May 2015 Stitch Fix Review

Woohoo! I came home to my second ever Stitch Fix! I'm so excited! And with this lovely box, my New Year's Resolution is coming to a close. I can at least be proud that I made it past the planned 3 months of not buying any clothes. If you're not familiar, the premise of Stitch Fix is that you fill out a questionaire about your size and style preferences, and then schedule when you want the clothes to be delivered. There is a $20 "styling fee" which gets subtracted from the price of whatever you keep, and you don't pay for whatever you send back in the pre-paid return package.

In the message to my stylist, I requested things appropriate for our variable spring weather. I said I wanted to go a little edgier than I had in the past, and was really hoping for pale distressed skinny jeans, a moto jacket, and a brown purse that I can wear cross-body style to replace the black bag I've been carrying for, well, a couple of years now.

Here's what was in the box:

Fun colors. Off to a good start. No moto jacket. Alas.

I started with the jeans, seen here in the two pictures on the left. They are the Haiden Distressed Straight Leg Jean made by Kut from the Kloth, $88. Distressed? Check. And a fun two-button closure with a slightly higher waist? Also cool. But then again, the color just about the same as the hand-me-down Citizens of Humanity jeans (which I cuffed to look like the Haiden), seen in the picture on the right. I have so many jeans, I think I can only justify them if they're significantly different from ones I already have. So, moving on.

This is the Moni Geo Print & Camisole Blouse by 41Hawthorn, $58. I love the fun orange color and print! I also appreciate that it comes with an off-white tank to wear under the blouse because it's see-through. My first inclination is that this is a keeper. I'm a little wary of the way the sleeves gather, it feels a little funny on the backs of my arms, and now that I see the pictures, is it strange that you can see my pants so clearly underneath? Is it awkwardly sheer? Also now noticing that the neck is flipped down, I have a feeling that might happen all the time. Although that doesn't really bother me. A slight downside is that it's not stretchy so pulling it off, it gets kind of caught around my shoulders and I had to do some minor gymnastics to get it over my head. So, back on the fence. But I do love the color.

Next I grabbed the bag, which I'm super psyched about. The Lyla Woven Crossbody Bag by Urban Expressions ($54) is big enough to carry all the various things do-dads I carry around, like my phone, wallet, and an extra sweater. Wouldn't have picked the chain-style strap for myself, or the woven detail, but I like it that it's got a little pizzaz. Looking again at the jeans, they're not doing me any favors.

I am LOVING this navy and white striped sweater, the Addison Striped Knit Cardigan by 41Hawthorn, $48. Even though I say I think 3/4 sleeves are dumb because they don't keep you warm in a cold office, I feel like I could make an exception for this. It's a lightweight, loose knit and I've been wanting to branch out into open-front sweaters, as all of mine are solid color crew-neck with buttons all the way to the top. Leaning toward keep.

Finally, I tried on the Jakobe Cevron Print Maxi Dress by Pixley, $78. It is SO COMFY. I can see myself wearing this to work with a sweater or to a cookout in the summer (I love long skirts because they are both warm and protect from mosquitoes!). The colors are right up my alley. Also, I was wearing it when Nate came home and he told me he liked it! Unprompted! That's a major plus. Side view leaves something to be desired, and I'll have to hem it a little, but I'm still leaning toward keep on the dress.

Not bad for my second fix! Now for decisions, and the downside to Stitch Fix. If you keep all 5 items, you get a 25% discount on the total. So, if I buy all 5, minus the discount, the total is $249.50. Kind of a lot of money. If I keep everything but the jeans, I end up at $238, which is almost the same amount. That feels kind of like a waste, right? So that makes me lean toward also returning the orange blouse to get it down to $180, which I feel kind of better about (maybe this is crazy reasoning?)... I'm not feeling so rich right now. If I was really being stingy, I would only keep the bag. But I do like that sweater. And I like wearing the dress. What to do??

UPDATE/Recap:  When it came down to game time, I kept the bag and the maxi, because those are the two items I think I'll use the most. I really did like all the things that came in the box, if only I had endless space in my closet and money to burn! I decided against the striped sweater because it was thin and 3/4 sleeves, not really warm enough to wear in my office, and also seemed pricey for a rayon/nylon blend. Mom and Molly both voted for the orange top, but I was too nervous about getting in and out of it without tearing the seams. The color and print were super cute though!

UPDATE, AFTER A FEW WEEKS: I am loving both the dress and the bag, but am sorry to report that the gold bedazzlements on the bag's strap catch my hair and rip it out, a couple strands at a time. Sadly, I can only really use it when my hair is up in a bun or otherwise away from my shoulders. Word to the wise!

If you think you might be interested in Stitch Fix, check them out! If you use the link, I get a little "referral bonus" credit to use toward my next shipment :)

Painting Metal Porch Furniture (DIY)

Before:

Step 1: Use a wire brush to clean and scruff up the existing paint, getting rid of loose chips of paint, rust and the mossy moldy stuff growing on the chair.

Make sure to keep the chickens away from the paint.

Step 2: Coat with Rust-oleum "Rusty Metal Primer"

Step 3: Once the primer has dried for a few hours, coat with Rust-oleum in your favorite color! This took 2 coats to really get the coverage I was looking for.

Pretty simple, really! And much, much cheaper than the Fermob chairs I've been pining over!

After:

Now, on to the rest of the chairs, and then the table!

Guest Room: DIY Nautical Chart Wall and Anthropologie Hack Duvet

Welcome to our downstairs guest room. Since it's below grade, I'm working extra hard to make it not feel too much like a basement. I'm aiming for wamth and spunk, not cold and sterile.

This started with sewing very basic curtains out of some gauzy Turkish towels we bought on our trip to Istanbul. They let in the light but cover up the not-so-lovely ground-level view. The lamps, wedding gifts, were made by Nate's grandmother out of wallpaper printing rolls. The mirror, also a wedding gift, was made by my friend Sarah's mom out of Duxbury oyster shells. 

The first big project was the DIY nautical chart wall. I have a stack of old charts that my uncle Frank gave my dad years ago, and I went through to find charts of emotionally significant harbors and coastlines. I did some Pinterest research and in the end followed this awesome tutorial from the SoPo Cottage blog for how to adhere the charts to the wall. The hardest part was deciding how to lay out the charts, and I was very happy to have a bag full of thumb tacks to arrange and rearrange the charts before making any permanent decisions. Then all I had to do was paint the backs of the charts with wallpaper paste (found at Walmart), fold them in half for a few minutes for even paste distribution, and then carefully place them on the wall.

The statement chart wall definitely helped. Added some funk. But the light in the room isn't great and between the blue Turkish towel curtains and the white matelasse quilts that I had been so excited to find at Marshall's this summer, the room didn't feel cozy or warm. Maybe I make different decisions in the heat of summer and the cold of winter? That would make sense.

I consulted my friend Lisa about the "missing something" feeling I was getting and she thought a bright color might help. "Since it's just a guest room, why not do something bold and fun?" she asked. "I always love a good throw or pillow." YES.  Now we're talking. 

Color, color, color. What to do? Then I stumbled across these amazing quilts at Anthropologie. If only I could afford this sort of thing...  Here's the inspiration:

Zocalo Embroidered Quilt at Anthropologie

Since two twin quilts at roughly $200 each are not in the budget, once again it's time to get crafty! I love the warm, vibrant reddish-orange color, and I particularly love it with that dark teal. Oh wait, I have a can of paint in that dark teal... Could I swing orange bedding and paint the dresser with the leftover paint from the sliding doors? 

I visited the Garnet Hill outlet in Franconia, NH and came home with four flat sheets: two in an orange ikat print and two in a darker red-orange solid flannel. Here's what I came up with:

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They didn't have four flats in any of the same sizes, which in the end was a blessing because the king ikat sheet left me enough extra fabric for pillow cases and shams! For the shams I used a combination of the ikat and solid fabrics with the little bit of leftover I had from the Turkish towel curtains.

How to Organize Cleaning Supplies

Got this idea from Pinterest. Thrilled about it. One over-the-door shoe organizer (found at Benny's) has opened up TWO under-sink cabinets in the guest bathroom! I got another one for the coat closet next to the front door, it now stores all of our hats, mittens and scarves!

Merry Christmas!

I'm using the table numbers from our wedding (gorgeous calligraphy by Dear Rose Studio) as Christmas ornaments! Also very excited about the new créche from Calf Pasture Woodworks! We're making new traditions in our new home!

New Pillows

Remember these awesome napkins from our wedding?

Photos by Maggie Conley Photography

They have a new life! And they look beautiful with the ikat-print silk we bought at the market in Istanbul!

Hosting Thanksgiving

We are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year! In our new house! With all of our new wedding dishes! And filling up all of our new guest rooms! I. Am. So. Pumped.

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