Product Review: Small bag, key fob, change purse and cloth bird from The Plum Pumpkin.

Hi friends. How are you? How has your week been? Ours has been somewhat tough but just leaning on trusting that God is good. Trying to find school choices for two of our kids that will work well with them is lots of work. What have you been doing? Will you be doing anything for spring break? We are going to sunny Florida. Looking forward to warmer weather. If you would like an interview or a product review please email me or comment below.

I love to support other makers. And one way that I do that is reviewing their products. For today's post, we are reviewing products from The Plum Pumpkin. We formally did an interview with Kelly and Becky here. So I am excited to review some of their products.
Without further ado lets check out what Kelly and Becky have for us.

Kelly and Becky sent us several items. First was this super cute buffalo plaid bird. It is well made and super cute and I love buffalo plaid so I was super excited by this piece. I added it to my maker shelf in the kitchen.

Next was this cute little square change purse. It has similar fabrics on the inside and out but with different colors. It is a really cute teacher fabric. It will make a great gift for one of my kids teachers. This item is also really well made. Their product quality is outstanding.

Our next product is this cute little zip bag. The outside is a bright and cheery yellow fabric and on the inside is this quaint flower print fabric that makes a divider. This divider gives two sides to this bag giving it all kinds of possibilities for its use. You could carry coupons, money, receipts, you name it there are all kinds of possibilities.

Attached the bag came a really key fob. I love the checkered fabric with three different colored zippers. You could keep this on the little bag to make it a little handle to carry the bag or you could take it off and use it for your keys.

Each of The Plum Pumpkins Pieces are well made and very cute. Head over to one of their web locations and check out their products. They have great decor pieces and bags.

You can find Kelly and Becky at the following locations:

https://www.instagram.com/theplumpumpkin/

https://www.facebook.com/theplumpumpkin/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePlumPumpkin

http://theplumpumpkin.com/

*I RECEIVED THE PRODUCTS MENTIONED ABOVE FOR FREE IN RETURN FOR AN UNBIASED REVIEW. I ONLY REVIEW AND RECOMMEND PRODUCTS OR SERVICES THAT I HAVE USED PERSONALLY. I AM DISCLOSING THIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION’S 16 CFR, PART 255: “GUIDES CONCERNING THE USE OF ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS IN ADVERTISING”. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS POST ARE ENTIRELY MY OWN*


You can find Handcrafted Artisan PR at the following locations:
https://www.facebook.com/Handcrafted-Artisan-PR-1716946345000122
https://www.instagram.com/handcraftedartisanpr/

Upcoming events:

• President's day weekend sale at our jewelry shop Mt Nittany Creations.

• Mt Nittany Creations- our shop on Vacation Feb 24- March 11

Product Review: Planner Insert from Stacey of Star Struck Creations

Happy Holiday's Friends! I have the song running through my head pretty regularly lately as I hear it everywhere I go. What is your favorite carol? I love O Holy Night. How is your holiday shopping going? Mine is slowly coming together.

I was recently blessed by Stacey from Star Struck Creations with these fun planner inserts. So I am excited to share with you a review of her work and service.

Stacey sells a variety of items, cards, pet portraits, painted on glass pieces. She loves art. She hopes to be a stay at home mom in the woods working on her art one day. This is all part of her adventure to get to have that dream. Stacey approached me wondering if I could be her guinea pig in trying out a new product. So here we are with her planner inserts.

Stacey was great to work with. She asks great questions to find out what you like and tries to make her pieces suited to the individual. I shared with her about myself and what I do and how I love tea. She came up with these three great designs for me.

You Got This!!

I put this particular one at the beginning of my homeschool planning binder. It has been such a great reminder especially on the hard days when I am not up to teaching.

Create a Life you Love!

This is the second one in my planner. It daily is a great reminder of trying to look at the blessings and the positives and not focus on the negatives. I can sometimes get wrapped up in the hard parts of life and forget to build up and live in the parts that I love. Thank you, Stacey, for these two great reminders.

I like the simplicity of the designs of these first two. They are pretty but allow the words to stand out. I think she did a great job in designing them.

Life is like a cup of Tea, its all in how you make it.

This third one has to be my favorite by far. I love the color choices, how she designed the teacup and colored it and the highlighting and various colors she used in the lettering.

All three are very sturdy. They are laminated and hole punched for you when they arrive. I could have taken them from the package and put them right in my planner. But with the crazy life of a mom, it took me a little longer to get them in. I think this is a great product. So fun to turn the page and see these fun sayings, art, and great reminders. They bring sunshine to my day and make me smile.

Stacey, as I mentioned, is great to work with. Her products are lovely. I loved her little note that she sent in the package. I think my only critique would be to see a little more branding. Maybe having her shop name on the back of the inserts or such. Keep up the great work Stacey. I hope that you are able to see your dream become a reality in the near future.

You can find Stacey online at the following locations:

https://www.facebook.com/starstruck3030/

https://www.instagram.com/starstruck3030/

http://starstruck3030.storenvy.com/

https://www.pinterest.com/sscreations1208/

These items were given to me for my honest opinion.

Also, there are affiliate links within my blog. If you click on one of the links you could help support our blog!

Current and Upcoming Events

Handmade Holiday Charity Boxes! $25 support 10 shops and three charities with one purchase. These are valued at over $60. Only 3 left!

Winter Salon Shopping Event:

December 6, 5-8pm J. Rose and Co State College, PA.

Product Review: Silk Scarf from Maria of Singing Scarves.

I have been blessed to meet some amazing artists through my journey into the maker world. Maria is one of them. Maria makes hand-painted silk scarves and silk paintings. When she offered to make me a custom scarf, I was very honored.

Communicating and working with Maria went great. She is easy to reach and more than willing to work with each of her customers. Her scarves and paintings are exquisite and her customer service is wonderful. Her children even join in on the painting with her.

Maria has been painting silk for over 18 years. Her scarves and paintings really show the years of skill she has gained. When I received my scarf, I knew immediately how special it was and how I would treasure having this piece of wearable art.

The scarf came with a special individualized pamphlet. It was so sweet telling me how it was made, how Maria sings over each scarf she makes trying to send the joy and messages of her songs to the recipients. It also includes care instructions for the scarf. There was so much care and love put into the package, that it added to the beauty of the piece. Maria puts it this way through her website:

"Singing Scarves are not just the pieces of handwork.

They are not even just the pieces of art.

They are very special gifts to very special people.

Every scarf has a "message" in it -

it might be an extra touch of creativity, devotion, health, love." 

This I have found to be true of the scarf she sent me.

Maria has a great thing going on her. Her scarves are well worth it. I am not sure I can add anything to what she is already doing. The one thing that I would love to see is some type of logo that would remain consistent through all of her online presence. But otherwise, I think I can truly learn from her.

Maria is doing a great business through Etsy and has her own web page and is on Facebook and Instagram. Head out and follow her at one of her various web locations.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/singingscarves

https://www.instagram.com/singingscarves/

https://www.facebook.com/SingingScarves/

http://singingscarves.com/magic/special_gifts.htm

Product review: Necklace from Tasha Moore of Moore Creation 33.

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday. How are you? How has your week been? Ours has been a little tough trying to get everyone back into the whole school routine. But I am thankful to get back into a more structured routine each day.

I love helping out fellow makers in any way that I can. That is one of the reasons I started this blog. If you would like to know more email me.

Today, I am so excited to bring you another product review, a polymer clay pineapple necklace from Tasha of Moore Creation 33.

Tasha allowed me to pick out what product I would like to test. I chose the pineapple necklace because one of our daughters love pineapples. The package arrived quickly and was nicely packed. Tasha even sent some really cute planner clips for me to use. Thank you for the extras, Tasha.

The necklace is very well made and so adorable. I had my other daughter model it so we don't ruin the surprise for her sister. My eldest really liked the necklace and was asking for one for herself. I love the little face on the pineapple and can't wait to give it to my other daughter for her birthday.

I think Tasha is doing a great job. Her product is great and well made. In her own words, she told me a little about how they are made. "Each clay piece is completely hand sculpted, cured then glazed to make them as strong as possible." Tasha has great communication and is wonderful to work with.

I would love to see Tasha take her branding to the next level and improve on her product photos. I think that if she settles on an official logo and starts using it on her social media, Etsy shop and her packaging, it will only improve on a great product. I would have loved to see her package arrive with a logo that I can relate to her shop and that when I see it I think oh that's from Moore Creation 33. Also, her product photos don't do justice to how wonderful her product truly is. Maybe she can invest in a better camera, taking more photos and putting them through an app to help improve on them.

Don't let this critique deter you from purchasing from Tasha. Her product and service are great and I think that over time, as she learns, and develops her business, she is going to really succeed and go far.

You can find Tasha and Moore Creation 33 online at the following locations:
https://www.facebook.com/Moorecreation33-1939560419614709/
https://www.instagram.com/moorecreation33/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MooreCreation33

Each product we review is sent to us with the intention of receiving our honest opinion on their product.

Our blog has affiliate links. If you use these links you will be helping to provide a way to keep this blog going. Thank you for your support.

Product Review: Crayon Roll from Amelia Mauper at Crafty Lia Shop

Hi friends. How has your week been? Those in the USA, did you have a great Labor Day and back to school time? I can't believe fall is here. What will you do this week and weekend? We are heading to Clearfield for a Fall fest. Come join us.

Today, I have the special privilege to review a product from Amelia of Crafty Lia's Shop. She sent me one of her crayon wraps to give a try. Amelia was very sweet to work with. She allowed me to choose what fabrics I would like. I chose an adorable owl print.

Amelia's package arrived quickly. It was wrapped very nicely in tissue paper. I love the stickers she used to decorate the outside of the package. Amelia wrote me a very kind note and when I unrolled the crayon wrap I found a fun surprise. She had included several coloring pages. I thought this was a very sweet touch.

I had one of my daughters try out the wrap. She had fun adding some crayons to it and sitting and coloring with it beside her. She thought it was very cute.

The wrap in itself is very well made. The fabric choices are great and the craftsmanship is very nice. Amelia puts together a very nice product for a reasonable price. Make sure you head over to one of her social media or web links and check out her crayon wraps along with her pencil wraps.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyLia

https://www.instagram.com/craftyliashop/

https://www.facebook.com/CraftyLia/

You can also learn more about Amelia from our Meet the Maker Interview.

Product Review: Oil Cloth bag from Sheryl at Sew Happy 17.

Hi, friends. How are you? How has your week been? What have you been up to this week? Today I have the great pleasure of writing a review of Sheryl's Oil Cloth Bag.

Sheryl gave me the great pleasure of picking out which bag I would be interested in reviewing. This was a fun and difficult task since there were so many choices. Sheryl has a wide array of fabrics to choose from. She also carries a variety of styled bags. I went with a fun blue and white print that I knew would be very useful for our family. I had the pleasure of using it last week on our mini staycation with friends.

Sheryl's package arrived promptly, was wrapped really nicely and contained not only directions on how to take care of the bag but also some extra goodies for me.

The bag and my goodies!

I love the little stickers that Sheryl used.

I had the opportunity to put the bag to use immediately. I really like that it is made out of oil cloth it gave me the chance to use this really pretty bag to carry around some swim items to take to an amusement park. It is also very sturdy and did well carrying around my ipad for our youngest to use for down time at various activities during our vacation.

Look at the fun inside fabric and it has pockets!

love the size of this bag.

This bag is a great size and it also has two pockets along the inside and one big compartment. You could really put this bag to good use in many different ways. These bags are also reasonably priced. With the holiday's quickly approaching these would make a great gift for that bag lover you know!

I think my one critique would be that Sheryl's bags can only be found on Instagram at this time. I think it is a great venue to sell handmade goods, but so many people are missing out on the opportunity to own one of these cute bags.

Make sure you head over to Instagram and check out Sheryl's feed.

https://www.instagram.com/sewhappy17/

Disclaimer 1: Amazon links are affiliate links, so if you click them to look at stuff, you’ll send a small commission our way at no extra cost to yourself.

Disclaimer 2: The maker sent me a free bag in exchange for an honest review.

Meet the Maker: Amelia Maupin from Crafty Lia Shop

Hi, friends. How are you? How was your weekend? Are you ready for the eclipse today? I am excited to see this phenomenon.

Are you a small shop? Or do you know a small shop that I should interview or do a product review for? Comment below, email me or fill out my typeform. We also offer features on our Instagram feed.

It is time for another Meet the Maker. Today, I will be sharing with you, my interview with Amelia from Crafty Lia Shop.

Where are you from?
I was born in Indonesia but raised in New York. My family moved to the states when I was 3 yrs old.
Where do you live now? Duluth, GA
Cool.

How long have you been crafting? about 6 years
What drew you to sewing or what inspired you? I started sewing when my mother in law bought me a sewing machine our first Christmas as a married couple.
I did not know what I was doing so I started watching You Tube, a lot of You Tube!! The more I watched and practiced, the more I got better at sewing a straight line! and making stuff, like pillowcases, bags, and zipper pouches. I also started making makeup rolls and recently have been inspired to make crayons and pencil rolls-- those 3 are the focus of my shop right now. I was inspired to make the pencil rolls when I was praying about my goals for this year. I wanted to get into the bible more and I thought why not bible journaling/coloring. I decided to get some bible verse coloring books and some color pencils-- before long, I had pencils everywhere and I always had to search for the colors I wanted to use. So, I thought why not make a pencil roll-- like my makeup roll but instead for my pencils-- that way it'll all stay in one place, easy to carry, travel with, and absolutely easier to find the colors I wanted!! I call it coloring God's word with my pencil rolls. This is really cool how you got started. I will be needing some more pencil rolls soon.

When did you start selling online? 12/2012

And What drew you to sell online? My husband and my family encouraged me to sell some of my items that I made as a hobby.
They believed in me and supported me. That is great. It is really good to have people to believe in you.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future? I hope to further my small shop and be able to support my little one in the future. My husband is the only one that works and I'm a stay at home mom. This is a great hope and goal.

What is your most favorite piece that you have made? I love my makeup roll and pencil roll. Not only is it a great organizer but it's so easy to travel with!
This is really great. Such diversity and great usefulness.

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business? Starting your handmade business is a very slow process, you have to be patient and get social media awareness, whether it's through Facebook, IG, Pinterest, etc. I've also learned to use hashtags, lots of hashtags! Having one sale per day is a goal, but actually having one sale any day is a blessing! This is so true. Thanks for sharing.

You can find Amelia online at these locations:
instagram.com/craftyliashop
etsy.com/shop/CraftyLia/
facebook.com/CraftyLia/

Product review: A necklace from Laura of Dreamy Dutchy Designs.

Hi, friends! How is your weekend going? What have you been up to? Do you know of any shops I should interview or review their products? Leave me a comment below or send me an email. You can also fill out our typeform to be considered.

Today, I am doing a product review of a necklace sent to me by Laura from The Dreamy Dutchy. Laura is located in Wisconsin and makes crystal jewelry and crocheted items with lots of love.

The necklace arrived and was packaged very well to make sure nothing happened to the crystal. Laura gave me the opportunity to share what colors I like and she worked with it and found a piece that encompasses all my favorite colors. It is so pretty. I fell in love with it immediately. Since receiving the necklace I have worn it several times because it has several different colors and goes with many of my outfits.

There are some really great attributes to this necklace. One, it is well made. Laura's beautiful, hand-tied, macrame style is tight and well done. The wrapping surrounds the crystal keeping it in place but still displaying its beauty. Because Laura's necklaces are made with durable cotton crochet thread they are hypoallergenic, with no metal involved.

Laura has recently added a new feature to her necklaces a macrame slider-closure. I think this is a great addition to her products. Just be aware of what length you are purchasing so that it is able to go over your head. Laura is great to talk to and if you need any help figuring out which length would be best for you I am sure she would be glad to help make it happen. She also offers key chains, car charms and baby blankets in her ETSY shop. Make sure you check out her beautiful pieces at one of the links below.

You can find Dreamy Dutchy Design online at these locations:
https://www.instagram.com/thedreamydutchy/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DreamyDutchyDesigns
https://m.facebook.com/thedreamydutchy/
https://www.pinterest.com/thedreamydutchy/
https://mobile.twitter.com/DreamyDutchy

Product Review: Natural and Organic products from Manning's Handmade Crafty Creations

Hi, friends. How are you? How is your week going? Our week is going well. We have started back to homeschooling. It is nice to have more structure to our day again.

I have the special privilege to review some products of my friend Tamara from Manning's Handmade Crafty Creations.

Here is the selection that Tamara sent me. There is so much to choose from. I will have to come back and review some of the things that I can't do today. Today I will be sharing with you about some hand soap and face soap that I am trying out of Tamara's creations.

When I opened my package I was hit with such a heavenly array of scents. They definitely tickled my fancy and my nose hairs in a good way. I couldn't wait to finish the bar of soap that I had sitting on our sink so that I could start using Tamara's soap. As you can see she has sent a great many of samples I can't wait to try them all.

The first soap that I want to share with you is the one pictured above. I believe it's the Oatmeal, Coconut oil and honey soap. The soap leaves my hands smelling lovely and feeling smooth and not dried out like other soaps tend to with my hands.

The second soap is a facial soap. This one has a lite scent and I love how it leaves my face feeling clean and smooth.

So far I have really loved all the products I have used from Tamara's shop.
I highly recommend you give her products a try.

You can find Tamara's shop online at:
https://www.facebook.com/manningshandmadecraftycreations/
http://www.manningshandmadecraftycreations.xyz/
https://www.instagram.com/manningshandmadecraftycreation