Gift Guide - LunaDesigns

Continuing the gift guide theme my next find is a first for me in terms of jewellery. I tend to wear earrings and big chunky rings because I find that necklaces irritate me and bracelets can get in the way while I type at work. Enter LunaDesigns...

 

 

Emma at LunaDesigns recently sent me one of her bracelets and it was something of a revelation! The thin cord and simple charm are small enough to not get in my way, but quirky enough to still make a statement. Emma sent me the 'You're just my cup of tea' bracelet which normally sells in her shop for £3.25 which is an absolute bargain! The bracelet I got was red, but when purchasing you can choose from many colours and even add more charms if you would like.

 

 

 

The bracelet came on a card with the saying as do all of her pieces and it really put a smile on my face. I can just imagine receiving this as a gift from a friend and it totally making my day!

 

One of the reasons why I love LunaDesigns is that there a lot of items with a gothic feel, and very topical pop culture references that will have everyone interrogating you as to where you picked up your quirky bracelet. Here's some of my favourites:

 

Harry Potter - It Does Not Do to Dwell on Dreams

£3.00

 

I used to be an adventurer till I got an arrow to the knee

£4.00

 

PS I Love You

£2.70

 

 

 

I really urge you to check out the shop, because I guarantee you'll find something you really want for less than a fiver. Win!

 

 

 

Gift Guide - Karen Walk Design

After my recent hiatus I'm back with another Gift Guide post. My profuse apologies for the delay in getting this up here.

Karen Walk is from Bristol, a former Graphic Designer and now owner of Karen Walk Design.

Karen recently sent me one of her personalised hanging bird decorations and I absolutely fell in love with it. It's a gorgeous pink and white polka dot fabric, in a kitsch litle bird shape, stuffed and hand stitched with a gorgeous lace motif with my name on it and can be hung on it's cream satin ribbon. The stitching is so neat and it's just a really lovely decorative item, currently hanging on one of my cabinets in pride of place. People visiting always admire it, and ask where they can get one!

This is just one of the many prodcuts that Karen has available via her Etsy shop, here are some of my favourites;

Personalised hand made fabric covered mini notebooks (would make perfect wedding favours)
In your choice of fabric - £3.50

 

 

Baby bunting personalised card or invitation (contact Karen to get yours tailored for your event!)

£5.00

 

 

Baby personalised heart ornament

£9.00

(a gorgeous gift for a new mum, or even a birthday gift for a child already with us)

 

All of Karen's items would make fantastic gifts, or treats for yourself and your home. I really can't urge you enough to check out her shop here. I would also point out that if you have an idea of what you would like that you can't see in the shop, get in touch with Karen and see if there is something she can do for you!

 

Kitsch Devine by Amy Gaston

This is the second of what I hope will be many product reviews. Having scoured the internet for great products, that are quirky, handmade and affordable that would make the perfect gift for your loved ones, or more than likely, yourself! The first was featuring the amazingly talented Alexandra Snowdon and can be found Here
 

 

 

Kitsch Devine is run by Amy Gaston who lives in Buxton in the Peak District. 

Her shop features so many gorgeous accessories, from pencil cases, messenger bags , phone cases, keyrings and hanging decorations, all hand made by Amy. 

This is Amy's story in her own words:
'I started sewing about 4 years ago after my parents brought me my first sewing machine for Christmas, I didn't actually start making things until about a year later. I had bought myself a handmade phone case from Etsy and remember thinking how well made and professional it looked and how much I wished I could make things like that. So I set to and trawled the internet for free sewing patterns. After hundreds (or what felt like it!) attempts, me and my mum finally came up with something that looked pretty good - our first phone case! Kitsch Devine was born!

Since then over the last two years I have improved at sewing and I'm now designing my own products and making my own patterns. I use everyday items as inspiration, like what items do I need, and how can I make them as functional as possible. For example, my Iphone wallets that allow you to carry all of your essentials in one place.

At the moment I run Kitsch Devine alongside my day job, using evenings and weekends to get my orders done, which can be tough at busy times such as Christmas. Fingers crossed one day I will be able to run it full time.

I'm currently working on some new travel accessories for 2013 which I can't wait to get up in the shop, and I've got some gorgeous new fabrics heading this way from Japan!'

 

When she offered to send me one of her items I knew it had to be the Cakes and Sweets Pencil Case which can be found here. It's made of water resistant fabric and fully lined, with the sweetest (literally!) pink printed fabric. It arrived beautifully packaged and I couldn't be more chuffed. Considering Amy has 100% positive feedback I'm certainly not the only one!

 

One of the things I really like about Kitsch Devine now that I've received a product for real is the photography. That might sound a bit silly but her items are so well photographed you can clearly see every detail of each item including the lining, zips etc. You know exactly what you're getting which is a massive bonus when you're buying handmade goods online.

 

 

Nothing that comes in hot pink tissue paper can be bad can it?

 

 

It most definitely wasn't! I'm so pleased with it, the colours are bright and the fabric is a wonderful quality, not too thin and I think it will take alot for even me (serial zip breaker) to break this bad boy.

 

 

 

The lining is gorgeous and the colour fits the outer fabric perfectly. The corners are incredibly neat and there are no stray threads anywhere!

 

 

It's already been put to good use!

 

Here's a few of my favourite products available at Kitsch Devine;

 

Zakka Colourful Dot Print Zip Up Pencil Case - £8.00

 

 

Steampunk Octopus - IPhone 5 Case - Charmed Collection - £15.00

 

 

Vintage Style Paris Print - Travel Pouch / Mini Messenger Bag - £16.00

 

 

So a massive thank you to Amy, and to the rest of you please please check out Kitsch Devine for yourself.

Snowdon - Handprinted Paper and Textile Goods by Alexandra Snowdon

It's that time of year again where your funds have recovered from Christmas, the spring clean and redecoration is in full swing, Mother's day is just around the corner and it feels like every day is someone's birthday. This will be the first in a series of many product reviews. I have scoured the internet for great products, that are quirky, handmade and affordable that would make the perfect gift for your loved ones, or more than likely, yourself!

 

 

 

Alexandra Snowdon from the countryside surrounding Manchester is a designer, illustrator and print maker with a range of beautiful prints, cards, bags and accessories for your home all for sale across her two Etsy shops Snowdon (for the bags, cards and accessories) and Snowdon Prints for the fine art prints that she does by hand.

 

 

 

When I contacted Alex to tak about being featured here she kindly offered to send me the print of my choice and I knew straightaway that I desperately wanted the New Experiences Hot Air Balloon Print. She popped it in the post to me and within 24 hours it's now hanging on my wall!

 

 

As soon as I saw this when I walked in the door I knew I was in for a treat!

 

 

 

(Now I want that Washi tape too Alex!)

 

 

The print arrived in a hard backed strong board envelope which was ideal for two reasons - absolutely no marks or creases, and also, no having to fiddle with a poster tube and ripping or marking the edge of the print. Poster tubes are a pet hate of mine! Then once out of the envelope the print was safely covered in a polylope type plastic envelope as well.

 

As soon as it was unwrapped I laid it out and just admired it for a good few seconds! The detail is absolutely fantastic, and so sharp. It's the perfect size for the image, not too big that you can't hang it anywhere and not so small that you can't read the text from across a room. The paper quality is fantastic and the finish superb.

 

 

I already had the perfect frame for it, a white plain wooden frame from IKEA - I'm so pleased, because I couldn't wait to put in up!

 

 

Apologies, my photography skills aren't the best and it's hanging right opposite my window. Please be assured, I am very picky when it comes to art - and I love this print.

 

These are a few of my favourite's from Alex's shop:

 

 

 

 

There are many more prints in a whole range of designs on Fine art prints by Snowdon, and as a special offer just for you lovely lot, Alex has kindly offered a 15% discount on any print purchase, just by entering the code 'MINDPURGE' at the checkout.

 

Thank you so much for my beautiful new print Alex and I hope many more of you pick one up too!