We've Moved!

It's  finally came to this moment where it was time to update and move onto a new blogging venue. So here Tails&Snouts blogging has moved to! Hope everyone doesn't mind this change and I’ll be bring all the important blog post over with me. :)

Stitch Fix Again

Take two of enjoying my Stitch Fix box! I decided to do the automatic box every month so my next goodie will be in August. That is unless I'm tempted to get another earlier. So for this box I asked for some nice low key dresses for a relaxed wedding coming up. They delivered on my dress request and beyond. I honestly had a difficult time deciding on what to keep and what to send back. Everything ends up fitting me surprisingly well, which makes the decision extra difficult. In the end it came down to what was most my style and if I already had something similar to it. If you want to give Stitch Fix a try feel free to use my referral link.

 The first item I tried on was the Malia Chevron Border Tunic from 19 Cooper. I also decided to pair it with the Porter Basic Leggings from Rune. Both items felt like they fit well and the leggings were so wonderfully comfortable. I however decided not to get either of them due to not being a big tunic fan. Plus I tend to only wear leggings in the house so it would seem a bit silly to get something that I'd only wear inside.

 The first of the dresses I tried on was the real star of the box. It was a lovely seafoam mint Callafia Short-Sleeve Wrap Dress from 41Hawthorn. Actually kept a shirt from them in my last box. Having a wrap dress was new to me so that was an interesting plus. It was also perfect for the low key wedding. The dress fit so well in just the right ways and would be great dressed down or up. This ended up being the keeper for this box.

 The second dress was this fun Francis Striped Fit&Flare Dress from Pomelo. The dress had some great shaping to it, but I already had a dress very similar to it already in my closet. I really liked the stripes on the bottom of the dress even if it put more emphasis on my hips, which can speak loud and clear by themselves. The top portion of the dress was lovely, but thanks to my wide shoulders it created a weird gap between my chest and arms.

The last item was a nice Henry Birds On Branch Infinity Scarf from Octavia. The scarf was nice and big, which I like in scarfs. I however can be rather particular when it comes to accessories. Nor is the weather accepting of scarfs at the moment.

Birthday Sale

 As promised the special birthday sale has arrived! From now till May 28th the shop is 21% off using the coupon code BIRTHDAY21. Enjoy the special sale while you can and I hope everyone has a lovely memorial day as well. :)

The Lazy Girls Gnocchi

Lately I've been having major gnocchi cravings, but I always find rolling the gnocchi a pain. I even have a pasta maker and was desperately hoping for a gnocchi. No such luck for me. Then I happened to come across a cleaver trick on Food and Wine, which I decided to give a shot. First time I used to suggested bakers twine with some sweet potato gnocchi dough. Either the baking twine was too thick, the dough was too moist, or I simple couldn't get the angle down the gnocchi came out "fun shaped." That didn't discourage my attempt at being able to make gnocchi without rolling. So the second time I tried out my lazy gnocchi recipe and tried the same technique, but with unflavored dental floss. While it was far more effective the steam caused the dental floss to lose its tension. So far the most effective method has been using fishing line of all things.

 The next key factor for me was finding an easy recipe to use and a resourceful thought popped into my head, "there's leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge maybe that will make good gnocchi." With that thought I managed to create easy delicious gnocchi from leftovers.

  Lazy Girls Gnocchi Recipe 

Serves about 2

2 egg yolks 

1 cup flour (may need a little more depending on mashed potato moisture) 

13oz leftover mashed potatoes (I used Simply Potatoes garlic mash)

1. Place mashed potatoes in mixing bowl, slightly heat up if stiff. 
2. Then add egg yolks and flour. Gently mix and add extra flour till dough is no longer sticky to the touch. Then place in gallon or pastry bag. 
3. String your fishing line (twine or dental floss) across the handles of your shallow pasta pot and secure. Place water in a few inches below string. Bring water to boil.
4. Once the water is boiling bring down to medium heat. Cut a hole in the tip of your bag. 
5. Place the bag perpendicular and to the side of the string. Start pushing the dough out and cutting at the desired length on the string. Don't over crowd the pot. CATION: Be careful of the steam and any hot water that may splatter as the gnocchi drop. 
6. Wait for the gnocchi to rise to the surface then pull out with a slotted spoon. Repeat steps 5 and 6 till all dough is gone. 
7. Lastly top with gnocchi with something yummy. 

Topping wise for my gnocchi I like to toss them in a pan to get them a little crispy then add my favorite tomato sauce, spices, and cheese on them.

Birthday Giveaway!

                                                                                                                         
To celebrate my upcoming birthday I decided to do a double giveaway! One will be for a new colorway on my classic merino nylon sock yarn blend and the other is for a fun handspun yarn. The giveaway will go till May 31, so enter while you can. The new colorway is called Pansy Flower and is about 462 yards of purple yellow merino goodness. Perfect for knitting up some spring themed floral socks. The handspun yarn is about 291 yards of worsted yarn in mixes of greens and blues. The colorway is called Bayou and is a blend of merino, tussah silk, bamboo, nylon, recycled sari silk, and angelina. 























To enter to win just follow the featured instructions below and don't forget to check out the shop on May 25 for an extra surprise! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giving Stitch Fix a Try

When it comes to shopping my internal feelings tend to butt heads. Getting new clothes gives me the same warm fuzzy feeling that yarn or fiber gives me, however I hate the actual act of clothes shopping. Endlessly looking through racks hoping you'll find something you like and even if you do there's no guarantee that they'll even have your size. Plus over crowded shopping areas drive me up a wall like nothing else. My love-hate relationship to shopping ended up pushing me to give Stitch Fix a try.

The general idea of Stitch Fix is to have someone else do the styling and shopping for you. Plus the only work you have to do is decide on what to keep. When you first create an account with Stitch Fix you create a style profile so to speak. It'll ask for your usual size, what you want to flaunt or hide, what style palate speaks to you the most, and how much you'd like to pay for each item. All you have left to do is schedule when you'd like your Stitch Fix to arrive. Once your box arrives you can try everything on in the comfort of your home and anything you don't like just send it back in the prepaid envelope. What you keep is what you pay for plus an initial styling fee, which is applied as credit to anything you purchase from that box. What I find really nifty is that they send along a little styling sheet on what to pair with everything in the box.

For my first box I received an orange and pink striped maxi dress, while I loved the fit of it I just couldn't get into the colors.

The second item was an off white clutch, which again was lovely I however avoid white clothing and accessories due to how easy it is to get them dirty.

 From the box I got two tops one being a minty turquoise dolman printed top and the other being a dark navy tab sleeved blouse with white tulips on it. The dolman again fit me wonderfully, but the pattern didn't fit me or my styling. The tulip top however was possibly my favorite item out of the box. A little low with the v neck for my personal taste other than that it was comfy and versatile.

 Lastly I received a pair of black skinny jeans, which are amazingly comfy and a little miracle fit wise. Like

most people finding pants that fit well is a challenge. For myself I have a hard time finding bottoms that fit my curvy hips and the drastic change to my small waist. Thankfully theses pants have fit the best in that area. The pants were a little long, but looked cute cuffed and most of the time hidden in riding boots.

Everything that was picked out fit me great, if not perfectly. Anything that I decided to send back came down to color or style. That's to be expected with your first box, but the more boxes you get the better your stylist will be at picking out items you like. In the end I decided to keep the navy tulip top and the black skinny jeans. When everything was decided upon I simply checked out on the Stitch Fix website on what I was or wasn't keeping and why to better help the stylist for future boxes. Overall this was a wonderfully exciting and fun experience. Sure there weren't things that spoke to my style soul, but it was nice to try a few items on in the comfort of my own home without having to put in all the shopping effort.

Shop Rebranding!

For over 3 years Tails&Snouts has been represented by a cute cuddly blue elephant, but as the shop changes so must our cute mascot. Originally the elephant was intended to capture the cute knit toys that I began making at the start. Since then I've begun changing the shops direction to focusing on yarns and fibers. A elephant doesn't exactly fit that well with a fiber and yarn shop. So over the weekend I discussed with my branding designer about creating a new mascot and here she is! A lovely lamb that still captures the Tails&Snouts cute edge, but with a fibery focus. I absolutely love the new mascot. Currently this little cutie doesn't have a name yet, but there's a suggestion box on the Facebook page if you have an idea. Since the shop got a new mascot that means all the branding needed some spicing up. So keep an eye out for the new banner, business cards, and labels!

Thanks everyone!

-Elizabeth :)