Thinking About a Gift Card for Mom? Think Etsy!

 Still need a last-minute gift for that special mom in your life?  Lots of people steer away from gift cards because they think they are impersonal, but those people probably have never received an Etsy gift card.  Etsy gift cards can be printed or emailed directly to the recipient, which will open up a magical world of endless possibilities for her.  Not only can she shop for just about anything handmade or vintage on Etsy, she can have something custom made just for her.  I'm totally going to use myself as an example . . .

I shop on Etsy A LOT.  The sellers are always wonderful, and a lot of them will customize items to fit your needs and your tastes.  One of my favorite Etsy sellers is Trish, the owner of CaliCatBoutique.  She sells handmade handbags, totes, clutches, backpacks, wallets, and more.  Everything you see pictured here, Trish has made just for me.  How awesome is that?!!

These are coordinating mother-daughter Mabel tote bags.  My daughter and I could not agree on a fabric, so we decided that having coordinating bags is just as good as having matching ones.  Trish also created matching accessories according to our specific needs.  I cannot wait for the weather to warm up, so we can start carrying these babies!

Both of the bags above and the ones shown below were not bags the CaliCatBoutique offered in its shop.  Do not assume what you see in any Etsy shop is all there is to offer.  Many sellers will create something just for you.  That is something you cannot get at the mall or your local department store.  I should also add that these custom bags cost a fraction of what designer bags cost.

The two bags shown above are mother-daughter Disney Princess-inspired Marianne clutches.  I fell in love with this fabric, but thought it would suit a smaller bag because it was so colorful.  My daughter wanted glitter on her bag and I wanted something purple.  I love how these turned out, and they are perfect for when we want to travel lightly.

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A post shared by Karen Coutu (@karen3g2s) on Jul 2, 2018 at 10:43am PDT

Above you'll find a larger version of the Denver Backpack and custom Clematis Clutch. Both accompanied me to Utah last year, where my oldest competed at the USA Taekwondo National Championships in Salt Lake City.

These two are the very first custom handbags I ordered from the CaliCatBoutique.  Above is a custom Star Wars Rey-Inspired Sublime Bag.  Below is a custom Disney Princess-inspired Everyday Tote Bag.

Am I stopping there?  NO WAY!!!  I currently have a Disney Mulan-inspired bag and clutch in the works with the CaliCatBoutique.  As you can see, the possibilities are endless on Etsy.  Give mom what she wants, which we all know is to have things her way. Am I right?

What are your favorite Etsy finds for Mom?

Tell us in a comment here.

Adjustable Breakaway Kitten Size Collars

 As I had previously mentioned, our family recently adopted a pair of kittens that needed to be rehomed.  Having had kittens in our family before, we stopped by our local pet supply store to pick up everything we knew we'd need on our way to picking up Kenobi and Yoda.  Yes, my husband is a HUGE Star Wars fan.

One of the items we picked up at the store was a pair of kitten collars.  They were stretch and stayed in place with Velcro.  They seemed like just the thing we needed.  Although those collars did work, they were not ideal.  Because they were cut to fit, the ends kept unraveling on both collars.  I had to trim them almost daily.  The end of the collars also did not want to stay in the loop that is meant to hold the end in place.  I had just accepted that I would live with these collars until the kittens grew big enough to wear size small cat collars because there was no alternative.

Then one day, while I was shopping for custom pet tags on Etsy, what do you think was mixed in among my search results? . . . Kitten sized collars!  These kitten collars are handcrafted by a woman named Susan, owner of the SusansSewingStall Etsy Shop. They look just like the cat collars you'd find in a pet supply store.  They are adjustable, have a breakaway closure, and have a little bell attached.  The prices are also extremely affordable, which is awesome because there are so many other expenses when adopting a pair of kittens.

At the smallest adjustment, these collars are said to fit most 8 week old kittens.  Since our kittens were about 12 weeks by then, the collars fit them perfectly when adjusted to almost the halfway point.  They definitely have a lot more room to grow.  I suspect that these kitten collars will fit our kitties into adulthood, unless they turn out to be as big as our other cat who is almost 20lbs.

I just had to share these kitten collars since they are so hard to find and I love to shop handmade whenever possible. Plus, the shop owner is such a nice lady, and ships her ready-made items super-quick.  She even takes custom orders if you don't see what you're looking for in her shop.

What great finds have you discovered on Etsy?

Share them with us in a comment here.

Create Fairy Garden Magic with DIY Fairy Dust Bottles

My daughter and I have been having a blast shopping for the perfect items to add to her fairy garden.  Since she and I also enjoy crafts (of the easy variety), we decided to try our hand at creating our own miniature bottles of fairy dust.  We had seen bottles of fairy dust for sale that were filled with brightly-colored glitter.  They looked pretty cool, but we wondered how could we expand on that idea to make our bottles of fairy dust even more magical?  This is what we came up with . . .


How to make your own Magical Fairy Dust Bottles:

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Sample Pack of Glitter (Fine)

Clear or White Glitter (Regular)

Mini Glass Bottles with Corks

White Glue

Sticky Notes (or Small Funnel)

Scissors

OPTIONAL:

1/8" Satin Ribbon (Any Color)

1/16" Hole Punch

Step 1.  If you don't happen to have a small funnel handy, you can make your own by rolling a sticky note into a cone shape.  Use the self-adhesive or a small piece of tape to keep the cone from unrolling.  Don't have a sticky note?  A regular square of paper will do.

Step 2.  Place the funnel into an open bottle.  Then fill the bottle about 2/3 with white or clear glitter.

Step 3.  Using scissors, carefully snip off the very tip of the corner of the pouch holding the color glitter you have selected for your fairy dust.

TIP #1:  Since these pouches of glitter are not resealable, keep some tape handy.  Once you're done with the glitter, fold the opened corner of the pouch down at least twice and secure with tape.

Step 4.  Place the funnel into the bottle containing the white or clear glitter.  Fill the bottle to the base of the neck with the fine colored glitter.

Step 5.  Cover the mouth of the bottle tightly with your index finger and shake the bottle vigorously to mix the two types of glitter together.  Continue to shake until well-blended.

Step 6.  You'll notice that the glitter has settled a bit after all the shaking.  Place the funnel in the bottle.  If the color of the fairy dust is to your liking, fill the bottle to the base of the neck with the clear or white glitter.  Then shake to blend.  If you'd like to have more color, add a little more colored glitter.  Shake to blend.  Repeat if needed.

TIP #2:  Do not overfill the bottles.  This will ensure there is room for the cork stopper to be inserted securely.

Step 7.  When your bottle is filled to the base of the neck with glitter, apply a small bead of white glue around the circumference of the cork stopper (as pictured below).  Then insert the stopper into the filled bottle, making sure it's snugly in place.  The glue should dry clear.

Step 8.  (Optional) Choose a star from your glitter sample pack.  Then punch a slightly off-center hole through the star with your hole puncher.

TIP #3:  I found that it was common for 2 or 3 stars to be stuck together.  It would be a good idea to double-check that you are punching a hole in a single star only.

Step 9.  Cut a 5" to 6" length of 1/8"-wide ribbon.  Then cut one end at a sharp angle, so you have a point.  Thread the ribbon through the whole in the star.

Step 10.  Tie the ribbon around the neck of the bottle.  Double-knot the ribbon in the back.  Then trim the tails of the ribbon to match the width of the bottle's neck.  Then you're done!

TIP #4:  If you plan to use a different color of glitter for your next bottle of fairy dust, be sure your funnel is completely free of the previous colored glitter, otherwise traces of the previous color will appear in your next bottle.  If you are using a paper funnel, you may consider discarding that funnel and making a new one for each color of glitter.

Cool Fairy Garden Finds . . . 

Cat with Butterfly - If you shop around on Etsy, you'll see this black and white cat from several sellers, but fairyinthegarden1 made hers special by adding a butterfly.  This extra handcrafted touch is what made me fall in love with this cat.

Sitting Fairy - There are actually four of these adorable little fairies to choose from at the FairyBestWishes Etsy shop, and I ended up purchasing them all.  They are each in a different pose, wearing a different color dress, and holding a different colored gem.

Magic Wooden Chest - I found a cute little toy chest in the MLSLaserEngraving Etsy shop.  I inquired whether I could have the word "Magic" engraved in a chest in place of the word "Toys."  The seller happily accommodated my request.  Originally, I thought my daughter would paint or add gems to the chest, but she seems to like it the way it is for the time being.

Miniature Cupcake - These cute little pink cupcakes came in a set of 4.  I found them in an Etsy shop called BeesKneesMiniatures.  This shop has the most adorable miniatures.  I'll be sharing everything I purchased from this shop soon.


Like this fairy garden craft? Pin It for later . . . 

Have a cool fairy garden craft or find to share?  Leave a comment here.

Find more fairy garden inspiration here.