It's been awhile since I've done one of these, but with such a whirlwind of a summer, I just had to stop and share all of the good things going on lately:

I decided last minute to redeem some airline miles to visit my blog bestie, Aleshea in Dallas over Labor Day weekend. She visited Baltimore a few summers ago and I figured it was time to return the favor. Stay tuned for a trip recap!

I adore my historic Baltimore home, but the biggest challenge we face by far here is a lack of storage. We are always looking for ways to better organize our things. When a rep from Brightech asked if I'd be willing to review one of their lamps, I jumped at the chance, choosing their Maxwell USB lamp in white. Not only does it have shelves, it has outlets to charge your electronics! One traditional plug and one USB. 

I chose it with the intention of making it Sean's bedside "table" since he has so many loose books and magazines that I could relocate to the shelves in some baskets, but now that it's assembled (it took us zero time at all!), I'm tempted to give my little work space a makeover and use it there instead. What do you guys think? Leave your vote in the comments!

(psst: aside from floor and table lamps, Brightech also has string lights. Everything is super affordable. I still can't believe our lamp was less than $100!)

At the beginning of the summer, Sean and I decided we didn't want any free time and decided to start fostering dogs. Since June, we've been home to a hound mix, a Great Pyrenees, and two adorable Pyrennes/heeler littermates. It's been equally hectic and rewarding. Can't wait to see who we get to snuggle next!

Today marks my final day as an ambassador for Beth Millner Jewelry. The time flew! If you like the pretty things I've been showing off, you can apply for the same sweet gig until September 21. Good luck!

minimalist wave pendant

I'm not a lover of fall, mainly because it means winter is next, but I do appreciate all the theatre that comes once Labor Day has passed. I'll be enjoying South Pacific at Olney Theatre Center, a full season of touring productions at the Hippodrome, and plenty of other fun local productions including seeing my friend perform in Side Show, a musical I haven't seen before. (psst: I'm not made of money. Goldstar makes many shows accessible to me, and if you haven't tried them yet, this link gets you $7 off your first discounted purchase!)

Red Jacket, National Park Long Sleeve Graphic Tee, $44 

SF Men announced a national parks collection shortly after Sean's first fix, so I put a note in requesting either Yosemite or Harper's Ferry for him. He was happily surprised when he saw this shirt (and you can see how much bigger his smile is in this photo), but this had a pretty slim fit for a tee. At checkout we went to exchange for a size up....and the shirt was completely sold out. Womp womp. Returned.

01ALGO, Rizzo Microstripe Performance Tee, $34

The fabric on this felt amazing, but Sean wasn't a fan of the stripe design. Returned

Bixby Nomad, Odyssey Washed Shirt, $48

Sean isn't a fan of stripes (who knew?) and I'm not a fan of purple, so this one was a double fail. I think in other colors, it would have looked great on him! It was a decent fit. Returned.

Katin, Infinite Tee, $32

Tailor Vintage, Lindsay Knit Short 9", $68

The tee left us both perplexed. It was nice, but I don't think anything in his style profile indicated this was his style (I think it's a nice shirt, it's just not him.) It looked nice with the shorts, but they also had a too-slim fit and Sean isn't a huge fan of olive green. Returned and returned.

The Verdict

So, for the first time ever, we returned the entire fix and lost $20. I'm not gonna lie, it was a huge bummer, especially because he loved the Yosemite tee so much and it wasn't available when we checked out.

Still, as Sean and I went through checkout and gave feedback, he expressed that he still wanted to give it another go....so stay tuned for a fall men's unboxing in October!

You may not have noticed, but I love theatre.

The shows I highlight here are ones I've seen on Broadway and/or a national tour, but I also see plenty of shows locally that I haven't mentioned, and I've been seeing plenty of great things in the Baltimore area. It would be a disservice not to mention the amazing productions I've seen locally. Keep reading for a listing of my favorite places!

Pro tip: check out Goldstar to find discounted prices for live events in your area, including theatre! I've used this many times to see shows at places that are normally priced a little higher than I prefer, and I've found theatre troupes I didn't even know about! If you're new to the site, be sure to sign up using my link for $7 off your first purchase.

Company: Dundalk Community Theatre | Dundalk, MD

Show: Avenue Q

When: June 2018
Thoughts: I'd heard about this show but never seen it, so when my friend found out about this local production, I was game! We even talked Sean into coming along (he hates most musicals) and he found it hilarious! The ticket price of $20 was reasonable and justified by the set, talent of the cast, and overall production quality. It didn't *feel*  like community theatre.

Company/Location: Olney Theatre Center | Olney, MD
About: It took me awhile to understand this, but Olney isn't a traditional community theatre. They put on high-quality productions featuring equity actors, and given this, the ticket prices are much higher than other shows one might see locally. When I first heard about Olney, they were showing Carousel at $60/pop. I wanted so badly to see it, but couldn't justify the price tag. Increasing quality and talent has continued to increase the price tag, with their recent production of In the Heights selling for $90 and including actor Robin De Jesus who was in the original Broadway production. While I missed Carousel, I later discovered Goldstar and have been able to attend a handful of productions since. Each one has been great, and each one has been better than the last.
Favorite Productions: Evita, My Fair Lady, In the Heights




Company/Location: Toby's Dinner Theatre | Columbia, MD
About: Toby’s presents Broadway and original musicals in the round with a buffet-style dinner. As far as dinner theatres go, Toby's is one of the best I have been to. I'd love to see some updates to make the venue and food more modern, but the show quality is excellent and I'm always happy to attend, again with the help of Goldstar discounts. Can't beat dinner and a show!
Favorite Productions: South Pacific, Show Boat

Company/Location: Vagabond Players | Fells Point, Baltimore, MD
About:Vagabond Players is America's oldest continuously running little theatre, located in the historic Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland...a few steps away from my office. Cool, huh? The prices are reasonable with one discounted Thursday performance for each show - I try to make it to this one when I can! The theatre is small and intimate with  no bad seat in the house. I've seen one musical and one play so far (more to come!) and was impressed with the quality of both.
Favorite Productions: Little Shop of Horrors, Bad Jews

I got my most recent fix much quicker thanks to Style Pass!

This time around, I asked my stylist for items in white, chambray, and/or gingham. I've also been pinning items more frequently on Pinterest for inspiration.

Here's how it turned out:

I love the color and I can tell my stylist was looking at my Pinterest board because I've been pinning all the linen. Unfortunately, this wasn't a flattering shape for me and I don't really need a jacket in linen. I sent this back.

Again, my requests were met. These are white and made of super comfy linen, but there was a 90's genie fit going on here. They were super baggy, and I prefer a more fitted shape. This and the jacket made me feel like I was wearing a potato sack. Returned.

Another almost hit. This fit great and I loved the chambray fabric and linen feel, but I'm not a big fan of boob accents. I just couldn't get past the scallop detail, so sadly, I returned this.

This was super soft and comfortable and just a great casual tank to add to my summer rotation. I kept it.

I found this one baffling. I've complained in the past about dresses that are not bra-friendly, which this one appears to be. Much more importantly, however, is the color choice. Anyone who knows me knows I loathe purple and will not wear it. This is indicated in my style profile as well. I broke my rule of trying all things from SF on for this one because purple just isn't going to happen here. Returned.

Summary

1/5 items kept doesn't sound great, but I'm actually happy. I felt like even though most items weren't right, I could tell (except for the dress) that my stylist was paying attention to exactly what I was hoping for and just struck out with the fit aspect. I love all the feedback I can give because it always improves the chances of finding true love in my next fix. Any suggestions on what I should ask for?

More importantly, if you haven't tried Stitch Fix yet, what are you waiting for?! Now is the perfect time to try, because you get $25 towards your Fix if you sign up using my link. Plus, with the satisfaction guarantee, you've got literally nothing to lose!