It's been a while since an outfit has been on the blog so I decided to bring back the Then to Now series to share how I've worn some of my pieces over the years! Even though I've been working from home for over 5 years I've found it very hard to get dressed this past year. Before the virus I at least got dressed on the weekends or to go out to blogger dinners during the week.
These days I just want to stay in lounge-wear. When we do go out, it's just to drive to Target to get our "groceries" put in the trunk. We don't buy fresh product or meat right now because we stocked up on meat and froze it and Target doesn't have the best produce (I've gotten moldy onions and garlic when I tried - but they do have good sweet mini peppers!) We will run out of meat soon so maybe we'll actually go into a real grocery store to stock back up, ha ha. I DO get dressed to drive to Target because "what if I need to get out of the car for an emergency?" It's just not cute enough to make Christian take photos, ha ha.
Maybe this lack of getting dressed for 12+ months due to coronavirus will reignite my love for all my clothes and later this year (/after the vaccine) will be my best fashion year yet! It's just been hard to make myself get dressed when I know I won't be going anywhere.
Madewell Leather Pants
One of my favorite pairs of pants that sadly left my closet in 2016 after they ripped. I've still been hunting for a new pair but the ones I've found have been too much money. Maybe one day I'll find them for as good a price as when I originally bought them!
Stella McCartney 'Polar bear intarsia wool and alpaca-blend sweater' (The Outnet)
This is somewhat of a statement piece since it's an oversized sweater dress in a holiday/wintery print. Yet somehow I have managed to wear this Stella McCartney polar bear sweater many times! Sadly I don't have photos of me wearing it this year but it DID get worn over the holidays!
Madewell Houndstooth Patchwork Scarf
Accessories don't get too much love in these posts for some reason (I guess I like to focus on the main pieces) but when I first bought this scarf it was my MVP! I wore it so often and it kept me nice and warm.
Madewell Striped Sweater
Sensing a Madewell theme here? I swear it was accidental! I was just picking some of my favorite pieces that I've had for years and this HAD to be included. I think I wore this at least once a week when I first owned it and I still would except it is starting to get worn to the threads so I'm trying to make it last and only wear it sparingly. I can never find this color combo on eBay but I'm still hunting for a replacement.
Ella Moss 'Nico Faux Fur Vest'
I didn't get into vests until the early 2010's but they are such a great outfit completer. Wearing something you've worn before and want to switch it up? Throw on a vest! A little to cold for a thin sweater? Add a vest!
Theyskens' Theory Juno Leather Jacket
This leather jacket remains one of my favorite designer steals. I bought it in 2012 at Nordstrom rack for $172, it retailed for $1100+. Another piece I wore to DEATH it's first few years so it doesn't get much wear now.
I shared the photos of Layla's Cuddle Clone on Instagram on Monday and thought I would do a review/post on how the order process went! This is NOT a sponsored post in any way. I discovered Cuddle Clones quite a few years ago but never felt like I should spend $250 on a stuffed version of Layla. But, once I was no longer living with Layla, I kept thinking about getting one so I could always have her with me.
Fun Fact: I was terrified of dogs until Layla. I used to not go to people's houses if they had a dog and one time when I was younger I stayed in the car instead of going into my cousins' houses because they had a dog, ha ha. I'm still nervous around new dogs but get over it pretty quickly.
Layla came into my life in June 2013 after one of my cousins adopted her (I lived with two cousins from Spring 2013 - Fall 2017.) The one who bought the house sold it and I moved back in with my parents before buying my house in 2018. It’s hard not seeing her every day so I used to steal her for a couple of days at a time or watched her when my cousin went away. COVID made that difficult because I didn’t want to risk either of us transporting the virus (even though he barely went anywhere either.) Prior to our most recent visit - when I took these photos - I hadn't seen her since August! And before that it was February.
During Cuddle Clones' Black Friday sale I decided to splurge! I used photos from when we first got her, before all the gray. She was about four/five in the photos I sent and she's turning TWELVE in just under two weeks. Now, even though I can’t see her all the time, I can look over and see her likeness sitting on a bench in the living room.
What is a Cuddle Clone?
A Cuddle Clone is a handmade, custom version of your furry friend! They are handmade and airbrushed to completely match your pet. You can customize their sitting position, ears, and more so it best represents your best bud.
It's a great way to remember a favorite family pet who is no longer with you. As long as you have one photo they can create a clone! The more photos you provide the better detail it will have.
Is it only for dogs?
You can get a Cuddle Clone of ANY animal! If you check their gallery you'll see everything from cats and dogs to horses and bunnies! I even saw a chicken!
Do they only make stuffed animals?
Nope! You can get figurines, slippers, stockings, golf club covers, blankets, mugs and more! If I had two pets I would probably want to get the slippers and do one of each!
How do I order a Cuddle Clone?
Pet Details
The process starts with creating a profile. First you will name your pet, select the type of animal, breed, etc. Next you will upload photos and select your customization options. For dogs, options include eye color as well as ear, mouth, body and tail positions.
Photos
Photos are the key to getting your clone to look exactly like your pet! You only need one photo but you can upload as many as 10 plus 3 detail shots of "distinguishing characteristics" your pet has. They ask you to give the following photos: Face, Fur Color, Right Side, Backside, Left Side, Chest, Tail, Back of Neck, and Feet.
For Layla's three extra photos I used the white spot under her neck and a little white patch on her chest. Along with these detail photos you can describe what you want to focus on.
If your pet has passed away you can add a zippered pouch for $20 where you can store your pet's ashes or a photo/memory of them. I have not seen one with this option but it looks like the zipper is on the chest so it may be fairly noticeable.
Discounts?
There are a few ways to get discounts on your Cuddle Clone plush. First, they usually have a 10% off code for your first purchase. Second, wait for Black Friday like I did! I was able to combine both discounts. You can also google codes to try if you aren't prompted on the Cuddle Clones site.
If you have multiple people who want a clone of the same pet they will discount you $30 for each additional. This cannot be used on separate pets, it has to be the same pet made twice.
Post-Order Editing
After
I ordered I realized I used two of the same photo for my "details"
shots so I started a chat and was able to add extra photos for the
artists to refer to. Good to know if you need to add additional to photos than the spots provided or make a mistake.
What happens after I order my Cuddle Clone?
The regular delivery time for Cuddle Clones is 8 weeks, you can pay an up-charge to get it as soon as 2 weeks, but it will cost you quite a bit more.
Once you purchase, you will get an email confirmation (obviously) of your order. I ordered during busy holiday season so it was about two weeks before I got an email telling me that one of their "talented designers has started working on the pattern for Layla." I was also informed of the process to complete my Cuddle Clone:
Once the custom pattern has been completed, it will move on to sewing and stuffing before being assigned to one of our amazing airbrush artists for its final customizations!
Next up was the email telling me "Your Plush Clone of Layla has passed our quality control inspection and has been sent to our headquarters for final packaging!"
The plush was made in China and then shipped to the Cuddle Clones headquarters in Kansas before finally being shipped out to me.
I ordered my Cuddle Clone on November 25th so I didn't think I was going to get Layla until January 19th going by their 8-week average. She arrived on January 3rd! It was actually supposed to be delivered on December 31st but the post office had some delays. So it took about 5 weeks to arrive if we remove the post office delay.
Is a Cuddle Clone worth it?
YES! I think it was totally worth it for me to have a version of Layla to cherish forever. I will say I would wait for a sale, if possible. $250 is still a lot of money, especially when you add in the $20 shipping. I paid $189 for my Clone plus got 10% off with a coupon code. But the $20 shipping brought the total back up to $190, ha ha. Luckily I had advertising money from the blog so I didn't feel as bad. PLUS I feel like since I wanted it for so long it was a justified buy.
So yes, if you love your pet and want to always have them with you, this is a great way to do it. It will look almost exactly like your pet so I think the price premium makes that more worth it than buying a generic stuffed version or statue of the breed. This is especially handy if you have a mixed breed dog like Layla!
I'm very happy with how she turned out. The only complaint I have is her snout could be a little longer, but that is a small issue in comparison to how she turned out!
Plus, every purchase provides 3 meals and a toy to a shelter pet. How cute is that? They also donate to a different animal-wellness organization/shelter each month.
