Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!

Hey All!  I'm sure by now, most of you have seen the commercials for sites like Shoe Dazzle and Just Fab.  Well, I finally decided to try them out.  I found 4 of the most popular sites: Shoe Dazzle, Just Fab, Stylist Pick and Sole Society. Here are my results and comparisons between all of the sites.

Keep in mind while looking at these results, that the best words to describe my style(in my opinion) are: simple and classic. I don't like crazy, off the wall prints (as far as shoes go) and I prefer wedges and flats. Ok...here it goes!

How it works: On all the sites, there is a style quiz you take. It only takes about 3-5 minutes and it has pictures of different celebs and shoes. You answer by choosing which celeb's style is most like yours and whether or not you would wear a certain shoe that pops up. It's easy and fun! When you have a few minutes to spare, try it out if you haven't already.


Shoe Dazzle:

Their shoes are $39.99, but they have a 20% off deal for your first pair of shoes. I had to wait right at 24 hours to get my results. In your "Showroom" they give you 5 choices in shoes, bags and jewelry, which is nice.
Results:
Shoes: 3 out of 5. I would probably not wear the green or black shoe.
Bags: 1 out of 5. I only kind-of like the brown bag
Jewelry: 1 out of 5. Most of the styles are too much for me.
Conclusion: With the shoes, they kind-of got my style, but not with the bags and jewelry.

Just Fab:

Their shoes are regularly $39 but they have an introductory offer on you first order for 20% off, so you only spend $31 on your first pair of shoes. I also like that they give you a selection of bags too! I like most of the shoe and bag selections. There is also a feature, when you click on one of the shoes in your "Boutique", that pairs the shoe with 2 different outfits. It gives you some great inspiration when it comes to putting together an outfit! 
Results:
Shoes: 4 out of 7. I really like the neutral shoes and the flat, but not the others.
Bags: 3 out of 7. I LOVE the bright colors of these bags!
Conclusion: In both categories they mostly got my style.

Stylist Pick:

Their shoes are $39.95 with free shipping. With your first order you get $10 off, so your first pair is $29.99 with free shipping. When I looked the top picture, I thought "Yes! That's me! They got my style perfectly!" but then my actual results came in and I was disappointed. My results consisted mostly of black leather boots, which I don't wear, especially military style boots!
Results:
Shoes: 2 out of 6. I like the flats and the red pumps.
Bags: 1 out of 3. The first one is ok.
Jewelry: 1 out of 3. I might wear the gold necklace set with a neutral outfit.
Conclusion: I thought they totally got my style, but they didn't. If the top picture had been my real results, they would have been number 1 on my list!

 Sole Society:

Their shoes are in the same price range of all the others. I only had to wait about 12 hours to get my results back from them, but they only give you a shoe selection. As with all these sites, if you don't like your options, you can request a new selection, but your previous selection will be lost, and you can't get them back. From my selection, I like the flats, the black strappy heels, and the red pumps if they didn't have the ankle strap.

So after using all these different sites, here is what I came up with:

-The site that represented my personal style the best was: Just Fab and Shoe Dazzle
-The best price was from: Stylist Pick @ $29.99
-The quickest results were from: Just Fab and Sole Society (about 12 hours)
-The site that had the most selection was: Just Fab @ 7 pairs

I had alot of fun trying all the different sites and seeing what they chose for me! Have any of you ladies tried any of these sites? What did you think of them?

xo Julia

DIY: Needlepoint Belt

Hey all!  So for a while now the hubby has really been wanting a needlepoint belt.  I am probably getting him one from Smathers and Branson for Christmas (don't tell him!!) but in the mean time I thought ... "Well...how hard can it be?  I can make one of these!"  So what did I do?  You guessed it!  It took me about a month to finish, but I made a needlepoint belt!  And I am very proud of it if I do say so myself!

I chose the sailboat design because Neil loves the water and boating and it was a pretty simple design for my first time ever needlepointing. 

This is the Ehow article I found that helped me get started.  It gives pretty easy to follow instructions, and if any of you try this project and need help or get stuck, just let me know and I will try my best to help! 

In step 4 of the tutorial where is says "center needlepoint design on canvas" I drew the outline of the belt and then drew in my sail boats.  Then I painted the majority of the canvas navy blue, leaving the sailboats white.  I did that so the white canvas didn't show through when I stitched over it with navy thread (I had to find that out the hard way).

Here is the list of supplies I used:

14 Count Aida Cloth (36" x 40" roll)
Needlepoint Thread (I used DMC pearl cotton skein size 5)
Tapestry Needle ( I used a size 22 needle)
Paint and brush (to paint the canvas before you needlepoint)
Masking Tape (to cover the rough edges of the Aida cloth)
Old webbed ribbon belt

-I picked all of this up at my local Hobby Lobby, except the belt which I found in the closet. 
-I think I ended up using about 6 skeins of Navy thread and 2 of white. *A little hint: I found that to get the perfect strand length, take one end of the yarn skein, put your scissors through the big loop at the end and cut. Now you have the perfect length of yard to work with*
-You can use 16 or 18 count Aida cloth, but you  use more thread and it takes a lot longer to finish. Also, you can get several belt canvas out of one roll of Aida cloth.

Alot of people who make these belts, make the needlepoint canvas (the main part of the belt) and then send it off to a Finishing Shop that will back it with leather and put ends and a buckle on it.  This usually costs between $50 - $150 depending on where you send it.  I didn't send this one off because I hate to wait and the belt canvas had to be an exact size for it to work or they are not able to sew the leather on, and I was afraid I was a little off with my sizing.  (If you plan on sending yours off, the finishing shops website will give you exact measurements for your canvas.)

So, with a little imagination and creative thinking I realized that I could take apart one of Neils old belts and use the ends and webbed backing to back the needlepoint canvas.  The old belt looked just like this: (you can usually find these pretty inexpensive)

All I did was remove the stitching from the belt ends and pulled the stitching from the ribbon.  So I was left with 4 pieces: Leather buckle end, Leather hole end, Webbed backing and ribbon. (you can either throw the ribbon away or keep it in your scraps bin, you never know when you might be able to use it!).

Next I used a paint brush and brushed fabric glue evenly onto the webbed backing, then centered the needlepoint canvas on it. Smooth it out so there are no lumps or bumps and let it dry.  Once it is dry, place the canvas and webbing piece into the opening of the leather ends, and using thread that matches your belt ends, sew, by hand,  through the holes left by the old stitching.  Repeat with the other leather end. And you're done!

Now you have a beautiful handmade-by-you needlepoint belt!

 

Hope you all enjoyed!  Let me know what you think!

xoxo Julia

An Amazing Giveaway

The lovely Erica over at Fashion Meets Food is teaming up with Root Candles for a great giveaway!  The prize for this giveaway is a Gift Basket filled with $200 worth of Root products!  Head on over to Fashion Meets Food and check out all the details!

Thanks Erica for such a nice giveaway!

My favorite scent would have to be the Pumpkin Spice Latte.  What's your favorite fall scent? 

xoxo Julia

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

Here in Alabama, the weather is getting cooler and as much as I don't want to, I will soon have to give up my flip-flops, shorts and sundresses.  But not to worry, because I have been on the look out for some classy and fabulous fall fashion, and I found it!  Here are a few of my favorites in no particular order.

Colors: Carry On, Glamour Purse, Case Study, Power Clutch, Very Structured, and Lady Like  

The new fall line from Essie.  I hate going anywhere with out my nails being polished, so keeping up with the seasonal color trends are important to me.  I tend to lean more towards a shade of red or pink every time I paint my nails so the Carry On and Lady Like colors are my favorite. 

These are some of my fall shoe picks. I love wearing my boat shoes all year round, and Sperry has some really cute new styles for fall.

Silverside Wedge- Classy wedges that are great for day or night.  The wedge heel gives you stability and comfort, while the peep toe adds some extra style.  Available in several colors
Kendall Flat- Just like the Silverside but in a closed toe flat for those days that heels just wont do. Available in many colors and patterns.
A/O- You can't go wrong with a classic!  I love the look of the all leather A/O.  They are perfect for a casual day around town and they are so comfy. Available in tons of colors and patterns.
Cypress Wedge- We all need a cute black wedge.  These are a perfect summer to fall transition shoe.  Also available in leopard canvas and platinum leather.
Avery Slip On Loafer- I love these loafers!  Pair these with some jeans and a cute top and you have the perfect outfit. You can get these in 3 other colors as well.

All of these are pieces from Vineyard Vines, but you can find the same styles just about anywhere... you might even have some hiding in your closet.  And even better, they are classics, so they never really go out of style! 

Oxford- The Oxford shirt is a must have for any preppy wardrobe.  It can be worn under a sweater or by its self.  Either way you wear it, you will have a polished, classy look.  I prefer oxfords with a subtle, light colored vertical stripe or in a solid color.

V-Neck Sweater- A V-neck sweater is, in my opinion, an essential to any wardrobe.  You can wear it with an oxford or tank underneath for at school or the office or just by its self at night, as long as the neck line is not too low!

Cardigan- A cardigan can be added to just about any outfit.  I try to stick with colors that are versatile and will work with lots of different outfits.

Corduroy Skirt- Corduroy is perfect for fall.  A corduroy skirt is great because you have the heavier fabric, but can still enjoy wearing a skirt, even though it is a little cooler outside.  I would recommend a tan or brown color, that way you have lots of color possibilities as far as tops go.

Pullover- I love the quilted shoulder detail on this pullover.  It is casual, but still stylish for those days you have to run out the door. 

Have anymore Fall Fashion ideas or tips? Let me know!

xoxo Julia

A very Nautical Giveaway!!

A Nautical Giveaway? Yay! 

Katie over at Let's Be Preppy and Gybe-ho Boatwear have partnered to bring us an amazing giveaway that lets you design a custom T-shirt!  Cruise on over to her blog to enter and don't forget to check out Gybe-ho's online store! 



xoxo Julia

Classy Monogrammed Gifts for Everyone

Hey everyone!  So 2 weeks from now is my sisters birthday and I have been trying to come up with the perfect gift to give her.  I love all things monogrammed, so that's where I started.

I still can't decide what to get her, but I came across some great gift ideas.  Here is my list of monogrammed gifts for any occasion and the people to give them to!  Hope this comes in handy for some of you!

Categories are: Mom, Sister, Best Friend, Young Ladies, Hostess Gift, Dad, Brother, Husband/Boyfriend, Wedding, Groomsmen, and Bridesmaids.

*P.S. I got all my pictures from http://www.thepalmgifts.com/ . Take a look, they have some super cute stuff*

Husband or Boyfriend

Monogrammed Beer Pitcher Set

 

Personalized Golf Club Set

 

Sailfish Tumblers

Mom

  

Monogrammed Pearl Bracelet

    

Monogrammed Navy Tote







Monogrammed Eyeglasses Case







Dad

Monogrammed Wine Stopper

Monogrammed Humidor

Monogrammed Cuff Links

Sister

Monogrammed Earrings















Monogrammed Bath Wrap











Monogrammed Travel Set

Brother 

Monogrammed Bottle Opener Key Chain

Monogrammed Golf Towel

Monogrammed Glasses

 

 Best Friend

Monogrammed Cosmetic Bag Set



Monogrammed Stationary



Monogrammed Multi Strand Pearl Bracelet

Groomsmen



Monogrammed Money Clip



Monogrammed Flask



Young Ladies

Monogrammed Cosmetic Bag

Monogram Key Necklace

 

Monogrammed Spa Cover  Up

Wedding

Monogrammed Decanter Set

Monogrammed Soap and Towel Set

Monogrammed Crystal Dish

Bridesmaids

Monogrammed Pendant

Monogrammed Overnight Bag

Monogrammed Compact Mirror

Hostess Gifts

Monogrammed Glass Cutting Board

Monogrammed Recipe Box

Monogrammed Kitchen Towels

 

Let me know if any of this helped you!  Anyone have any other good ideas?

xoxo Julia