Eshakti Giveaway Announcement!

A few months ago, I was contacted by the fantastic people at eShakti to review an item from their collection, which I posted about here. That skirt was, is, and probably will be for a very long time, one of my favorite pieces in my closet because the silhouette is so flattering, and flowers will never, ever stop making me happy.

So, you know, it's hard to top something like that.

For those of you that aren't familiar with the company, they are an online shop that offers a wide range of items in both standard and custom sizes, meaning if you have trouble fitting into standard sizes (like I do,sometimes, because of my short *ahem5'2ahem* stature), you can submit your measurements for a dress made to your specifications. And even if a standard size does work for you, you still have the option of choosing the length that best suits you, all for a $7.50 customization fee.

Anyway, eShakti has recently updated their website, with a new range of styles and items that they wanted to share, including these new favorites of mine:

(Ok, ok...I have a lot of favorites. This is just the tip of the iceberg, my friends.)

And the best part of this springtime renovation is that not only do they want to share these styles with you fabulous people, but for a very lucky one of you? They want to go ahead and give you your choice of item, too, with choices that include the custom-sized/custom-styled options. Really, how can you beat that?

The rules of the giveaway are simple:
1) Go to eShakti, and let me know which item you would pick, if you won.

2) Follow eShakti on Facebook and Pinterest.

and

3) Leave me a comment on this post when you've done 1 and 2.

That's it! That's all you have to do...

For an additional chance to win (please leave a separate comment for this one):


1) Tweet a link to the contest (and follow me, if you'd like, although that part isn't really mandatory...just make sure you include your Twitter handle in the comment so I can check it out!).

The contest is open to all residents of US and Canada, from 5/21to 5/31, and I will be picking a random winner on 6/1.

Good luck to all!!

Crunch Time

You guys! Christmas is, like, a week away! Seriously!

How did this happen?!?!

Any chance we can all get together and agree to push it back for a couple of weeks? I know that would really help me out, right about now...

Thanks.

PS: Can't you feel the tension in these pictures? Rudy Cat (as Brigid calls him, anyway...he used to be plain old Rudy, but he's been renamed by the two-year old...and it's kind of ridiculously adorable) really, really, REALLY wanted to get his hands (paws) on that darn necklace I was wearing. I'm lucky there are no holes in my sweater after this attempt.

Sweater: Loft (outlet)

Skirt: Loft (outlet)

Shoes: Nine West

Tights: Hue (from DSW)

Bracelet: Kohls

Necklace: Old Navy 

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Plaid

I don't know why plaid is making such a comeback right now, but I kind of think I like it. I gave my husband a hard time when he started loading up on plaid shirts once fall hit (in fact, I think my exact words were 'when did it become 1996 again?'), but then I fell in love with this little skirt at the thrift store, and I decided maybe Steve was on the right track.

AND THEN! And then, when I was doing my post-Thanksgiving, pre-detox spending spree at the outlet mall, I came across this skirt at the Loft outlet, and...well...gray and purple plaid?

There was just no saying no to this one.

(And that's why I put myself on the shopping ban...

The clothes were winning, my friends. The clothes were winning.)

 Cardigan: Gap (outlet)

Skirt:Loft (outlet)

Shoes: Nine West (outlet)

Tights: Hue (from DSW)

Necklace: Charming Charlie 

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Lowdown Brown

For other neutral ideas, you can always visit Megan Mae Daily to see other participants!

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So, obviously, this isn't really a typical workday outfit for me...but that's because I wore this to work/shopping with my sister-in-law last weekend.

See how I tricked you there? Ha!

Happy Wednesday!

Top: The Limited

Sweater: Gap

Jeans: Gap

Boots: DSW

Necklace: Charming Charlie 

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Gray Day

For other neutral ideas, you can always visit Megan Mae Daily to see other participants!

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Tuesday's Neutral Week challenge prompt is gray. Should be easy, right? I have a TON of gray clothing in my closet!

And yet, I absolutely missed the boat on this one, because throwing a gray sweater on does not a gray based neutral outfit make. But I'm going with it, anyway. I couldn't really find any gray bottoms that looked ok with the sweater, and I really wanted to wear the sweater. So, there you have it. My dressing logic...

Kind of frightening, getting a glimpse inside my head, huh?

 

Button-up: Land's End Canvas

Sweater: Gap

Skirt: Calvin Klein (from Macy's)

Shoes: Nine West

Tights: Hue (from DSW) 

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Neutrals Week!

Since I'm all involved in this self-imposed shopping ban in December, I'm looking for ways to inspire myself to wear what I already have in different ways, instead of looking for that inspiration in new clothes.

(And honestly, if you saw my closet, you'd wonder why I'd have such a hard time being inspired by what I own. Because, let's face it, I own much more than I really need to own...)

(Hence, the shopping ban, I guess...)

So I decided to participate in the Neutrals Week challenge, which you can read all about over at Megan Mae Daily, if you're interested... 

 

The neutral for Monday is black, which makes up most of my closet, anyway, so it wasn't really a bad place to start for the week. Hope your week is off to a lovely start, as well!

Dress: Ella Moss

Sweater: Gap

Boots: DSW

Tights: Hue (from DSW)

Bracelets: Mango Tree 

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Human Again

Do any of you have the extended edition of the Beauty and the Beast DVD that includes the extra song Human Again? And do any of you have a toddler who is obsessed enough with the movie that you know the words to this song by heart?

If you answered yest to both of those questions, you are welcome for getting this song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. If not...then just feel really, really bad for me because I don't think I will be able to stop singing it any time soon.

This, of course, is just my long, drawn-out way of telling you that I woke up this morning, and I didn't feel like I would keel over from the plague the minute I got out of bed! Yay, me!

Of course, the end of the plague also means I woke up starving, because I haven't really eaten a solid meal in two days, but whatever. If you need me, I'll be in the corner all day, eating all of the food.

All of it.

Dress: Banana Republic

Blazer: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Banana Republic (outlet)

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Sick Day

I slept ten hours last night. TEN HOURS! Who does that these days?

And even though I slept a good four hours longer than I normally do, I still woke up this morning, completely exhausted. And then, it just got worse as the day went on. I think I've officially fallen victim to the toddler germs...and I'm now working from home, in sweats and the most comfortable sweater ever. That I stole from my husband. After accidentally shrinking it in the dryer.

Anywhoo...

Look! Old outfits that I never got around to posting when I actually wore them!

This was my attempt to win over the moms' group in my neighborhood with clean, shiny hair, as opposed to the unwashed mess I introduced them to the first time we met. I think it went well, considering I scored an invite to the December dinner, too. Apparently, wine is more important than clean hair in this circle. Which is why they are my kind of ladies...

(Side Note: I'd worn the dress as a top, as seen in the bottom picture, to work that day, before losing the skirt and adding boots for dinner that night...it's getting all kinds of creative up in here!)

 

Dress: F21

Cardigan: Target

Skirt: H&M

Belt: J Crew

Boots: Bare Trap (DSW)

Tights: We Love Colors

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Back to Work

I left work at 2:30pm last Wednesday, and I haven't been back. Until this morning. Woo!

Where are my lottery winnings hiding, so I can do this whole vacation thing on a permanent basis?

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With November rolling to a close, now seems like a good time to update you on the self-imposed shopping ban I'm under right now. It's...well, it's kind of going.

I spent some money last weekend at the outlet mall, because I'd already told myself that I could, but even that didn't have the thrill for me that it normally does. Sure, I found some things that I wanted (I always find things that I want), and I picked those things up. But towards the end of my trip, I was tired of shopping.

WHO AM I, AND WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH MYSELF?!?!

Generally, I do not get tired of shopping. But all I could think, as I wandered the mall, was 'do I really need another sweater? another skirt? don't I already have EVERYTHING that this place is selling?'. And do you know what?

I kind of do.

So, December is almost upon us. And it's time for me to buckle down, and save some money. No shopping. No spending. No nothing.

Let's do this.

Worn to work last week (before the temperatures dropped again...)
Dress: Gap (outlet)

Belt: Target

Boots: DSW

Bracelets: Mango Tree

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Evening Out

My sister-in-law called me on Saturday to see if I wanted to go to a bar that night to get dinner and drinks like a 'grown-up', instead of sitting around my house drinking wine, which is what we had done the night before.

And since heading out on such a grown-up outing would obviously call for me to wear the giant flower ring that I've had for months but seldom bring out of the jewelry box, I was all for it.

And if you try to tell me there's more to being an adult than pretty jewelry, I will stick my fingers in my ear and hum to myself until you go away. Unless that something more involves the ability to eat chocolate for breakfast...

Then we can still be friends.

T-shirt: F21

Cords: Gap

Boots: Me Too (DSW)

Bracelet: Kohls

Ring: Kate Spade

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Workin' it...

Ordinarily, Mondays are my days at home, when I spend my time hanging out with Brigid, finishing up the laundry from the weekend, and just generally recovering from the previous two days of 'relaxation' that are Saturday and Sunday. But this week, since I already have a shortened schedule, and Steve is working from home due to some office relocations that are going on in our building, I am braving the big bad world of Monday, and heading into the office for the day.

I don't know how you guys manage to do this every week!

(Also, knock on every piece of wood within a 5 mile radius that they don't take my flex schedule away from me anytime soon. I don't know what I'd do without it...)

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But, before I go...it's Inspiration Monday at Two Birds!

The inspiration:

And the look (please note it is too darn cold around here for me to be wearing short sleeves...and I am referring to my 50-ish degree office, and not the 70-ish degree weather outside. oh Georgia, I love you and your 70-degree November...):

(Please excuse my attempt to show that the stripes on my sweater were, in fact, navy blue, and not black, like my camera is trying to show...)

Sweater: Gap

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Calvin Klein (outlet) 

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

It's kind of a big deal...

Ok, it's actually not a big deal at all to anyone but me, but I was excited about it, so it totally counts.

Anyway, I've never really been a thrift store kind of gal because I just don't have the patience for it. I have a hard time combing through racks and racks of clothes, looking for the next great deal, with no other plan of action. The same feelings apply to really big sales, TJ Maxx, and anywhere else where I have to dig to buy.

(Not that this has ever stopped me from shopping really big sales or TJ Maxx, but that doesn't mean I was enjoying myself!)

(Ok, I actually mostly love it. Moving on...)

But I also know thrift stores can be a goldmine of clothing opportunities, at really great prices, and I'm always so jealous when I see other people's finds, so I figured I was just going to have to suck it up and try again.

And a couple of weeks ago, I finally found success,with this skirt, among other items. And then I stopped shopping, for my own good.

But once I lift my self-imposed ban? I am definitely going back...

Sweater: Gap

Cardigan: Express

Skirt: Talbot's (thrifted)

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Charming Charlie


Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.


Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Never happy?

Last week, we had a nice little overnight freeze that killed off the one plant I have on my back porch that I've managed to keep alive for longer than a month because I wasn't expecting the freeze, so I didn't get the poor guy in before it happened. It was so cold, the temperature inside our house had dropped to 61 in certain rooms, because we had the thermostat set on 63.

Cold. Yuck.

But yesterday? It was 71 outside. And our house was 76 degrees as a result. The only way to cool it down at all would have been to turn on the AC. In November. Which is definitely not happening.

So, if you need me, I'll be over here, wilting away in the heat, like the delicate little flower that I am. And if you want to come back next week, I'll be sure to complain about the icebox I'm living in when the temperatures return to normal levels.

I'm sure you can't wait...

T-shirt: J Crew

Sweater: BCBG

Cord Leggings: Gap

Shoes: Cole Haan

Bracelets: Mango Tree


Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.


Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Flattery

I wore this outfit to work last week, on the day that I happened to have a dentist appointment in the afternoon. In addition to telling me that I looked 24 (which, I don't) and that she could tell I flossed every day (which, again, I don't, unless she meant flossing every day in the week leading up to a dentist appointment, which I totally do...), the hygienist asked me if I worked in fashion. Because she'd never think of pairing polka dots with a red skirt, so she was really impressed that I had.

And all I could think, in addition to thinking this might be the nicest, most over-the-top-enthusiastic dental hygienist I'd ever encountered (which I think might be saying a lot, because I've met some really enthusiastic dental hygienists in my day...but this one gave me TWO tubes of travel toothpaste AND a small sample bottle of Lysterine, in addition to the typical toothbrush/floss combination, so she totally wins), was that I needed to introduce this poor woman to some fashion blogs. Because pairing red/black/white/one pattern is nothing compared to some of the amazingly awesome ensembles I've seen across the internet.

But hey, a compliment is a compliment, and I'll take it. I just need to make sure I'm on my game when I head back in six months...

I don't want to disappoint her, after all.

Blouse: H&M

Cardigan: Express

Skirt: Banana Republic (outlet)

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelet: Francesca's

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.


Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Friday!

This is another one of those skirts I've had forever, although it gets a little more use than the Kenneth Cole skirt I had on earlier in the week. But seeing as I've had it for at least five years, I'm starting to think that I might just be a hoarder of the clothing variety, because even though it seems like my biggest hobby is adding to my closet, I fail a little at cleaning out the old stuff to make room for the new. So if you don't hear from me for a couple of days, send help.

I might just be buried under a pile of skirts or something...

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In other news, eShakti is offering a fantastic deal to all of you lovely people, in the form of $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811. Looking for a new dress for the holidays? They have some gorgeous options, and all can be customized to your particular specifications. They also have a pretty great selection of skirts, scarves, tops, and other various accessories, so I'd recommend checking them out.

And for the fine print on the code: The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Cardigan: J Crew

Skirt: Gap

Shoes:Nine West

Bracelet: Charming Charlie

eShakti Skirts: A Product Review

When the lovely people at eShakti contacted me a couple of weeks ago to see if I had any interest in doing a product review for them, I jumped at the chance. I'd first heard of the company through Heather and Kayla, and after seeing those fabulous ladies model their dresses from the eShakti line, I'd started a bit of a wishlist of my own involving items from the online store.

If you haven't visited the site before, eShakti offers a wide range of clothing in both standard and custom sizes, and for those of us who don't have a standard body type, having the option of customizing any clothing order for a pretty reasonable upcharge isn't a bad thing at all.

I finally decided on the embellished florals flared skirt for review purposes because, although the idea of a custom dress does intrigue me, I am just a skirt kind of girl. Which is probably pretty obvious if you've followed me at all, for any length of time. I don't seem to wear much else, these days...

I ordered the skirt in my usual size 6, and after receiving it within a week of placing the order, I couldn't wait to try it on. It fit exactly at my natural waist, which is maybe a little higher than I'd normally wear a skirt since my short stature predictably includes a short torso (and a lower waistband seems to lengthen that shortness just a bit), but I kind of loved how it looked with this silhouette. It lends itself to a more classic feel with the high-waisted look, I think, which is what I was hoping for when I saw the flare online. Or, as one lady in the office put it when she saw me, 'I just love that skirt. It reminds me of the skirts I wore when I was younger...'.

Since she seemed to mean it as a compliment, and that's the look I actually wanted anyway, I'm going to go ahead and assume that this is a good thing in this case.

Anyway, while I was mostly pleased with this order, I was a little annoyed with the zipper. It seems a little flimsy to me, in that I feel like I need to be extra cautious when taking the skirt on and off. As someone who changes clothes at least seven times before settling on what I want to wear for the day, this could prove to be a problem in the middle of the morning rush, but it's something I can work with when I love the other aspects of the item. I also generally prefer a hook closure at the top of my zippers, which this skirt doesn't have, but I can always add one of my own with a few stitches if it turns into too much of a problem (and it wasn't at all the one time I've worn the skirt so far).

There are several other skirts from the line that I'd like to add to my wardrobe at some point, including the lace and tulle skirt and the floral embellished patch pocket skirt in red, and I definitely think I'll have to give the custom size option a try the next time I order from the site.

When the options for change include where on your waist you'd like to wear the item, as well as where on the leg you'd like it to hit, it's almost like they're speaking directly to the vertically challenged people like myself, and that's just too good to pass by...

Blouse: H&M

Skirt: c/o eShakti

Belt: Target

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelet: Kohls

Disclaimer: eShakti provided the skirt for review, but the opinions are all my own. I wouldn't have it any other way...