Ten Years!

Above: Recent OOTDs.  Boden Penny Jersey Dress, Boden Sweater and Mimi Velvet Skirt, and Made by Me Burnout Velvet Dress (with a pair of Boden Julia Heels).

Hi, all!

First photo of me on the blog.  That's CW, aged four months.

Happy January 15, 2019.  For those of you who've been with me a long time, you may remember that I started this blog on January 15, 2009.  And I kept it up for a long time without many pauses.  Until I stopped.  So happy 10 to me?  Or not?  But either way, it's been ten years, and I felt compelled to at least do ONE blog post on my ten year blog birthday.

I'm still doing my same old, same old, just doing most of it away from the blog.

What's the same:

Almost all Boden, of course.

1. I still own, in overabundance, a lot of Boden.  It is definitely been trimmed down, but their tall sizing really suits my frame, and works for my lifestyle, so I stick with it.  It has gone slightly down hill in comparison with my older Boden pieces (from 2004!), but they are not, in any way, shape, or form, as fast fashion as some companies are today (read: they still line items, add buttons and proper zips, and use higher end fabrics).

Outside Middendorf's, in Manchac, LA, in December.

2. I still am very much into my kids, in fact, that may be the #1 contributor to why I don't blog at all anymore.  I have so many things I must do with them that I come home from work and their activities and fall into bed!  Rex is now almost 12 (!!!), CW is 10, and Angus is 6.  Rex is really into Boy Scouts, baseball, and his video games.  CW is into acting (she's in her first ever community theater play as I write this), swimming, singing, her friends, and playing the piano and flute.  Angus loves bowling, soccer, baseball, swimming, and being social.  I remember a few years into my blog that another blog friend would only sporadically blog and she mentioned how tough her four kids made it for her to blog.  I didn't fully get it as mine were so small (and one wasn't born), but I fully appreciate it now.  The fact she blogged at all has me in awe!

Munich, Germany April 2018.

3. I still travel all over the world, and I love it.  I wish I could do that 100% of the time, but for now, I'll take it as I can.

4. I still am a History teacher, teaching the same stuff I used to teach when I started the blog way back when!

5. I may only publish to Instagram sporadically, but I do, so still keep in touch with me there.

6. I also still publish posts at the Fabric Mart Fabricista blog.  They've kept me all these years, and I still enjoy it.  The dress up there on the far right is my latest make, which you can read about here.

What's different:

1. I definitely wear more than Boden, but not just J. Crew.  I branch out way more than I used to, and find myself gravitating towards looser, more casual clothing than ever.  Part of that may have to do with my wearing more formal clothing for work and wanting to let loose when not working.

2. I am a big fan of subscription boxes.  This was not my style initially, but since starting the first one back in December of last year (2017) (Lookfantastic beauty box), I have since gone on to grab a whole bunch, and definitely look forward to my boxes.  It's actually curbed my spending overall, as I find having them come in satisfies my need for "new," and unless I really need something, I hold off.  For the most part these boxes are a set price and the retail value is much higher, and that ends up being satisfying, as well.  I have found lots of cool beauty, homeware, and clothing this way, and while I may pull back some, the desire for surprises keeps me intrigued.   I ended up spending very little on Christmas this year.  A whole bunch of my presents came from the boxes, especially for my female relatives and friends, since there would be things in each that I knew they would love more that I did.  (One of my friends is into essential oils, so I gave her some essential oil items I received.  Another friend really likes makeup, and there were some palettes that were too dark for me, so she received those.)

A cute top from Golden Tote, and a beanie from some subscription box.

I don't do many clothing boxes as I am too picky, but I give it up to Golden Tote for really getting my style and shape.  They personally reach out to me if they have questions, and I have received a few items that don't work (usually because the hips are too small on me), but in general, lots of winners.

3. I teach at a Catholic school, the one I went to.  My kids go there, and that's awesome.  I love seeing them.  They seem to be okay with it.  I give them credit for putting up with my being there all the time.  Rex is the most bothered, but even he is just kind of, "oh, mom, leave me alone."  Chuckle.  I even catch him smiling at me from time to time.

4.  I was really sad last year.  Like the entire 2017-2018 school year.  No one knew.  I think I hid it well.  It was a tough year, and I felt like no one liked me.  I had friends, but I fell into some dark, sad places some days.  I questioned it all...was I a good teacher, was I a good mother, why do I even bother, why do none of the people I like email/call/text me back, why does everyone else have friends, etc., etc.  I still don't know many of the answers, but because I decided I needed a thicker skin, I decided the answers didn't matter, and that I should just be all, "who cares, I'll figure it out."  Thankfully this year is 1100% better.

5. I gained ten pounds last year thanks to my sadness.  I am working to lose the weight, but it is really hard being a certain size and not being that size anymore.  Of course it all went to my hips and butt.  LOL.  Thank goodness so many of my clothes are loose skirted dresses.  :-)

Here forward:

Will I blog?  I don't know.  I'm not sure people read fashion/shopping blogs anymore.  I do know they read blogs that deal with subscription boxes and sewing, so I may just transition to that, and only mention what I am wearing in captions, and focus my ootd stuff to instagram.

There is also the possibility I may just move to youtube, as well.  I mean there is no way on planet earth I would ever be popular on that kind of platform, but I have seen women with similar backgrounds and lifestyles do okay there, and I have filmed myself to see if I can do it, and I am not as shrill or offensive sounding as I thought I might be.  I may give it a shot.  Who knows?  The unboxing and beauty videos are fun to watch and some of the ladies on youtube are pretty awesome.  We'll see.

I like this photo.  I shot it while a passenger in the car, lol.  I feel like this shows that I am doing well.  I am not sure I could have taken a photo like this last year, and am so glad I am doing better.  :-)

I hope all of you are well.  I am doing well.  I miss everyone.  Reach out to me if you feel so inclined.  I am still at dinagideon AT aim DOT come.

Let me know how you're doing in the comments, if you'd like.

Boden: Pretty Ruched Wrap Dress. Three Other Reviews. And a Very Late Mention of a Sale.

So, yes, again, I am late to the "let's tell the few folks still reading here about the sale at Boden" party.  On the plus side, at least I am still trying to write here and not publishing it solely at Instagram.  ;-)  So A for effort?  Or at least a B-?

Anyhow, the sale finishes out tonight and is for 30% off dresses.  I  have a coupon at the blog (and at the bottom of this post) that allows you to get 25% off using the code 3H9P on other items not in the sale (I used it the other day to purchase a pair of shorts, for instance, along with a dress).  The 25% off does not take anything additionally off of the 30% off dresses, though.

I have one dress in this review pile, along with a pair of sandals, a pair of shorts, and a top.  The shorts and top have been reviewed before, but I've never formally reviewed the top, and this is a second colorway of the shorts.

Okay, onto the reviews!

Pretty Ruched Dress and Georgia Woven Sandals.  Size 6 Long and 41.  Sorry for the crappy picture quality.  I have a better, clearer version at Instagram.  I thought the one I emailed myself was better, but the phone lied to me.  Ha.

The length is wonderful for those of us who are tall, especially in the lower part of our frames.  Unfortunately for some tall ladies, this length does not translate in the bodice.  It is decidedly more short than what women with long torsos may need.  I am fine, but as I have mentioned (a gazillion times!), I have an unnaturally short torso for my height.  This doesn't bode well for me in talls at J. Crew where they lengthen everything, but at Boden, with them only concentrating the extra length in the skirt or inseam, I am set. 

The bodice is also very form-fitting.  For a jersey dress, I found it very supportive, and had I gone with a 4, which I sometimes can wear in the jersey tops, I would have been too constricted.  Definitely purchase the size that correlates with your bust and waist size.  That form-fit, though, is very flattering, and seems to suit a range of figures, especially in the surplice neckline.

You can really tell how short the bodice is here.  The skirt is very full, btw, and has pockets that are deep and generous.  (Perfection for teaching!)

The woven sandals are beautiful.  I need the 41 for length, but they do run wide for me in this size.  I know had I purchased the 40 they would have fit in width, but they would have been a touch too short.  This is often my issue, so I am going to get over it for once.  It is nice not having my feet fully fill up the entire footbed!  I may end up adding non-slip grips to the underside of the sandals if they stretch out, but for now they're fine.  I love the mix of gold, black, and pale pink.  It is really pretty!  The mix is also of matte leather, metallic leather, and patent leather. 

The print is lovely, and is interesting without being too much.  I did choose the red/coral as I have another dress from them in a similar style to the green version.  I have very little in my wardrobe this color.  I am definitely a citrus/forest colors fan, and the reds and purples are not really represented.  It's nice to wear something a bit out of my comfort zone.  :-)

The fabric is soft and substantial, a nice weight for summer without being too sheer.  Boden really did well with this one.  Hopefully they'll bring it back next year with new colors and prints!



Pretty Ruched Dress and Georgia Woven Sandals.  Woven sandals are nearly sold out in the navy/black/white version, but are pretty well stocked in the other two color choices.  The dress is nearly sold out in petite sizes, and the printed versions are selling well across the board (the long styles are pretty well-stocked, though).  Solid colors are moving a bit slower.

Richmond Shorts and Maggie Ottoman Top.  Size 10 6" and 6.  The shorts were formally reviewed here (the black color) and the top was given the "written" review treatment here (very short, though).

These shorts make me so happy.  I feel about the Richmond shorts the way I feel about the Turner pants from J. Crew.  They fit me so well.  I have worn and washed the black pair I own already a bunch, and they keep going, looking good, fitting well, etc.  I love them so much I purchased the green/teal color, too.  (And the white!)  I am selling half my shorts that I own (probably at the Facebook group for J. Crew/Madewell/Factory, if you are interested) now that I have a bunch of shorts that I either made for me or all these Richmond shorts.  I am never going back to bad-fitting shorts.  Woo!   The shorts review I did of the black (link is above) is valid for this pair, so I won't go into duplicate info, but these second, printed pair do deserve a bit of online love from me, too.

The ottoman top is more versatile than I thought it would be.  I initially thought it may not work with a busier print, but the pairing of this top and the shorts seemed to play nicely, so I am glad I accidentally put them right next to each other one day when folding clothes.  ;-)  The fit is really great for my frame, it hugs and conforms to my curves (or lack thereof up top), but doesn't bind or ride up.  This material is good! 

I have read that the seaming on the top has been off for some ladies, and that could mean the stripes don't match.  I have a good version, so if you buy a bad version, return it and send them my photo.  That is unacceptable.  Those machines in their factories have differential feeds/walking feet and can handle matching plaids and stripes.

The placement of the print matters on the shorts, too.  The version I have seems pretty good, but I would have hated for the big floral to be dead center on both of the front legs.  The more abstract, the better, in my opinion.

Both the shorts and the top are made from stretchy fabrics that conform, but do not stretch out.  That is key.  The woven stretch material they use for the shorts is especially amazing.  I want to know who they get their fabric from and get some for me.  It is really hard to find stretch wovens that give that much without bagging out of shape.

There is a small exposed zip on the back of the top.  Nothing obnoxious, really, but for some of you, it may give you pause.


Richmond Shorts and Maggie Ottoman Top.  The shorts are selling well, but there seems to be plenty available in the 6" and 9" length.  The 4" length is pretty much sold out in all colors.  (I can wear the 4", but think it is pretty short.  The 6" is short for women with longer legs, my inseam, btw, is 34".)

The top is selling well in the black and white stripe, but this blue version is still readily available. I think the black/white (especially when paired with the black shorts) looks very "prison-ready." 

Okay, that's all for now.  School ends tomorrow.  I do have a lot planned for summer, but it should be easier to get online and bug you all again.  Yes!  I have missed my blogging!

Below are the links to the sale the affiliate sent me.  Remember to use the code 3H9P if you need 25% off anything not part of the 30% dresses sale.

Boden: Diminishing Discount 20% Off Until 2/25. Plus More on a Vanishing Dina.

Hi, everyone!

More on my vanishing act in a bit.  ;-)

First, I am sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, but Boden started there diminishing discount a couple of days ago.  Bad news is that I didn't tell you then (seriously, worst Boden blogger ever, lol), but the good news is that there is still today and tomorrow to shop.

The deal is the same as prior diminishing discounts, the beginning is front-loaded with the most days of savings at the highest percentage off (this time 20%).  On Friday it is 15% off, and I believe by Sunday it goes down to 10% off.

So the best way to approach this is to buy the things you *need* now or that are already sold out, like the lovely Martha dress in the floral shades.  In fact, the popback items, from the sold out category, could even be purchases at 15% off since they are the kind of items that even in deepest clearance never get reduced by much more than that, anyhow.  Of course you could wait and take your chance that the item that is sold out will popback in a moment when a category like dresses is on sale and get more % off (I've done that a handful of times over the years), but it is a bit like trying to catch a swift bunny on a muddy field. 

Okay, so that Martha dress.  I was sure that danged thing wouldn't fit me, but I loved the design so much that I went ahead and ordered the ivory in the 8 regular.  I may have preferred an 8 long, but they were all sold out.  So I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.  Because the model has a bit of a shapelier bottom, I suspected I may be okay since I carry weight in the hips and upper thighs, and by some miracle, the dress fit in the 8 regular.  It is a touch big in the bodice, and a bit big in the waist, but the hips and thigh areas don't pull or look strained.  Thankfully the fabric is stretchy, including the lining, so it really is a well-thought design in form and execution. There are two pleats at the upper hip area, so if you are concerned about highlighting that area, bear that in mind.

The ivory is a bit muddy, more light tan, but it doesn't look off on me personally.  It may not work on cooler complexions, and would probably look silly on skin tones that are that exact shade.

I have only bought a couple of things from the spring.  Besides the Martha dress and a few others, I haven't been wowed.  I keep hoping.  I guess it is good that if I am going to be a bad Boden blogger I do it when they've lost a bit of their mojo.  ;-)

The mini stuff is awesome, though.  My daughter has received a few darling items from the spring, and they are so wonderful that I desperately wish they would do those designs in adult sizes.  The bird printed sweatshirt dress is easily one of my favorites.

Second.  Me.  I received an email (so sweet, btw) from a reader who noticed how quiet I have been.  And I have been.  Really quiet. (Except on Instagram.  Wow.  So much easier to upload a single photo with a few words daily than execute a blog post.)

1. Sewing.  I worked so hard and so furiously and with such focus on the red coat in January that I was literally worn out from the process.  I also made this dress to wear on National Wear Red Day (Go Red for Women), so that took some time too.  My daughter has her First Holy Communion in May and I am both altering and creating anew my Communion dress so she has something special to wear.  (My Communion dress was handmade from a 1974 pattern!)  I am currently working on a project for Fabric Mart, and I am stoked to get it done.  It will be fun and sporty and probably very "me," lol.  There are other things, too, and as many of you realize from your own sewing, these just take a lot of energy and time.  (BTW, Pattern Review interviewed me as their "member in focus" for February, too.  That was such an honor!)

2. College Classes.  I have to recertify this year in VA.  You are required 180 recertification hours to do so, which is equal to two college classes.  I could have made my life easier and done this before returning to work, but baby Angus made that a bit of a challenge.  Now that he is older, much easier, but difficult from a time standpoint.  I love the classes, but unlike when I was in university initially, I am in constant worry that I am not doing things on time.  For one, the idea of a syllabus being presented on the first day and pored over is not really a thing anymore, and I was flailing about the first few weeks on the maze that is Blackboard.  (I assume it can be clearer, but if the professor makes it a maze, good luck!)  The classes are "Guiding the Behavior of Children," and "History of Photography."  Both work for me, especially since I am trained to teach Middle-Schoolers and work with preschoolers and kindergarteners.  Definitely different styles there.  History of Photography is fascinating and useful both for my training as a history teacher and to get my desire to pull out my SLR and get some shooting done.

3. Sicknesses.  I got pinkeye.  I got Strep Throat.  I am a grown woman with diseases that affect six-year olds.  If you teach computer, I suggest gloves, eyewear, and handwashing constantly.  BTW, Strep SUCKS.

4. Teaching.  My job is fine, but I love the saying "part time means half the pay for twice the work."  LOL.  People say that to me to keep me going, but I am a bit surprised by how much more work I do than I remember doing when I was at the middle school.  ;-)  I suspect the above plus three small children have an affect, too.

5. Blog.  My blog turned seven (7!) on January 15, 2016.  Whoops.  I forgot its birthday.  Sorry blog.  :-/

Okay, that's all for now.  Won't be back for a couple of days (I will, though, come back), but I do appreciate all of you who come to visit me from time to time.

Boden: Extra 20% Off Clearance Items! Ends Tonight!

Hi, all! 

I have been a terrible blogger this month.  I know you all know I am back to teaching, but one thing that you didn't know (unless you know me in real life) is that before I found out I was going to be teaching this year, I booked two big trips for this September, since September travel is usually the least expensive of the year.  Well, I was sure I didn't have a job for this year since all the positions had been filled, but in late June, I was asked to be the Tech teacher for the little ones, and fortunately my new boss was very understanding of my predicament of having two trips in a September time frame.  She approved the trips (won't do that to her again, though, lol) and so I have been a flurry of activity, teaching, child rearing, packing and unpacking, and sub planning.  It's all good, I am super happy, just super busy.  I will be sure to update as I can, but it likely to be a very sparse month here at the blog.  :-)

I am sure most of you know this, but to make sure the word is fully out there, Boden decided to do an "extra 20% off" their summer clearance.  They did this a few weeks ago in Britain, and it sure took a long time to get to us in the United States!  But it's here until tonight.

I do see a lot of great deals out there, but there are some items that while better priced than when they were in "regular" price mode, they aren't really that big of a steal.  That happens when an item is super popular, and Boden is pretty sure they will get the higher price for it, so they don't feel the need to super reduce it.  I wanted to make sure to mention it, if you are real bargain hunter.

There a ton of tees and tops that are reduced significantly, from $70 down to nearly $15.  That's a good deal, and definitely a rock bottom kind of price.  If you hunt and look, you will find things.  Now whether you want or need those things is up to you.  We live in Virginia and our summer is the longest season of the year, so I have more summer clothes than winter clothing (though I know I have a large coat collection, which I admit is ridiculous), so this clearance draws me in more than the fall and winter one.  The fall/winter one does come at holiday time, so I do dip for gifts, but not much more than that.

Has anyone spied any great deals they would love to share?  I would love to see what your thoughts are!

Don't forget, if you want more information on any item, it is possible there was a review of an item or two in one of my blog's Boden Weekly Review Roundups.

I hope to be back with more here at the blog soon, but until then, I hope all of you are having a wonderful September.

Limited time with an additional 20% off clearance!

Boden Weekly Review Roundup: Easy Printed Festival.

Hi, all!

I have been a sewing fiend this week, finishing up this project for Fabric Mart's blog.  I enjoyed working on it, and some of you may recognize the fabric from a skirt that Anthropologie made for Fall of 2014.  :-)  Pretty cool.  I will write up the make for this blog on Monday, but less on the sewing and more on the "style" of the outfit.

Anyhow, I have two things total from Boden's fall collection, the tee from this post, and the Clementine Jacquard dress.  In reality, and most of you know this, only the dress is from the fall.  The Easy Printed Tee is from Boden's festival line, which debuted in June, I believe.  But because Boden can still make full price money from that line still, it is part of the fall collection.

There are a few other reviews from my blog friends, so it seems most of us are starting to open our eyes to fall stuff.  This post is nowhere near as long as the last Boden Weekly Review Roundup, though, which was crazy long!

You can always view what the Instagram world feels about Boden clothing by haunting their #bodenbyme page.  I spend some time there, it has been slow to get started, but you can usually count on at least 8-10 people hashtagging their Instagram photos with #bodenbyme daily.

Coupons are still the same, 15% off with free ship and returns, and you can find one at the bottom of this post and in the sidebar of the blog.

Onto the reviews!

Regular Boden:

Easy Printed Tee. Size 6.  This photo is a bit muted.  When I take photos around 5 pm, if the sun is out, it is positioned in such a way that it gives the camera a sense that there is more light than there actually is.  Sometimes my photos I am darker and the rest of the photo is lighter, so I have to brighten the image so some of the contrast is lost.  Oh, well.  You get the idea of fit from the photo.  :-)

Anyhow, not much to say about fit other than it is a touch loose, like good ease loose versus way too big loose, and that it is a touch long, but not overly long, just good for long torso women long.  ;-)  Normally too long is not good for me and my pear hips, but this tee, with the bit of shaping combined with the looser fit means that it properly fits over my hips instead of clinging to them while the rest of the tee is super unfitted.

This photo best shows the color.  The colors are gorgeous.  The blue is a pure bright cobalt blue, which plays very nicely with the muted green, tan, burgundy, and white.  I don't normally love these colors, but since I decided not to allow my hair to get super light in the sun this year (I was SO blonde all those years from hours and hours spent in the sun over the summertime--I am still in the sun, I just spend more of it in the shade), I have noticed that my natural dark strawberry blonde looks nice with these colors, while they were too harsh when I was more of the light golden blonde.

The side seams don't match up, pattern-wise.  I think they could have done it, but it would have required more work than matching stripes, and for cost versus profit, I can see why they didn't make that a priority.  It's fine and doesn't bug me.  If it were stripes it would bother me, though.

"Hello, Houston? Yes, I hear you. Yes, I HEAR YOU!"

The tee looked great with these handmade shorts I made last year, but I also love the top tucked into a solid-colored skirt.  It is definitely a dress down/dress up kind of tee.  At $37, I think it would be overpriced if it weren't so lovely and wearable.  I have tees from the early 2000s that I still wear, so long as you take care of them (laundering on cool/warm in the delicate cycle and line drying), you should be able to hold onto this one for a long time, too.

BTW, for those of you interested, I photographed this outfit for Instagram here.


Easy Printed Tee.  The Raincloud color is fully stocked. My version is sold out in the larger sizes.  The Easy Printed Tee is also in clearance in some colors, so check here to see if any of those appeal to you. Those are $35, so not a huge difference in price.



Ottoman Zip Top and Easy Jersey Mini.  Lou wore these for us in a review post.  She ended up exchanging them for different sizes or colors, but you can see how cute they were on her here at this blog post.


Chic Full Skirted Dress. I received a review of this one over at my blog's Facebook page from Liz.  She wrote this about this dress:

"Dina, got my chic full skirt dress today and you were right about the fabric - yuck! (I'm no expert, should have relied on you). I was hoping it was a nice weighted jersey like all my other 7,456 Boden dresses but no it's a rough feeling poly. Won't bode well for tights in the winter. I'm so disappointed!!!"

She also added this:
 
"I will add that the fit and cut are superb. Such a shame about the fabric. I'm going to give it a few days before deciding on whether to keep or return."

CLEARANCE BODEN:


Summer Pencil Skirt and Tamara Jacket.  Amy looks adorable in this pair!  It reminds me of the darling suits from the 1960s.  I hadn't even noticed them, but I have my eye on them now.




Silky Vintage Top, Betty Top, and Fleur Tux.  Amy gave us some more reviews, this time of these three items.  :-)

Okay, that's it for this week.  As per usual, I feel like I am forgetting some reviews, so if you think I have missed yours, go ahead and email me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com or leave the review in the Boden Reviews tab here at the blog.

Thanks again to all the blog friends who wrote up reviews!