Cupcakes n' Sunshine Custom Crochet Hats Review

THE REVIEW:

I love hats. Not for myself but for Sara. They look amazing on her. However she hates them. Absolutely will not wear them. So when my friend Shannie started Cupcakes N Sunshine I was totally thrilled. She makes the most amazing children's hats. We currently have 2 for Sara- a foofa hat and a pageboy style hat


Why do we have 2 for a child who hates hats? Because she loves the hats that Shannie made. They are just adorable and amazing. The hats that we have are acryllic but if someone wants an organic yarn, Shannie is happy to use their preference.

FROM THE COMPANY:


Children's hats are $20, unless wool or a higher end material is requested.
Adult hats are $30, with the same conditions as above

Back when Torryn was 4 months old, we switched to cloth diapers. After seeing how much people were charging for wool covers, I decided to just make my own, since I already knew how to crochet. Someone asked me if I could make them a hat and after that, more and more people started asking for them. This is my second year making hats and it just gets more fun with each and every order.

Hmmm, some sort of fun fact. Well, I taught myself how to crochet when I was 16. I was a spastic sort of kid (still am, really) and needed something to keep my hands busy. My Gran bought me a book, a set of hooks and some yarn and before to much longer, I was whipping out afgans and bits of lace.

I really enjoy working on custom hats, like Elmo, Yo Gabba Gabba and the like because they keep me from relying on patterns.

Turn around time for a hat is normally 1-2 weeks. Larger orders tend to take more time, as do complex hats, such as character hats. Rush orders can always be turned around quickly for a small rush fee.

I can not stress enough how wonderful these hats are. Sara wears her foofa hat constantly. We are always getting stopped so people can ask where I got it. I actually started to carry Shannie's card with me to give out to people. Head on over to Cupcakes N Sunshine right now to check it out. I promise you will love it.





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Liesel's Art Studio- Review and Giveaway

I love Etsy. There are all sorts of amazing artists and crafters that I have discovered there. One of my recent finds is Liesel's Art Studio. She has an great shop with all sorts of beautiful, affordable art in it.

This is the print that she sent me, and it is absolutely beautiful.



The quality is spectacular, I actually thought that it was an original when I opened up the package.

About the process:
I drew the Elephant in by hand with pencil and ink on cold press (textured) watercolor paper, and colored him with watercolor. I then scanned him into the computer and printed him out on 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" Premium Presentation Paper. Its a nice heavy weight paper that prints out beautifully. This one comes in a nice cellophane cover to protect it, with a certificate of authenticity that includes the title, number in the edition (this is one of fifty), date and artist signature.

What a great gift for someone this holiday season! Head over to her shop right now to find the perfect gift!

Guess what! Liesel is kind enough to offer a giveaway to our readers! One lucky winner will win a set of fruit magnets.





To enter:
Head on over to Liesel's Art Studio and leave me a comment letting me know what your favorite item from her shop it. Don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you in the comment.

Additional ways to get entries (you must leave me a comment for each extra entry, letting me know about it)
* Sign up for my feed: (if you are already a subscriber, leave me a message letting me know in the comment section).
* Blog about this giveaway, come back here and post the link in the comment section.

Giveaway ends on December 21, 2008.






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BahaBeauties - A must see!

The motto over at BahaBeauties is "Life is beauty, admire it." Mother Theresa.

Over there, they have a lot to admire.

This place is full of beautiful things! She has everything from marbles to bracelets and more! You really have check her out.

They have a monkey necklace (check out the matching earrings):



My personal favorite:


She also carries marbles, from The Marble Garage, that are worth checking out!



So, head on over and treat yourself to some of their beauty! You deserve it!

Smooches,



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Fall Into Holiday Cheer Trunk Show

Get a jump on your holiday shopping with the Fall into Holiday Cheer Trunk Show the wonderfully talented Etsymom Street Team Members are hosting this Thursday, Sept. 4th at 7 pm in the Etsy Virtual Labs. Come find out what inspires the beautiful handcrafted artistry of this dedicated group of moms in business. Each Etsymom participant will display images of their work, share about their creative process and answer questions. Don't miss this first-time event for Etsymoms and an opportunity to buy some incredible handmade goods!



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Tarabu - Bags, Blankets and more! (and a Giveaway!)

Tara, at Tarabu has some real talent. This shop is a must see!

I was lucky enough to be the recipient of this bag, for a review:


Let me tell you that the picture does not do it justice! It's gorgeous, but so much more when you get your hands on it! She wraps it up so pretty, in tissue paper, with her cute sticker to seal it up. The quality is outstanding! You can tell she really puts her heart into her work. This is a great get-up-and-go bag. It's stylish and actually USEFUL! I got tons of compliments on it. I just wish she had sent a few more business cards, so I could have passed them out!

She's not limited to bags though. Oh no, this very talented woman has a vast selection of things, from blankies (here's my fav, so chic, right?!)


Too cute hand made stuffed animals (no lead paint here!).

You must check out her shop. Her prices are super low, especially for the quality and customer service she provides.

As kind as she is, Tara has also offered a Giveaway to our readers!

That's right people, head on over to Tarabu, check her out. Then come back here and tell us your favorite item. You can enter again by subscribing to our feed (please post separate comments for each entry) . We'll randomly pick a winner, and she'll send you your pick! Doesn't get much better than that! This giveaway will end at 6 pm, CST on Tuesday, September 9.

Rating:
Appearance- 5
Customer Service-5
Cost- 5
Quality- 5
Functionality-5
Overall-5

Smooches,


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WoveNotes - One of a Kind

Jane, at WoveNotes does amazing work!

Look at this gorgeous note card. The very cool part? It's made out of fabric!!!?!! How original is that? This is truly something special, that will mean so much to anyone who receives it!














In addition to note cards, she has a wide selection of gift tags, greeting cards, bookmarks and more! And her prices are shocking! So reasonable, you can easily fit it into your budget. You pay more for a standard greeting card you pick up at Walmart! So, send the very best. Send a WoveNote!

Smooches,



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Cherished Dreams- Quilts and Blog

One of the social networks that I belong to is Skwiggazine. There is a blog-ring that I am part of and each week, I will be posting about a different member.

I know, I know I just posted about the blog-ring. But I was looking back and realized that I completely missed a week and that means that I completely missed talking about a person. Karen- I am so sorry! So let me tell you a bit about Karen from Cherished Dreams. Karen makes quilts. Absolutely gorgeous quilts. Here is a quilt that she made for the Hoffman Challenge quilt project.


Karen, we wish you the best!

In addition to the quilts, she also has a blog post about redoing the main floor of her house with bamboo flooring. Amazingly enough I was just talking to Hubby about how we needed to fix up our house. I will have to look into bamboo flooring. Thanks Karen!



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Tulips Talking- Blog and Shop

One of the social networks that I belong to is Skwiggazine. There is a blog-ring that I am part of and each week, I will be posting about a different member. This week is Lily at Tulips Talking.

And as I am scrolling down her website I just got a big smile on my face. In addition to the gorgeous jewelry that she has posted on it, she also has this


The RAK button. I have posted about RAK before and I am so glad to see that Lily has the button on her site. To me, having the RAK button just shouts goodness about a person.

And then I went farther down her site and found this

How gorgeous is that!

So head on over to Tulips Talking, and visit her shop as well. If you like beautiful, and good things, then you will like what you find.



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Cape Bags- Handmade Dresses, Blouses, and Bags

I stumbled upon Cape Bags when I was looking for the perfect dress for Sara's first birthday party. Of course, being the busy mommy that I am, I was looking for it the week before Sara's birthday party. I found this dress on Friday, and Kim made it up specifically to Sara's size and had it in the mail to me by Saturday. I received it on Monday and Sara wore it to her birthday party.


Rating:
Appearance- 5
Customer Service-5+
Cost- 5
Quality- 5
Functionality- 5
Overall-5

Bella Tote- Attractive Reusable Totes

I purchased this tote from Bella Tote a month or so ago. It turns out that the maker of these totes, Erin, lives near me. And she dropped the tote off about an hour or so after I bought it. I absolutely love it and I use it all the time. When I have to take packages to the post office. Sometimes I use it to carry some of Sara's toys to my mom's. It holds up well to constant use and washing.




I just got the following message from Erin:
I'd also like to offer your readers a 10% discount on the purchase of any Bella Tote or Bella Tote set (only off the tote, not the shipping and handling). The code will be... (drumroll, please!)... "tututen" (cute, huh?!), discount valid through 7/31/08.

So head on over there and pick some up today!

Rating:
Appearance- 5
Customer Service-5+
Cost- 5
Quality-5
Functionality-5
Overall-5