Marketing Tip of the Week - Email Signatures

Today's marketing tip can be connected to last week's tip regarding the Google URL Builder.  Be sure to have links to all your shops and websites where your items are posted in your email signature.  See my example below.  Be sure to create dedicated URL's for each link so you know where some of your web traffic is coming from.  Each of my links has it's own URL, with the word 'email' in it.  That way I know when someone has clicked when they received my email directly or through a forward.

Your email signature should be set to be inserted in everything that you do in your email, from new messages to forwards.  We all know how email forwards run rampant.  Be sure to include your links in these forwards.  I even erase all the other contact info that's been left in the forward to make sure my email signature stands out.  This really works!

I'm on a Mission!

I've been saying for a loooong time that I wanted to construct a light box...and just never got the energy and the pieces together to do it. There are a million and one reasons for this, but the time for excuses are at an end! I'm officially on a mission to make a light box.

I have a big card board box that's actually big enough for necklace stand :D and I already have the lights I've been using to take pictures. I think I'll eventually want at least one more light though... Now I just need the white fabric for the sides and I'll be good! I called a couple of people (like my Mom) to see if I could score some free fabric but no luck. So I'm thinking if I feel good tomorrow (which is always a big IF), I'll make a run to pick up some cheap fabric and make the box tomorrow! If I'm not feeling good enough tomorrow...then it's high priority for when I am! I'd go out and get fabric tonight...but this is the first day I've felt mostly good (I'm not 100%) in several days so I don't want to push myself too hard and I've already worked on a bunch of projects.

Wish me luck!

Maybe it was the Full Moon...

that caused my first baking failure in ages! I am usually the undisputed Queen of Cookies in my neck of the woods, however there was most certainly a cookie malfunction last night. I saw a recipe for mocha cinnamon chocolate chip cookies in the Costco magazine...not my usual go to for recipes but the photo looked a-mazing! (I figured with three sticks of butter they must be phenomenal too) Midway through creaming the butter I realized that the recipe didn't call for egg...how can a cookie recipe have that much butter and no egg I wondered? So I decided that improvisation was in order and added an egg... the first tray out of the oven was still a pancake thin butter fest so I added more flour as well...slightly closer to something resembling a cookie but more like a super rich tart crust pastry. So, lesson learned...stick with the tried and true choc chip recipe but I do think that my next batch will have the twist of the mocha cinnamon flavors...this might become my new "signature" cookie :)Ok, on to the non-edible baked goods...or more accurately fired goods! I was thrilled to receive a box from Bead Trends last week with the February issue. The necklace I submitted was really quite simple but I just love how it turned out so I'm thrilled that it was selected.

Not too much else to show off right now, the kiln is firing away so there will be more to show this week. I managed to sneak a couple of buff stoneware pendants into this load, I haven't done anything in stoneware for months so it will be interesting to see some of my new designs in those shades.

Next task for the day, the washing of the dog...kind of up there with the running of the bulls!

Bead Soup - and More!

Sorry I've been awol for a couple of days. I've been really sick. I'm on the mend now...I think...but not really sure. We'll see :)

Anyway, I had to show off the bead soup I got in the mail - and the new stuff I bought be before I got sick!

I'm participating in a Bead Soup Swap hosted by Lori Anderson and I got my beads in the mail this week! This picture doesn't do them justice, my brother shot a quick snap for me a couple days ago when I thought I might manage to blog while sick. Um. Yah RIGHT. That didn't happen.

The bag on the left are extra beads...and I plan on playing with those at some point after I make my Bead Soup Necklace :) I'll probably dump them out on my tray and see what inspiration hits. I'm betting I'll net several pairs of earrings and some new charms out of that conglomeration!

The bag on the right is full of gorgeous lampwork beads that compliment the focal and nifty toggle clasp that you see down on the bottom. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with them, but I plan on spreading them all out on my bead board and playing in the next day or two. The unveiling isn't until February 10th anyway, and I didn't want to work on the project while I was on quarter brain power while sick :P

Now for my shopping....I bought a ring stick! This means that soon I'll have rings available in my shop :D I've made up two already, and I'm excited to make more!

They also had a seed bead sale when I went in to by the ring stick (and a few other basic supplies I didn't bother photoing) so I got these! The white I needed anyway, the brown seed mix has so much potential, I've already used the iridescent beads (you'll see pics soon!), and I know EXACTLY what I'm going to use the red beads for :D

Bare with me, this is long and being written via text message. Here it goes: I dont know what neck is eaten at 3pm. Is that lunch or dinner? When trying to count calories and portion everything, I cant be eating two meals like this. But apparently I am weird. If I want a Slim Fast neck bar I am looked at funny. Imagine the looks I would get if I wanted a Lean Cuisine. Even baked chicken is destroyed with a coating of breadcrumbs and ranch dressing. Canned veggies were my past..or so I thought. Even those are butchered by adding extra sugar. I can not live like this. My waist can not survive. I am literally depressed over this. To top things off, a chocolate cake just came out of the oven. I will decline and be recieving a dirty look shortly after. FML.

Another reason I am weird is because I dont do dishes and PUT THEM BACK IN THE SINK. i will never try to wash another dish because apparently I wash on the wrong side of the sink. Invest in a drying rack, thank you very much. Way to make me feel like an ass. That brings me to my point. I just took a shower, only so I could CRY and not be seen. FML.

Featured Crafter: Woolcrazy

Whenever I need a 'pickme up', I'll go to Woolcrazy.  I just love her owls' adorable faces. They make me smile. I'm in love! It's hard to pick a favorite one, so all of them are my favorites. I also like her other critters like the bunny, penguins and the chick. I had no idea you could do all that with fibers. It's an enviable talent.  

One of her cuddly penguins, Percy, goes on fabulous adventures.  You can follow Percy on Twitter and also read about his travels.  I hope one day, I'll run into Percy.

Woolcrazy is also good at posting videos she comes across for felted wool projects and other crafting projects. So not only does she felt the critters, she also is informative.  I also like that she is environmentally sound and uses recycled fibers as well in her creations.  Please become a fan on Facebook of Woolcrazy with me. You'll have a blast.

Crystal Pearls & Beads w/ Fresh Water Pearl Eyeglass Leash

Sage green crystallized pearls, navy blue crystals and fresh water pearls are used with black metal hexagons. The leash measures about 23 inches. Silver holders are used on the ends. This is a sophisticated look sure to catch the looks of envy.  http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39610140

Will ship international, please contact me.

See more jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/findingcharm

Addendum: Ann Taylor Loot

There seems to be a lot of interest in AT's petite ruffled shell from a prior post, so I figured I'd share how it looks in a different color, worn with pants. Here it is in winter white (online exclusive color) in PXXS with my favorite Theory skinny work pants:

 

Don't forget EXTRA30! And in case you have trouble figuring out how to spend that $150 to get free shipping...I am in love with these pumps (doesn't the outfit above look better with a change of shoes? My black pointy pumps are so outdated!):

More colors here in leather. A 5.5 fit perfectly, but alas I returned them because I can get them at 40% off some other day. Every little bit of savings counts!

Jacksonville Lovin'

I have been in Jacksonville all week, my first time since either November or December. I came down because I wanted to meet Vogt's fiance, Samantha. We have been hanging out in the hotel all week, mostly doing nothing. The first day we were SO bored, we WALKED two miles to Walmart...because there was nothing better to do. Other than that, not a damn thing.

I do love seeing Danny everyday though. We, of course, went to our favorite diner one night. I love it because its so friggin' cheap. And then we went to a Mexican place, which was delish. And last night we went to Ihop. My question is...how many pancakes can one person eat on the unlimited deal? Keep in mind, it also comes with 2 eggs and hashbrowns. I had two pancakes. I don't think I could handle more than that! HOWEVER! It's like Chinese food, I was hungry two hours later, wishing for more pancakes.

We drove by the apartments that we applied to. They look really nice. However, there isn't really much within walking distance for me to work at. There is a CVS, Food Lion and a pizza place. Honestly, anything will do for the time being, until I get my license. We just need money and I really don't care where it comes from!

Speaking of money. Last night we walked around Target and I got a little depressed. All the spring/vacation clothes are out and this is the first year I don't have a vacation planned. Three years ago it was St. Thomas, then Aruba and last year was Jamaica (and many other awesome vacations before I moved.) But as of right now I have no vacations planned this year. Hopefully that changes. Hmm...maybe I can come up with something good for my tax money!

Right now Samantha is on the phone with Vogt. He failed room inspection last night and can't leave this weekend. Which means she doesnt' have a ride back home to Delaware. UGH. I would not be happy if I were in her shoes!

No real plans for this weekend. Buying our car this weekend and probably just hanging out attempting to save money...which needs to happen!

Review: J.Crew Cardigans - not all XS's created equal

After finding success with a J.Crew size XS cardigan from this post, I fell under the false impression that all of their sweaters would fit equally well in XS. I ordered a bunch online, looking for the word "fitted" under descriptions and scoped out all the model photos to see which sweaters seemed the most snug. I ended up with the following three:

*Warning - it was a frizzy hair day to say the least. I literally rolled out of bed and decided to start the day w/ some blogging pics*

1. First up, the dream crewneck cardigan in XS. $85 only $35 with EXTRA30 (extended til Sunday!). They really sold me on the product description, and I liked the unique exposed seaming at the arms and down the back. The sweater looks so snug on the online model - I was SURE it would fit great on petites.

Click for more info

In real life (hrmm, notice that the sweater kind of "gained 5 lbs" from the image above? As in, it looks wider and dumpier than the sleek sweater shown above?):

And on me:

Verdict: return. Too much baggage around the torso. Loose and long sleeves. A nice knit though, and some very pretty color options. Someone 1 size up would fit much better in this, especially if it shrinks a little in the wash.

Click "Read More" for more sweaters.

2. Jackie Cotton Cardigan in XS, $62. Select colors were $21 but apparently they are sold out. I like this cardigan because it looked kind of "shrunken" on the model and it comes in a myriad of colors.

Click for more info

In real life (sleeves look shorter than on the model):

And the pewter color, on me:

 

 

I didn't think the fit was bad at all, esp for $21. There was a lil' room to spare, but the material is a cotton blend so I imagine it will shrink in the wash. I liked the cut as well - a classic crewneck style.

Verdict: I would have kept this cardigan, except I was so irked about the final sale item (sweater # 3) that I made myself return this to save $. I will probably track this sweater again online until the more vibrant colors go on sale.

3. Bling-Button Cardigan in XS, $68 now $28 with EXTRA30. This one also looked so snug on the model. I've also been looking for a more "airy" cardigan and the material read: "Spun from a lightweight blend of acrylic/alpaca/wool in a 7-gauge knit." Sounds nice, right?

Click for more info

The material was airy alright - it was soo flimsy that snag-able that I'm sure I'll destroy this cardigan in no time. I like tighter knits that don't really leave any holes to be snagged by pens, pencils, or hooks. I already caught this on a necklace just while trying it on.

Verdict: Final Sale...boo. But at least the fit is "acceptable!"

Petite Work Outfit - Routine Ruffles

Okay, as you can tell by now I'm quite bad at thinking up "titles" for these outfit posts. Creative writing (and English in general) was clearly not my college major. What I was trying to convey was, this is my go-to routine outfit whenever I wake up with about 10 minutes to spare before having to hop on the subway. I dot on concealer, then slap on a soft ruffled top with a suiting skirt, and a cardigan. Basic, boring - but it gets the job done.

Top: Ann Taylor Ruffled Shell in "soft pewter," sz XXSP  - sold here; must search for additional colors. See the "winter white" version on me here.

Skirt: H&M suiting skirt size 4 (altered waist, sides, and length) - I really like this one.

Cardigan: Banana Republic ruffled cardigan PXXS- sold here

Shoes and Earrings: Banana Republic

As always, don't forget to signup for store mailing lists or check retailmenot for coupon codes! I got my Ann Taylor shell for 30% off but they frequently have 40% off a single full-priced item coupons in store.

Click "Read More" for more pics.

Now before y'all think I'm nuts for buying a cheapy H&M skirt and spending so much to get it tailored, I must explain that this was bought back in the day when they did not make size 2 in suiting. Maybe ... 2007? I found a full H&M suit that fit smaller than anything from BR at the time, and spent more than the cost of the suit itself on alterations. But no regrets, as I am still wearing this skirt over 2 years later : ) Can't say the same for the blazer, though.

This outfit is easily winterized with tights and black pumps.

Looking at these pics I realize that this was a poor choice of cardigan. It's hard to do black on black, because as evident in the pics, blacks rarely match precisely. The boxy cut also conceals the waistline that pencil skirts typically emphasize. Next time I must remember to go for something more colorful and fitted on top.

I've been gushing about this tank so much, I figured I should show it. I've worn it TWICE already this week (gross, but whatever) in this outfit and over pants. There's just the perfect amount of chiffon ruffle to add some interest to an outfit. The material (94% rayon, 6% spandex) is so, so comfy, but as a word of warning I suspect that this material may start pilling after some wear.

I think this in XXS is next on my list for ruffled acquisitions - how sweet is that? It's like a "wearable" version of Rodarte for Target's mesh-y disasters. I saw the remains of that line for the first time in person last weekend and was so appalled - no offense to anyone who dug that collection. Is it just me or are Target's "designer" collaborations getting less and less wearable for the everyday woman?

Charm of the Week: Shell Eyeglass Holder/Leash

I believe your eyeglass leash/holder should show off your personality.  I created this eyeglass leash/holder from a set of beads that I bought that weren't quite right when I started putting something together.  So instead, I had some bugle beads that just happened to match perfectly! It was meant to be. A simple eyeglass holder made of brown shells and shimmering green/brown bugle beads divided by silver glass beads. Shell eyeglass holder measures 27 inches. Silver holders are used at the end. 

Shell Eyeglass Holder/Leash 

 

 

See more jewelry at http://www.etsy.com/shop/FindingCharm

To Get You Caught Up

Hey everyone! There's been a lot going on lately so I thought it was time for a "catch up" post to help you remember it all if your interested :P

There is still plenty of time to buy into my hemp bracelet club! $55 gets you a bracelet in the mail each month for the next 6 months. Buy it for yourself, or buy it for someone you love! Either way your getting a great product, at a great price :) And did I mention you'll get a free gift with the first bracelet?

I have my on-going BNR up in the etsy treasuries again - and we've had 3 sales so far! I'm very excited for the three shops that have gotten sales - and the there's still plenty of time! The treasury will be up until Friday at 10:35 am, so come, shop, and buy YOUR place into the treasury! When you buy from one of these 12 lovely shops you get your spot in this treasury and any further BNR's I do, until YOU get your own sale! How awesome is that?

Don't forget to head on over to my One World One Heart blog entry to get your chance to win a pair of lovely earrings! I'll be giving away one pair of earrings ($5 value) for every 50 comments I get on that post, I have 47 as of this moment! Come get your chance to win :)

Want more chances to win? Every month I do a Top Commentators. I keep track of all the comments I receive and the top three commentators get gift certificates! And, just to make it fair, winners from the previous month are not eligible for the current month, so there's chances for everyone! New to my blog? That's alright! You can always do some back reading ;)

One World, One Heart - The Official Giveaway!

I blogged not too long ago saying I was going to be part of One World One Heart again...and then I missed the opening day! Ack! I was sick - that's my excuse >_> But it's here! We're taking a magic carpet ride! What does that mean?

Well for me that means giving away lots of prizes! I envision this magic carpet flying all over the world, and the more places it fly's, the more chances there are to win! I love make earrings, and so that's what my giveaway is going to be. Here's just a sample:

That's just one of the styles I offer in my $5 earrings section in my shop! For every 50 riders on this magic carpet, I'll add in another pair of earrings to give away! Winners can pick from something already in my shops, or give me color and design preferences and let me custom make something just for them.

How do you win? Just leave a comment on this blog post! All entries must be made by midnight, PST, February 14th. I'll be using a random number generator to select the winner on the morning of February 15th. Good luck :D

Renewing Frenzy!

I haven't been feeling too good the last few days, and that meant my shop got quite neglected! I had a whole bunch of items expire because I didn't renew them (I generally renew on the date they are going to expire), so today I had a renewing frenzy! Here's most of them...tell me your favorite and get an extra entry into the Top Commentators contest!

The Verdict: J.Crew Petite size 0 (P0)

**This post has an update. View the dress post-alterations here.**

I was very excited for the arrival of my J.Crew goodies. My expectations were low, after the comments and input from this post, but needed to see for myself and put my curiosity to rest. I also wanted to see whether the fit could be correct by alterations, and if so, for how much $.

First up, the Terra Paisley dress in 0P. On the J.Crew model (left) and on me (right):

Side and back view:

 

Measurements: 16 inches across from armpit to armpit, 13.25 inches across the waist.

The fit was loose and blah, but it was not swimmingly huge like I had feared. A petite lady 1 or 2 sizes up from me could probably fit perfectly into this dress.  

When I took this to my tailor, she said it needed alterations in the following areas: straps shortened so that the neckline could move up (it was a little gaping), sides taken in, plus hem shortened slightly. Because there was a side zip and side pockets, she would have to take it in via the two back darts instead of the sides, thus shifting the symmetry of the dress. 

Loose arm holes:

 

Waist and torso about an inch or two too big:

Because this dress was silk and fully lined, the alterations were costly - about $50 total. With my discount this went down to $40, but still a lot for me to fork over for one dress that was pretty expensive to begin with. The dress was final sale (silly me) so I ended up going for the alterations. To make myself feel better about spending all that cash, I returned my Theory Chanesa Dress, since it was still hanging in my closet with tags and all.

Click "Read More" to see the fit of a J.Crew P0 blouse.

I've had my eye on this pretty little thing since months back. It comes in ten gorgeous colors and two of my favorite shades are on sale (plus EXTRA30). I gave into ordering after I discovered that it was not part of final sale, and thus, returnable.

Click for more info

The misty lavender (poor ruffles are crushed from shipping):

Same problems as the dress. Loose arm holes:

and wide torso:

Measurements: 16" from armpit to armpit, 18" across the bottom, and 23" length. Well, I was warned by a number of readers. J.Crew's silk blouses really are generously sized. My mom who is a Petite 4 could probably fit into this top. I was quoted about $25 to have this blouse slimmed, since it is 100% silk. It's not worth a total of $80 to me, so...back it goes!


Final Verdict: P0 sleeveless (sleeves add a new dimension of difficulty!) items work for someone my size with the appropriate alterations. Sorry to ladies more petite than I am - no hope for you and the Crew! If I didn't care about eating well, or higher education, or buying a house or a car, then I would splurge more often on J.Crew P0 clothing and shell out for alterations. In my opinion, the design and fabrics, prints, and colors are just a notch above WHBM, Banana Republic or Ann Taylor. 

PS - Just picked up the silk paisley dress, and the alterations turned out even better than expected (view it post-alterations here). This is bad news for my wallet, now that I know the potential of J.Crew pieces after a trip to Hemmingway ...

The Burrito Fight

I have been trying so so hard to eat right. Literally, my diet consists of Special K bars, Slim Fast bars, 90 calorie bars, fruits, lean cuisines/normal dinner. But along with this means that I'm hungry sooner in the evening and want to eat dinner at a senior citizen hour.

Last night I had dinner a healthy choice potsticker meal around 5:30. It was delicious. Then we got in the truck and headed out for the two hour ride out to Jacksonville.

I was STARVED when we got out here and Danny pulled into taco bell for himself. I sucked it up and threw caution to the wind and ordered the 89 cent 5-layer burrito. It weighed a ton. I unwrapped it and the gooey cheese came leaking out onto my palm, obviously it was going to be messy....so I decided to wait til we were no longer driving to eat it.

Then he said it.

"I'm only eating this because I know I have PT in the morning and will be working all the calories off."

I heard:

"Jeez fatty, maybe you shouldn't be eating that unless you plan to run a marathon and starve yourself for the rest of the week."

Needless to say..I didn't eat the burrito.

Crafty ADD #25

It's Monday - so it's that time again - time for me to share all the stuff I've been working on this last week! I had a pretty good week craft wise :) Let me share with you...

Crochet

I didn't get quite as much done on this as I would have liked last week, I kinda got caught up in beady things, so I'm resolving to do more this week!

Drawing

That's right - I actually drew something! Now if you ever ask me I'll tell you that drawing and all that "traditional" artsy stuff is entirely NOT me. But... We're doing monthly challenges with one of my groups now (Bittersweets Daily Challenge) and this month's was ACEO's! I've got another idea (in a different medium) up my sleeve but I decided to pull out my pencils and do this as well :)

Jewelry

I re-did and finished my ring for myself! Now I'm excited to get a ring stick so I can start making them for my shop - I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from this!

"Treasures of the Sea." This broach is my entry into the Etsy Bead Weavers Monthly Challenge. It's simple, probably won't win anything, but I had a lot of fun with it :) Hopefully I'll have it listed later today or tomorrow.

Remember that coin I showed you earlier this week? Well I reworked the beading around it. It's a lot tighter and looks much better now! I'll be doing the necklace for it soon :)

This was the first piece I did while lying on my back with a migraine this weekend. See, as long as I'm lying down my migraine stays at a semi-tolerable level, so I decided to figure out a way to bead lying down, and I wanted something easy to start with! I picked up this assortment of beads a few weeks ago, planning on making a necklace like this, and so that's what I worked on as I adjusted to lying down and beading :) Hope to get this one listed soon as well.

Marketing Tip of the Week - Google URL Builder

I use this tool all the time and it's super easy to use. Many of us Etsy Shop owners use Google Analytics as it comes easily with Etsy.  Want to know how a certain campaign did or want to know the amount of clicks you get from an ad online? You can track that using the Google URL Builder.  I recommend you open this page in another tab or browser window so you can read and look back between the two so you can get a feel for this process.

All you have to do is fill in the url you want the click to go to (you can also use the shortened tweet links as well, they'll go to wherever you shortened it from) Source, Medium and Campaign Name.  I suggest you put the Source and Medium in the Campaign Name. It makes for easy check when logged in to Google Analytics to check it out. All this information is automatically linked to your Google Analytics account.  You will not need to enter anything into your Google Analytics.

Let's say for instance I created a URL for a Tweet I did on a red bracelet. This is what I would enter: The Etsy page with the red bracelet url address / Source=twitter / Medium=link / Campaign Name=twitter_link_red_bracelet  (underscores are used for spaces in html code. If you leave a space you will get a "%". I like the underscores because it leaves it clean.) Click generate URL. There you have the campaign URL to copy and paste
to send to the company that will be displaying your ad.  
I'll give you another example.  Let's say you run an ad on Etsy Stalker.  You make soaps, shampoos, and lotions. Your web address is www.imakesoaps.com and want people to land on the shampoo page for this particular ad.  The ad is a tile ad that is clicked when someone is interested in the shampoo.  This is perfect for the Google URL Builder.  You'll want to know how effective that ad is.  Go to the Google URL Builder and enter this:

URL for the shampoo page (ie: www.imakesoaps.com/shampoos) / Source=etsy_stalker  Medium=tile_ad Campaign=etsy_stalker_tile_ad_shampoo. Click on Generate URL and copy and paste this link and send to Etsy Stalker.  

Please note! If you want to tweet a URL Builder link, you can still use the bit.ly address shortners and it will not change the campaign in any way.  These links will be lengthy to tweet. Infact, I'll be tweeting this and you'll be counted if you're reading this.

Now you want to see how it's doing.  After 24 hours (Google does not display real time stats) of placing the ad or after your ad has been running, you'll go to your Google Analytics and go to the "Traffic Sources" on the left side of the page, click it.  That will populate a list.  Go to "Campaigns", click it.  Here you will find a list of campaigns.  There will be several of which you did not place, I have not been able to locate where some of them come from. I can only assume Etsy, Facebook, Twitter or other resources you may be involved in. It's something they do.  But you'll look through the list and find how your ad did or is doing.  Look for the Campaign Name: etsy_stalker_tile_ad_shampoo.  You'll see the number of clicks it received.
I use this tool for ads I place online, blog entries that I'll tweet or place on Facebook, and anything else I feel is worthy of knowing how exactly something is doing.  

I hope you find this helpful.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Review: Banana Republic Petite Silk Floral Tunic PXXS

Here's another quick review on a mediocre piece from boring ole Banana Republic. I need to stop hatin' on BR, because they have a pretty decent petite offering. I'm just itching for more variety in my work wardrobe. J.Crew - clean up your petite sizing act!

So I've been keeping my eyes peeled for an airy tunic to take me from Spring through Fall. I like tunics over white skinny jeans and flats in the summer, and over leggings year-round. I saw this one amongst Banana Republic's new arrivals a few weeks back and ordered when they were having a 30% off sale:

Click for more info

Details: I liked the little delicate pleats on the chest area, and the fact that it came with a nylon under-tank to help combat the sheerness.

Fit: the PXXS was cut pretty loose - but what did I expect from a non-stretch tunic? Measurements of Petite XXS: almost 17 inches from armpit to armpit, 22.5 inches across the bottom hem, 23" long sleeves, 25" total length.

Color/Pattern: The combination of colors (moss green, taupe-brown, and white) were also not as nice together in person as I had hoped. The pattern is a little busy, thus blurring any distinction between the torso and arms:

Back view:

Verdict: Return.

If I had the money to get alterations without discretion (which I don't), I would keep this tunic and have the torso slimmed. Since it's 100% silk, I estimate such an alteration would cost at least $20. Here it is again clipped back about 2-3 inches at the waist:

Other tunics I'm considering...
The Splurges:
1. This pretty Matisse Tunic from Ella Moss in XS. It's got a self-belt to help with sizing, but the sleeves may be too long.
2. Super darling tunic from Anthropologie in XS. 28 inches is long enough for me to don as a mini-dress with flats : )

The Steals:
1. Kohl's white cotton pintucked & ruffled tunic in Juniors Small; comes with braided belt.
2. Forever 21 Carolina Crochet Tunic in S. This color would not work on certain skin tones, but I do like the crochet detail and gathering. Oh, and this isn't really a tunic, but I love the print and color combination. I'd get the skirt hemmed to be of min-length: Forever 21 Artistic Peplum tunic.