YARN BOMBING

Finally a post about something that I've actually sewn!  

I've done something I've been wanting to do for a long time.  Its not for everyone, and I'm ok with that.  I've had a few comments that were not so supportive, and I'm ok with that (now) too. 

"wow. you have a lot of time on your hands. you need kids." was the most recent comment. 

gee thanks. 

"you doing this so you can call yourself an artist?" 

ouch.

I guess I am trying to call myself an artist, but I don't feel like I had to try that hard, because I created something that I already LOVE to do.  And thats the great thing about art.  One person can think its utterly ridiculous and the next would pay a billion bucks for it. 

So, here's what I've been up to for the past month and a half every day after work and sometimes before work. 

I'm now officially a yarn bomber.  YAY!!!  

Lola really likes being near me. ALL THE TIME. 

Even if that means laying on a stair she barely fits on.

The bike. 

If you want to come check these out in person, DO IT! TONITE! 

Plus, if you needed ANY more persuasion, there's gonna be free wine, beer, appetizers, and live music. 

Northwest Media is a great place to start the Artwalk!  208 Main Street in Beautiful Downtown Lewiston! 

My baby

While plans for a human baby are still being worked out, I've had some moments with my furry baby that make me feel like a mom already.

For example, last night's thunder and lightning scared poor lil Lola Rae. So she did what any other child would do.  She came over to my side of the bed, nudged me awake and let me know she wanted on Mom and Dad's bed.  Before I could finish asking her if thats what she wanted, she jumped right up and snuggled me the rest of the night.

Its honestly times like those that makes me ok with my parental situation.  I know I'm gonna be a mom to a human someday.   I know that with all my heart.  But obviously its not happening right this second, week, or month. So instead of dwelling on that fact and spending all my time figuring out how we're going to make this all work, I'm gonna hang out with a 3 yr old that loves loves loves her mama.  She would sit in my lap, hang on my hip, and snuggle all day if she could.  I just have to look at her and she wags her tail.  When I scream or get hurt, she's right there trying to figure out how to comfort me.  

Its been documented (I say documented, because I'm still a skeptic) that when people have human babies, their furry babies take a backseat.  So for now, I'm going to let Lola sit in the front seat and be my co-pilot and mug on her day, because I can't imagine loving someone even more than I do my Lola Rae.   She really is the best. 

happy girl

*have you seen these glasses?  They were in my possession for all of 24 hours.

Things I'm Diggin

Wow. A lot has happened in the last couple weeks.  For one, the Hottie Hubs and I both turned another year older.  yay.  I'm just thrilled to be in the beginning stages of my thirties.  Is that excitement or sarcasm you're reading??

I went on an almost week long vaca for the first time in YEARS.  It was nice.  I spent it at my parents cabin on Coeur d'Alene lake and although the weather wasn't the greatest, I still achieved the relax I was going for.

Its my birthday and I'll lick every straw if I want to. 

Smily and Ducky

What.A.Blast

My Lola Rae has finally learned how to catch a frisbee mid-air.  Funny how I thought every border collie was born knowing this skill. Now if we can teach her not to destroy the frisbee's edge with her toofies. 

Speaking of amazing border collies, have you seen this video of Nana?  She's basically my Lola's hero. If I had more time and patience, I'd totally teach Lola more tricks.  That was my thought when we initially got Lola, but it just seemed like a lot of work (for me). 




OMG. I just ran across this video this last week.  I could totally see myself prancercising on my morning walks with Kelly Riddle.  Minus the cameltoe.  Well, maybe with.  It does add a little pizzazz.




I love a good youtube video.  In fact, we took turns this weekend picking videos to watch.  We watched a colorguard video (for Michele), a couple Squirrel Suit videos, including adding "fail" to the end, and the Bri-Wi (as Jimmy Fallon calls him) video.

But THIS video came to me Monday and I cannot get over how funny it is.  First off, we had a German foreign exchange student live with us for 9 months back in 1999 and I remember how often she would ask us to explain different english sayings that made NO SENSE to her.  I also remember her educating us on a few terms that translated funny.  Example: For a song that gets stuck in your head, she says, is "an ear worm" which is a really creepy visual.  Now, I know my mother does not appreciate when I mention poop in my blog, so I'm sorry Mom.  But c'mon. This is funny.  Real funny.




There's not many pages I "like" on Facebook, mainly because I'm bothered by the crazy # posts I could give two you know whats about. But if there's one page (besides Blake's Beanies of course) that I could only "like" it would be the Tosh.0 page.  They link to different blog posts on his website, and its not so much the post as it is the comments that I enjoy.  For example: He had this picture of someone's McChicken posted, and the first person's comment was very punny. 

And the top commenter wrote: "You will have to lettuce know when the wedding is. You better not chicken out! We can ketchup on everything. Is there a bun in the oven? Nevermind I don't really karat all."

***Disclaimer*** (for my mother really) THIS SITE IS NOT APPROPRIATE MOST OF THE TIME. ITS FUNNY, BUT NOT APPROPRIATE TO SHOW YOUR PARENTS/BOSSES. 

As far as TV shows, we've really had to get creative since the end of Survivor and The Following.  (holy crap. The Following's finale was cray cray)

Soooo,  we've been searching around our Roku and have found a couple pretty amazing shows.

1. Nathan For You

Think Sasha Baron Cohen with a side of Tom Green.  Basically he goes to businesses offering advice.  Really bad advice.  They take him 100% seriously, and he manages to keep a complete straight face the entire time.  I think we watched every single episode in one night.  And then watched them over just because they are that good.

2. Inside Amy Schumer.  Its another one on Comedy Central and she's pretty funny.  I think she's funniest when she's interviewing people, because then she's not trying too hard. But her sketch show has had some pretty funny skits.  One was about a school you send your older generation relatives to so they can learn how to be politically correct when they talk.  It hits home to me because my grandpa was born in 1915 (nuf said). 

3. The Ben Show with Ben Hoffman.  Something about a TV show about pretending to be completely serious but really majorly messing with people is and always will be hilarious to me. 

Basically I'm limited to what my Roku decides to store on it, so sometimes I have to fall back on the always dependable Law & Order: SVU or Lockdown.  

Movies:

Well, I finally saw The Mighty Ducks and Look Who's Talking.  Lets just say they were better in my mind, but I wasn't too disappointed. I mean, I had watched both before a few times, it'd just been awhile.  I guess what made me most sad was that Hottie Hubs wasn't as excited as me, and therefore didn't quite make it through either one.  Oh well.  Pick your battles.

-The Impossible.  It was great.  I cried a few times.

-Django Unchained.  It was amazing.  Even my own mother (who HATES the F word) liked it.  She liked it so much she watched it again with her friends.  Now thats a movie. 

-You've Been Trumped.  Can't remember if I finished it, but he's pretty much an asshat and only cares about himself.  Funniest part = one of the town folk describing what his hair looked like when the wind hit him just right. 

-Shelter Me. "Aiming to boost the adoption of shelter pets, this uplifting documentary focuses on the sucess stories, including dogs trained as service animals for the disabled and others who are helping returning war veterans with PTSD".  Pretty much amazing and a real boost for the facial tissue companies.

Food:

Not my steak pic, but this guy's who cooked his too long apparently.

Costco knows whats up when choosing which products to "sample".  We were there without a cart, specifically to get Rodney a new camera and I just HAD to snack on whatever they were sampling.  It was soo good, I immediately grabbed one and when the Sample Lady saw me, she offered us another sample.  She was nice. 

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.  Since slappin this beast onto the BBQ, I've been eating it for every meal.  Just this morning I put a couple thin slices onto my egg sammy.  Since I've got less than 4oz left, I'm going to be heading back to get another one. Or two. Or eight. 

Farm Fresh Eggs.

I've heard they're the cats pjs, but I don't really know anyone willing to share their loot with me, so I've just stuck to the Kirkland Organic Browns.  Which were quickly pushed to the back of the fridge when our good ol' buddy Luke Jackson stopped by with these.  I didn't share ONE EGG WITH the hubs.  Oops.  They were just.that.good.  Not kidding, once you go farm fresh, you never go bock.  Get it?  haha. i'm funny.

Hey Luke. We need more. Thanks.

What are you guys diggin?  I'm always in need of some new shows, movies, food, youtube videos.  ALWAYS. 

Zach Sobiech

Two videos this morning had me crying.

How sad would it be if I lost Lola?  In a tornado, wondering if she was alive somewhere, scared, trapped, hurt, or far worse, dead.  And how elated I'd be if I found her. Check the video out here.

However, nothing would compare to that pain if it were my brother or sister.  Lost to cancer.
After I cried about the thought of losing my precious child dog, I saw this video.




Life is really strange.  It teaches us lessons every single day, you just gotta be open and willing to learn.    We are all humans in this crazy world trying to make it work.   Why we don't team up, I'll never know. But if we did, just imagine how much this country, this world, could accomplish.   Spread joy, smiles, kindness, happiness.  Please.  I know I'd much rather see a smiling face from a stranger than mean mug.

A Letter to my Dog

Dearest Lola Rae,

Did you know that I love you a lot?  Like a lot, a lot? You probably do, because I tell you a lot. Like a lot, a lot.  Did you know that I was once afraid of dogs?  Even the really cute, nice ones?  Did you know that I didn't trust any dog? If you really understood all that I tell you, then you already know this too.  

Of course I wish you could talk back to me and tell me that you love me too, but the cool thing about your kind is, you don't need a human voice in order to tell me.  You let me know this quite frequently throughout each day.  When you rest your wet nose on my side of the bed in the morning, when you rest your head on my lap when I'm going pee, when you wake up from a short nap at work, and look up at me to make sure I'm still here, and when you wag your tail when I walk into the room; you tell me you love me. And I need all those. 

Funny thing is, that before you, I thought my life was pretty bursting with love.  I got kisses from your dad every day and lots of hugs from my parents and my friends.  I didn't think I needed a pet, and in fact, didn't really want one.  I thought pets were a bigger responsibility than I wanted.  Picking up poop, buying large bags of  food, dealing with chewed coffee table legs and ruined high heels, and leaving them behind when we wanted to travel.  

Then came that day when you were born.  God opened my heart up and let me know it needed filled.  About that time we started talking about what kind of dog we wanted, what age we wanted, where we would look for you.  We knew we wanted a border collie or shepherd of some mix.  We knew we wanted to adopt and were ok if you were not a puppy.  We didn't know about YOU yet, but God did.  He led you to us.  He protected you on your journey to the shelter and took that older couple out to lunch so we could step in and have first dibs on you. 

When we brought you home, I was excited, but treated you more like a dog than a child.  I found myself saying, "oh, she's just a dog, she'll be fine" instead of worrying that you'd jump out of a moving truck.  I wasn't worried about you meeting other dogs and getting into a fight.  I wasn't worried when you stayed outside for more than 30 minutes.  Because "you're just a dog".  

But remember when that all changed?  Remember when Dad told Mom she wasn't bonding with you? Remember when we started hugging and kissing and snuggling? Thats when I learned you really liked hugging, kissing and snuggling.  You even liked it when I carried you around like a toddler.  That's when I learned you were more than "just a dog".  You were my child. You were mine.  And Daddy's of course ;) But you were mine to protect.  You were mine to keep safe, healthy and happy.  And that meant you got to ride inside the truck, and you stayed close to me when you met other dogs.  You started eating the expensive grain-free, Sweet Potato and Turkey dog food. And you started wearing a collar with a cute flower on it. And sometimes you got to sleep on the bed with us.  

Ya know when I look at you and just smile?  Its because you're being cute.  Its because your legs are spread eagle and you're snoring.  Its because you're sleeping at my feet with one paw on my foot.  Its because you're so stinkin cute that I cannot help but take your picture of you doing absolutely nothing.

I still understand when I hear or see people treating their dogs "like dogs", but I bet they haven't bonded with their dog and don't understand yet that even though you sniff butts, lick privates, eat gross things you find on the ground and sleep most of the day, that you are full of love and can't wait for the opportunity to show and give it out.  I guess that means you're "one lucky dog".  You've found a family.  A family that loves to love. 

We might be adding to this family soon, but no matter what happens Lola, you will be my girl.  You will continue coming to work with me every day.  You will always be allowed to lick my face. You won't be forced to stay outside (even though I know you don't think of it as a punishment).  You will always be the one soul that was sent down to teach me about my fears, my trusts, my loves.  You will always be the one that saved me when I didn't even know I needed saved. 

Love,

Me

We love our'chuther.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

On my short walk from the car to the office with my doggie yesterday morning,  I noticed a brand new bike laying against a large planter not chained up.  I quickly stored that vision in the back of my brain.  Fast forward to a facebook post that I saw a few hours later detailing the local bike shop that was broken into.  Fast forward to my lunch break where I walked the same route back to my car/office.  Bike still there.  Fast forward again to me walking same route at 5:30 pm.  Bike still there.  The building that it was laying against is now closed and a overhead light is shining directly onto this bike as if God was telling me, "This is a stolen bike.  Bring it back to its owner."  I found the # to the bike shop, called them, and whatdoyaknow, my new cell phone using the local coverage wasn't working.  The store owner could barely hear me, and so I decided since the bike store was literally a block down from my work, and I was driving the big rig that day, I'd load er up, and return it to the bike shop. Only when I got to the bike store they said this was not one of the bikes that was stolen.  

Awesome.  So I just stole the bike.  In my mind, I was being recorded on a "Bait Bike" reality show and now was about to have to explain myself with, "I was just moving it to a safer area" or "I was taking it to the police station, I swear!"   But since I'm not a thief, don't need a bike, and not on meth, I returned it to the place I found it, and thankfully no camera crew was hiding in the bushes.  

This morning? Bike was still there. So I decided to take a picture, and of course I had to have Lola in it because I'm that Mom. 

Its Miller Time

Miller Franklin Broyles

Born October 25th, 2000

Loves long walks and eating

Saying this big boy loves eating is an understatement.  He would eat til he couldn't possibly eat anymore.  Then he'd rest for about 5 minutes and then eat more.  He's always hungry, the poor guy.  

Miller is at our house right now for the whole month and he's really a joy to have around.  He smiles all the time, keeps Lola company, and cleans our kitchen floor.  He adds a few minutes to my schedule in the morning because I have to go around and make sure every single door in my house is closed because the boy loves getting into things, like garbage cans.  Bathroom garbage cans. Gross.  

Saturday, Hottie Hubs and I went to dinner for all of 45 minutes.  When we came back, we found a dinner plate on the ground in the kitchen broken and no longer holding the 30 chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting I had made the night before.  So he apparently can manage getting his old bones onto the kitchen chair and pull the saran-wrapped plate off the table.  Not sure if Lola helped him, but I'm guessing she just watched it all go down.  I'm not saying she's innocent, because she most likely ate a few cupcakes while Miller was trying to swallow the saran wrap, but she didn't have the toots and the stomach gurgling like Mills did that night.  

I woke up in the middle of the night and took care of the poor boy.  He had to go out twice, both times for a pretty long time and I gave him lots of water and a little more food to kinda help the cake along.  I knew that chocolate was poison for dogs, but I also knew that the boxed cake I made was probably more chocolate flavoring than actual chocolate.  And the frosting was probably more sugar than anything.  

During the Superbowl. He's learned nothing. 

He's fine.  I mean he's still workin it all out, but I'll spare you the details, other than the nickname that came to me in the middle of the night.  


He's now Milly Wonka.  And our backyard is now the Chocolate Factory. 

Two Beiber Brushes and a NKOTB pillowcase

Am I the only one who received 2 Justin Beiber singing toothbrushes for my (30th) birthday?

Pretty sure I was. Lucky for Rodney me they were different, which means different colors and 4 different two-minute songs. Lucky for Rodney me I haven't used them yet because I'm still using the one my dentist gave me.  

I'm also pretty sure I'm the only one (if not, please fess up) with the rest of this list.

-Driven off with the drive thru banking cylinder.
-Uses the windshield wiper fluid level as a gauge for changing the oil (not the best idea, I realize this)
-Gets called Brooke or Blair or Blaze or Blaine once a day (possibly more)
-Calls leggings "leggins"
-Carries the family dog around like the family toddler
-Sleeps on a NKOTB pillowcase (well sometimes Hottie Hubs does, so I guess I'm not the only one)
-Knows the Royal Ranger code and was never a Royal Ranger
-Has an arsenal of over 100 beanies/beardies/fingerless gloves
-Could eat an entire smorgasbord of breakfast items the millisecond my eyes open each morning. (except biscuits and gravy as explained in next bullet)
-HATES gravy. Especially country gravy.  Chunky, peppery, sausage-y substance??? NAST-TAY. 
-Watches "Hey Dude" on my lunch breaks. C'mon little doggie
-Falls up the stairs wearing a Snuggie (however I'm sure I'm not the only one)
-Uses the Snuggie sleeve as an eye mask at night. 
-Dropped a cell phone in a port-o-potty hole 
-Used a rest stop bathroom barefoot. Oh wait. That wasn't me. That was Britney Spears.  
-Impulse purchased a Spongebob Squarepants Sno-Cone Maker.
-Still own Moon Shoes. As seen in the super awesome picture from this post.
-Believes in a right-handed world conspiracy. 
-Thought the Knitting Factory was just as the title says.  And I did remember thinking it was weird but cool that G Love and Special Sauce was playing there. But we went, and it was amazing. Minus all the knitters I thought would be there sitting on couches enjoying the show. Boy did I look strange crocheting in the mosh pit. 
-Stretched my earholes to now regret that decision. <insert my mother's voice saying "I told you so"> They grew back, well for the most part. The left one is still a little big, but nothing the elderly women can't compete with after decades of wearing heavy dangly earrings. 

Going back to the NKOTB fetish I still got goin on....I recently ran into a long sleeve NKOTB shirt at Forever 31 21 and it got me goin on my childhood love.  So I bought some plastic NKOTB earrings off of ebay and have added a NKOTB pandora station to my mix.  So funny how I remember the words to all of the songs, not just the famous ones. 

"Listen up everybody if you wanna take a chance, Just get on the floor and do the new kids dance!" 

Dog Lady

I realized last week that I'm "that guy girl".  I've turned into this person rather quickly and I'm not ashamed.  I'm the canine version of the cat lady.  Not because I have a million dogs hanging out on my front porch and in my laundry shoot, but because I'm utterly and completely obsessed with my dog.

The realization came when pictures were posted of me on facebook. All of them shown here.  Can you see the common theme?

I'm holding my child dog in all of them.  Not because the photographer shouted, "Pick her up!" But because I'm obsessed with my dog.

If you've ever met my dog, you will know she's amazing.  I've had multiple people tell me that she is literally the best dog they've ever known, and I assure you they weren't just telling me this to get on Lola's my good side.

First off, I want to say I may have become obsessed because my biological clock is ticking extremely loud right now and my motherly instincts are in full swing. That and the fact that I was DEATHLY afraid of dogs from age 6-18.  My fear of dogs has come back, but in a completely different way.  Now instead of being afraid that the dog is going to bite/attack me, I'm afraid that the dog is going to attack/kill Lola.   I have nightmares about this scenario.  I have actually stopped walking Lola around my neighborhood because of this fear. (I actually did have a german shepherd sprint from her yard to across the street and tried to attack Lola. But Lola used her best juke moves and avoided her neck being eaten up. That and the fact that she jumped in my arms. See, the constant holding has come in handy for us.)   And if I walk her on the beautiful levee bypass, I'm constantly looking around for dogs to make sure they're on a leach and that their owner has a firm hold. (which surprisingly a lot of people think their dogs are too good for leashes. me included)

People with human children know their child's every noise, body language and personality better than anyone.  Dogs are no different.  I can read my dog's face and body language to a tee. I know the look she gives me when she has to pee. I know the look when she wants a biscuit.  I know her "I love you so much Mom" face.  I know that after she takes a drink of water within 30 seconds, she'll cough...twice.  I know that when she wakes up, she goes to my side of the bed and rests her head on the bed and as soon as I open my eyes, she'll start wagging her tail in delight that I'm awake.  What I didn't know, is that a dog could turn me into a mothering worry wart.  I guess I know how I'll be someday when I have a human child.

I worry that she's going to choke on rawhides.
I now worry that she needs her anal glands squeezed because she's been chasing her tail a little more than normal.  (which we found out did need to happen, gross as it is.)

See, I told you I'm THAT GUY.

But Lola has to take some responsibility in this too, because if she wasn't the way she was I wouldn't have to be such a worry wart.   If she wasn't so darn human like, I wouldn't be in this frame of mind.

As all dogs do, she has her way of communicating to us.  In the morning, she wakes us up by shaking off and flapping her ears back and forth.  If we don't wake up right after she does it the first time, she'll do it again to let us know she's ready to go out and empty the blad.
She is a major nudger. She will rest her head on your lap for a few minutes just waiting for you to acknowledge her.  She is super sweet.  She loves being right next to me. So much so, that when she lays down, she prefers to be touching me with either her head or her paw.  I swear its because she likes to feel my heartbeat.  See, told you.

I know I'm not alone, because I know plenty of dog obsessed people.  They baby talk their dogs, just as I do.  They give them birthday and Christmas gifts.  They let them lick their faces.  They let them sleep with them in their bed (we don't normally do this, but it occassionaly does happen).  They give them human food.  They leave the TV on when they leave, or in my parents' case, the Christian radio station on. Because you know Miller loves the calming voices. :)  

Speaking of Miller, he's the reason for me morphing from a cat person to a dog person.  Like I revealed earlier, I was deathly afraid of dogs when I was 6.  I was attacked by a neighbor's black lab.  He was a mean ol dog, and I was an innocent girl holding a jump rope.  I was forever changed.  That is until we rescued Miller from the free box at Albertson's.  I was 18 and home for Thanksgiving break from college.  My brother and I were going to the store to get beer I think, or so the story goes.  We were headed back to the car and I turn around and Zach is holding the cutest fur ball I've ever seen.  He barfed on me twice on the way home, and his breath smelled sooo bad.  After going through "beer" names, we decided Miller was the perfect name for this "champagne of dogs".   My mom immediately said we needed to take him back because Zach lived in a tiny apartment in Pullman that didn't allow dogs.  My dad tried to convince my mom that Miller wasn't going to get very big, but anyone that saw his giant paws knew differently.  Zach soon realized he couldn't take care of Miller as much as Miller deserved, so he went on a short "stay" with my parents.  That stay has now lasted 12 years.  You thought I was the youngest Broyles child?  Nope.  Miller has officially taken over that title.  He has a lot of "issues" including being allergic to....wait for it.....GRASS. He also has a little OCD/Anxiety, so he wears a T-shirt whenever we leave him in the house (because we can't stick him in the yard because of his allergies).  But through all the medicine, special food and special attention this guy needs, he has healed me of my debilitating fear.  I can now trust dogs again and not climb up the nearest tall person whenever I see one. (not joking)  He has also made me realize that border collies are the way to go.  They are loyal, sweet, and very smart breeds. 

Miller Boy in his T-shirt.  Soooo stinkin cute.

Chillin

They really do love being around each other. 

Best buds

Hilarious. She loves to lay like this. 

But this was right after we got this bed. 

There you have it.  The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.  So I guess I'm not quite in recovery yet. I want to be "that girl".  And Lola certainly loves that girl. 

Stitch Fix

When I was little, I didn't like to dress up. I hated having to wear frilly dresses to recitals or Easter Sunday church.  They just didn't fit my personality. In high school and college, I mainly wore thrift shop t-shirts and jeans.

When I graduated college, my sister had just moved back to town and was helping me with my new wardrobe I desperately needed for my new job selling real estate. It was at that point that I started actually caring how I looked.

Now, over the last 8 years, I've acquired a closet I'm somewhat proud of. I started buying lots of jewelry and accessories from Forever 21.  Have you ever seen their prices? You can literally get 10 earrings, 10 necklaces, and 10 bracelets for a combined total of $40. Their crappy jewelry is really cute, stylish and cheap.  Perfect for me because if I lose something, its no biggie. And I lose 1 earring quite often due to the previously stretched earring-hole in my left ear.  (whole nutha story for nutha blog)Fashion does not come all that natural to me. I have to really work and try to look presentable/cute/my age.  This is where Stitch Fix comes in. Because who doesn't want a personal stylist mailing you clothes to try on and send back if you don't like them????

So, do I have your attention?  

Stitch fix is basically your online personal wardrobe styling BFF.  And believe me, in the Lewiston Clarkston Valley, thats something a few most us desperately need. Its a website (that is currently still in the beta testing stage...don't ask me what that means exactly) that asks you a bunch of questions regarding your size, style, price range and then they send you clothes to try out! In your own home! And you don't have to buy ANY of it (or pay ANY shipping)!  Its nothing short of amazing.  Lets dive right in, shall we? 

Here's my package:

First off, can you say Christmas in July?!?!

I have NO idea what is inside, but I'm giddy.

The tag is reminding me that if I buy all 5 items, they take 25% off entire order.

                                     

Inside were instructions and a free set of post-its!

There were 5 items. Each has a description tag that shows the outfit in 2 different suggested ways to wear it.  So thats helpful. Mainly because a few of these items would NOT look good just worn right off the rack. They need to be paired with other accessories or clothes that I would not have known or tried.

*FULL DISCLOSURE* I'm not a model, nor do I believe I am, or ever will be.  If you are a FB friend, you will notice I have no myspace mirror shots, duck faces or glam shots . I rarely photograph myself, and if I do, I probably won't post it for all to see because I don't often like pictures of myself.  I am an absolute DWEEB MCDWEEBY and I am ok with that.  My hubs thinks I'm a total hottie, and thats all that matters!!! :) Now enjoy the extreme dorkiness from the photoshoot my BFF Jenny and I had a couple nights ago.

Item #1.

Pink Stitch Top : Blouse liz accordian blouse

Peek-a-boo(b)

Styling suggestion on the tag!

First pic of the night.....just a smidge akward, thats all!

It was a sleeveless accordian blouse. With a lower back than front. Although it looked much cuter on than on the hanger, I just couldn't see myself wearing it, well, ever.

 

Item #2:

Miilla Outer Layer : Jacket flicka elbow sleeve hooded anorak

Front and back. My brother asked if I was going to start doing hair.

What? It was a question!?!?!

(inside joke involving a "To Catch a Predator" creep)

Want to instantly look 40 lbs heavier? Or possibly hide a six-pack candy for the movies?

Ok, whats with the back being longer than the front? Its like reverse maternity wear. I'm seeing a trend, and I'm not liking it.  This item is a tad too hip for me. Its a cargo style jacket (that looks downright silly from the backside) with 3/4 length sleeves. Too much goin on if ya ask me.

Item #3:

Amour Vert Dress : Casual Dress vivianne ruched jersey tunic dress

Perfect for blue bras and big butts

(neither of which I had at the time)

I imagine this one for someone with a bangin booty or large fupah. Only because it really draws attention to that region of the body, and not just the back. I love the material.  I own a lot of jersey knit stuff.  Its just ultra comfy.  It looks WAY better on the body than on the hanger.

 

Item #4:

Hourglass Lilly Dress : Casual Dress lyra 3/4 sleeve jersey tunic dress

I thought hourglasses had a smaller middle.

CHEEEEESE

Lola Rae blending in with the curtains

This NEEDS a belt. It literally has no shape to it. I actually put this on in the morning to wear to work on Monday, but decided I may want the day to think about it before I ruin it with my first sip of coffee. They actually would of had me with this one, because I can wear leggins for work appropriate-ness, and then shed them at 5pm for a cute mini. However, the elastic on the left sleeve was tight, and the elastic on the right was loose. I'm guessing the designer has a huge right forearm.

Item #5:

Pretty Persuasions Accessory : Scarf mixed striped lightweight scarf

Nevermind my stained pj shirt I combined with it

I really liked this one.  I like to wear scarves, but I also like to sew my own scarves. (translation: do not like to spend money on something i could make myself)

Now, here's the deets:  I spent $20 for the "fix". That $20 is now a credit towards any of the 5 items sent to me. If I don't keep any of the items, I forfeit the mulah. (I paid no shipping charges)

Notice I didn't tell you any of the items prices.  I did mention these are items you'd find in a boutique and not Forever 21, right? SOOO, they're quite a bit more than I'd spend. 

I also didn't mention the price right at first, because sometimes you just gotta give things a chance before the price can sway your decision.

The SEE THROUGH BLOUSE? $80.

The silly cargo jacket? $75.

The jersey knit dress? $86.
The no figure casual dress? $48.

The scarf? $38.

So basically take $20 (that i've already spent) off of each price and you can possibly justify it.

I'll just say I'm not in love with any of them really, but I've seen other people's stitch fixes, and they do have cute stuff.  Oh, and you are not in any sort of contract where they demand you order.  I can stop here, be out $20 and continue to shop where everyone else in this valley shops-Ross or TJ Maxx or "the mall".

Each time you order, you give feed back to help narrow your style down a little bit better so they can get an idea of how those items worked, and if they need to change how they style you for your next fix if you so choose.

If you are interested, please refer me by clicking on this link:

http://stitchfix.com/users/signup/?referrer_id=3018648

You'll sign up, be assigned a rad stylist, and in a few days, they'll get back with you and you can get started!  It was really fun, and I will probably do it again sometime soon.  I love the whole concept.