Star Soaps by Ivana! Review!

Today I have a review for you all on an online shop on Etsy! This store is called Star Soaps by Ivana.

The shop owner Ivana, is super friendly and super talented as well. Her shop is packed with all kinds of different products. All of these products look amazing to me! She makes soaps, lotions, scrubs, lip-balms and so much more. All of her products are super unique and I just love her style. She has so many products and I'm sure you will find the perfect product for yourself.  She sent me three products to try out and I am excited to share them all with you!

The first product is a lip-balm. I am so excited that she included one of these because I am a huge lipbalm fan in general and I can never have enough of these to be honest with you lol. The scent she sent me is cookies, which just by the name alone I knew I was going to love this product. I am a huge fan of sweet/food scented things so this was amazing to me. Don't worry if cookie isn't your scent she has 9 others to choose from such as caramel, french vanilla, mango & papaya, banana, lemon, sweet tangerine, orange, mint, bubble gum, chamomile, and coffee.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/247702453/lip-balm-9-flavors-handmade-lip-balm?ref=shop_home_active_2

Retails:($3.44)

 

I must say one of my favorite things about this product is that the ingredients are listed on the side on the label. There will be no surprises with this product, you know everything that is inside which is nice. Especially if you have any type of allergies this will be perfect for you! The only ingredients that are in the product are beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, shea butter and cookie flavor!

 

I must say that the packaging for this product is pretty perfect as well. This looks like a product you would buy at the store. It easily rolls up and back down. It's super easy to use. As far as the actual product goes, I love it! It smells amazing, tastes amazing (which is important lol). I love the way this product glides on my lips. It's not super greasy or drying either. I think this is the perfect lip balm. It really moisturizes my lips and makes them feel amazing. I have been using this product like crazy! I am in love with this. I can only imagine how amazing the other scents of this product are.

The next product I have up to review for you all is an adorable hand made bar of soap. I love this one for many reasons. I mean just look at it this bar of soap is absolutely adorable. I love how this is a heart, and I also love the colors that she chose for this one as well.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/263283891/soap-set-handmade-soap-gift-set?ref=shop_home_active_4&ga_search_query=heart

Retails:($8.16) for the gift set!

 

As you can see from this picture there is actually a smaller white heart in the center of this bar of soap which is pretty cool. I love unique looking soap and this certainly is unique to say the least. I used this bar of soap in my bathroom around Valentines Day and I received several compliments from my quests who were over. Everyone thought it was adorable. It really added a small but simple décor piece to my bathroom. As far as scent goes this came to me in the scent strawberry which smelled amazing and sweet! I loved this and thought this was perfect for the bathroom. It made your hands feels really good and also made them smell great as well.

 

 The last item I have to review for you all is another bar of soap. This one is a little different then the previous one. This bar of soap is in the scent Cinnamon, which smells so good its not even funny lol. This soap smells so good I was tempted to eat it (which I don't recommend doing lol). I love the details in this one as well. It really looks like a cinnamon swirl. This soap in my opinion looks just like the Cinamon toast crunch cereal and it smells just like it too! This was pretty powerful in it's scent too! I thought the scent lasted quite a while and I was impressed.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/247744619/cinnamon-soap-all-natural-soap-handmade?ref=shop_home_active_2&ga_search_query=cinnamon

Retails:($5.06)

 

Overal this shop is amazing and has such a great selection of products. I loved everything I got from this review and have been using all of them. I love everything listed in her shop as well. I highly recommend checking out this shop for yourself and finding the perfect product for yourself.

 

I want to thank Ivana for sending me these products to review. I love them all sooo much! I really hope to work with you again in the future, and I wish you best of luck for your shop!

Make sure you check this shop out here:

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

 

TheDay On Folksy!

I received a mug from a shop on folksy by the name of TheDay

She sent me  mug that she customized and put her own image on. The mug she designed on is just a plain white ceramic mug.

https://folksy.com/items/6699375--LOVE-Mug-

Retails:($6.00)

The image she placed on this mug, is very simple and says love with a small heart. I love this design because it isn't very busy. She did an amazing job at putting this design on the mug, because it looks pretty perfect. 

One of the two things I actually look for in a mug is if its dishwasher and microwave safe, which in this case this mug is both. Not only did she do a great job at designing this adorable mug, but its also on a good quality mug which is fabulous!

Overall I'm super impressed this mug doesn't look  like it's homemade at all. This mug looks like something you would purchase in the store. This shop owner is going to go far with her work, all o the things included in her shop are equally as nice as this mug, I suggest checking her shop out for sure!

Check out the shop here:

https://folksy.com/shops/theday

SusanNewberryDesigns on Etsy!

I received a personalized art piece from a shop on etsy by the name of SusanNewberryDesigns

She sent me a custom piece of artwork that contains the song lyrics to my boyfriend and I's song. It's the song "Rather be" by Clean Bandit. This is out favorite song, and now I love how we can hang this up on our wall. It's one of the coolest art pieces I have seen. I love how its also in the shape of art which is pretty cool.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/186311128/customized-wedding-anniversary-gift-any?ref=shop_home_active_1&ga_search_query=custom

Retails:($20.00)

I included a picture of it zoomed in to the actual words so you can see for youself how cool this truely is. At the bottom of this print she also included our names. 

Overall I'm beyond happy about this piece. its adorable and really great quality. its printed on really sturdy photo paper. I can't wait to get this framed and hang this up on the wall.

I highly suggest checking this shop out for some high quality are prints. She has a wide variety and she also does a lot of custom pieces that I'm sure you will find the perfect product for yourself, or for someone else as a gift.

Check her shop out here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SusanNewberryDesigns?ref=l2-shopheader-name

GimmeThatThing on Etsy! Interview :)

Amanda Robins.

Manchester, UK.

Gimme That Thing.

When I started selling my jewelry at artisan markets the expression on women and girls' faces seemed to say "Gimme that thing!" There was a very catchy song around in the 1970s that had 'Gimme that thing' as its hook line and  that's how my shop name came about.

I joined Etsy in 2010 but I didn't have the confidence to actually list my items there until the following year.

I'd been selling on a British site called Folksy for a year before opening an Etsy shop. I'd heard great things about it from other sellers and I just thought what have I got to lose - either it works for me or it doesn't and there's only one way to find out. I really wanted to start selling globally and Etsy was the obvious choice for reaching an international market.

Jewelry making started as a hobby when I broke my back falling off my horse six years ago. I'd been a ceramicist until then but the big bags of clay were now too heavy for me to lift. My young daughter was playing around making beaded bracelets on threads and we started looking at gemstones together and online technique tutorials for wire wrapped rings and then friends started buying my designs.

My jewelry business is very much a part time job. Because there are so many wonderful handmade jewelry businesses out there it is very difficult to be full time. I'm also a dance fitness instructor and training to be a yoga teacher.

I sell wire wrapped gemstone rings and earrings, retro 1950s style earrings, boho verdigris patina chunky cuff bracelets and earrings.

My favourite item is a boho patina brass cuff bracelet that reminds me of the power cuffs that the character Wonder Woman wears. I kept the first one that I ever made and it gets a lot of attention when I wear it.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/156463765/metal-wrist-cuff-bracelet-turquoise?ref=shop_home_active_3

Retails:($18.20)

I've been accepted to open a shop with the new Handmade at Amazon as soon as it is up and running. This is a very exciting opportunity for me and I'll be adding some new designs such as quirky cuff links for men.

I do stock a few bricks and mortar shops in UK. I'd like to stock a few more in the future and also sell online in a wholesale capacity.

I want my future customers to know that when they purchase my products they are buying quality items that are all handmade by me. I don't outsource my work and because of this I'm able to ensure that each item is to the best standard. I also offer an excellent customer service and am always happy to have a dialogue with my customers and for them to get to know me and build up a relationship based on trust. I think this is very important for small businesses. The large companies that we all know and purchase from can't offer this kind of one-to-one service in such depth.

My favorite item that is listed in this shop are these earrings.

They are beautiful, I just love these. They really make me think of Barbie, there really girly, which

I really like!

"These rose pink claw set heart earrings are a very feminine classic design that is a lovely piece of fashion jewelry for any occasion. 

The rose pink claw set heart in these elegant retro earrings have a vintage look and measure 13 x 11 mm. They are encased in antiqued brass claw settings and hang from handmade brass ear wires which are nickel free / lead free and suitable for sensitive skin.

Overall length from top of earwires 25 mm."

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/198881781/rose-pink-claw-set-heart-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_24

Retails:($12.50)

Check her shop out here:

www.gimmethatthing.etsy.com 

PeaceLoveNKnottyHemp on Etsy! Interview :)

Name: Jen Howell

Location: Akron, Ohio

Age: 26

Name of shop: Peace, Love, and Knotty Hemp

How'd you come up with the name of your shop: Honestly, I just felt like it fit. I went over different names and it took a little while, but I wanted something that was catchy, and fun. 95% of the jewelry I sell is made with hemp, so it seemed to fit nicely.

How long has your shop been open: I opened my Etsy shop in 2013, but I was selling for about a year or so before creating my shop.

What gave you the idea about opening an Etsy shop: I had heard a lot about the site, and I was using other places to barter and trade my jewelry, so I decided to try Etsy to see what would happen.

Is this a hobby of your or do you do this full time?: This is full-time for me. I am also a single mother and a full-time student, so I really try to spend as much time as possible on my shop, but some weeks I have more time than others.

What kind of items do you sell in your shop: I sell handcrafted macrame jewelry, made with hemp. I offer necklaces, bracelets, anklets, watches, barefoot sandals, keychains (although currently I do not have any available). I also have wire wrapped necklaces,earrings, handmade wire statement rings, nested rings, and I have mystery bags!

Your favorite item that you sell: Honestly, I don't have a favorite. I love all of the jewelry I sell and I mainly sell one of a kind items, unless I have a custom order request for multiples of the same item. I think having a special one of a kind piece of jewelry to offer is better than busting out 500 of the same item. One of a kind items give more of a personal touch.

Something you want to happen to your shop in the future: Well I currently have my own website in the works. Not sure when I will have it ready to go, but hopefully it will be coming in the following months.

Do you have any plans for your shop products in the future: I plan to expand the items I sell in my shop, with more handmade products. Nothing is finalized yet, but I have a ton of ideas!

What is something you want your future customers to know about your shop: Everything I have for sale has been handcrafted by me, and made with lots of love! I want nothing more than to have happy customers who love their purchases. It makes me insanely happy to hear of people enjoying their new stuff from my shop. I make jewelry for everyone, including children (currently children's jewelry is only available with a custom order) I think that people have this thought that hemp jewelry is only for hippies, and I strive to tear down that kind of thinking. Hemp is a sustainable product and it can make beautiful things, for everyone!

My favorite item that is for sale in this shop has got to be this beautiful hemp anklet. I love the simplicitiy of this anklet and I also love how its pink as well. I'm in love with this pink beads they have a really cool crackle effect on them, which is super unique and pretty awesome. I love this anklet and this woul be perfect for summer, to show off on the beach :)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/240516969/peace-love-hemp-anklet-crackle-agate?ref=shop_home_active_11

Retails:($12.00)

Make sure you check her shop out here:

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

Email: PeaceLoveAndKnottyHemp@gmail.com