Stitch Fix - Fix #2 review

As I've mentioned before, I'm looking to makeover my life this year, which includes my closet. I've seen so many ads come across my Facebook feed and friends are pinning items to their StitchFix Pintrest board, might as well try it out. I like to think I have good fashion sense. I shop at trendy stores and boutiques. I try to throw in a new color or fun pattern every now and then. Being pregnant for most of last year and wanting to only wear solid, dark colors has left my closet looking really blah. When you see mostly black, grey and navy, time to purge and refresh.

For those of you that haven't heard about StitchFix, it's an online service that sends you clothes based on the style profile you fill out. You pay a $20 styling fee each time you request a box and are sent 5 items. Decide which ones you want to keep and return the ones you don't want using the prepaid shipping label. The $20 styling fee goes towards the purchase of any items. Purchase all 5 items and get 25% off. You have usually a week to decide what you want to keep and can also add comments about what you like/don't like about a particular item. They also suggest you create a Pintrest board and pin styles or pieces you like. I recommend doing this to help your stylist pick pieces you will like. Here's an example of my board I am starting.

I received my first box back in January and it was like Christmas morning! I love the idea of not knowing in advance what you are going to receive. You can get a sneak peek once you receive the email from StitchFix with the tracking number. If you click on the link to checkout, you can search the Internet for the items that are in your box. It's nice that a lot of women pin their items on Pintrest for others to see. I'm going to start doing the same.

Fix #1 Kept the shirt I posted in my Valentines day post.

Fix #2
I was excited to receive my second fix, but was somewhat disappointed. I decided to include a note to the stylist before the box was sent to give them an idea of what I was looking for and overall my fix missed the mark. I asked for skirt in black, olive or denim and receive a hounds tooth skirt that was too long and the material was horrible.

I wanted a blazer or jacket for spring. The one that was sent was a nice style, but I would have preferred one that I could wear all day at work.

Mo-Ka Korbin Jacket

The striped shirt was cute and fit well, but the stripe pattern along the shoulders was not lining up correctly and it looked weird.

Laila Jayne Hinsdale Stripe shirt

I asked for a spring sweater and really liked the one they sent. But the material was 100% acrylic and felt cheap. Plus is was hand wash only.

Skies are Blue Galla Mesh Sweater

I did keep the necklace. I love the style and happen to have a couple similar styles pinned on my Pintrest board. I have been wanting a necklace in this color too. Perfect for spring!

Bay of Baubles Christy necklace

I suggest at least trying it once. I shared my referral link with a lot of my friends who have signed up, so I have a nice little credit in my account for future fixes. If you have friends that you think would also like this service, it's worth signing up and sharing your experience. So my styling fee wasn't a total loss. I probably need to be a little more direct when request my next box on what I want and don't want. I'll continue to post my Fixes as I receive them.

10 processed foods to never feed kids

I came across this post on my Facebook feed and quickly read it to see if anything I feed my kids is on list. Luckily I only need to cut out the first one. Which is a shame, I love those gold fish crackers. I think most of these items should be discontinued all together, since they have no real nutritional value and are just full of additives and preservatives. We all know that eating organic can be better for you, yet I still see people pulling the well-known, name brand items off the shelf. For only a few cents more, you can get a healthier version of yogurt, applesauce, and cereal.

http://www.mamavation.com/2015/02/10-processed-foods-never-feed-kids.html

My family pretty much shops at Trader Joe's exclusively and we are careful about checking the labels. Many of you might not have access to a Trader Joe's or can afford to shop at Whole Foods, but taking a minute to check the labels for hydrogenated oils and high levels of sugar will put you in the right step towards eating healthier.

Valentine Date Night Style

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to try StitchFix to see what a stylist would select for me. Well I ordered a box last month and received my first five items. I didn't take the time to document what came but I did keep one of the shirts. I'm scheduled to get another box next week, so I'll take some more time to write about the service and my experience. In the mean time if you want to check it out, here's a link to sign up.

So back to Valentine's day. I've been wanting to wear the shirt I purchased and thought his night would be the perfect occasion. It's a cute chevron print shirt. I paired it with a new pair of Gap Always Skinny jeans, booties and a clutch. I have been holding off on buying any new pants in hope that soon enough I will fit back into my pre-pregnancy pants. Well it seems like it's going to take a little more time. I bought this pair at Gap Outlet, but you can find a similar pair from Gap.

Chevron print shirt - Pixley

Gap Always Skinny Pants

Me Too Grey Booties - no longer available

Marc by Marc Jacobs clutch (similar one, but I have this for sale in my Poshmark Closet)

My husband I celebrated with dinner at a new Italian restaurant in a suburb we have never been to. This is our first dinner date out by with no children in 3 months! The last time was the week before Lucy was born. Now that she's on a schedule, we'll be able to enjoy some more nights out like this one. Guess that means I need to invest in some new pieces for my wardrobe. 

Online consignments - ThredUp review

I've taken a lot of my clothes to local consignment stores and had good success selling items. I received a postcard in the mail a few months back for thredUP offering 40% off your purchase and decided to check it out. thredUP is an online consignment/resale site. They accept nicer brands in good condition and will pay upfront for your items. They also will consign items with a varying payout. Currently they are taking Designer Handbags thru 3/31 with 100% payout to the seller.

Before I decided to purchase anything with my 40% off, I requested a Clean Out bag. If I could get some cash for my clothes, that money could go towards my purchase. Once you receive the bag in the mail, it takes 7-10 days to arrive, fill the bag with clothes from your closet and drop off at USPS or Fedex. Make sure to take a picture of the label before you mail, in case you want to track or if it gets lost. You can also enter the tracking number into the site for their reference. I think this allows them to process faster.

I ordered my first bag back in November and it took them 30 days to process. You can choose Return Assurance to have any items they don't decide to buy returned to you. They do charge $12.95 for shipping. Otherwise any items they don't want will be donated. I was a little leery about sending some nicer items for fear they wouldn't be accepted and they would be donated. I didn't want to pay the return assurance fee either on this first bag. I received about $25 and used that towards the purchase of two tops. You can see the contents of you bag and what's sold from your account. Here's what was in my bag.

I ordered a second bag in early January, since I had a couple purses I wanted to sell. I received an email telling me to expect a 30 day turnaround. Much to my surprise, I received an email a few days later telling me my bag had been processed and I was receiving $120! Super excited, plus my Marc Jacobs purse was going on consignment.

For consignment items, thredUP will set the prices and you can change them within 7 days. An item will be on consignment for 84 days. You can then reclaim your item, or it will be donated.

Payout
After 14 days the funds are ready for your withdraw via PayPal. You can also use the funds towards purchases.

Pros
- Cash payout upfront
- Nice quality items in good condition to purchase
- Easier to search for brands and styles than shopping at a local consignment store
- Purchase items at a decent price

Cons
- Payouts can be low on items. Recommend Poshmark if you want to set your own price
- Turnaround time for processing long, but they are starting to ramp up
- iPhone and iPad app search functionality not very good, search from a computer

Overall, I like having this option and find it easy to use and easy to shop. I will definitely continue to use thredUp to sell my clothes.

For more info, check out their FAQ site.

So what is a "kittycatmonkey"?

You might wonder how I came up with the name of my blog. Some may think I've lost my mind or couldn't think of anything and just put a bunch of words together. Both are true. I recently had another baby, Lucy, who's my second. My older daughter Isla was in her room one day and was playing with the stuffed animals on Lucy's shelf. There was a pink dog she picked up and kept insisting it was a cat. Lucy was meowing like a cat at the time too and Isla was talking to her and said "Lucy, you're a Kitty-Cat-Monkey". Somehow that stuck and she continued to call her that for a couple more weeks. Since then I keep thinking about how silly it was at the time, but has turned into a reality. Lucy still meows and makes cat noises, and Isla is definitely a monkey.

Why not name this blog after them, since I started it in the first place as a way to track a lot of the mommy ideas I come across. (Plus I had a hard time coming up with a name).