Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Modest Style, Modest Price, Fabulous Look: Mikarose Dress Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 132 Comments

Recently Tim and I attended out 10 year college reunion. Why yes, as a matter of fact that DID make me feel quite old!

When I was thinking about what I would wear to the reception, I had the following criteria in mind for a new dress:

1. It needed to be affordable. We are a one income family, so heading over to Saks or Nordstrom for the latest and greatest in their fall lines wouldn’t be happening for me.

2. It needed to be comfortable. We would have our two little ones with us, which means at various points throughout the event I’d be chasing after one or wearing the other.

3. It needed to be appropriate for my season of life. As fun as it is to remember my late teens and early twenties, that’s not how old I am anymore. So I shouldn’t try to dress like it for the reunion. At the same time, I didn’t want to wear something that looks like I might be attending my 50th reunion!

Mikarose was an excellent resource for me in choosing the perfect dress, which you will see in this family shot below:

I’m wearing the Hannah dress, which is smartly priced at just $44.99. And can I point out that this dress has POCKETS?! Best. Design. EVER!!!

The color is on trend, the neckline is flattering but not revealing, and the overall look is modest but not frumpy. This is now my go-to dress for any event. I can easily dress it up with a shawl or dress it down with some riding boots.

Incidentally, I know the background of this picture may look a bit boring, but we are standing in front of the entrance to my dorm hall from freshman year. Tim and I used to linger outside this door after long walks around campus and try to squeeze in  just a few more minutes together before we went our separate ways…and many of those times were before we even started dating each other and were just good friends. Having a picture of what we have grown into (a family of 4!) at the place where it all began is really special.

If you are looking for something special to add to your wardrobe, perhaps for an upcoming event, and you have some of the same criteria as me, I want to strongly encourage you to check out Mikarose! You just might find the perfect option. And if you are lucky, maybe it will have pockets, too!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Mikarose!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinion expressed here are strictly my own.

Fabulous Casual Fashion: Stellarocco (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 244 Comments

When I go shopping for clothes, I’m usually at my favorite thrift store. But whether I’m shopping second hand or shopping online, I’m very consistent about one thing: I always shop for Darah first.

Do you do this, too?! I think there are a few reasons.
1. The odds are better that whatever I pick out will fit Darah, and with me, you just never know!
2. Little girl’s clothes are CUTE!
3. I seem to get more joy out of spending on her than myself. I’m not really sure what that’s about, but it is true.

As a result, I often find myself with a closet stuffed with NOTHINGTOWEAR. I seriously wear the same 5 shirts over and over and over again. I keep going back to the tops that are as cute as possible while also being as comfortable as possible. Now you see why most of my wardrobe goes untouched.

I just added a 6th shirt to the constant rotation (I’m sure Tim and Darah are grateful for the change of scenery!). It’s from a very cute online retailer called Stellarocco. It’s the Palm Berries Cap Sleeve Top. Let me tell you why I love it so much.
1. It is really cute and on-trend! I can’t say that for too many things in my wardrobe, so it is really refreshing to have something updated like this.

2. The color is very pretty! Greens and purples are some of my favorite colors to wear, so this top just feels like me.

3. The cap sleeves are a little bit unique, and I love that. It gives a very flattering neckline.

4. The material is SO SOFT. Like, you’ll want to wear it to sleep after wearing it all day because it is so comfy. I may or may not have actually done this once or twice…

5. The price is fair. This runs for $26, and do keep in mind that the designs are unique to this company and rendered by an artist. Each shirt also gets silk-screened by hand. I’d say it is a tremendous value!

Buy it!: Stellarocco has a fantastic line of tees and tops featuring modern, botanical prints. There are looks to suit everyone there!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the short-sleeve shirt of your choice from Stellarocco! Woo hoow! The contest will run until July 9th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Pick out your shirt at Stellarocco and then come back here and tell me the style name, color and size (choose wisely, as the winner will get what they choose for this entry).

My answer: If I could pick out another shirt, I would get the songbirds shirt in creme, size large!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Stellarocco on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS or email

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

$12 to use at eShakti, FREE!

· by · Leave a Comment

A while back I wrote about eShakti, a very cool company that is working to make custom clothing surprisingly affordable. I just got an email from them offering me $12 to use at their store. No strings attached. Just free $12 credit! Woot!

Lucky me, right? Well lucky you, too! They sent me a code to pass along to all of you! Now run along and get yourself something extra special for work, an upcoming function, or for no reason at all other than the fact that you are worth it! 🙂

code: STNR1V This will take $12 off any purchase at eShakti!

If you buy something, I totally want to hear about what you get so that I can ooh and ahh. I love eShakti!