Review: True Joy & Chambray (Part 1)

One of my favorite toasts: May all your joy be true joy and all your pain be champagne.  I love the play on words between champagne and sham pain, as contrasted with true joy.  Today my true joy is inspired by chambray instead of champagne.

Image Credit: eShakti.com
Birds Eye View Dress

EShakti.com offered to send another garment to review, but this time there was a twist.  I selected three dresses with customization, and they chose which one to send.  I knew that whichever dress I received, I would love it, but I secretly had my fingers crossed for the Birds Eye View Dress.  I requested it custom fitted to my measurements with a deep-v neckline and knee length (the default is wide-v and below the knee).  Lucky me, I got exactly what I wanted.

If you are getting a custom-made garment, make sure you take your measurements while wearing the foundation garments you plan on wearing with that garment.  I love that eShakti dresses respect my shape and work with my body rather than against it.

The one caveat I would give is that when the option says a "low v-neck" they're not kidding.  It was a little lower than I expected.

 

Bird's Eye View Dress, c/o eShakti.com; camisole, thrifted; tights, target; shoes, Younkers; earrings, handmade by me; necklace, etsy.

 

 

The back of the dress also features a V cut, so you can look as good going as coming.  

You already know I love the custom sizing from eShakti, but the quality is great as well.  The seams and hems are finished beautifully.

 

The embroidery on the bust and the skirt are perfectly placed.

 

I'll have a few more thoughts about this dress and the eShakti.com experience tomorrow, but don't forget that you can save 20% on your total purchase with coupon code DREMFJENNE.

You can read part two of my review here.

*I received this dress from eShakti.com at no charge.  All opinions are my own.

In the Trenches (Part II)

Don't forget to comment on this post for a chance to win beautiful handmade jewelry!

See Part I of this review here.

Who among us hasn't gone shopping with money in our pockets and left empty-handed because nothing fit the way it should?  It is frustrating, time-consuming, and demoralizing.  EShakti.com solves that dilemma for sizes 0-36.  That is the biggest reason I was over the moon to do a review for them.  Every woman should be able to look gorgeous in clothes that fit perfectly, and eShakti's selection comes very close.  With dresses in the $50-$100 range, most of us can fit these clothes in our budgets occasionally.

Image Credit: eShakti.com
You can get your dress with long sleeve...

Image Credit: eShakti.com
Or sleeveless.. Or somewhere in between.

EShakti makes it easy to customize clothes to your size, but size is only the beginning.  You can customize the length, neckline, sleeve length, and more until you have a dress, skirt, jacket, or top that is exactly the way you want it.

EShakti does not stock sizes, so each piece, whether standard or custom-sized, is made to order.  Even if you order a standard-sized item, you submit your height for a truer fit than you would find in a department store.  You can expect to receive your finished garment within two weeks.  I ordered my jacket on October 24 and received it on November 5.

If you haven't ordered from eShakti before, you can get $25 off your first purchase (for a limited time.  

Puggy photo bomber

Doubleweave belted trench, c/o eShakti.com; sweater dress, Victoria's Secret; boots, Target; necklace, etsy; earrings, handmade by me.

Yesterday I wore the Doubleweave Belted Trench from eShakti.com with a casual denim skirt.  In today's video I pair it with two more dresses to show how versatile the trench really is.

* I received the Doubleweave Belted Trench from eShakti.com at no cost.  All opinions are my own.

Shell Game

Our trip to the Dominican Republic was great because of the people who accompanied us.  The group ended up having four men and four women.  The men were fun.  The women were amazing.  There was so much sisterhood going on we should have been issued traveling pants.

In addition to Angie (whom I've mentioned here before),  we were joined by Katie and Tamara.  I had met Katie when I lived in Iowa but didn't know her well, and Tamara was new to me.  By day two it was as if we had been besties for years.  It would have been weird except it was so damn cool.  When I got home I was filled to bursting with warm fuzzies, and I wanted to make something for these extraordinary women.

I decided on crocheted necklaces because I could use some of the pretty sea shells I picked up on the trip and because these necklaces are sturdy and wearable enough for SCUBA girls.

Shell Game Crocheted Necklaces

Better than selling sea shells by the sea shore, these were free.

Materials:

• crochet thread
• sea shells
• glass seed beads

Tools:

• Drill with 1/16" bit
• flexible beading needle
• 1.4 mm crochet hook

I carefully drilled a hole in each of the four shells I chose for the necklaces using the 1/16 inch bit.   I drilled into a piece of scrap wood so I didn't damage the table.

After drilling the holes I added a small stainless steel split ring to make it hang nicely on the string.

Assembling the necklace couldn't be easier because the only crochet stitch you need to know is the chain stitch.  The most labor-intensive part of the process is stringing the beads.  Strining the beads is much easier using a flexible beading needle.  I used approximately 130 seed beads on each of the four necklaces.  I placed the shell midway through the beads

I simply joined the ends and tied them off when the necklaces were the length I wanted.  These  necklaces are very long, so they can be worn at a number of lengths depending on how many times you loop them.  I wear my crocheted necklaces on their own or layered with silver and gold necklaces for a different look.