Funky Chunkies!

Today’s product review comes from a shop called FunkyChunkies! From Phoenix Arizona this shop has created a new fashionable way to upcycle bangles! I bought a set from her for a friend for Christmas and I have already decided what I want to buy next for me! These bangles are durable and sure to fit your style since she can make a custom design just for you! Check out what I ordered:

Her description was spot on! These things are durable – so much so that you can tell she took the time to make them last. Even though they are upcycled with paper products it feels like plastic and since I’m a klutz I wasn’t worried about dropping them and messing them up!

Q&A

What inspired you to start selling these on etsy?

My bangles started out as something I made for myself but after being asked a number of times where I purchased my bracelet I decided to open a shop that I could send people to. So being that I’m an events coordinator that specializes in weddings, Etsy has been a go to place for a number of years now. So when I was thinking of a place to sell my Chunkies Etsy seemed the best match.

How long have you been making bangles?

About 4 years now. I saw the instructions in a magazine and just had to have one. I fell in love with them, and every piece of paper I found I had to have that design in a bracelet, and so did my friends.

What do you think your store offers that others might not?

If I had to choose I guess it would be that I’m able to make these in any size and the fact that they can be customized and/or personalized.

She’s been open since January 3, 2010 and has had over 300 sales and has 100% feedback rate!

Here’s a few of her reviews:

Feb 17, 2012 – Love my purple chunkie!! These bracelets are real conversation pieces and so fun to wear!!

Feb 14, 2012 – I can’t wait to give these to my daughter! They are so stinking cute! Wonderful shop I am for sure going to be a repeat customer again and again!

Feb 9, 2012 – I absolutely love my custom Funky! I swear its the cutest thing I have gotten in a long time. Most certainly beats even my highest expectations. Seller is very easy to work with, and is dedicated to what she does and making sure what you order is the best it can be. Thank you again!

Jan 27, 2012 – This was a fantastic buying experience for me. Fantastic fantastic seller, wonderful product. Exceeded my expectations! It even came beautifully wrapped! This is a gift for my granddaughter’s best friend–any girl who’s a Justin Beiber fan needs these bracelets! You won’t be disappointed!! Thanks so much Leanna! I’ll definitely be back. I’ll send more pics when Dima opens it! 🙂

Jan 11, 2012 – Such a beautiful creation. packaged so delicately ! Amazing seller, great communication. Lovely items! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

And the final review says it is:

FIVE OUT OF FIVE BUTTONS!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

Jennifer

*If you have a handmade store & item you’d like to have reviewed – please contact me! You can find my email in the contact tab at the top right!*

With A Pretty Flower In Her Hair

Today’s product review comes from TheHookUp! I bought Emma the cutest crocheted headband with a gorgeous flower on it. From Clovis, California this shop is filled with most adorable and functional crocheted items. Just looking at her shop you see cute little baby faces and clear crisp pictures! Aimee is known for hats, earwarmers, gloves, leg warmers, baby booties, sandals and MORE! Her product descriptions are right on point and come from a smoke free home so you know all your items are made clean! This is what I bought from her:

And here is a picture of Emma sporting it!

The yarn she uses is durable and a little bit stretchy so it fits perfectly on Emma’s head and the flower is so soft and just the right size that it doesn’t scratch or itch her face! Emma will see this hanging up and ask if she can put on her flower hat. She hasn’t quite gotten the concept of the word headband but who cares! She loves picking out what goes in her hair and luckily it goes with almost every outfit!

Here’s some more info about Aimee’s shop: She started teaching herself how to crochet when she was pregnant with her son. She wanted to make him a blanket before he was born so he could have something unique from her. Then eight years later, here she is with arms wide open ready to make unique gifts for the ones you love. Custom orders are available in her store and she’s had over 500 sales with 100% feedback!

Check out some of her reviews:

Feb 11, 2012 – Love these! Get compliments on them constantly!

Feb 2, 2012 – My five month old loves his hat! We plan on getting a lot of good use out of it. Thank you 🙂

Jan 28, 2012 – Thank you SO much Aimee, I absolutely LOVE the hat and diaper cover! Beautiful work and delivered BEFORE promised. I will probably be back for that Newsboy Cap, it’s super cute too!

Jan 17, 2012 – These are absolutely gorgeous and I cannot wait until my special day on the beach to wear them. I don’t know if you remember me but we are friends on FB. When you posted these a year ago or so I told you I would order these for my wedding. He proposed on New Years and here I am! Thank you again, they are beautfiul.

Dec 19, 2011 – These are great boots! They are super easy to but on and they actually stay on! Very well made. I got tons of compliments on these. They are adorable 🙂

And the final review says it is:

FIVE OUT OF FIVE BUTTONS!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

Jennifer

*If you have a handmade store & item you’d like to have reviewed – please contact me! You can find my email in the contact tab at the top right!*

What’s ahead?

I’ve got great news! We have loads of new products that have been reviewed and are getting prepped and ready for the big debut on the blog! Keep your eyes peeled for some awesome handmade products that you aren’t going to want to miss! So while you are waiting we’ll show you a list of shops that I can’t resist 😀

         

Eye Shadow Shimmering Sea        Hand Painted Compote Desse

VisualEyesCosmetics                      MountainsandWillows

$5.00 USD                                       $45.00 USD

        

Apples Polka Dots Pincushion       Handpainted Beatles inspired

detailsbydes                                     JesseAnneDesigns

$15.00 USD                                     $28.00 USD

        

Quilted Clutch with Vintage B       Ella Mary Janes

LilyStitches                                      ShwimmyKids

$15.00 USD                                     $33.00 USD

        

SALE – Airplane Baby Name         Starburst Recycled Candy

SarasHandmades                             justByou

$65.00 USD                                      $8.00 USD

         

Girl Dress – Gray Polka Do             Baby Owl Hat – Made to Order

Appleandivy                                      justHOOKing

$38.00 USD                                      $20.00 USD

         

LOIS Pregnancy Neckl                   Black and White Damask busi

artsychicas                                        ItsyBitsyBriggsy

$42.00 USD                                      $7.99 USD

         

Extra Large Sweet and Simpl         15 Feet Pink Waxed Cotton 

SaraOlsenDesigns                             yourday

$3.49 USD                                         $1.29 USD

         

4 Small Flower Gift Boxes              Dog Treats No Wheat/Gluten

caitcait88                                          TrueTreatsPetBakery

$7.00 USD                                        $6.50 USD

Which one is your favorite?

Love This Stitch!

Another fantastic product review is here! Today we are showing of an awesome store called LilyStitches! From Rochester NY this shop makes me want to personalize everything! I purchased a reindeer t-shirt for my daughter this past Christmas and a Clutch that I gave away as a present to an amazing friend. One of the first things that attracted me to her store was her awesome banner! Another thing I always look for is detailed descriptions – she tells you everything you need to know! Now let’s check out what I bought!

When it comes to buying clothes for kids it seems like you never really know if it’s going to fit. That’s one thing that always makes me hesitate but this was perfect! Another thing I look for when buying embroidered clothes is the quality of the sewing. It’s important that it’s not going to come loose and wash out after the first few cycles. Her quality of sewing and the durability of the embroidery was impeccable! Emma couldn’t destroy it even if she tried!

This was the second thing I bought from her! I gave this away to a friend as a Christmas present but I will let you know I had a HARD time giving it up and I want to go back and buy another one! If you’re looking for something simple, chic, and well made – you’ve found it. It doesn’t have any pockets on the inside which as a pocket lover I would usually be disappointing about but I am NOT at all disappointed. With a clutch this size you don’t need any pockets to keep things organized. You can open this enough to see where everything is and it’s the perfect size for going out on a quick run where you don’t need much with you.

So here was a two for one product review! If I haven’t enticed you enough to buy it – send me an email! I’ll keep raving about it until you go buy something!

Some other awesome facts about Kim: She opened shop April 2011, her feedback rate is 100% positive, her customer service is impeccable, and she offers custom orders so you can get exactly what you are looking for! Here are a few of the reviews she got on her products:

What everyone else is saying!

Feb 3, 2012: Came very fast! The shirt is super cute and I will order more shirts soon. Very helpful and easy to work with.

Dec 13, 2011: Super quick shipping and wonderful communication! Cute!! Great detail to quality!

Sep 13, 2011:  I ordered these outfits for my nieces to wear at our rehearsal dinner, and they were absolutely perfect! The girls looked adorable, but were comfortable enough to run around and play easily. The quality of the clothes is excellent; I know the girls will continue to get good use out of them.

Jul 21, 2011: I just received the clutches that you made for me, and I couldn’t wait to tell you: I LOVE THEM!!!! They are perfect in every way! The size is great, the sewing is amazing, and the wristlet that you attached for me is just what I wanted. Thank you for working with me to create the perfect gift for my wedding party!!! I can see each of them in the fabrics that we chose and I know that they will use them on my wedding day as well as many times after that! THANK YOU!! It really was a pleasure working with you on this!

 

And the final review says it is:

FIVE OUT OF FIVE BUTTONS!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

Jennifer

*If you have a handmade store & item you’d like to have reviewed – please contact me! You can find my email in the contact tab at the top right!*

What Every Cook Needs!

Welcome to our first product review! I’m happy to start out with a wonderful shop called iBstitchN! From Greeneville, TN this shop has a handful of items that would be any cook’s dream gift as well as many other things for the home, children, and pets! Her sewing quality is impeccable and the quality of her materials she uses is spot on! I purchased a finger mit that she recommended for microwave uses but I use it for my toaster oven also and I don’t think I’d go back to using anything else! It is great for wrapping your fingers around things that a normal oven mitt might be awkward or too big to use.

You can’t tell me these things aren’t adorable!

Barb opened iBstitchN in 2010 and you can tell she knows exactly how to run her business. Her feedback rate is 100% positive and she’s had almost 350 sales! This is something you should always look for when purchasing from a handmade shop. You can’t beat 100 percent 😉 She also has another store here at ChildrenWithPaws. The total sales between her two stores is over 500 and with over 250 items in her shops, there is surely something for everyone !!

Here are some pictures of the item in use at my own place!

 Ignore my dirty toaster oven 😛

This is the pan that I use the mitt with the most. It has that little lip that makes it difficult to pick up with the regular sized ones so this is my immediate go to!

Ahh – my yummy hot chocolate! During the winter time – I make hot chocolate almost every day!

Plus if you are anything like me and you make a mess – these things wash well! You can spot clean it or throw it in the wash. I left mine out to dry and it was ready in no time for me to mess it up again 😉

And the final review says it is:

FIVE OUT OF FIVE BUTTONS!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

Jennifer

*If you have a handmade store & item you’d like to have reviewed – please contact me! You can find my email in the contact tab at the top right!*

It’s Just The Beginning!

Hey everyone! Thanks for being patient with me while I got everything set up and ready! Starting this Wednesday I’ll be doing a daily review of handmade items and shops so that you can get to know a little bit about the handmade community, the quality of work they provide, and what they specialize in! The items that I review either have been purchased or given to me so I get a first hand look and feel of the item.

I personally love handmade items. It’s one way to get something that’s seriously unique and you know that someone has put time and effort into their items. Most handmade gifts run a little bit higher in price than what you might find in a chain store but 99% of the time – the quality outdoes anything else you would find! One of the reason I started making things myself was because I wasn’t happy with what I found in stores. For example, the burp cloths I make are much thicker and more absorbent than anything you would find in a store. I also use soft materials that provide comfort for both you and your baby. The idea was originated by my cousin who was looking for a baby shower gift and after I made some from a tutorial I found, I realized how much better I could make them. A few trial and errors later – I came up with a new pattern and I will never go back to using those wimpy burp cloths again!

As a buyer when I am shopping handmade gift stores I check out the products the shop offers, the amount of sales they’ve had, the feedback they have been given, and how long they’ve been in business. After talking with other buyers and getting their perspective on the handmade gift store process I found out most people don’t even know how to look for those things! As shocking as it sounds – buying blindly is what most buyers do. This is one reason I wanted to start doing reviews and thanks to an amazing person who gave me the guidance to get this going. You’ll find his blog on the blogroll over to the right or you can click the link here BAexpat just don’t forget to come back to me!!

So I have a number of things planned for this blog – but we’ll go ahead and start with the reviews Wednesday!

Hope to see you again soon!

Love Always,

Jennifer

 

P.S. If you have a handmade store & item you’d like to have reviewed – please contact me! You can find my email in the contact tab at the top right!