September 25, 2008
· Filed under Baby, Etsy, Etsy Shops, Everyday Stuff, For Mom, Great Gifts
Chances are if you have a little girl you have. If you have a little boy then maybe you haven’t, but you should, they make great gifts! One Bowtique I discovered is MommyLyssa on Etsy has Riley’s Bowtique which is home to dozens of hair bows and clips. A perfect compliment to all those cute outfits out there! 
She offers several styles and has everything from alligator clip barrettes, to basic bows to dragonfly shaped bows! The designs are really cute, and well made. The best part is that she offers a variety of ways to attach the bow. Unlike many places that only offer one style of barrette, after you pick a style she can put it on an elastic, clip, barrette, or more so that you KNOW you can use it when it arrives!
The quality is really good. I really liked the barrette I got, which I confess was for me. My lovely niece is as bald as can be! I was really happy with everything. The service was good. The turn around time was fast. Shipping is reasonable. Prices vary by style with a pair of plain alligator clips costing just $1.50, and more detailed bows can be as high as $5.50. The owner Alyssa is very professional, and while the results are amazingly professional you’re really supporting another mom and buying a handcrafted bow!
Next time you’re looking for the perfect finishing touch for your daughters outfit, or want a gift check out Ryley’s Bowtique! I think you’ll like it!
September 19, 2008
· Filed under Baby, Etsy, Etsy Shops, Everyday Stuff, Great Gifts
You’ll love this shop, Lil Baby Thangs, where she designs bootie patterns to fit preemies to 12 months old. I intend to make several pairs for a childhood friends new preemie (born at just 29 weeks!) 
Now for the Nitty Gritty, I haven’t been able to try the patterns. My sewing machine has been on the fritz and in and out of the repair shop. So I can’t speak personally about putting them together (yet) what I can say is that the finished items in the photograph look great. The pattern is detailed and well thought out. The instructions are thorough and well written. I think the patterns themselves are pretty great.
The price doesn’t compare with major pattern companies, but good independent patterns never do. The patterns aren’t expensive, just $5-7 a piece, or get five styles for $15. Not to shabby really when you consider each pattern comes in five sizes!
I think they are really awesome actually. If your life has been touched by a preemie, or even if you just feel generous make some. Preemies in the NICU always need special things to help keep them warm, and booties take just scraps of fabric. So check out Lil baby Thangs, and sew some booties for a lucky baby!
September 8, 2008
· Filed under Etsy, Everyday Stuff, For Mom, Great Gifts
Jac as in Jac Jewelry, a neat little jewelry store. The owner Janna is really talented when it comes to jewelry. Her pieces are to beautiful for words, but unlike most jewelry is actually affordable! The quality is great. Her pieces use very high quality supplies and she uses great techniques throughout the piece for a very
professional look. The thing I love most is the way the pieces look! Everything has a great modern, feminine, gentle beauty to it. Her work is fresh and fun and makes a statement but is simple at the same time. Nothing is over done, but everything is done just right. Besides the great stuff already available in her shop she also does custom work, order enough for an entire bridal party or a custom gift with certain birthstones.
This day an age everywhere you look you can see someone making and selling jewelry, and so often the work is just very shoddy. I’ve seen people tie a knot to hold a clasp on, or have wire hanging out that is going to scratch you to no end. I see people do very crummy work on earrings and call themselves a jeweler. None of that is the case here. Jac Jewelry is really VERY well done. I can’t emphasize that enough. I’ve seen lesser quality at expensive stores. Her work is good. The materials are quality. It’s really just great stuff.
She often combines items you don’t usually see combined, like a pendant on pearls instead of a chain. Every piece has an understated elegance. They look great whether worn to a black tie affair or to the frozen food aisle of the grocery store.
The prices really are incredible! I’ve seen similar (and even inferior) work sell for several times more! And even better is the fact that you are getting a one of a kind handmade piece of jewelry, not something mass produced.
She has lots of great pre-made options in her shop, be sure to check them out. I think that no matter what your style is she will have something for you!
September 3, 2008
· Filed under Etsy Shops, Everyday Stuff, Great Gifts
A Rabbit Girl is really not a girl that is part rabbit, well I suppose it COULD be, but in this case it’s an artist. A great artist over at Etsy that sells dreamy, I mean dream inspired, prints. They are dreamy though. A mix of
vivid and dull colors blend together as if they truly are in a dream. The impossible blend right in with the possible. The finished works truly make you feel as through you are in fact dreaming when you look at them.
Shes does her work digitally which causes a smooth even blend of color and a mix of bright and dull that can only be achieved digitally. There is a very zen look to it and I love the idea of them in a more modern nursery. She also offers a few special items like gift tags or a paper doll.
Really her work is hard to explain. It’s gorgeous, and just glorious. They are true masterpieces that are awe inspiring and leave you speechless. They arrive very well packaged. The paper is nice. Overall it is just very professional, every detail is nice.
I would say the price seems high, at $20 for various sized prints, but the work has such an amazing artistic quality that saying it is expensive is like saying you shouldn’t pay $50 for a Monet.
If you check her out for yourself you’ll see what I mean. If you don’t leave her shop speechless, then please do tell me what I should add to the review!
She offers several styles and has everything from alligator clip barrettes, to basic bows to dragonfly shaped bows! The designs are really cute, and well made. The best part is that she offers a variety of ways to attach the bow. Unlike many places that only offer one style of barrette, after you pick a style she can put it on an elastic, clip, barrette, or more so that you KNOW you can use it when it arrives!
