OOTDs: Four Recent.

UPDATE: Lisa, one of the commenters on this post in its original form mentioned you could use the $20 off the items in the "select" womenswear 20% off, which you can find here.  That's great!  So if you have been waiting for a fairly good deal, this is definitely it.  Thank you, Lisa!!!

Before I begin, I saw over at the Boden FB page that you could receive $20 off a $75 purchase (with free ship and returns), but it is only good until tonight.  Remember, these deals are only good on current season merchandise, not clearance items, so if you are drawn in by something from last fall/winter, it won't work.  Also, if you have a hankering for something about $115 or more, use the sidebar coupon here at the blog (also at the bottom of this post) instead since the 15% off is a better deal overall than the $20 off of a $75 purchase.  The code for the $20 off of $75 is J5V4, place that code in your shopping bag to ensure you receive that amount off.

(The above promo did expire, but the 20% off womenswear deal is still going.  It does end tonight, Wednesday, April 15, though.)

Onto some recent outfits.

Day: Sunday, April 13, 2014.

Where: Bethesda for lunch and an important haircut.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The dress has tighter sleeves and since it has been a while since I have worn it (thanks a lot cold winter), I had forgotten that.  Eventually the cotton stretched a bit, but until that happened, my fairly thin arms felt like they were being strangled.


Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Pretty, yet conservative outfit.  Shabby Apple dresses always have sleeves and a longer length since they are made for Latter Day Saints (Mormons) who have requirements in dressing for modesty.  As a fairly conservative dresser, I appreciate this.  :-)  The shoes are very cool, I loved being able to let my toes see the sun again.

Anecdote from the Day:  Angus is getting so big (he just turned two on March 25!).  We finally decided his mullet had to go.  I love his wispy long hair so much, but he was often mistaken for a girl, so I gave in, even though he has this one tiny little curl in the back of the mullet that was darling (I kept that for his baby book, though).  In the end he looks beyond cute with his little man haircut. 

Day: Sunday, March 26, 2014.

Where: Winesday.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Yay for pants that feel decent on the body.  These pants are one of the few that I *don't* want to throw in a big pile of tinder and set on fire, especially since I have worn pants nearly every day for the past few months.  They have just a touch of spandex and they were made with a nice normal rise, nothing too short, but nothing too long, either.  The popover (French Print popover, still available from J. Crew in their sale section) is great in my normal size 4, so if you like it, go with your true size.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Cool mix of textures, colors, and print.  I am glad I tried the top with the sequined sweatshirt.  I wasn't sure if worked, but I ended up liking the look and will definitely try a similar look next winter.  I also felt like I looked younger in this outfit. 

Anecdote from the Day:  We hadn't gone to Winesday in forever, so I was relieved when it didn't snow, my brother didn't have a headache, or we had some commitment we couldn't get out of.  We hadn't gone in so long that we forgot our reusable wine glasses and had to buy another set.  (They are inexpensive, though, one dollar a glass!)

Day: Friday, April 4, 2014.

Where: Harris Teeter and the School Run.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This Johnnie b. Cosy Sweatshirt dress is so soft and warm, it is like I have on an old worn-in nightshirt, but just a whole lot more presentable.  Since I was grocery shopping, and running around town, it was nice to feel really good.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) The sweatshirt dress has a bit of sparkle and the scarf is unique, so even though I was technically "slumming" it, I think I looked good for a SAHM. 

Anecdote from the Day:  Yeah, I got nothing.  Just a usual taking care of the house, kids, and hubby kind of day.

 

Day: Tuesday, April 8, 2014.

Where: Bowling.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Leggings and easy shoes equal very comfortable.  The top ended up getting really wrinkly (you can see it in the second photo--I took these photos after bowling) and the way the top sat on my hips felt weird.  Overall a nice easy outfit.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) The mix of colors is fresh and cute, especially as our days are getting warmer and we are craving brightness however we can get it.  That said, it is still an outfit that features a peasant top and leggings, so ding ding (two points) down on the "cool" scale.

Anecdote from the Day:  I haven't gone to the bowling alley on the actual day of bowling in forever.  Again, like Winesday, something is always getting in the way, be it subbing, be it a sickness, or be it dang-blasted snow.  It was nice to see all my friends again.  Of course the rest of April I am out on all the Tuesdays.  Tomorrow I am chaperoning Rex's field trip, next Tuesday we are in Florida, and the Tuesday after I am subbing.  At least it won't be because of snow.  (IT BETTER NOT BE!)

Okay, that's all for now.  I really hope I am able to blog everyday this week, but I can't promise since life is really busy right now.  ;-)  I know you all understand.

Sale and Giveaway Reminders!

Source

Evening, all!  :-)

Just wanted to remind everyone about a few things.

1. My Shabby Apple giveaway is ending tonight, so make sure to enter here at this post.  I can't wait to pick a winner!

2.  Even though I often am not able to let people know about Lands' End and Pure Collection sales, they will have them from time to time, and I do make sure to update my sidebar with the sale info/coupon links.

Rockstar Star Fish Rash Guard

Right now Lands' End is having a pretty decent sale on swimwear, all of it between 40 and 60% off.  We have some Lands' End swimwear in this house, and it is definitely well made and will last.  The kids swimwear is darling, especially the girls' rashguards, like this "star fish" version.  This sale ends on Tuesday night, June 25, 2013.

Luxe Linen Tee--Soft Mint

Pure Collection is having its end of season sale right now, with the majority of its offerings between 35%-60% off.  I love linen tees, and their version seems especially nice, not sheer, and in some lovely shades perfect for summer.

Jersey Maxi Dress

3.  Boden is having its 30% off everything sale right now, and as big Boden fans know, this is probably one of the last gasps before the big end of season clearance sale happens in a couple of weeks.  I can already see the selection dwindling down on quite a few items.  I was able to catch two popbacks on Friday, including one of the maxi dresses (I love love love their maxi dresses so much).

This sale ends tomorrow night, so grab what you think you should before the clearance time comes.  Remember, if an item has a whole set of rows/sizes/colors completely available, you probably can wait for a bigger discount.  The only snafu would be that during clearance shipping is not free (it goes up to $10 flat for every order made), so if there is only one item you are looking at buying in clearance, then you may not want to pay $10 flat for one item to ship.

Okay, thanks for coming on by, enjoy the giveaway and (sale) shopping!
Take 30% off everything at BodenUSA.com!

Giveaway: Shabby Apple!

Shabby Apple Snapdragon Dress

Hey, all!  As many of you saw yesterday, I did an ootd/review post on the Shabby Apple Snapdragon dress.  I definitely have had a positive first experience with Shabby Apple, and because I was fortunate enough to receive this dress for free from them, I thought I would pay it forward by hosting my own Shabby Apple giveaway.

(I had originally thought the company wanted me to review the dress and host a giveaway, but my bad, I misunderstood.  Regardless, I wouldn't have hosted the giveaway without having tried the brand first, so either way, I needed to give a product a try first before wanting to do a giveaway.)

Anyhow, I always do a giveaway around this time of year, so I figured, "hey, I made a promise, let's make this the giveaway for this time of year!"

Okay, so here's the deal, I would love to be able to say, "hey, choose whatever you want if you win, and I will make sure you get it," but I do have to have a cap on what amount I can spend, but I am sure you all understand.  ;-)

So, if you win, you can head on over to this link and choose any item that is $100 or less*, and you will send me all of the info I need, and I will place the order for you and have it shipped directly to you, as a way of saying "thank you" for reading my blog.

*Canadian winner will have a cap of $80, and International will have a cap of $70.  See rule #5 for more info on why. 

Here are the rules to enter:

1. Make sure to comment with your e-mail address (you can obviously use AT and DOT if you don't want spam-bots finding you), and your choice if you won the giveaway.  Let me know, as well, how you follow the blog.

2.  Please do follow my blog, either through blogger itself, on facebook, or at bloglovin'.  If you follow me through some other way, that's fine, just make sure you mention how in your comment.

3.  The giveaway ends on Sunday night, June 23, 2013, at 11:59 pm Eastern time.

4.  The winner will be announced next Monday morning, June 24, 2013.

5. If Shabby Apple delivers to you, you can enter.  Canadian and International winners will have a lower cap, though, to compensate for the extra shipping charges.  (I am sure that you all understand that, too, especially since shipping to Canada is nearly $30 and international is $40.)

6.  Good luck!

Alright, be back later today with another post. 

OOTD/Review: Father's Day and a Snapdragon.

Hello, all!  Happy belated Father's Day!

First up is the ootd portion of the post, followed by the review of the Shabby Apple Snapdragon dress.

Day: Sunday, June 16, 2013.

Where:  Father's Day at Mount Vernon, then to dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Shabby Apple asked me if I would be willing to try one of their dresses from their vintage inspired line, and of course I was more than willing to give one of them a try!  :-)  (I had seen their dresses over the years, but since their presence isn't as big amongst us J. Crew/Boden/preppy personal style bloggers, I never really went over and checked out the items on a regular basis.) 

Anyhow, long story short, they were happy to send me a dress of my choice (from a list of contenders), and though I was enamored with many of my choices, I knew that the pretty Snapdragon dress had to come to me.  Its vintage style reminds me of clothing my grandmother wore in the mid-50s, but its happy, colorful print seemed to be very "me."  And since I am clearly a fan of shirtdresses (hello, blog header!), I was sure I could make this one work for me.

I had the dress for less than three days before I knew I would wear it, yesterday, for Father's Day.  It was really muggy and warm yesterday, and I knew the only thing I wanted next to my skin was a lightweight cotton.  And since I wanted to dress up for Mr. Dina, but still would need to nurse Angus, this dress was exactly right for the day.

The sunglasses (Kirkland Signature--yep, Costco), the belt, and the Cole Haan shoes nicely rounded out the outfit without making me feel too wilted by the end of the day, and considering I had to spend half the day running after Angus and/or holding him while he tried to escape me (and climb the stairs, natch), I know that outside of a track suit and trainers, I chose best for the occasion.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I added the belt and the sunglasses to up the cool factor.  But considering I was going for the retro/vintage vibe, I didn't want to style this beauty too much, since the darling print (birds frolicking amongst leaves, oranges, and apples) shines on its own.

Anecdote from the day:  Since it was Father's Day, I forgave Mr. Dina when he assured me he would be done with the learning center part of Mount Vernon in no time flat, while I went on ahead with Angus, who was definitely done with enjoying it.  Some TWENTY minutes later, Mr. Dina finally ambles on out and is all, "what, why are you upset?"  Humph.  ;-P

(I will take this opportunity to let you all know that we have annual passes to George Washington's home, since it is a mere ten or so miles from our home.  We can go there anytime we like, it's not like we're from Kansas and this is our one trip to our nation's capital.)

REVIEW:

Snapdragon Dress.  Size Small.  So some of you may have ordered from this purveyor of fine, conservative clothing in the past, but for me, it was a first (as mentioned above).  I took a gamble that the website's sizing chart was accurate, and that this skirt would be full enough for me *not* to worry about the hip measurement.

The gamble was spot on, since the bust is only a touch too full, the waist is exactly right, and the hips are free.  Surprisingly the only part that was tight on me was the sleeves, which were not uncomfortable, but more fitted than I am used to.  If you have more ample upper arms (my upper arms are actually considered kind of skinny), you may want to bear that in mind if you like this dress.

The dress is made from what seems to be a stretch cotton poplin.  This means that by the end of the day, the dress fit better than it did when I first put it on, since it was able to stretch and conform to my shape.  It will be washed and hung to dry, and will return to its shape, and upon wearing it again, it will then again stretch and conform to my shape. 

From a sewing perspective, I love working with cotton poplin, since they take dyes very well, are very breathable, and are very easy to sew.

This fabric was a bit stiff before wearing it, but after a few trips to the washing machine, it will just keep getting softer and softer.

The dress is made with women in mind who want to be fashionable, fun, but still a bit conservative in their dressing.  I clearly am more conservative than not when it comes to my choices, and like having a wardrobe full of pretty, unique, vintage-inspired frocks for my daily life.  The arm length is lovely on this, but I often wear sleeveless items, but for those of you who do need to wear dresses with sleeves, this one has nice, ample coverage (just remember they are a bit tight).  The skirt comes right to my knee, which is nice, since I am very tall through my legs, and most dresses that are not in a tall length end up well above my knee.

I actually think the dress looks prettiest from the back!

I like it without the belt, a lot, but wanted to do something special yesterday, so I added the belt, sunglasses, and bag.  That said, I could definitely see wearing this as above out with the kids to a playdate or to their school.

There were only two small issues that I had with the dress (beyond the tighter sleeves), and that would be the extraneous two upper buttons, and the kind of odd collar.  In the photos, it actually looks really lovely, so I suspect that is all on me, and as I am looking at it while writing this post, the bodice is growing on me.  ;-)  The zipper isn't the most awesome, either, but I am never a big fan of a side zip. 

Okay, that's it for today.  I am planning on hosting a giveaway tomorrow for a Shabby Apple item of your own.  The giveaway will be tomorrow, so be on the lookout for it!  Hope all of you will enter!  (BTW, this dress is one of the ones you can choose from if you win.)

P.S. Since this post is about Father's Day, and I had mentioned my Grandma's 50s style, I thought I would share the above photo of the members of my dad's family from the day my aunt was baptized, in 1959.  Doesn't everyone look so put together and beautiful?  My grandma looks amazing, and my dad and uncle are beyond adorable in their little suits and fedoras.  Love!