids are heading back to school in just a couple weeks and I am so sad.  I love it when they are home!  Besides, who is going to help me with my Stitch Fix reviews when they are back at school :-)

This month's box just arrived and I decided to do another video.  I generally am not one to want to see myself on camera or share myself with the world so last month I felt totally strange doing an un-boxing video.  However, I got a lot of positive comments so I figured I could do it again.  Plus, I have become obsessed with watching other people's videos too so I want to contribute myself.  Here goes!

This time I added in some quick shots of me trying on the clothes.  Please have mercy on me.  I have zero knowledge on how to edit a video so I mashed these up together as best I could.

Here's my style card from this months' fix.  I love how personalized this service is. 

Okay so the clothes.  I accidentally sent back the items I didn't want prior to taking photos so I only have the pictures from the two items I kept.  I will go ahead and show you the style cards for the other items though.

Andrew Marc Cora Shift Dress, Size L, $78

 I just didn't like this dress.  It was a bit more tight that I am comfortable with and I felt like it was a bit plain.  If I am going to spend big bucks on clothes, I have to LOVE them.  I didn't love this.  Verdict: RETURNED

Renee C Lahna Printed Dress, Size L, $78

 This is a pretty cool dress and definitely had that "different" factor I was looking for.  However, it was too tight in the chest and was a little more snug all over than I would like.  The main problem though was the side seams.  They did not match AT ALL.  Not cool.  Not cool at all.  This shows poor quality and I certainly let Stitch Fix know when I reviewed the clothes.  Verdict: RETURNED

Papermoon Wynn Blouse, Size L, $48 (I think)

 This blouse was so-so but had a few issues that I can't live with.  One, it's super sheer so in my opinion it should have come with a cami to wear under it.  Second, the pockets on the breast look like some kind of strange exterior bra.  Un, no thank you.  Finally, it was snug in the arms and made me feel like I was wearing a straight jacket.  Verdict: RETURNED

Brixon Ivy Pinson Drape Cardigan, Size L, $48 (I think)

Don't you love this??!!  I think it's fantastic.  I have already worn it out during the day with just some jeans and a cami and then I have worn it to work with some dressier pants.  It's perfect.  It adds a layer of whimsy and romance to my wardrobe.  The style card has it paired with a dress and a colored shirt and I don't know if I'm that adventurous yet.  For now I will keep this styled over a white shirt.  Verdict: KEPT

Margaret M Emer Houndstooth Straight Leg Pant, Size L, $98

One word for these pants: Perfection.  These are the most comfortable and versitile pants I have ever seen.  They will be great in summer or winter, with casual shirts or a dressy blouse.  I love them.  I love them so much I have asked for them in every color and style they come in.  Victoria if you are reading this, SEND MORE EMER PANTS!  Verdict: KEPT

If you have ever thought about joining Stitch Fix, I highly recommend it.  I would also love it if you would use my referral link.  I am not affiliated with Stitch Fix in any way but if you sign up with my link, I get $25 off my next order.  Thanks!  Here is the link.

Stitch Fix Unboxing and Review #3, July 2015

Okay I did something a little different this time. I have become obsessed with reading other people's review's of their Stitch Fix boxes and from there I discovered Stitch Fix un-boxings on YouTube. Sounds silly I know. A girl needs a get-away sometimes and this has become mine. There is just something so fun about watching people open a surprise. You also get to see the clothes on video so you see more about what you may like or dislike. A couple friends asked me if they could see me actually open the box so I thought, what the heck, I should video an un-boxing myself. Since I have never even turned on the webcam on my computer I thought it would be too hard but it ended up being a breeze. The quality is not very good so please forgive me but here goes.....

Man the sound and video quality on that thing are terrible.  Sorry about that!  At least you get the idea.   Now, as is typical of Stitch Fix clothing, my opinions of the clothes totally changed when I put everything on.  If you read this before 7/10/15, please please comment below with your opinions of what I should keep or return.  I am totally stuck!!!

Just in case you have no idea what I am talking about here, Stitch Fix is a clothing subscription service where you pay $20 for a stylist to pick out 5 items for you based on a style profile you fill out and a Pinterest page you create.  You can set the boxes to come as frequently or infrequently as you would like.  When the box comes, you have 3 days to decide what you want to keep and to return all the rest.  You fill out very detailed reviews of the clothing so that the stylist can get a better idea of what you like or dislike for your next fix.  The $20 styling fee is taken off any of the items you keep.  I am NOT affiliated with Stitch Fix in any way.  They have no idea who I am.  I just really like the service and love talking about it. If you join Stitch Fix from my link, I do get a $25 credit from Stitch Fix.  This is the same for everyone.

Tracy Dot Print Cross Back Knit Top $58.00

 If you watched the video you know that I was not very excited about this top.  I liked the color and the polka dots but I was unsure of the length and the flowy-ness (Is that a word?).  Well all things changed when I put it on.  This material is THE softest jersey cotton ever.  It seriously feels like wearing a cloud.  The sleeves are a perfect length and they have a bit of soft elastic around them that is not too tight or too loose.  The length seems to be fine and I love the criss-cross detail in the back.  The other good thing is that my husband loves it too.  Win!  The price is way over what I normally would pay but I know I will get a lot of use out of this shirt.  I can wear it for play and for work which is huge.  Verdit: Kept!

Kut from the Kloth Melissa Tencel Short $58

I just put a picture of my ass on the internet.  Please forgive me.  I was not impressed with these shorts when I took them out of the box but they did fit and I gave them a good try.  They are shorter than I normally wear and they sit low which I don't like that much.  But, when I came out wearing them my husband loved them (you will notice a theme here).  I wore them for about an hour to see what I thought.  I am not in love with the color.  They look like "mom jeans" however, I am a mom and I'm almost 40.  Can you tell I was torn?  Then I saw these photos.  No.  I do not like the way these look.  For $58 they better be the best looking shorts in the world.  Verdict: Returned

Pixley Lucia Embroidered V-Neck Jersey Top $44

Once again, my husband loves this shirt but I am just not sure.  I love love the color and detail at the top.  It's just perfect.  The feel of this shirt is great.  The material is soft and well made.  However, the arms are just a bit too snug and for some reason it sits funny on my boobs.  I promise I am wearing a good bra in these photos but something is just not right.  I love the look from the back but again, for the price, I have to LOVE everything about this in order to buy it.  Verdict: Probably Retun (any opinions?)

Level 99 Ibis Straight Leg Jean $108

 Another butt shot.  Sorry about that.  Once again, my husband loved these.  He really wanted me to keep the entire box.  Well, he didn't see the prices.  Because these pants are EXPENSIVE!  I mean I never spend over $100 on a pair of pants.  Never.  I would possibly consider it if they were regular jeans that I could wear all summer, fall, winter, and spring but not these.  I mean I love them.  They fit (and they are a size smaller than last month, yay) but they are so expensive.  Did I mention how expensive they are?  I am torn.  I want them.  I think I would vomit every time I put them on.  And then what happens when I sit on something my kid spilled.  I can just picture my $100+ pants with a neutella spot on the butt.  Verdict: Likely returned but with a big fat frowning face.

Everly Nadia Dress $58 

I really don't want to like this dress.  But I do.  These pictures just solidified my opinion that I really like the way this dress looks.  I love the color, the cut, the fit, the everything.  It's a bit shorter than I'm used to but my husband says it has a retro look that he loves.  Here is the problem, the fabric.  Everything from Stitch Fix feels like a dream.  Except this dress.  The material is polyester and it feels so rough.  It feels cheep and poorly made.  There are bits of thread coming out all over one of the arm hole areas and the stitching near the neckline is not great.  Why oh why can't this dress be prefect?  I think the price is fine for a dress and I have two family weddings coming up with lots of wedding showers to attend.  This dress would be perfect.  I just can't get over the quality.  Verdict:  I don't know!  I want to keep it but I don't love the quality.  I want to feel like all my clothes from Stitch Fix are perfect.  Opinions?

So the verdict is that I still have not decided.  One great thing about Stitch Fix is that if you keep all 5 items, you get a 25% off discount.  So... the total cost of this box was $326.00.  With my $20 styling fee removed and the discount, it will cost $224.50 to keep the entire thing.  That breaks down to $45 per item.  That doesn't sound so horrible...

Thanks so much for reading this.  Please comment if you have anything to say.  Let me know if adding the video is stupid or if you like that part.  I need to work on my video quality skills if that's going to be a reoccurring addition.

If you are thinking about Stitch Fix, I would LOVE it if you would use my link.  It just gets me a bit off my next fix.  Thanks!

Stitch Fix Review #2- June 2015

Woo hoo!  It's Stitch Fix time again!  Now that I had a little taste of what Stitch Fix was all about in my first box, I could not wait for my next one. (Ready my first review here).  In my last box I kept a tank top and a scarf so in this box I requested some summer shirts and a dress.  I also requested to have the same stylist, Victoria, since I feel she had a general feeling for who I was based on my Pinterest page and my comments about items she had sent last time.  Getting the little note from her this time was like hearing from a friend.

Let's get to the clothes!

When I opened up my box this time I was so excited to see some summer colors and fabrics.  I also got my first piece of jewelry which I was super excited about.  I have been wearing necklaces more and more recently and I love to add to my accessories. There was also a lot more gray in my box which clearly is a favorite color of mine.  My Pinterest clothing page is littered with gray items. 

*A little disclaimer before we begin- I am NOT a model.  My 9 year old daughter is NOT a photographer.  I waited a couple weeks to post these because some of the pictures are embarrassing but oh well.

Danielle Long Knot Kecklace by Bancroft, $32

This necklace is fantastic.  It's one super long piece that has knots all the way around.  You can double or triple loop it to get the look and length you want.  It also felt really great and is super versatile.  Here's the problem- I don't wear gold very much at all.  In my style profile on Stitch Fix it specifically asks you if you prefer gold or silver and I told my stylist that I wear both.  That's true...sometimes.  I didn't want them to keep an awesome necklace away just because it was gold but I will wear silver WAY more.  I emailed Stitch Fix to ask them if I could just switch the necklace and the answer was no.  If something doesn't fit, the will send you a different size if it's available but you can't exchange for color.  Verdict: RETURNED (But I left a note for my stylist to please please please send me this in a silver finish if one is available in a future fix.  I know that if it was silver, I would wear this all the time.

Benette Multi Strap Blouse by Papermoon, $44, Size L

This shirt screams summer.  The fabric is a thin and soft material that moves with your body.  The straps are so unique and fun.  There are three spaghetti straps that join together at the top and then come apart and cris-cross on the back.  The back is also a good bit longer than the front.  I love black and white and I love polka dots so I was excited to see this in my fix.  When I put it on I realized I would likely wear this with my white pants.  The fact that my butt is covered is a huge bonus for me.  I must say I was on the fence about this top because I don't own a strapless bra (problem, I know) and it is a pet peeve of mine to have bra straps showing.  However, I tried this shirt on for my husband and he loved it.  He reminded me that we have two relatives getting married soon and there are sure to be showers and picnics coming up.  He thinks this is a perfect shirt to wear for some of those. Of course he's right.  Verdict: KEPT


Alisa french Terry Split Back Tank by Pixley, $38, Size L

I had pinned this shirt on Pinterest so I was super excited to see it in my fix.  The model in the picture I pinned was wearing this with nothing on under so the back was completely open.  I knew I would need a tank on if I got it and I was so right.  First of all, no one my size should have their back hanging out if not in a bathing suit.  Second, I tried it on without a tank and when I bent over to get something, it hung completely open and all my front was showing too.  No way!  But, when paired with a tank top, this shirt is simple in the front and then super fun in the back.  I kept a gray tank top in my last fix so I was a bit hesitant to keep this but the price was right and I knew I could add different colored tank tops and wear this a bunch.  Verdict: KEPT  I was totally right to keep this, I have worn this a ton.  I love it with black pants and a red tank too.

Broderick Cut-Out Detail Top by Fun2Fun, $48, Size L

Oops!  I am so mad!  This was actually the best photo and I deleted it when I tried to crop in this close up.  Grrr.  Oh well, I will try to describe it.  This shirt is so incredibly soft. It felt very similar to silk.  As you can see from this bad cropped picture, it is a lovely sea green color.  It has lovely detail up near the neck too.  Now here's the down side, this shirt wrinkled so badly.  I am not in the habit of ironing my clothes so this is not something I want to deal with.  The other problem were the sleeves.  They were a bit shorter than normal sleeves but it had button tabs that you were supposed to use to keep the sleeves rolled up.  However, the fabric is so silky, the sleeves unrolled the second you got them up so they were just hanging in a funky way inside the tabs.  Basically, it didn't work at all for me.  I love that my stylist tried to find me some summer colors and fabrics but this was a miss.  Verdict: RETURNED

Ben Maxi Dress by Mystree $78, Size L

So I really wish I had lost this photo instead.  This is NOT a flattering dress on me.  Let me say that on the right person, this dress would be stunning.  It's perfect for casual days or dressy nights.  The material is SO soft and it felt like wearing pajamas.  The problem is that it was too small in all the wrong places.  I mean I looked terrible.  This was a very quick decision.  Verdict: RETURN  Now please forget you ever saw this picture.

All in all, it was another great fix.  My hope is to get one or two pieces in each fix and I kept two out of this one.  I have worn both of them a bunch and I know they are perfect pieces to add to my summer wardrobe.  I am scheduled to get my next fix on July 7th and I can't wait!  I again asked to keep the same stylist and this time I asked for that necklace in silver, some pants, and some more summer dresses.

If you are interested in Stitch Fix, I would love it if you would use this link to sign up.  I am not affiliated with Stitch Fix in any way but they do give a referral bonus to their customers.  Let me know what you think about this fix or tell me about yours!

Stitch Fix Cheat

Did you know you can cheat a bit on Stitch Fix and see your items before you receive them? This may seem like a spoiler for some people but for me, it's a little taste I need to get me through until my box actually arrives. It's kind of like people who find out the gender of their baby vs. those that don't. You won't know exactly what your items look like but you will have a significant hint. Here's how it works,

First, you can only do this after your box has shipped.  While this doesn't seem like a lot in Amazon.com terms, Stitch Fix uses Fed Ex so it takes much longer to arrive after it ships.  You will get a lovely little shipping notice in your email. Click it to go to the main Stitch Fix page. It will look like this...

 Next click on that tiny thing that says "checkout". Don't panic you are not really buying anything.  This take you to the screen where all your items are listed and ready for you to review.  Now, clearly you are not going to review the clothes so you don't need to click anything.  Just take note of the names of the clothing items...

From here we rely on good old Google or Pinterest.  Take the name of the item and copy it exactly.  Paste it into a search browser.  Typically you will find links to other Stitch Fix reviews where other people received the same item.  Now here is the catch- you have NO idea what color or pattern your item will be.  It is typically for Stitch Fix to carry an item in multiple colors and patterns.  Out of your 5 items, there may also be one or two that you just can't find when you search.  Either it's a new item to Stitch Fix or simply no one has done a review on it.  So there you go.  It's a bit of a cheat however it doesn't tell you everything.  The other important thing to remember is not to judge what you are going to get just by using this cheat.  You never know how the item is going to feel or look on you.  It is super important to try on every item you get in your Stitch Fix box.  After all, you are paying for a stylist. May as well give her the benefit of the doubt.  You will always be surprised by items you were convinced you wouldn't like.

If you are considering signing up for Stitch Fix I would really appreciate it if you would us this link.  I am in no way paid by Stitch Fix but I do get money towards my clothes when you sign up to receive yours.

Let me know if you have any comments or other suggestions.  Got any more Stitch Fix tips??