I is for Igigi @weetacon #bloggingfromatoz

One of the super-fun activities we had planned for Weetacon was an Igigi fashion show. Yes, we had a real live fashion show, and some of us - yours truly included! - got to be models and strut our stuff down the runway in gorgeous designer clothes much to the delight of our applauding, cheering fans, and the ever-voracious paparazzi.

Or, maybe the runway was really  the Waterford Room at St. Brendan's Inn, and the cheering crowds and paparazzi were a bunch of our best friends who were armed with digital and/or camera phones. It was one of the two.  But, the designer clothes? That was real!  Our favourite plus-size fashion designer, Yuliya Raquel of Igigi , graciously supplied several beautiful dresses and outfits for us to wear and keep in return for our review of the items! 

I guess this would be a perfect place for a general disclaimer that I totally stole from Suzanna (who apparently stole it from KarenD):

 The jacket in this entry was provided to me for review purposes by Igigi. The content of this entry was not dictated by Igigi; I get to keep the jacket for my personal use.

I chose to model the Farrah Jacket in black, and paired it with a pink tank top and long, black skirt for the show. I'm not usually a jacket person, but I when I saw it on the website, I thought it was cute and would be good for work, and it turns out I was right on both counts! I went with my regular top size of 14/16 and it fit me pretty well - snug, but not too tight. I thought the sleeves were a bit short on me, but the stretchy jersey fabric allowed me to tug them up a bit, which I actually prefer to do with long sleeves anyway. 

Normally I am not comfortable with short or cropped items on top and I prefer to have a tunic top or cardigan that is long enough to conceal my ample bottom. However, this jacket, with the cascading front detail, was just so adorable I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give the cropped style a try.  It's fitted to the waist then flares a little bit on the hips which gave me more of an hourglass shape that was quite flattering. In the end, I was not self-conscious or uncomfortable wearing the jacket in public, and even got really wonderful compliments from a couple ladies at work!

This is a very versatile jacket that can be dressed up or down. I dressed it up for work with a light pink blouse and a pair of grey trousers, and I plan to dress it down with a pair of jeans and white tee-shirt for casual Friday. Just about any style of necklace - short or long, thin or chunky - would go with this jacket, but I probably wouldn't try a scarf with it. It goes very well with a lanyard and Official Work I.D. Badge, too, for what it's worth! I have a few floral pins I would like to try with it, too, to add a splash of colour. 

Overall, I really like the Farrah Jacket and I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of it. The jersey fabric is stretchy and comfortable and also makes it perfect for folding and travelling. When I pulled it out of my suitcase after returning from Weetacon, I just put it right on a hanger and it was perfect - no pressing required! The jacket retails for $88.00, but is very well constructed (I've got a BS in Fashion Merchandising, so I know what I'm talking about! :-)) and I believe it will last for a long time, so long as I take care of it. This is only the second Igigi item I have (The other is a long-sleeve black tee-shirt with a fabric rose at the neckline. I don't remember the name, but I bought it after seeing KarenD wearing it during a previous Weetacon), but I may have to add one or two more items to my wardrobe after wearing the Farrah jacket and seeing the other ladies modelling some beautiful dresses at the Weetacon Igigi Fashion Show!

I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the photos I took of myself in the jacket, but you can still get an idea of how it fit on me. 

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And, here's a front and back shot of the jacket on the hanger as well as a close up of the lovely cascade detail on the front. 

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And now here's the best part: the CONTEST!!! Leave me a comment and good luck!

Want a chance to shop at Igigi on us? Just go to the Igigi website, pick out the garment you'd love to have for your very own and leave a comment here on this post, telling me exactly how you'd accessorize your new Igigi fashion and where you plan to wear it. One lucky commenter will receive a free $50 gift certificate. But wait, that's not all. Each of our Weetacon Igigi reviewers will be giving away a $50 gift certificate to Igigi, so you can enter by leaving one comment on each of those reviews too. Yes, you read this right: Weetacon and Igigi are giving away over $1000 in Igigi by Yuliya Raquel gift certificates! The only catch is that you must enter by May 15 and you can only enter once per review. Winners will be announced on Weetacon Igigi review page by May 18th.

 

NaBloPoMo April 2012

 


H is for Handmade @weetacon #bloggingfromatoz

One of the fun activities we participate in during Weetacon is the Charity Raffle. It began in 2008 as a small affair with just a few items up for bid that raised four hundred bucks. This year's raffle extravaganza included a bake sale, Pets of Weetacon calendar and Weetacon swag sale, and ultimately raised almost four thousand dollars!! Yay, us! All the money goes to Paul's Pantry, a local Green Bay non-profit food pantry.  

This year there were tons of amazing, awesome and wonderful items for us to fight over buy tickets for,  and I had my eye on a few of them. Most of the items I wanted I didn't win (but they did go to good, deserving homes, I'm sure!), but I did win two of the items I really really wanted. One of them was this:

A pottery set handmade by our very own Wendy Bix! (and, no, the other item I won is not the Hawaiian lava with a little surfer dude sculpture. my parents bought that on their honeymoon after they remarried in '79 or something like that.) She actually had a few pottery items at the auction, but this was the set I won. It's a lovely pierced tray with a small cup. The detailing on the tray is awesome! It must've taken quite a while to get all the piercings along the edges done so perfectly (and without punching through the edge, like I probably would've done!), and I love the design in the middle.

The cup is adorable, and there's something so medieval and rustic about it that makes me want to drink mead or ale out of it!

Wendy suggested this set be used for chips and dips, but I think I will use it to store some of my teeny tiny earrings, rings and other good jewlery so I don't lose or damage them. Because I'm pretty darn good at that!  

NaBloPoMo April 2012


F is for Friends #bloggingfromatoz #f @weetacon @missingweetacon #friends

Recently I had the chance to spend some quality time with a bunch of my bestest friends (who also happen to be the coolest people on the planet!!) at Weetacon in Green Bay, WI. We took a hay ride in the rain, ate delicious food, had a charity auction and bake sale, went roller skating and partied down at a totally awesome 80s party. It was a blast and it was fantastic to see everyone again!

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NaBloPoMo April 2012

 


See It Sunday: Big #seeitsunday #bloggingfromatoz

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Today's See It Sunday theme, Big, goes very well with the Blogging from A to Z Challenge I'm also participating in (B is for Big!). This photo is of the VERY big bonfire we enjoyed during the hay ride we took at the Rock K Ranch outside Green Bay, WI. There wasn't any snow in Green Bay for this year's Weetacon, so we didn't get to enjoy our usual sleigh ride, but we still rumbled out into the woods in two hay-filled wagons each pulled by two gorgeous Percheron horses. It was a blast, and that ginormous bonfire was very, very hot!

NaBloPoMo April 2012