(Almost) Epic Fail

I had a great idea...

To have our Christmas Card Photos taken in the cotton....

Unfortunately, fate was not with us.

You see... the sun was in our eyes....

And our kids were not cooperative.



Fortunately, our photographer is an AWESOME friend from Church!

And out of 100 photos, we got exactly ONE that will do for our Christmas card.

Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll.  Enjoy your families.... even if they don't want to look at the camera at the same time.

Stitch Fix



Has anyone tried Stitch Fix?   I found out about it awhile ago, and it's been in the back of my mind for awhile to try it out.  Stitch Fix takes the hassle out of shopping and gives me the added benefit of having a trained stylist pick out perfect pieces just for me.

 Using Stitch Fix means:

• no more circling the parking lot to find a spot
• no more pushy sales people
• no more dirty, poorly lit fitting rooms
• no more annoying trips back to the store to return items that I change my mind about

Plus, Stitch Fix saves me gas money and hours of time, and I don't lose my mind taking my children to the mall!

If YOU want to try it out, check out my referral link!  https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3242453

 

What is Stitch Fix, you ask?

Stitch Fix is a personal styling service. You tell them all about your style, size, and budget preferences, and they send you a package of stylish goodies to try on at home. Each Fix is unique and hand-picked just for you.

 

How does it work?

1. Sign Up and Complete Your Style Profile

   After signing up you can start immediately on your Style Profile. We need to know your size, shape, style, budget, and lifestyle to get your Fix right. The Style Profile took about 10 minutes for me to complete.

2. Schedule a Stitch Fix

   Pick a shipment date, and they’ll send you a box of 5 clothing and accessory items they’ve hand-picked just for you. You can even opt to schedule a monthly delivery if you'd like.
   You pay a $20 styling fee when your stylist selects the items in your Stitch Fix. This $20 fee will be applied as a credit toward anything you keep from your shipment.

3. Try On All Of Your Items

   Try on everything they send you—you never know what you’ll like until you see it on. Pair each piece with items already in your closet to try different outfit options. Each item includes style cards with ideas and inspiration on how to wear it.

4. Decide

   Take 3 days to decide what you’ll keep. Return the items you don't want in the provided pre-paid mailing bag at any USPS mailbox.

5. Check Out

   Login to your account and pay for those items you kept. If you buy all 5 items you save 25% off the entire shipment price.
   You get to give feedback on your Stitch Fix shipment—the stylists gets better over time if they know what did and didn’t work for you.              

Let me know if you have tried Stitch Fix!  I scheduled my first box to arrive on the first available date - January 9, 2014.  I'll post reviews when it gets here.  I can't wait!

Kids Chunky Necklace DIY - Part One!

Okay guys.  I've made a LOT of these chunky necklaces over the past year, and I also sell bead kits for DIY projects.  So, I painted my nails and thought I would try to write some instructions.  Kids chunky bead necklaces are so darn cute!  Making them takes some finesse, and an eye for color and texture.  BUT - it's not hard!  There are several ways you can put them together... and the way you do it affects the strength and durability of the necklace.  That's super important when you know your kids will be rough on them!

Let's pretend that you already have your necklace supplies ready.

• You have all your pretty beads laid out in order.  Always remember to add Color, Texture, Pattern, and Shine... it works for jewelry too, not just on What Not to Wear.
• Spacer beads. Note:  spacers aren't necessary.  I like the look of a necklace that doesn't have spacers.  BUT - spacer beads offer flexibility to a necklace.  Without spacers, there will be more stress at the connection points.  Meaning, there is a higher likelihood that the necklace will come apart at the clasp.
• Crimps - the heavier duty the better.
• Crimp pliers
• Bead wire, or nylon ribbon/needle, or stretch string.

Today, we're going to talk about using bead wire and crimps to make necklaces.

Add your beads to the wire

At the end of the necklace, add a crimp bead, and then the clasp. 

Then pass the wire back through the crimp bead.  DON'T pull the wire tight around the clasp... Leave a little loop so the clasp swings freely inside the loop of wire.  If you pull it tight, there will be a lot of friction and the wire will fray.

SQUEEZE the crimp with the inside portion of the crimp pliers.  It turns the crimp into a 'V' shaper.



 Then, use the outer portion of the crimp pliers to kind of fold the crimp in half, folding at the point of the 'V' and bringing the two sides together.

Don't trim it close to the crimp.  IF the wire slips a little inside the crimp, you don't want the necklace to fall off.

Feed the tail of wire down inside a couple of beads, and trim the extra. 

Repeat for the other end of the necklace

 

The finished product is really cute, and my daughter and her friends at school love these.  Stop back by next week to learn how to do these using 1/16" nylon ribbon... and no crimp beads or pliers are required!

And because no post is complete without a picture of my girls...

 

Please note:  Necklaces can be a choking hazard to small children.  Always supervise your kids while they wear them, and remove all jewelry before naptime.