JORD Wood Watches and a Giveaway

I've come around on watches. For a long time, I thought I didn't need one. Then, I found a watch I loved and decided I needed ONE good watch. Then, I branched out even further and found watches can serve all types of functions from productivity to style.

Even once I started wearing stylish watches, it took me far too long to figure out that I couldn't just like the way the watch looked I had to like the way the watch felt.

Enter JORD Wood Watches.

#jordwatch #starttheconversation #woodwatch 🕑 Link in my profile!

A photo posted by Sarah Stewart Holland (@bluegrassred) on Jun 15, 2016 at 11:26am PDT

JORD reached out for collaboration I was immediately excited. First, the watches are gorgeous. Even more important than that, it's HOT and something about a wooden watch seemed preferable to metal in the heat of a Kentucky summer.

I was right. This watch is gorgeous and lightweight and just feels like it breathes.

I also really like the size of the women's watch which feels stylish but not clunky. They also have men's watches if you're still without a Father's Day present!

If you want to check out JORD for yourself, click here to enter a $75 gift card and take a JORD wood watch of your very own. 

Wood Watches by JORD

JORD Wood Watches provided me with a watch in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. 

I am THROUGH with swimsuits

Let me ask you this. What have swimsuits ever done for you?

You know what they've done for me? A hot mess of nothing. Even the best ones are ill-fitting, expensive, and downright uncomfortable.

So, you know what?

I'm through. Swimsuits and I are parting ways. A few years ago I adopted a rashguard and it was LIFE. CHANGING. Do you know how much mental energy I spent preventing (often unsuccessfully) sunburns? A lot. Getting the right sunscreen. Applying the right amount of sunscreen. Wearing the sunscreen for the right amount of time. RE-applying sunscreen. Constantly seeking out shade no matter how much sunscreen I had on.

Let's not even talk about the new study that says many sunscreens are a downright lie.

Often, it was all for naught anyway.

There is no sunscreen on God's green earth that can keep me protected in the water for longer than about 15 minutes so snorkeling, swim lessons, or just plain old enjoying the pool were out. 

Add in keeping my three children protected and FORGET IT.

Throwing a rashguard on my kids was amazing and it took me far too long to realize that I could wear one as well.

Still, there were my legs to worry about. I would often just throw a beach towel over my legs if shade couldn't be found but that's hot and uncomfortable.

Speaking of uncomfortable, wearing basically underwear (even if it has a cute skirt) while trying to keep up with three boys is a fool's errand. Add sand in any form or getting in and out boats and let's just say I was constantly pulling and tugging and making sure everything was in its proper place.

ALSO, not to put too fine of a point on it, I am about to turn 35 years old and I am never going to get another bikini wax as long as I live. 

Because I am a grown-ass woman and if that means anything it should mean being able to opt out of someone pouring hot wax on the most sensitive part of your body.

So, I have purchased myself a pair of swim leggings. They are adorable. They are lightweight and comfortable. Paired with one of my rashguards they offer coverage and comfort and sun protection for as long as I want to be outside. 

I am IN LOVE and I am through with swimsuits forever. 

Stitch Fix: Month Three and My Summer Capsule Wardrobe

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5 for 5, baby!

My Stylist NAILED it this month! I got the adorable maxi dress you see above - that fits like a DREAM. A lightweight short sleeve tee JUST as I was thinking I needed a short sleeve shirt to wear that felt a little more formal. A denim blazer that fits perfect (finally!) and goes with the dress from my first shipment and blouse from my second (which I've been wearing the heck out of) AND looks awesome with the adorable split neck blouse shown above. 

I also got this pair of shoes, which I LOVED. Unfortunately, they were too tight. No big deal! Emailed Stitch Fix and they're sending me the next size up. 

HOLLA!

I'm feeling very good about the state of my summer capsule wardrobe. I currently have about 15 tops and 13 bottoms. I'm not counting church dresses or work blazers, but I feel like that's ok.

Next, I'm going to send my stylist some very specific requests. After putting my capsule wardrobe together (with a little KonMari thrown in for good measure), I realized I need some lightweight layering pieces for cold AC moments and better shorts.

For years, I never wore shorts but chasing three kids they have become a necessity. If my stylist can find shorts I love, well then we will KNOW Stitch Fix is the real deal!

Stitch Fix and building a capsule wardrobe

First up, MAD PROPS to the style bloggers. Taking pics of yourself in clothes is STINKING hard, especially if you would like to avoid cleaning up your house but don't want to show the unmade bed and dirty laundry in the background!

I signed up for Stitch Fix and my first box arrived! HUZZAH! 

For those of you unacquainted, Stitch Fix is hand-selected women's fashion shipped free, straight to your door. You get a personal stylist and you get to try on at home risk-free. Buy what you want. Send back what you don't.

I hate shopping so there is nothing not awesome about this. As I've previously mentioned, I've been trying to build a capsule wardrobe (I swear there's a full post coming on this soon!) and I was ready to add some warm weather items - as well as campaign-appropriate professional gear. Stitch Fix seemed like the solution.

In my first box, I received a pair of distressed boyfriend jeans, a split neck blouse, reversible knit top, woven blazer, and Colorblock knit dress. 

Boyfriend jeans - The jeans actually fit really well and I liked the cut really well. However, I don't really need another pair of jeans and distressed isn't really my thing. It looks cute on other people but I always feel like I'm trying too hard.

Split neck blouse - I loved the cut of this blouse but the color isn't great on me and tends to dull my hair. I asked for brighter colors because I have so. much. black and gray and it's starting to bum me out. Alas, this color wasn't quite right.

Reversible knit top - Well, first of all, it's striped. Navy stripes. I LOVE a good stripe. Second of all, it's REVERSIBLE. That's like two tops in one. I loved the weight of the knit and it fits really well. Plus, the key to capsule wardrobe is having flexible pieces that works lots of different ways. This definitely fits the bill. 

Woven blazer - I really like the idea of this blazer. I really liked the way it was a little bit slouchy and the back was longer than the front. Alas, as I tried to get a flattering picture of me in it, I realized I was having trouble because it just wasn't flattering. It didn't fit snugly enough around my ribs to make the slouchy-ness work and the color wasn't particularly flattering.

Colorblock knit dress - Love this dress. I don't usually go for Colorblocking but it's professional while still seeming modern. The colors are great and it fits really well. I still need a blazer that works with it but I'll get my new stylist on it!

BUT I want to hear what y'all think!