In Need of a Stylist

I'm hopeless when it comes to fashion.

Don't get me wrong, I like fashion, but I'm not good at it. I don't know the right colors for my skin-tone or the right styles for my body type and all that. Thankfully I have a few friends who do, but otherwise I'm left to my own devices and will probably end up in jeans and a sweatshirt with a ponytail.

Then my friend, Jackie--one of my more stylish friends--told me about a personal stylist service through the internet. It's called:

Stitch Fix

She said that you fill out a questionnaire on their site. They ask about your sizes, your body type, your price range, your style and more. Then they send you five pieces of clothing each month.

You try them on, keep the ones you like, and send back the ones you don't.

I wasn't sure what I thought of this, but Jackie was so excited about her new finds that I thought I'd give it a try.

And I totally get the excitement now.

It's amazing.

I filled out the questionnaire and at the end, there's the option to link to your social media sites including pinterest and/or ask you personal stylist for something specific. I linked to twitter and the blog and pinterest and said I was just interested to see what they had.

Then I waited.

I came home from work a few days ago to find the box.

It really is as easy as 1-2-3.

So I checked out what I got.

In my box was

• a pair of earrings
• a striped dress
• a purple shirt
• a pair of skinny jeans
• a zip up hoodie

Also in the box are cards showing what you could wear with each of these items. 

I decided almost immediately that the earrings weren't quite for me. They're cute, but I'm not exactly in need of earrings and they just didn't really do much for me.

Then I tried on the dress. 

It was cute and I liked the fit and style, but I wasn't a fan of the horizontal stripes.

Bummed about that, I tried on everything else.

The jeans were perfect. 

The top was perfect.

The soft and super comfortable hoodie? Also perfect.

So perfect that I modeled them for the dogs.

 I decided to keep all three.

Now, for the cost--because that's always what internet boxes come down to for me.

I was charged a $20 styling fee when my box shipped.

That $20 is applied to any items you decide to keep. So for me, it was applied to the total of the hoodie, jeans, and shirt.

Of the three items, the jeans were the most expensive (of course), but nothing was priced more than what I would have spent if I'd gone shopping myself. 

So I'm a fan of Stitch Fix, and I'm already looking forward to my next book which should arrive April 7th!

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese

Over Valentine's Day I read about all the possible Grilled Cheeses better than a boyfriend. Inspired to make one (or two in this case) of my own awesome grilled cheesy goodness, I ordered from Fresh Direct and then even let the boyfriend eat them with me.

I ordered ready to bake ciabatta bread which is one of my favorites.

It came out warm, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Perfect for sandwiches.

For the Sweet Grilled Cheese, I used

my favorite apricot jam
brie cheese
and apple slices

For the Spicy Grilled Cheese

smoked gouda
sriracha sauce
and avocado

And yes, I might have nibbled on that cheese a little, but I mean, come on, how could I not. 

So, tell me your favorite Grilled Cheese combos. What should I be trying next?

A Long Weekend in Austin -- A Photo Essay