Love, Lydia - Notes from a geeky, plus sized artist.: giveaway
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Store Directories and Giveaway Winner

Hello folks,

Giveaway Winner

Thanks so much for participating in my Julep giveaway!  Rachel M. is our winner, and her prize will be sent out in the next 48 hours.  I'm sure there will be another giveaway in future, sign up for updates via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Bloglovin (links to all on the right toolbar) to hear about them first!


And if you're still interested in trying out Julep's nail and makeup products you can get a free introductory box.

Metallics Welcome Box Offer

Store Directory

I know I've had a list of places you can find ethical plus sized clothing, and I've loved putting it together.  And for a while I've been working on compiling a new list of places I currently shop, for both clothes and other items, so if you're looking for new places to try you'll have a list at your fingertips.  Hopefully it'll also be a place you can come if you'd like to work on holiday shopping or finding your style.  If you want geeky shirts in plus sizes it's also got a good variety, as does my next list.

I'll also have a list of places I'd like to try with an area where you can suggest places you think I'd like.  There are several great shops with geeky designs that have plus sized options available that I'm itching to try.

Between these lists you'll be able to find all my different affiliates, so if you want to support my blog as you shop you'll find it as easy as possible.  I'll be updating all the lists regularly, so if you've visited before you may find new treasures the next time you look.  You'll find the lists in the top bar as well as in this post:

Ethical Plus Size Fashion 

Places I Shop

Stores I Want To Try

I'm sorry I don't have more of a real post today, but I've had an awful cold and can't concentrate nearly as well as usual.  This was much was a struggle honestly, but I can't wait to see you all Wednesday!

Love,
Lydia


Thursday, October 22, 2015

Coloring Books and Fiction Books

Hi everyone,

Today I wanted to share a about some grown up coloring books.  I know recently they've become a trendy thing and more publishers are catching on.  This means there are many to choose from and there's something to suit everyone's taste too!

However, I bet some of you are wondering, why would a professional artist like these coloring books so much?  That would probably be some of the same reasons I think you might enjoy them as well!  First off I find coloring books to be therapeutic because I can simply focus on filling in spaces.  I can create flat areas of color, add texture, or make gradations within the spaces, but I never have to draw up the outlines.  This allows you to A. relax and think about the things you need to see more clearly that have been percolating in the back of your mind, B. think or meditate on a particular subject, whether that's a bible verse, a book you finished reading, or some other subject that's worthy of studying, C. or it allows you to destress, clearing your mind out to focus on just the actions related to coloring.  I honestly do all three at various times.

Additionally, as an artist I find it a useful way to test out ways of using colors together without worrying if they're perfect or not on the first try.  I also find that coloring books can be a fun thing to collect while traveling.  There's a much greater variety in subjects and complexity these days than you might assume.  Below are some favorites from my personal collection, I have more, but I'm going to give you a peek at 4 of them today.  (And as always links with a ◊ are affiliate links, so if you use a link to buy items, they don't have to be the ones in this post, you help support this blog!)

Grown Up Coloring Books

The Art of Nature 

Available from ModCloth◊ and Amazon◊ this is a gorgeous coloring book.  It's probably the most decadent one on my list, but it's worth it because the pages are perforated, and the paper a soft antique white.  Additionally each image could easily be framed as home decor, with or without color.  Though you can match the colors to the ones within the room you plan to hang the image if you do color them.  We're doing that with about a half dozen of them, which fits really well in our beach themed master bedroom.





Mystical Mandala by Alberta Hutchinson

Mandala coloring books are the most popular type of adult coloring books, and the mandala itself dates much farther back in Eastern traditions connected to meditation practices.  The designs in this book, however, are more Western influenced with most incorporating flowers and the types of patterns you might see in a kaleidoscope.  This Dover book◊ is quite lovely, and the mandala designs in it are great for relaxation.  Also I've recently partnered with Dover because I love their coloring books so much!  They have fantastic deals and on average their coloring books cost $4.  They make nearly 30 coloring books of mandalas alone, along with scores of coloring books on almost every subject imaginable.  The only drawback I can think of about Dover is that most of their books have images printed on both sides of each page.  You'll see another one of their books further down in this post too!



Desert Critters by Sue Coccia

I found this book of amazingly detailed original art designs while visiting El Morro National Monument on a roadtrip in New Mexico a couple years back.  The designs are incredibly intricate and I was happy to find that she has made about a dozen different coloring books now when I checked on Amazon to get you a link where you can find this book◊.  I love how she can make animals (and bugs!) that might be unsettling to most people and render them endearing, such as the bat below.  Her books are on especially sturdy paper too, and the spine allows the book to lay flat nicely.  Since these are such beautiful art quality I'll probably be framing some of them too.  And if you don't feel like coloring in the designs she also makes prints of her work, which you can find here.



Civil War Fashions by Tom Tierney

I have to admit I really love all the big frilly dresses of this era.  This book covers fashions from both the north and south, with some of sources also being French fashion plates.  For being another little $4 Dover book this one◊ has tons of pages and pretty nice quality paper too.  I was able to use watercolors on the page shown without much warping at all, though I had to be very careful.  Additionally the paper is recycled product, as designated by the little green symbol on the top right corner of the cover.  While I may not be that much of a true southern girl (please don't make me sit through Gone With The Wind ever again!  Once was more than enough.) these costumes we associate with southern culture will always catch my eye.  Though the same women's designs were also worn in the north, and in Europe around the same time, it just gets forgotten easily.  Watch a movie like The Young Victoria◊ (which I highly recommend and happens to be on sale as I write this!) and you'll see the similar styles.


Fiction Reviews


The Death And Life Of Mal Evans


I know it's been a couple weeks since I've published any book reviews, so this week I've got 2 for you.  First off is The Death And Life Of Mal Evans: A Novel by Peter Lee.  I was given a copy of this book to review, and was really excited about it.  The premise is looking back at the life of one of The Beatles' roadies, if he could go back in time and change things would The Beatles have stayed together.  The book is really well researched and even has a timeline and possible discographies of the fictional albums that could have been.  Most of the content is songs that would have been in solo projects and such.  The whole book is a love letter to The Beatles and their fans, and it's easy to get sucked in and go right along for the ride.  While there are are fights, and other things that trip up the band in the end there's a better vision of how it could have been thanks to a roadie who poured his life into the belief that The Beatles were at their best together.



Spell Or High Water


The second book I read recently is Spell Or High Water by Scott Meyer.  It's the sequel to Off To Be The Wizard, and follows along with Martin and Phillip as they head off to a wizard convention in Atlantis.  While I enjoyed this book I felt like Meyer had even more trouble writing women than he did in the previous book.  The plot was pretty good though there were parts where I just wish it had more depth.  I did like how he developed the shell and various other ways wizards found to innovate and essentially code the world around them.  Otherwise it's another slightly nerdy fantasy book that if you enjoy fantasy and time travel you will probably be happy reading.

Thanks for reading and if you have any books to recommend let me know in the comments below!  And if you haven't entered to win my giveaway for Julep nail products please check that out below.

Love,
Lydia




You can win the 4 colors above (Lydia, Lee, Florence, and Sandi) plus a set of holographic decals by entering your information in the Rafflecopter widget below.  And if you'd like to try them out you can also use this link◊ and get an introductory box of gorgeous metallic colors free!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, October 16, 2015

Thred Up VS Poshmark + A Julep Giveaway!

Hi friends!

Today I'm finally getting to my comparison review of Poshmark and Thred Up.  Both are excellent sites to sell your new and gently used clothing, shoes, and on Poshmark accessories and makeup too.  So, let's take a look!


Thred Up

Buying from Thred up

Pros: 

  1. Good sized inventory for most sizes
  2. Quick turnover, especially in plus sizes
  3. Pretty fast delivery since your order comes straight from their warehouse
  4. Items have little or no signs of use (supposedly, for what it's worth I bought a dress that had a rip in it which got past their inspectors)
  5. Free returns within 2 weeks of receiving your order
  6. You can get $20 in credit (no strings attached! You receive it in your account as soon as your friend makes their first order of any amount.) for each person you refer, and they get $20 too.  Here is my link - http://www.thredup.com/r/A6CEKT

Cons:

  1. Very little plus size selection over a size 18, there are typically 200 or less items in my size (20-24)
  2. Some fantastic brands are not accepted by their site - City Chic, Aeropostale, American Apparel, many department store brands from stores like Belk, JC Penney, Kohls, etc, and other less known or foreign brands.
  3. People can hoard items by putting items in their cart for 24 hours, and repeating before time is up (I've found leaving a browser window with the first page of your size open and hitting reload every 10-15 minutes in the evening will show new items often)
  4. Items may be missing belts or other accessories, always noted.
  5. It can take 3 weeks or more to process a return
  6. They're desperate enough for plus sizes they tend to have a good number of items that aren't on trend from brands targeted to more mature women simply because they're nice quality. (example below, hello dated seasonal applique!)
  7. The site has sales on items only when they've been in their stock longer than they'd like, which I have never seen happen with any plus size items because the demand is so great.

My buying experience:

I bought 4 items between the credit I had from a friend, the $5 payout and spend $11 out of pocket for the remaining amount.  Of the 4 items two were too big, one was surprisingly too small, and one item fit beautifully, but had a rip at the waist.  I loved the ripped item enough to keep and repair, though I was surprised that it got past their inspections.  The other items were pristine though!  I think in most cases you will not run into this issue, so I will be buying from them again.

This is what I ordered, the green dress was the item kept, the boots were too small in the calf, but gave no measurement so I was ordering blind and assuming Lane Bryant would have reasonably wide calf boots.  The tiny flaws listed on two of the items were marks that would come out in the wash or very light signs of wear.


Selling on Thred Up

Pros:


  1. They do the work for you - you get a postage paid bag sent to you, which you fill and send back.
  2. It takes very little time.
  3. You can get cash (through Paypal) or credit for your items.
  4. You can clean out your closet in the least intimidating way possible.

Cons:

  1. They typically accept under half of most bags sent to them.
  2. You have to be very critical of what items you send in regards to condition.
  3. The don't accept certain brands and are overstocked on others, check their site for details.
  4. You get 1/4 of whatever they think any item is worth, which may not be very much.

My selling experience:

I sent a bag with a total of 17 accepted items (out of about 28, so a good ratio for those selling plus size).  I got a total if $18.06 for those items, and paid $12.99 to have the remaining items shipped back to me.  I'm glad I did because I didn't realize until after mailing things to them that they wouldn't accept items from City Chic (an Australian brand I love which is sold in Nordstrom and a growing number of their own US stores, which are so far all in California.)  So I made a whopping $5 in profit.  I was not impressed, and quickly knew I wouldn't be selling with them again.  However, depending on the stores you prefer you may do much better than I did.  I don't think their service is bad, just not right for me.  I'd rather put in the work and see greater profits because of it.


Which brings me to Poshmark

Buying from Poshmark

Pros:

  1. You usually see the exact condition of the item you're getting
  2. You can ask the seller questions
  3. The site will have sales that give you free shipping or other discounts pretty regularly.
  4. You can make a lower offer on an item you like.
  5. Shipping is usually pretty fast because sellers want to please their buyers.
  6. There is a huge amount of plus sized items!
  7. There is more variety in brands, and items since they also allow you to sell jewelry and makeup.
  8. You can earn $5 when a friend uses your code on their first purchase.  It also gets them $5 off their purchase, win-win!  You can use my code PYIHF for $5 off at http://www.Poshmark.com

Cons:

  1. There is a chance you could get an item that doesn't match up with the pictures or condition it was reported to be in, but you can dispute that and get a refund.
  2. There are more well used items to sift through.
  3. Photos of items may be less than ideal.
  4. There are people who make careers selling here, which you may or may not want to deal with.
  5. You can't return items, though you can certainly resell them.

My buying experience: 

I haven't bought from Poshmark yet, but having made a sale I can see pretty well how it works from a buyer's standpoint.  You'll be a little nervous the first time or two, but mostly have great luck with honest people like you who want to sell their clothing for fair prices.  I have my eye on several pairs of purple converse sneakers and there's much less rush to purchase items.  You have a much better chance to compare items without the pressure to buy while it's available as Thred Up would be.  Here's a shot of their search interface for desktop, it just keeps scrolling and has hundreds of items for what I searched:


Selling on Poshmark

Pros:


  1. It's easy for anyone who's tried eBay or Etsy.
  2. You mostly fill in blanks and pick the category your item is in.
  3. You print a prepaid shipping label and drop your item in the mail if your item sells.
  4. You can get cash or credit from Poshmark.
  5. You can bundle items (and add a slight discount on bundles), which make buyers more likely to purchase from you.
  6. You get a better cut of your sales.
  7. You can always go back and edit your item listings, and even lower an item's price, which will send an email to anyone who saved it if you changed the price by 15% or more.

Cons:

  1. You have to follow site rules, not too tough.
  2. You get better results if you use your own photos, so you have to be able to take reasonably good photos.  
  3. You have to post all sales through their app, not on a desktop site.
  4. You have to make your item as accurate as possible and be very honest about any flaws it may have, which can take work to sounds good.
  5. You have to remember buyers are also paying $5 for shipping.

My selling experience:

I listed my first items on October 4th and added a couple more a few days later.  One of the items listed later (October 12th!), sold on October 14th.  And I've found the process very easy to handle.  I listed the item at $15 (originally $25, it was still in new condition), a person made me an offer for $12, which I accepted, and I earned $9 off the sale. You only need 1-3 sentences about your item, a good description and a couple photos.  Pictures of the item on you or another person who's not a model tend to do well, but my first item only had a shot of it on a hanger as the main picture and a picture of the model wearing it as a secondary photo.  I love the site, and I think the only thing I don't like is that I can't list on my computer.

Thred Up

Use this Thred Up link for $20 off!     

Poshmark

My Poshmark Closet (use code PYIHF for $5 off)


If you've got more tips are trick for either site let me know in the comments.  Thanks so much for reading and please look below for my first ever giveaway!

Love,
Lydia

Julep Giveaway!


One lucky reader will get a set of 4 Julep nail colors and a set of holographic decals.  Julep makes amazing nail polish which last up to a week without chipping, and they even have a subscription box!  You can sign up here via my affiliate link and read more about my last unboxing here to find out more.  This giveaway will last just over a week, so hurry and enter while you can!  The colors included are as follows: 
  1. Lydia - a Stardust textured finish in a pyrite color that shows as gold to green
  2. Lee - a red creme finish (these first two being my first and middle names!)
  3. Florence - a lovely nude creme shade
  4. Sandi - an eggplant creme color



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