Lavender Vest From Stitch Fix: Fix #14

In my fourteenth Fix from Stitch Fix, one of the items I received was this lavender vest.  In that same Fix I received two dresses, a pair of lavender skinny jeans, and a floral top.  I've already shown you the lavender skinny jeans HERE and the floral top in this post HERE.  

For this Fix,  I asked my stylist to send me items in the Lavender shade since it was Pantone's color of the year.  She sent me three lavender items, but I only kept one of them:  the floral top (I also kept the two dresses).

This vest is cute, but I didn't like that I couldn't button it or tie it shut.  Because of the loose, boxy cut, it just wasn't very figure flattering.  I also did not think it represented my style nor was it suitable for my casual lifestyle.  If I was a working woman who required a career wardrobe, I might have kept it.  But my life essentially consists of cooking, cleaning, crafting, gardening, traveling, shopping, and going to church.

I was actually upset that I received this vest, because if I would have gotten just one more item I really liked I would have kept the entire Fix and received 25% off.  I ended up having to send the cute pair of lavender skinny jeans back too, or my dollar total would have been way to high.

Jackson was courteous and came in to join me in my photo shoot again.  Except, he is kind of hard to see because he blends in with the fur blanket too much! :)

 

For the photo shoot, I styled the vest with a white eyelet top (old, Old Navy), and dark denim high-rise skinny jeans with a released hem from Charlotte Russe.

The straps on my bag were too tempting to Jackson.  He had to "catch them" and chew on them.

I thought this white back-pack bag from JCPenney (old) coordinated well with my white top and shoes.  I picked a variety of purple jewelry to compliment the lavender top (all old).

Since it was just a photo shoot and I wasn't on my feet long, I could have some fun and wear some heels!  But you can tell I'm not reallywearing open-toe sandals or shoes yet, because my toe nails aren't painted!  :)

 I love this photo of Jackson.  He looks so handsome!

So what do you think?  Did I make the right decision to send this back?  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

What To Wear For Easter Other Than A Dress: Stitch Fix #14

 Every year I drool over the gorgeous Easter dresses I see in the department stores, but in my climate, wearing a spring dress on Easter Sunday isn't always possible.  This year is especially difficult, because Easter is very early so the chance of it being warm enough to wear a light spring dress is slim.

I received this top in my last Stitch Fix box and at first, I was not going to keep it.  The low neckline and ruffles were not for me!  But then after I saw these pictures, I decided to keep the top.  It will be perfect to wear for Easter with my white skinny jeans.   I will have to add a camisole underneath because the low neckline is not church appropriate!

The top is a pretty lavender color;  perfect for Easter!  It wraps and ties in front and has a ruffle neckline. It is sheer, so I wore a tank top underneath.

I thought this nude bag was perfect (old).  It pulls out the color of the leaves in the top.

For the photo shoot, I chose these taupe wedges (old).  But if the weather warms up by Easter Sunday, I'll try a pair of cute heels or sandals.

I thought the top has so much going on already with all the ruffles and ties, that I would just keep my necklace simple.  I chose a simple pearl and gold necklace (old).  Very delicate and pretty.

This top was one of those items that I didn't like in the mirror (seriously, I didn't!)  but when I saw the pictures I thought the top was very flattering.  Funny how it works that way sometimes, isn't it?  And other times, it works the complete opposite!

My white high-rise skinny jeans are from Charlotte Russe.

Jackson decided to join us for the photo shoot!  I always love it when he does that!  It makes the pictures so much more fun and interesting!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Lavender Skinny Jeans From Stitch Fix: Fix #14

 I have been an off-and-on customer of Stitch Fix since 2013.  I have had Fixes where I kept the entire box and Fixes where I had to send everything back.  My last few Fixes haven't been that great, so I decided to stop ordering from them.  Well, they must have noticed because they sent me an offer I couldn't refuse and I signed up to receive monthly Fixes.

I used to do Stitch Fix posts where I showed all the items I received in one Fix, but those are so much work and make huge posts, so I decided to just show one piece in a post at a time.

My February Fix was one of the best Fixes I ever received.  In that Fix were  two dresses, one top, a vest, and a pair of lavender skinny jeans.  I LOVED everything in my Fix except the vest, but ended up keeping just the two dresses and top.  In this post, I'm wearing the lavender skinny jeans I sent back.

I really loved these pants, and so did my husband.  They fit me like a glove and they were super soft and comfortable.  BUT they were $100 which was way too much money for a pair of jeans for me; especially in a color I wouldn't wear that often.

I styled the lavender skinny jeans with a tank top I bought from CJBanks (see another way I styled this top HERE).

For outerwear, I picked a black moto jacket (old, Forever 21), and I chose a black back pack bag (old, Kmart), and wore black shoes borrowed from my daughter.

It was so hard for me to send these jeans back.  I just loved the color and fit.

For jewelry, I went with silver.  I chose an elephant pendant necklace from Charming Charlies and some silver bracelets I picked up on our vacation to Missouri last fall.

My husband, who is my photographer, wanted me to try this outfit with a leather moto hat.  A little edgy for me, but fun!

So what do you think?  Did I make a mistake sending these pants back or would you have done the same thing because of the cost and color?  I'd love to hear from you!

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Tea For Two (or three?) at Cafe K'tizo

Last month I went to Illinois to visit my children for a week.  Every day we tried to get out and do something fun, even if it was just shopping or out to eat.  That is no easy feat with a eight month old!  

On Tuesday, we went to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry during the day and at night we went to see "The Greatest Showman".  Even though I already saw the movie, my children had not, and I was more than happy to see it a second time because it's one of my favorite movies that came out this year.  Because we had such a full day on Tuesday we were pretty exhausted on Wednesday so we decided to do something a little more low-key and relaxing;  like visiting a local tea shop!

Cafe K'tizo is a posh and modern shop specializing in tea but they also offer coffees, soups, salads, sandwiches, sweets, and "breakfast bites".  

I really enjoyed the open, modern look of this tea shop.  It had two levels, with plenty of seating and also different types of seating ranging from comfortable lounge chairs to more standard tables and chairs.  

Isn't that tree picture just gorgeous?  Ashley and I stared at it for quite some time trying to figure out if we could ever to attempt to paint that on our own.  We decided we could, but neither one of us had space for it in our own homes.  haha!

And aren't these light fixtures fabulous?  You'll see more of Cafe K'tizo's unique light fixtures in the pictures below.  They remind me of what you would see in a IKEA store.

The menu was a beautiful display of colored and white chalk artistically written on a chalkboard framed in red wood trim.

Alethea and Ashley waited comfortably in one of the lounge chairs while I placed our order.

 I absolutely LOVED the red shelving unit on the side wall.  It held all the cafe's unique blend of teas.

They have a huge selection of fine looseleaf teas for sale and also tea ware.

I really enjoyed the open, bright, spacious dining area.  

The staff was very courteous, helpful, and nice.  One of the employees even offered to take a picture of the three of us.  That was so nice, as we don't get a lot of pictures of the three of us taken because one of us is always taking the picture ourselves.

Ashley ordered a Chai Tea Latte and I tried the "Pangea Celebration" at the recommendation of the server.  I am so glad I listened to her, because Ashley and I thought it was amazing.  Although Ashley enjoyed her Chai, she wished she had ordered a "Pangea Celebration" too.  It was so good!  It is a blend of black tea, rooibos, coconut, vanilla, and chocolate.  Yum!  What's not to love with those ingredients?

 But of course the company was my favorite part of going out for tea.  Any moment I have to snuggle with my sweet granddaughter Alethea is precious time to me!

Here are more pictures of the fun light fixtures in this tea shop.  I think Alethea enjoyed watching the fans spinning.

The cafe also had these fun pendant lights as well.

I bought some loose leaf tea to take home to make as well, but I've never been able to make it taste as good as the cup I had in the store!

Cafe K'tizo is open every day except Sunday starting at 8:00 a.m.  Be sure to check out their event schedule!  They have a lot of fun events where participants learn  about tea, art, world cultures, and people living in their own hometown.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Long Burgundy Vest

Now that the weather has warmed up just a tad, and I mean just a TAD (forty or fifty degrees) I can wear my long cardigans again.  I find dusters so difficult to wear in the winter because they hang down longer than any coat.  They work best for me for the "in-between seasons":  spring and fall.  It is still too muddy, brown, and down right ugly outside to take photos in my yard, so I decided to try photographing in my new guest room.  It's still not done...I'm looking for wall paintings, lamps, an area rug, bench, and laundry basket.  Hubby is busy making the end tables as we couldn't find any we liked in the stores or on-line.  However, it is coming together beautifully and you will definitely get a sneak peak of the room in this post.  If you missed any of the guest room remodel posts you can find them HERE and HERE.

 
I bought this burgundy sleeveless knit duster from CJBanks (sold out).  I liked it so much as an extra layering piece that I bought an identical one in black.  I already showed the black one before in THIS POST.

I wore this outfit out to breakfast at Buttermilk when I was visiting my children in Illinois and also to church back at home.  When I wore it out to breakfast, it was a cold, chilly day so I added a navy blue scarf.

I paired the vest with my new Refuge Hi-Rise frayed hem skinny jeans from Charlotte Russe and my new a.n.a 3/4 sleeve Round Floral Lace Up Ruffle Blouse from JCP.  I last showed you this top in a Grandma & Me post.

Because the weather warmed up, I can toss aside the boots and bring out the flats.  I just have to watch out for puddles as the snow is still melting.  This is a burgundy pair with a pointy toe and pretty ribbon that I picked up at Express years ago.

 I carried a metallic gold bag which was a gift from my daughter.

For jewelry, I picked out some blue and silver pieces from my collection to pull out the color blue in the top.

The top has a couple of unique details:  there is a ruffle running all the way up the sleeve up to the neckline (hard to see in the photo, but quite noticeable in real life) and the chest has criss cross straps.

 Long dusters really elongate and slim the figure!  If you want to look trimmer and leaner, I definitely recommend trying one of these.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!