Salmon Cove

Today, I have a new (to me, anyway) product line to share with you! I was excited to hear from one of the owners of Salmon Cove, Owen.

When he offered to send me one of their products to try out, I was even more excited.

Owen described Salmon Cove as a "classic apparel line," and I found that the website calls it a, "fun, distinctive, confidence-inspiring clothing brand that (will) stand the test of time." I continued reading about the brand and was particularly persuaded by the lines, "Like salmon that swim against the current to return to where they were born, Salmon Cove was founded on the idea that you can go home again. We make clothes to help you enjoy the journey, regardless of the current you are swimming against." Rather inspirational, no?

And with that, I was off to choose which product I wanted to try.

I initially planned to try this Long Sleeve Cove Collar shirt. Most of their collar shirts have contrasting trim on the inside of the collar. Super cute. So I headed over to the sizing chart to figure out what size I needed. Let's be honest, I'm completely re-learning my body and the sizes it needs post-baby. I realized that according to the chart, I was on the edge of two sizes and couldn't decide which to go with. Thankfully, I saw that there were customer testimonials that were available for, "customer insight on our sizing/fit." Except when I clicked the link, it brought me back to the product page. Not helpful. I pointed this out in a later email to Owen and he thanked me for the feedback on the sizing charts and said they would "take a look and refine them today." That was on October 31st and changes had not been made when I checked the site earlier today.

Since I wasn't sure which size to go with, I chose to review one of their canvas totes because, really, can a girl ever have enough totes?

Here's the website description:

"Our durable canvas totes comes in four different color options. Featuring a zip-close top, pockets and detachable Salmon Cove keychain. Dimensions: 12"H x 16" W x 5"D."

I guess I should have paid more attention to the description because I was surprised by the small size of the bag when I received it. Overall, the tote is nice. I like that it zips closed because I don't have to worry about items slipping out, and I like that it comes with a matching keychain. That part is really cute.

Having said that, I wouldn't pay $49 for it. That's a pretty good little chunk of change for me and when I spend that much, I want it to be on something that I love. One thing that bugs me is that random (thick) strings keep coming off on the inside. It hasn't seemed to affect the fabric or seams of the tote but it's kind of annoying to have to finish pulling the strings that come loose.

This won't keep me from using the tote (unless it eventually causes holes or weakness in the seams) but I was hoping for a better quality for the price.

I kind of wish now that I'd had the chance to review one of their shirts because I like to think I would have been more impressed with those.

If you're interested in checking out the company for yourself, you can use the code "xoxoamber" for 15% off. Or, if the total comes out better, I saw on Twitter that you can use the code "Holiday2011" for $20 off your purchase!

In other news, Jaxon turns seven months today and I never did his month six update! I do have pictures from month six so I'll just come back soon to combine the month six and seven updates in one post. Mom fail!

Note: The pictures are from the Salmon Cove website and as I mentioned, I was given a tote for my review.