Twice x 2

If last week was an unintentional crafty/DIY week, this week’s theme is accidentally all about fashion. I just got in an awesome order from Twice that I just HAVE to share and I’m expecting this month’s Stitch Fix to come later this week!

I’ve talked about the consignment website Twice on my blog before when I decided to try selling some of my clothes and then purchase a couple new pieces with my found money. I thought the service was pretty darn awesome with their quick AND free shipping and easy way of earning extra money to spend.

Since it’s been a few months and I decided to buy a few more things, I wanted to share my experience with you.

When you sign up for Twice, you get on their email list for new arrivals. Typically I find an influx of store emails kind of annoying and I tend to opt out of most of them to keep away from shopping temptation. However, Twice sends you an email specific to the sizes and brands that you like to buy. As an added bonus, there is a special promo code in the email that you can use if you purchase anything off their suggested items list. It’s easy to overlook this special deal, but 10% off is a nice little extra treat!

Typically when I get their emails, I click through on my phone to see if anything is interesting. Well, last week I saw a BRAND NEW Banana Republic dress that still had its tags. The dress was originally $128 and marked down to $31.95. I also saw a gorgeous Ann Taylor Loft mustard colored top for just $17.95. I had a $10 referral credit in my account, used my 10% off code (which saved me $4.99) and got free shipping. So I spent a total of $34.91 for the two pieces. Less than $35 for a well-made dress and top? HECK YEAH!

When my order arrived, I was super excited to unpack it and even threw a picture up on instagram showing off my awesome scores.

I couldn’t wait to have a little fashion show, so here you go:

Twice - loft yellow top - style 1 Here is the mustard Ann Taylor Loft top. I styled it with a plain black pencil skirt (similar to how I styled the top from my last Stitch Fix order that I sent back). I would wear this outfit to work on a warm-ish day (obviously not today…), but would need to get a Joules-colored bra or cami to wear underneath because you can totally see my dark-colored bra in person. Not classy at all. Love the top though!

Twice - loft yellow top - style 2 Here is the top styled for cooler weather — I untucked the blouse and added a grey suit jacket (from H&M) and pretty jade beaded necklace (from Lucky, a Christmas gift from my husband). I’m wearing the black skirt in the picture and would throw on fleece-lined tights and boots. Or just put on a pair of black trousers to keep warm. The jacket totally solves the visible bra issue, so that’s a bonus!

Twice - Banana dress - style 1Here is the brand new (still with tags!?) Banana Republic dress… and look, there are POCKETS! Every girl loves a dress with pockets, right?! The dress fit perfectly and I can totally wear it year-round with just a few changes. Here is my warm weather look, just the dress and I could add a cute pair of pumps or sandals, depending on the occasion.

Twice - Banana dress - close upHere is a close-up on the waist detailing. Isn’t is gorgeous? What a steal!

Twice - Banana dress - style 2Here is my winterized version of the dress — I added a lightweight wool sweater with beaded detailing (from Marshalls) and would also throw on my trusty fleece-lined tights. Since the dress is so floaty, I’d probably add a slip to keep from that static-crawling-up-your-crotch look that tends to happen in drier weather.

Have you found any super amazing shopping deals lately? Feel free to brag away in the comments!

If you are interested in trying out Twice to sell OR buy clothes, they are currently running a referral bonus where you can get $10 off your first purchase (for new sign ups that use my special link) AND if you decide to sell your clothes you can get an additional bonus payout of $10 in store credit. Here is my special code: liketwice.com/Ddm2y Have fun shopping!

Disclosure: I was not rewarded by Twice for reviewing them on my blog. I was just incredibly impressed with their company and wanted to share it with you all! If you decided that you want to click through on my special link, I will receive credits on my account (click here to access my special link) and you will receive money off of your order!

Like what you see? Share me with your friends!

Quick Update for Subscribers

Remember back in early December when I told you that I’d be switching my blog to self-hosted and ideally NOTHING would change?

Well, stuff changed.

I just found out that the majority of people who subscribed to my blog somehow fell of the list to receive new blog posts. I mean, what is this FACEBOOK?! You ASKED to get an update on WordPress or an email whenever I posted something new and NOBODY was getting them.

BOO! HISS!

Luckily I figured it out (totally by accident, of course) and now everything should be fixed.

If you haven’t heard from me in a while and you’re wondering what happened to me… well, there you go. While I was removed from your world I wrote 13 posts, celebrated Christmas, went on a 24 hour date with my husband, did a bunch of crafts and also showed you some of my awkward outfit pictures. So yeah, nothing much.

If you haven’t subscribed to my blog, but now want to know what the hoopla is about… mosey on over to the right sidebar where it says “subscribe.” If you enter your email address you will get an email every time I post a new blog post. So YAY for subscribing!

 

 

Like what you see? Share me with your friends!

Reviewing Darby Smart & Darby Girl

WHEW, it HAS been a super crafty week here at Pocketful of Joules! I’m kind of exhausted from the craftiness…

I actually received these boxes from Darby Smart the week of Christmas and they’ve been sitting there silently judging me for weeks. With Jack running around the house, I couldn’t exactly break out the fabric paint and go to town, right?

The Marquee Sign Box
The first box I received is the grown-up version, the Darby Smart box for making your own marquee sign. Marquee signs are HUGE right now – you can find DIY versions all over Pinterest – so I was pretty excited to see a kit that included everything I needed to make one.

Included in the kit:

  • Awl (not an owl… an awl, which is a pokey knife thingie)
  • Metallic pen
  • LED lights
  • Oversized alphabet stencils
  • 2 foam boards (one for practice)

I actually got two of these kits, so I gave one to my sister. Kelsey is about to graduate from James Madison University (JMU) with a BS in Nursing AND a BS in Kinesiology (what can I say, we are a family of overachievers!), so she decided to do a special JMU pride marquee sign:

darby kelseySuper cute, right? I’ve been debating on what to do for my marquee. I’m torn between doing it Christmas themed (maybe “Joy”), one for Jack’s room (“JACK”) or one to go on one of our gallery walls (“Love”)… but right now I’m kind of stuck in indecision. OOOH, or I could do one for my office that simply says “WORK” or maybe even “WERK” to keep it sassy…

The “Let’s Get Framed” Box
Darby Smart recently launched, Darby Girl, a craft club for teens. You can purchase a box for one month, six months (3 boxes) or one year (6 boxes) and boxes start at $16. This is a really cool gift for a teen or tween in your life who loves to craft… and reasonably priced too!

The box I received was the “Let’s Get Framed” box, which contains everything you need to make mini bulletin boards.

Included in this kit:

  • 2 fabric dyes
  • Stretchy elastic
  • Fabric
  • Cork tiles
  • E6000 glue
  • Beads in a Bottle (which is like old-school puffy paint)

I’m going to be honest… I still haven’t found time to do this kit. I know, BAD blogger! But the kit is really designed for a teen, so it seems silly to do the kit and then just have it sitting around the house. So, here’s the deal – if you have a teen or tween that would love to do this kit, leave me a comment below. I’ll pick someone and send the kit to you to enjoy!

With just a little work, THIS is what you could end up with:

darby girl - samplesThere are also some really cool examples in the Darby Smart Showroom. So check them out and see what other people came up with!

Today’s post marks the end of my craftinista week. Although I don’t typically do “theme” weeks on the blog, this was kind of fun! In fact, I’m kind of accidently continuing the theme thing next week, but instead of being DIY projects, it’s going to be all about fashion because I just had an AWESOME Twice order delivered and I will be receiving my January Stitch Fix box too.

Tell me, do you like the “theme” week thing or do you prefer I just write about whatever strikes me each particular day? Would your teen/tween like the Darby Girl box? Let me know in the comments!

1/13/14 Update: Okay, I just wrote names on pieces of paper and made my dog pick one with his nose… The winner is: Ryan Richael! I’ll be emailing you directly to get your mailing address so I can pop this in the mail for your daughter!

Like what you see? Share me with your friends!