All posts by Alison Curtis

News & Updates

October Stitch Fix {southern maryland photographer}

I can’t believe this is my TWELFTH Stitch Fix!

So, here’s the short of it, in case you’ve missed the prior posts!
Go to Stitch Fix! and sign up by filling out a series of questions (size, style preferences, etc.). There is a fee of $20 to get your box shipped. Try on the five items; keep what you like and get the $20 applied to that. Return what you don’t. Keep all five and save 25%. So much awesomeness and fun!

Without further ado:
“The Stack”
stack
It’s always so pretty when I unload, all of the textures and the colors. And this one delivers, per Holly’s usual.

The Style Cards are always so popular, so I’m going to start [trying to] remember these!
style cards
This is great – I’m pretty ignorant on how to put all these cute pieces together – both with what I have already in my closet and what I get from Stitch Fix. Insanely helpful.

I actually snapped some “selfies” for these. Pardon the hair — it was at the end of a long work day!

Here we have the Le Lis Nora French Terry Skirt and the 41Hawthorn Sena Bar Back Blouse
skirt top

skirt top front

This shirt was the first thing I had to put on. The sleeves cuff and button. And when I tried it on, I was a little…slow on the uptake and bummed because I couldn’t get the sleeves over my huge, buff arms. It took this ding-a-ling a few minutes to realize the wrists were still buttoned. After my stroke of genius, the sleeves fit and voila! we have a winner. Definitely keeping this.

The skirt. I still don’t know how I feel about that. It’s cute and not, kinda all rolled into one. The decision was easy once I put it on. It looks awful. Hung on to it and selling on the BST Stitch Fix board on facebook for a lucky lady who can wear it much cuter!

Then I added the Kensie Rebekah Blazer.
skirt blazer top
And I stood there super awkwardly. BUT the blazer is super great. Nice and strong and fits across my back – which is deceivingly broad. And the wrists cuff up and show the lining – super cute cream with tiny black polka dots. So much goodness!

The next match is the RD Style Analisa Twisted Seam Mixed Knit Sweater and the Kut From The Kloth Siena Cropped Pant
pants sweater
SO. MUCH. LOVE.
The sweater is insanely warm, but isn’t thick. I can move in it. It reminds me of sitting around the fire with cocoa.
The pants. I LOVE these pants. I love them so much, in fact, I kinda have them already!
pants
So close! So, my awesome friend who actually turned me on to Stitch Fix asked me to hang on to them to see if they will work for her when we have her family photos in a few weeks. If she doesn’t keep them, I will. I like these better than the other ones! 😉

So that’s a wrap for October. I have an outdoor wedding the first weekend of November so I can’t wait to see what my great stylist, Holly, sends me for that!

If you want awesome stuff delivered to your front door, as frequently or as infrequently as you so desire, sign up for Stitch Fix today. It will be the best $20 you can spend on yourself!

News & Updates

it’s raining {southern maryland photographer}

The thunder is booming outside, rattling and shattering our peace. The lightning is fiercely piercing our windows. But it’s still too quiet. Because Kleiny girl isn’t barking at every grumble. There’s no whimpering from the bathtub. No one yelling for her to stop. No pacing up and down the floor, nails click-clacking, pace increasing as the thunder rumbles closer. I miss my sweet Kleinerhund, tiny puppy girl, sweet Kleinybear. The thunder must be her, just saying hi. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 sweet klein of the roses

Stitch Fix

september stitch fix {southern maryland photographer}

Today marks my favorite day on the calendar that’s just for me: STITCH FIXDELIVERY DAY.

I’ve hashed out the services over the last few months, but here’s the skeleton description:
Go here
Answer some questions about your body/style/clothing preferences/budget
Pay $20 and have a box with five goodies shipped to your door.
Keep what you like; return what you don’t.

zstack

So here we go:
Bay to Baubles Chelsea Crystal Flower Necklace
Pretty. Simply stated. Can dress up the most basic t-shirt without screaming “I’m trying to dress up this basic t-shirt!”. Jude said it’s a “very pretty pretty” (he calls necklaces and bracelets pretties). KEEP.
znecklace

RD Style Laurel Faux Leather Trim Draped Cardigan
So, at first, I pulled this puppy out of the stack (and it was at the bottom) and it felt so soft and buttery that I knew I wanted it. But I couldn’t figure out how to wear it really. Thankfully the style cards come in each box so I saw that it doesn’t wrap or close in any way, it just lays open. The faux leather was a nice detail. And again: butter fabric. Really, the sweater made me wish it was cold, and I never want it to be cold. KEEP.
zrd

Market & Spruce Isabella Dress
“You look like a zebra mom. A pretty zebra.” – Thurston
As my girl Holly noted in styling me, I have a thing for stripes. And the asymmetrical angles of this one are right up my alley. It’s very flattering on my short frame — Graham told me I look about half an inch taller. I can wear it with layers when it’s colder out for fall, too. Boots, booties, heels and tights: this one is a definite must that will get it’s money worth in my closet. KEEP.
zzebra

Pixley Deeann Dress
So, I felt like this dress was pretty romantic. It has a flattering shape, a nice keyhole at the neck/bust line. The crochet details are cute as hell. My husband told me it looks like curtains. Nonetheless, I felt like she’s a KEEP.
zpixley

Everly Elwick Dress
This is your basic three-quarter sleeve gray dress, quite honestly. And the shape was awful on me by itself. But I threw a belt on and instantly felt like it looked better. I was no longer a school marm. This will be great for work with some heels and then under a blazer with boots when the cold sets in. And all four of my boys approved, which is an added bonus. KEEP.
zgray

Yet another 5/5. Holly is killing it (and my wallet!).

Oh, and a cool bonus, I just happened to pick up these pumps at TJMaxx the other day, and they match, you know, just about the entire fix! So that was pretty mind-blowing!
zshoes

News & Updates

august stitch fix {southern maryland photographer}

It’s somehow August already. And I’ve somehow had the flu since Saturday. And my Stitch Fix arriving today made it better as much as it could! If you don’t know about Stitch Fix, go backwards in this blog and read up! The short: $20 gets you a personal stylist. This lovely gal with gather five items based on a profile you complete and ship them to you. IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME WITHOUT YOUR CHILDREN SCREAMING ABOUT HOW THEY JUST WANT A PRETZEL, you can try on the items. And you can take up to three days to mull it over, if you need three days. Ship back what you want in the pre-paid envelope. Keep what you want and checkout online. If you keep all five, besides the super awesome bonus dance you do in your bedroom to celebrate, Stitch Fix gives you 25% off of your entire order. HELLO SAVINGS.
Without further ado…
stack
Oh “the stack”. It’s so pretty folded up tight with the paper wrapped around before I voraciously tear into it like a rabid cheetah.

But the treasures it holds!
Such as:
Marilyn Schiff Vara V Cuff
I think we don’t need many words to describe this darling. Keeper for sure.
cuff

Just Black Dean Skinny Jean
So, “Just Black” is a Stitch Fix – only brand. And the ladies that blog their gear totally RAVE about these things. And I get it. They’re soft, and just enough stretch where we need it most. Except there are zippers. So torn…
jeans

jeans zip
I don’t like zippers at the ankles of my jeans. 🙁
And they bunch since I’m such a shorty:
jeans ankles 2

jeans ankles
As Graham said: “they look great on you mom; you can unzip them and cuff them and wear boots, right?” *Swoon*. That boy.
UNDECIDED.

Sweet Rain Toledo V Neck Blouse
I immediately was drawn to the colors. Bright and fun, this shirt felt right for me. And then “the four” chimed in and told me how ridiculous I look. Well nah-nee nah-nee boo-boo, I’m keeping this even if you hate it and I look like a coloring book threw back up the crayons!
jeans & aztek

aztec

19 Cooper Jazz Embroidery Detail Blouse
This shirt is so great in so many ways. Even “the four” told me it looked pretty (typically I don’t have a fashion show for them, but they were home sick with me, too!). I can see this going to work for the rest of the summer and transitioning with a blazer or sweater in the fall. But, there are two hiccups I’m having: notice anything in the middle of the embroidery? And: bra straps. This will require a new bra. I hate bra shopping and Stitch Fix doesn’t offer that service…yet!
jeans & black

black
UNDECIDED.

Lastly is the Pixley Ellie Elephant Print Blouse. My girl Holly noticed this on my Pinterest inspiration board, and I do love this little blouse. It fits well, as most Pixley items tend to fit me perfectly. But I just…I don’t know. I don’t feel like I’m in LOVE, I’m just kinda in like and will probably ignore the phone calls/texts after the first date. And I really want to call my clothes back after the first date.
jeans & elephants

elephants

News & Updates, Stitch Fix

Happy Stitchmas in July {southern maryland photographer}

Do you know yet about StitchFix? I’ve hashed it out for the last few months, so if you’ve followed I won’t bore you again, but for the ‘new guys’, here’s the short of it:
Go to StitchFix [use my referral link so they give me an affiliate credit, if you don’t mind?]. Fill out a questionnaire, which takes 10-15 minutes, tops. Schedule your shipment. It’ll cost $20 for the service, but that $20 gets applied to any of the five items you keep. Keep all five and get 25% off the whole thing. It ships. You try on the five pieces, even if you think you don’t like them straight out of the box. Send back what you don’t want within three days in the prepaid envelope. That’s it! GREAT service.

stack
When I pulled this out of the box, *swoon*. The colors are my kind of colors!

I had plans this month to have photos of myself in all of the pieces. The mirror I planned to use for said photos of myself in said pieces? A child or a dog managed to step on my mirror after it was somehow knocked over, and so it is shattered. Maybe I even stepped on it? Anyway…

Without further ado:
Bancroft Gisella Hammered Fan Necklace
necklace1

necklace2
Love. I like simple pieces that don’t require much more than me slinging it over my neck. This one is even better than that. It’s two-sized so I can wear smooth side or hammered side. YES. But it also has little latches that slide so the chain can be extended or shortened. So necklines on shirts suddenly don’t matter. So much goodness.

Skies are Blue Fowler Mixed Material Knit Top
SAB top
Basic Tshirt you think, right? Except the sleeves are not cotton. They’re awesome. Great for looking polished on the weekends or being dressed up a little bit for casual Fridays at the office.

Pixley Malynn Asymmetrical Soft Moto Vest
pix vest
So let’s talk about this top for a minute. In “the stack” it was zipped up to the neck. And since it crosses the body to zip, it was a little confusing. And I was having a “WTF were you thinking, Holly?!” moment. And then I saw the zipper. And the crease in the fabric. Yep, this is one of those things I would 100000% never ever grab for myself if I was shopping – ha, like that ever happens [soapbox: this is another reason why Stitch Fix is SO GOOD]. Anyway, Holly pushed my boundaries and re-established new boundary lines. This will be great for work and weddings and weekends and bridal showers and and and…

Pixley Messi Lattice Neckline Knit Top
messi
I pinned this one to my Pinterest board and was stoked to get it in my box. I know a bunch of other bloggers have noticed similar ones at Target for a lower cost. So let’s address that and I’ll soapbox a little. If I go to Target, I swear there is a gas in their buildings that force you to buy things you had no intention of purchasing before arrival. So it could be true that the shirt is half as expensive. But let’s be real: it will cost more than the shirt alone because there will be cute sandals for “ONLY $24.98”. You all know what I’m talking about. Not to mention that requires actually stepping foot into a store. And trying clothes on. While getting laundry detergent. With kids and a husband. Yea, no. So back to the top: Love it. Will wear probably a million times.

Last but not least:
Kensie Thea Dress
kensie
My birthday is this month so I told Holly in my stylist note that I wanted a random splurge item. And boy did she deliver. This one I had not yet seen on all the StitchFix blogs I follow and I was pleasantly surprised. This dress feels like it was cut for my body. It’s so perfect. The colors are glorious. Purple never was a favorite color, but it tends to be one that works best with my complexion and hair/eyes. I can wear this to work. I can throw on some flip flops and wear it grocery shopping. I will love this forever.

If you haven’t tried StitchFix yet, why are you waiting!?!? Treat yourself. For the cost of three cups of overpriced coffee, you can have your very own personal stylist. Get with it ladies, you NEED this! And you don’t have to get a shipment monthly. You can get just one. Get one a quarter. Get one monthly. One every 2-3 weeks. Heck, I’ve seen some ladies that have two accounts so they can get one for work clothes and one for weekend clothes and they come every 10ish days. You can set it up for clothes only or allow accessories — I asked for no earrings and no purses/bags. I may add earrings after a while, but I tend to just leave the same studs in daily. And no purses — I know my limits and I’m far too lazy to swap out bags to match my clothes thankyouverymuch. You should really get on the bandwagon because you’ll squeal when you get the shipment deliveries, too, even if you don’t feel like you will.
xo