Last Minute Gifts

Hey you! Yes, I just used my impersonal greeting on you. I Feel like I'm doing that a lot lately, as I can't seem to remember anything.

I know it's Christmas crunch time and you are busy but did not want to forget to tell you what to buy me for Christmas. I won't even know you waited until the last minute if you print it out yourself!

Here are a list of other people who just might want a Stitch Fix gift card (besides me):

Mom
Sister
Cousin
Coworker
Boss
Neighbor
Teacher
Coach
Petite Friend
Pregnant Friend
Tall Friend
Friend in Exercise Clothes
Friend in Fashionable Clothes
Friend Seeking a New Job in 2016
Working Friend
Stay at Home Friend
Postwoman
Daycare Provider
Barista
Accountant

I have a feeling you just remembered someone you forgot to buy a present for. That's okay! Just click this link and before you know it, you'll be done with your holiday shopping: http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-7776374-11958005-1445467985000

And, I wanted to make sure and say Merry Christmas to you, and yours! Thank you for making 2015 the year I got to quit my away from home job and focus on my family, small business and fashion! You're the Best!

Golden Tote Wish List, Warehouse Sale & Gift with Purchase

Have you heard about the new Golden Tote Wish List? By popular demand, Golden Tote has decided to offer past surprises in their online shop, without the purchase of a mystery tote!

If you are new to Golden Tote, you can check out my past reviews here.

In short, Golden Tote releases new tote (mystery bag) options once a month in 3 sizes:

Small tote $49 - Pick 1 item, receive an additional surprise
Large tote $149 - Pick 2 items, receive 4 additional surprise
Surprise tote $99 - Skip the chosen items and receive 4 surprises

But now, rather than risk getting surprises you don't care for or that don't fit, you can shop the boutique and pick your own surprises for just $35 a piece.

For the month of August, nothing really stood out to me to add to a tote, so I decided to forgo tote day and take advance of the huge sale they were having the weekend before (Warehouse Sale, first of it's kind) and get a few things at 40% off! They were also offering a free gift with $75 purchase, as well as surprise grab bags at ridiculous prices. To bad I'm officially never getting a grab bag again :)

This first item is the whole reason I decided to participate in this sale. It's the Collective Concepts Short Sleeved Webbed Tunic from the July tote. It wasn't a true wish list item (tote surprise) because it was an actual chosen item, but the coupon worked on it for some reason. On sale it was $36.

I love this top, and received a ton of compliments when I wore it Sunday with my Loft white curvy straight jeans.

This configuration was a little too hot for 100 degrees.

Unfortunately, the second item that had me excited about the sale was not available when they went to pack up my box (more on that later). Instead, they credited back the amount I'd paid for it and sent me a few extras to make up for it. The first was this top, which unfortunately isn't my style.

I have no idea how to style something that's see through on the bottom like that. It's not quite long enough to be a tunic, and it has a boxy fit. Just for giggles I threw it on with the free glasses they sent me (gift with purchase) and the clutch I bought, too.

I sold the top, and bought another surprise for myself. This is one of the benefits of buying clothes from a company that has such a large Facebook trading group. And you have to admit, the customer service here is pretty amazing, so I really can't complain.

Here is a close-up of the clutch ($14.40) I'd been eyeballing since it's release early this summer.

The clasp for the chain is broken, but I wouldn't use it anyway. I don't care for bright gold, and it snags the tweed. This clutch is exactly how my husband described it: complicated. But I'm a sucker for green, and tweed. And I've been wanting a fun, random clutch to take on date nights.

Customer service also threw in a free Golden Tote bag, isn't that nice?

I also took a risk and bought a few pairs of shoes, even though the last pair I bought from Golden Tote didn't work out. These are a fairly common brand and I felt the 10s had a good chance of fitting. For $12 each I thought it was worth a try.

The butterfly shoes fit just right, but the slingbacks are too loose (I normally wear a 9 1/2). I'll probably donate them to my church clothes closet or save them for my daughter, who never seems to stop growing.

Speaking of which, she's taken an interest in photography while helping take pictures for my blog. I love to look through the pictures she's taken between outfits.

So, overall I was happy with the Collective Concepts top, butterfly shoes and clutch, especially for the price. Still, I was a bit disappointed that my second "unicorn" had disappeared. But magically it showed up in my mailbox.

I put up a post about losing this gorgeous shirt to the universe in one of my facebook groups, and a friend had gotten it in 2 sizes and didn't need the small. So, I got this gorgeous green blouse after all!

I'll be sure to show a picture of it on in a future post. But I just had to share this hanger pic, complete with tiny personalized drawing by one of the kiddos.

If you'd like to try Golden Tote, I receive a very small commission for referrals. But as you can see, a little goes a long way! You can use my referral link here:

http://www.goldentote.com/index.php?route=common/referral&referral=176e8084e079478b

Be sure to let me know what you buy! It just might be my next unicorn. If you'd like to keep up with coupon codes and other sales, be sure to follow me on facebook!

Happy shopping!

My Latest Fix (Stitch Fix)

My Stitch Fix box arrived, just in time for Christmas (and 5 days earlier than expected)! I had ordered it mid-November and it was the earliest date available. At the time I was very pregnant and home on maternity leave, dreaming of clothes that weren't 99% spandex. I gave a pretty tall order, "make me not look fat" more or less. I filled out their style profile, left a note for my stylist, and wished for the best.

For those of you unfamiliar with Stitch Fix it's a styling service. They send you 5 items for a $20 fee. Keep and pay for what you'd like, send back the rest. If you keep all 5 items you get a 25% discount, if you send it all back they keep the styling fee. The fee goes toward the items you keep. I think what sold me was the not leaving your home part. With baby number 4 and just having finished Christmas shopping I am really over my need to go anywhere. I also have very little time when I do go shopping. When I do get the chance to shop, I always end up in the same stores buying the same style of clothes, if you could call it a style. According to the website the average price of an item is $50, it's more than what I usually spend but there are no additional charges for shipping, just tax.

I seriously couldn't believe I decided to keep everything. So here's what I got!

EZRA

Eileen Striped Dolman Top $38.00

I hate the neckline, it's too low and I never wear v necks. Its also long and frumpy looking. I don't think horizontal stripes are ever going to work for me. I do however like the material and color. Not my favorite in the box, but I didn't give up hope!

Size Just right
Price Just right
Style Hate it
Fit/Cut Hate it

PAPERMOON

Elvina Embroidery Detail Pocket Front Top $44.00

I'm not into boho, seems like a mix up. But I love this top, the small amount of detail, otherwise simple. Great colors for me, goes good with jeans. I don't like that it needs dry cleaning, how is this "easy to take care of"? I'll make it work though, I love this shirt. It was the first thing I wore from the box.

Size Just right
Price Just right
Style Love it
Fit/Cut Love it

EZRA

Isaac Open Cardigan $48.00

Great color for me, soft and luxurious, goes well with jeans, perfect amount of detail, great length. This was my favorite, instantly loved. Do this again Stitch Fix and you'll have me for life!

Size Just right
Price Just right
Style Love it
Fit/Cut Love it

LOVEAPPELLA

Evie Draw String Funnel Neck Sweatshirt $64.00

I wasn't sure about this style and fit, and the pocket sort of falls on my baby bump. The funnel neck seemed odd. But it just works. It's incredibly soft and the color/marl is flattering. 

Size Just right
Price Too high
Style Like it
Fit/Cut Like it

HONEY PUNCH

Mya Plaid & Lace Button-Up $48.00

Returning, small stain. It was too long, very unflattering with baby bump. I don't like long shapeless shirts. I rarely find button ups that work. I also prefer warmer pieces, I get cold easily. 

Size Too Big
Price Just right
Style Just okay
Fit/Cut Hate it

So I liked/loved 3 out of 5 items, this far exceeded my expectations. At first I was a little put off by them sending something they considered boho and saying it appealed to me, as nothing in my profile suggested I like boho. And the really long flowy shirts totally went against the classic, fitted style I prefer. But I did just have a baby and if I'd gotten tightly fitted clothes they probably wouldn't have worked. I'd say their instincts paid off.

Stitch Fix didn't have a replacement for the Mya Plaid shirt but they were very nice and let me have the 25% off the other items (as I had planned to keep them all for the discount). Great customer service was the cherry on top of this great fix! So for about $140 bucks I got 4 new tops. With the discount the price is pretty close to what I'd usually pay. I'm hoping the striped Eileen grows on me, maybe it'll look better as the baby bump does. It is really comfortable either way.

Needless to say, I will be ordering another Stitch Fix box in the future. I may have even sold my sister on the idea! You can go ahead and add a Stitch Fix gift card to my wish list! Be sure to follow a link from my blog to help me get my next fix :)

https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/melanierhoades?sod=w&som=c

Gift Registry on Etsy

I'm hoping one of these days the Etsy team will come up with a wish list app. In the mean time I have discovered a few ways for buyers to let their friends and family know what they have had their eye on. When my friends decided to give me a baby shower for my 3rd child I thought, what do I register for? I have both boy and girl clothing, I have most of the things I need for the nursery, and people are always giving me hand-me-downs. I realized the things I enjoy getting the most are handmade items. I spend more time browsing Etsy than I do any other "store." 

At that time I was a novice at Etsy and came up with the simplest way I could think of to make a baby registry. When I found items I wanted I gave them a heart. When the evite went out for my baby shower a link was sent to my hearts. You can only imagine the excitement I had when I received my first Etsy gift! It was a framed print of a family of owls called "The night belongs to us" by Lauren Alexander. It is even more brilliant in person than the picture shown in the listing. I love the rich blues and greens. Every owl has a unique personality. 

I have since thought of another way to "register" for Etsy listings. The problem with using the hearts list is that I have more than just baby items I love on it. What I recommend doing instead is creating a treasury. Treasuries let buyers group together items they like. In addition to letting your friends and family know exactly what you like, they'll be able to see an overall theme with all the listings shown together. Tags will also give them an idea of what you are looking for. As I didn't know what gender my baby would be, I was drawn to woodland creatures, owls, warm browns and greens, neutral vintage type fabrics. When my baby boy arrived, I searched the pages of Etsy for rocket ships and robots. To my delight my Mom has given me many of these items to cherish. 

Have you "registered" on Etsy? Have you come up with another way? Let me know what you think!

-Melanie