Stitch Fix #18: Jumpsuit

On Friday I reviewed 4 out of 5 pieces from my Stitch Fix box #18.  I saved one piece, this jumpsuit, to review for today so I could show you lots of pictures!

I have been seeing jumpsuits in Blog Land and in stores and have been curious to try one on to see what I would look like in one.  So I asked my stylist to send me a jumpsuit, and she did!   I was thrilled to see this pretty red jumpsuit in my box.

The jumpsuit is by Skies Are Blue and is called "Danica Jumpsuit".

There were many things about this jumpsuit I loved:  the cherry red fabric, the white floral print, the wide pant leg, and the soft, flowing fabric.  What I didn't love?  The spaghetti straps and the lack of waist definition.  It did nothing for my thick waist.

I would have preferred a jumpsuit with more of a shoulder strap or sleeves, and something with more waist definition like a wrap, a ruching, or even a wider belt.

The back of the jumpsuit was gathered with elastic so there was plenty of give making it very comfortable to wear.

I did not think the jumpsuit was very attractive from behind.  I also didn't like how exposed my upper back was with just the spaghetti straps.  I'd like to try a jumpsuit that keeps my back more covered up.

It was a fun piece to style.  I accessorized with this large, dramatic silver necklace my husband bought for me at a gift shop in Stockholm, Minnesota.

I picked out the white and black in the print and wore a white bracelet and hat and carried a white and black handbag.

The finishing touch for a fun jumpsuit were these funky high-heeled cork sandals.

I really liked this jumpsuit, but in the end I returned it because I didn't think I'd get a lot of use out of it with the bare shoulders/over-exposed back.  I would like to try another jumpsuit that offers more coverage.  My stylist recommended wearing a denim jacket or cardigan with it, but if it's that cold to need those pieces, I wouldn't be wearing the jumpsuit.

Skies Are Blue Danica Jumpsuit:  RETURNED

In summary,  I'm glad I asked for a jumpsuit in my Fix, but this wasn't the right one for me.  I am very open to trying another one in a different style that would be more flattering for my body type and provide more coverage.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

My Mid-July Garden 2018

 A few days ago I was out in my garden taking pictures to do a garden post.   As I was going through and editing the pictures I saw these pictures on my computer and realized I never showed you my mid-July garden photos.  So, even though it's the end of July 😢, I will show you what my garden looked like a few weeks ago, then next week or the week after I will post my end of July pictures.

This is a new Cosmos plant I tried this year and I absolutely love it!  The colors are so vibrant!  I have it in yellow and orange.  I bought them on clearance at a greenhouse closing for the summer, so they only had a few left.  Next year, I'm heading straight to that greenhouse in early spring so I can get a boat load of them.

Here is the yellow version of the same plant.  They are so healthy and bloom constantly.

My spirea bushes looked gorgeous this year.  I have them in light pink and this darker pink.  This fuchsia pink is my favorite.

Here is one of the spirea bush blooms close up.

I love to use Stella d' oro Daylilies as edgers.  They stay nice and low and look beautiful in bloom or when just green.

Here is a close up of the Stella d'oro Daylily.

My Hibiscus tree is still blooming beautifully.  They just had them on clearance for only $5.00 at a local home improvement store, so I bought another one in peach.  I will bring them in for the winter.

I don't know what I'd do without Viburnum bushes in my garden.  If you can only plant one bush in your yard, I'd recommend a Viburnum bush.  They grow in sun or shade, they provide such a pop of color, and they are in bloom for such a long time.  The blooms dry right on the bush and even change colors.  They provide interest all season long!  Here is a pink one in the foreground and the large Annabelle in the distance.

Now for some close-ups of the Annabelle Hydrangea.  It's getting quite large.  I should start thinking about digging up portions and moving to other spots along my yard.  Maybe my fence line?

I love to nestle my angel statue inside it's beautiful blooms.

These blooms are just so gorgeous!  I just cut a bunch and brought them inside.  They look gorgeous in an arrangement.

And here is a close up of the pink "Endless Summer" hydrangea.  Such a pretty color!

I was very pleased with the number of blooms I got from this bush this year.

All the Asiatic Lilies are finished blooming now.  I only got one picture of a reddish orange one to share.  I have many different colors and varieties, but unfortunately never took the time to photograph any of the others.

Another edger I use is the yellow flowering green sedum.

It is everywhere in my yard.  Here you can see it bordering a retaining wall.

 And finally, my favorite clematis.  I just love it's large blooms!

More pictures coming soon!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Stitch Fix #18 Review of 4 Items: Denim Jacket, Top, Shorts, and Sneakers

It's a new month and time for a new Stitch Fix Review.  Last month, Stitch Fix #17 was a pretty good Fix and I kept 3 out of 5 items.  This month, it wasn't so good and I only kept one item.  It wasn't as if I didn't like anything;  I actually liked everything.  There were just two items I did not need at all, or the cut and fit wasn't quite right.

For this review, instead of reviewing one piece at a time per post, I'm gonna review four items in this post and then I'll review my fifth item next Monday.

First up, this denim jacket by Liverpool.

I can not say enough good things about this jacket.  It is made of an "Extreme Stretch" denim so it is SO COMFORTABLE!  My biggest beef with denim jackets is that they feel stiff and uncomfortable to wear.  This one does not.  It feels soft to the touch, and it moves and gives with you.  BUT, I already own two denim jackets and I just couldn't justify spending $100 on another one, even if it's more comfortable.

I loved the blue color and fit of this jacket.  It was SO HARD for me to send it back.  😢

Liverpool Kolten Denim Jacket:  RETURNED.

Next up is a lovely white Calvin Klein top and Kut From The Kloth shorts.  First I'll review the top.

I'm a sucker for white, especially white tops.  I can't even begin to tell you how many white tops I already own.  Yet, every time I'm looking in my closet for a white top to coordinate with an item, I never seem to have the right one.  So when Stitch Fix sent me this white top I had a pretty good hunch from the minute I opened the box that this would be a keeper.

First, it's sleeveless:  perfect for wearing under cardigans or jackets in the colder months, and cool enough to wear alone in the warmer months.  Second,  it's made of a jersey knit type of material, so it's comfortable and will not need to ironed.  And finally, it has a great fit.

But perhaps the best reason for keeping this top is this gorgeous neckline.  It has little pearls sewn into the V neck.  Gotta love Calvin Klein for these great details.  I kept another white shirt from Calvin Klein in my last Fix too.  It also had great details.

Calvin Klein Elexia Pearl Knit Top:  KEPT!

Now to review the shorts. My stylist sent me these shorts because I pinned them on my Stitch Fix board.  But I actually pinned an outfit, and I think I liked the top and bag more than the shorts.  These shorts are pretty cute.  I love the color and print.  I also love that they are made of linen.  I love the comfort of linen shorts.  BUT, I just purchased a pair of solid red linen shorts so I really didn't think I needed these.  I also felt the rise was too low and the length was a little shorter than I prefer.

The shorts have a elastic waist band.  Because the rise is so short, it makes tucking in shirts difficult.  And then because the length of the shorts is so short, if I left the shirt un-tucked, I felt you couldn't see much of the pretty print.

Kut From The Kloth Jansen Printed Linen Shorts:  RETURNED

The next item in my Fix was a pair of sneakers.  I must admit when I saw a shoe bag in my box I got so excited.  I am such a huge shoe lover!  But when I opened the bag and saw that they were sneakers, my heart sank.  I really don't wear sneakers all that much;  usually only if I know I'll be walking a lot when traveling.  I just feel they make me look frumpy.  Yet, I love them on every one else.  But when I put them on, I feel like a frumpy housewife, so I try to avoid wearing them if I can.

I will say that these sneakers were SO COMFORTABLE.  My stylist said they had a "padded footbed".  I almost kept them for this reason alone, but I really didn't need them.  I already own plenty of sneakers, and I hardly wear any of them.

They do have this interesting detail on the back.  And another interesting detail is that the sneakers are "collapsible";  so you can easily throw them in a bag if you want to wear them to walk to work and change into other shoes later.

They really are super cute sneakers.  I loved the chambray fabric.  They actually were kinda hard to send back because ya'll know I'm all about comfort, especially for my feet, and I LOVED how comfortable these sneakers were.  If I didn't already own about 50 pair of sneakers, I would have kept them.  haha!

Market and Spruce Keely Canvas Collapsible Sneaker:  RETURNED

So, what do you think?  Did I make the right decisions?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

Next Monday I'll review one more item from this Fix:  a jumpsuit!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Savannah, Day 4, Part 2, Tybee Island: The Crab Shack

This is a continuation of a travel series to Savannah, Georgia.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, go HERE.  The rest of the posts in consecutive order are HERE,  HERE,  HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

On Day Four of our vacation to Savannah we went to Tybee Island to spend the day.  It was one of the nicest, happiest days of our vacation.  I think because my husband and I are nature lovers at heart,  anytime we are in nature, we are happy.  We spent the morning at Fort Pulaski, which I reviewed in last week's travel post in case you missed it.  Then we headed out for lunch at The Crab Shack!  This was such a fun and quirky place, I decided to devote an entire travel post to it.

A giant crab greets you as you enter The Crab Shack grounds.

And this giant fish tells you where you can find your hostess!

The Crab Shack is just that:  a Shack.  Or shall I say, "Shacks".  It's more like a bunch of hastily thrown together buildings open to the air that would probably topple over in a good wind storm.  It can be confusing where to park your car (we wondered what was the legal parking as there were no markings anywhere and cars seemed to parked everywhere on the dirt lot) and even find your way around the grounds.  Thanks goodness for lots of colorful signs to lead the way!

They definitely play up the marine theme with lots of alligators, fish, crabs and all the sea life you can imagine decorating the walls and every nook and cranny.

The majority of the dining is outdoors under a canopy of oak trees.  It was very primitive, in a cute "Giligan's Island" sort of way.  Aren't the bushel basket light fixtures delightful?  Another fun (and practical) idea they had was to have a big hole cut out of every table.  Underneath the hole was a large garbage can:  perfect for easy clean up and tossing crab leg bones into.

We ordered a light lunch.  We tried two different types of soup;  "Shack Crab Stew" and "Clam Chowder":   both were delicious.  I had the "1/4 lb of shrimp served in the shell" and my husband had the "Deviled Crab".  Both were very tasty, however the portions were small for $8.99.  Hubby was still hungry, so we split a slice of peach cobbler.  Also very good.

After we ate, we walked around a bit to check the place out.  We loved this "Gilligan's Island" type sink for the guests to wash their hands after they ate.

 My favorite part of this restaurant was the outdoor cats they had running around.  A sign said "Please don't feed our cats.  They are well fed."  It also said they were spayed/neutered and up to date on their shots, but this sweetheart looked very pregnant to me!

The cats walked all around the dining tables.  Being a cat lover, I was in heaven, but I could tell one guest didn't care for it at all for she sat up in her chair every time one walked by.  When I told my daughter about the cats she thought that was odd because so many people don't like cats or are allergic to them.  I said they probably keep the rat population down with all the dining and cooking being outdoors.

My silly husband always likes to do funny poses when he sees statues like this.  Then he makes me take his picture. haha!  

The Crab Shack is located right on the back waters of the ocean.  All the outdoor seating has a water view.  I love how the place was decked off around all the oak trees.  No umbrellas are needed, the trees provide all the shade you need.

There is one building that is somewhat indoors.  It's just a crude structure with a roof and open windows.  There is plastic on the windows that can come down in severe windows.

The Crab Shack also has an Alligator Lagoon.  You can look at the alligators for free, but you can also feed them for $3.00

Of course hubby had to strike a silly pose with an alligator statue again.

The Crab Shack is such a fun place to explore.  Definitely a place to stop if you have kids, or are a kid at heart yourself.

We enjoyed walking around looking at all the fun, quirky stuff so much.  I bet it's really pretty after dark too because they had a lot of lights set up!

If you ever get to Tybee Island, I highly recommend checking this place out.  It's a lot of fun!

Next week I will be finishing my Savannah travel series with my last post of Tybee Island:  Tybee Beach.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!