Personalized Star Wars Pet ID Tags

 Since we adopted this pair of kittens in July, life has been interesting (and lots of fun).  These are not our first kittens by any means, but they are the most mischievous kittens we've ever welcomed to our family.  If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that Yoda is the one with the big ears, and Kenobi is the one with the smudge of black on his nose.

Although we had purchased some basic ID tags at our local pet supply store on the way to picking up these 9-week old brothers, we later decided we needed tags more fitting of their personalities.  That's when my online search led me to stumble upon the TagNTrail shop on Etsy. This shop sells handmade pet ID tags, waterproof collars, and more.  There were several Star Wars-themed pet tags to choose from, but I ended up with the Obi-wan pet tag for Kenobi because he's so lovable, and the Jedi pet tag for Yoda because he can jump so high that you'd swear he could fly.  I had a great experience buying from this Etsy shop.  I was able to choose the font color for our pets' names and contact info located on the back of the tags. The shop owner was even nice enough to change the lightsabers on Yoda's tag from red to green for me (because you know, Yoda's lightsaber is green).

At first I thought the tags, which are about 1.25" in diameter, would be too big for our little kittens, but they were very lightweight and didn't seem to get in the way of their daily mischief at all.  You have the option to ask for smaller jumprings if you have smaller pets.  I forgot to do that (oops), but it worked out well for us to simply put the tags on the ring that came with the kitten collars.  I'm pretty happy with these tags, and I'd definitely return to this Etsy shop next time I need dog or cat ID tags.

More Etsy Finds . . . 

Fuzzy Nipper Catnip Toys from the Auntiemcreations Shop

Kitten-size Collars from SusansSewingStall Shop 

Do you like to shop handmade?

Share your Etsy finds with us in a comment here!

Also, check out how these talented Etsy shop owners are Making It for some real life inspiration.

Custom Made Disney-Inspired Handbags for Star Wars & Disney Princesses Fans

When I went to Walt Disney World in Orlando earlier this year, I was determined to find a designer Disney bag that I loved.  Alas, it just didn't happen.  There was no magic between me and any of the bags I found.  Did I find some that I liked? . . . Sure!  I just couldn't bring myself to spend a few hundred dollars on a bag I didn't absolutely love.  During the weeks following our trip, I looked around online for a bag because I was told that not all styles were carried in the shops at the park stores.  That's when I happened upon this little Etsy shop called CaliCatBoutique.

After taking a look at the various styles of bags available in this shop, I realized that this Etsy seller offered custom bags, where I could choose the fabrics, vinyl color, zipper color, and more.  I could actually create a bag that I loved!  And, you know what? . . . I ended up creating TWO for much less than it would have cost me for just one high end bag at Disney.  It's been awhile since I wrote a Shop 'n' Share post, but I just couldn't not share about my two new bags!

The first custom handbag is a Star Wars-inspired Sublime bag.  I chose a Rey fabric paired with an off-black vinyl and contrast zippers for a bold accent.

I love the touches of silvertone hardware on this bag, right down to the six metal feet that protect the bottom of the bag from wear.

For the interior, I chose a fun star patterned fabric that picks up the colors of the exterior fabric.  I was pretty pleased with how well the two prints coordinated.

For the zipper, I chose black over a brightly colored one.  I think it worked well.

To complete the look, I found this Star Wars: The Last Jedi Rebel Logo Tassel Keychain to use as a purse charm.  Even though the keychain is goldtone, it worked well with the colors of the bag.  It's almost as if it was made for this Star Wars-inspired bag!

The second bag is a custom tote bag inspired by Disney Princesses.  I first saw this Everyday Tote in purple and fell in love with it.  As I looked around, however, I was extremely infatuated with this subtle Disney Princesses printed fabric.

I paired this pretty fabric with the same off-black vinyl that was used for the Star Wars-inspired bag.

For the interior, I chose a contrasting fabric.  I had a tough time deciding on the color.  Thank goodness the CaliCatBoutique owner is a patient woman.  Ultimately, I ended up with the fuchsia, and I am very pleased with my decision.

When I had mentioned that I never zip my tote bags up, the owner offered to make the bag with a magnetic snap rather than a zipper.  I'm so happy that she did because the functionality of the bag is just as important as the style to me.

Originally, I had purchased a fuchsia leather rose purse charm to hang on this bag, but it didn't look quite right, so I returned to Etsy to find an alternative.  I just think the bag needed a little splash of color.  Finally, I came upon the AnaBeeCreations Etsy shop, where I spotted a mouse head key fob.  I requested to have the pink dotted fabric against the black vinyl.  When the key fob arrived, I replaced the swivel lobster claw clip with a ball chain in order to hang it from my bag.  I love the way this bag turned out, and it's what I'm carrying now for spring!

I'm really just thrilled with my two new bags!  I had also been eyeing the Bonnie Bucket Bag.  Maybe I could have a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-inspired bag made?  Although I did see a beautiful stained glass Beauty and the Beast fabric recently . . . the possibilities are really endless!

NOTE: Be sure to ask for a quote on custom orders, as the cost may vary depending on the fabrics and details you choose.

What theme would inspire your dream handbag?

Tell us in a comment here!

Star Wars, Buffy, and Other Pop Culture T-Shirts Designed by Independent Artists on Red Bubble!

This post has been written in partnership with the Red Bubble Affiliate Program.  Thank you to Red Bubble for providing a gift code for us to shop for t-shirts designed by independent artists and for providing an additional gift code for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

You know how the story goes . . . boy geek meets girl geek . . . they get married and start their own geeky family.  It's the classic love story, right?  Even though he was a Star Wars fan and she was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, they were determined to make it work.  She went to midnight showings of Star Wars Episode 1 through Episode 3 with him and he admitted that "Hush" was the best Buffy episode ever.

Despite their differences, they were in love.  I know you must have heard this saying a million times, but it is worth repeating:  "True love means walking proudly down the street with a man dressed like a wookie."

Do you and your significant other each have your own pop culture favorites?  Have you learned to co-exist peacefully in spite of your differences?  Well, my husband and I have!  In fact, we actually helped each other pick out Star Wars and Buffy t-shirts from Red Bubble.

Checkout my tutorial for making your own high-low hem t-shirt here.

Red Bubble offers pop culture t-shirts, hoodies, tech cases, art prints, and more cool items printed with designs created by independent artists.  These artists are so talented and full of so much creativity!  My husband's "Co-Pilot Uniform" Star Wars T-Shirt and my Buffy "Magic Box Advertisment" T-Shirt came with these tags clipped onto them that not only provide the care instructions, but also the name of the design and the link to these particular artists' designs.  My husband and I were extremely pleased with both the artwork and the quality of the shirts.  We will definitely be supporting these artists on Red Bubble again!

To see all that Red Bubble has to offer, visit RedBubble.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway ends on April 28th, 2014 and is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Weekend Wishlist" Purple CZ Ring, Dumpling Maker, Comfort Mat, Star Wars Vader T-Shirt, and More!

It's Friday!  That means I've been browsing the new sales on Zulily.  I love shopping on the weekends because I only pay shipping on my first order and get free shipping on everything else from Friday through midnight on Sunday.  Today, Zulily launched a huge Star Wars sale event.  My husband and two sons are huge fans of Star Wars, so it was difficult to not let my wishlist get overrun with Star Wars clothing, books, and memorabilia.  I definitely already have Holiday shopping on the brain.  Have you started your Holiday shopping yet?

What's new on my Zulily wishlist today?

1.  Purple Cubic Zirconia & Sterling Silver Rectangle Ring - $25.99 (Originally $76)

2.  Dumpling Pocket Machine - $8.49 (Originally $10)

3.  Black Pulse Office Chair - $109.99 (Originally $210)

4.  Mocha Imprint Comfort Mat - $49.99 (Originally $170)

5.  Dollhouse Fuchsia Zip-Up Hoodie - Toddler & Girls - $24.99 (Originally $49)

6.  Reborn Collection Black Floral V-Neck Dress - Plus - $29.99 (Originally $80)

7.  Star Wars Darth Vader Tritan 25-Oz. Water Bottle - $7.99 (Originally $12)

8.  Gray 'Obey Me' Darth Vader Tee - Kids - $9.99 (Originally $22)


If you haven't already, be sure to checkout my post "6 Tips for Shopping on Zulily"!  What's on your weekend wishlist from Zulily or somewhere else?

Silly Monkey Stories: A "Star Wars" Story

We are Star Wars fans, from my sons Luke (yes, really) and Jake, to my wife Karen (although she won't admit it, her Star Wars trivia skills rival my own). As a result my daughter Makenzie is a Star Wars fan by proxy. This is all very important as you will see . . .


Today while we were eating dinner, Makenzie started a conversation that went like this:

Makenzie: “Baba, you know there was a trooper at taekwondo?”

Me: “Really?”

Makenzie: “Yes, he was the daddy of one of the students. He had a gun, but he was not wearing his armor.”

I thought that was the most amazing thing I have ever heard. I was proud and embarrassed at the same time.  My little girl hears me and the boys say “trooper” all the time and never had it occurred to me that she thought it was the same as a police trooper!

Excellent!

(If you missed it, you can read a related Silly Monkey Story here.)

Click here to read all our Silly Monkey Stories!

Clone Wars ARF Trooper . . . Our Son's Star Wars Costume of Choice for Halloween

I have watched all the Star Wars films (including Clone Wars) and have shopped for Star Wars toys more times than I can count, but somehow the existence of the ARF Trooper has eluded me.  Apparently, ARF Troopers or "Advance Recon Fighters" are stealthy Clone Troopers who act as scouts and carry out surprise attack missions.  You learn something new everyday . . .

The topic of the ARF Trooper arose when I asked our 8 year old son what he was thinking about being for Halloween this year.  At first he was sure he wanted to be a ninja, but then while we were browsing the Star Wars costumes on Wholesale Star Wars Costume Club, he saw the Kids Deluxe ARF Trooper Costume and was overcome with excitement.  He passed over a Darth Vader, a Luke Skywalker, an Obi Wan, and even a Darth Maul costume (which was pretty darn cool looking) for this one.  I was doubtful at first, but when I saw the costume in person, I had to admit that he made a good choice.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Last year, our son just fit his size Medium costume, so I opted for a size Large this year.  I was nervous about it being too large, but it actually worked out well.  The sleeves were the perfect length for his arms, but the rest was several inches too long for him.  Although it is difficult to see in my photo, the costume consists of foam pieced armor, so it is important that the armor hits at the right places around his hips, knees, and ankles.  This was fixed very easily though.  I simply belted the costume using one of my son's regular belts and bloused the excess fabric out over the belt.  The belt is completely hidden under the fabric and the breastplate.

The utility belt that came with the costume was also large for our lean son.  It is foam around the front and sides, but is a stretchy fabric in the back where the two ends tie together.  At the tightest, the belt would still slide down.  How I fixed this was to cross the belt in the back and brought the ends around to the front.  I tied the ends together and tucked the knot under the foam part of the belt.  This seem to work out great and it is not noticeable at all.

The part of this costume my son was most excited about was the helmet.  It is made of light plastic, but is a full helmet that covers the head completely.  It was also slightly large on him, but not so much that it would tip and look very crooked.  He did, however, become hot very easily.  I suspect this is due to the holes being far lower than where his nose and mouth are located.  Hopefully, the October weather will be cool and crisp, so this will not be an issue.

Overall, I am very pleased with this costume.  We added our own toy blaster and I have ordered a pair of Rubies Clone Trooper gloves to complete the look.  The Wholesale Costume Club price for this costume is just $24.96, while it retails for $49.98.

Thank you to Wholesale Costume Club for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Geek Review: LEGO Star Wars Tie Fighter (9492)

We recently received the LEGO Star Wars Tie Fighter (kit 9492) from ThinkGeek for review. I need to tell you I was as giddy as a school kid and could not wait to build it. It is not often you can combine two of the most impactful influences of your childhood into one activity. I think I can speak for all men my age (any age?) and say that Star Wars and LEGO's were a MAJOR part of our childhoods.

The Star Wars Tie Fighter kit comes with 413 pieces including 4 figures. The parts were laid out in labeled bags and pre-build preparation was a snap (blatant pun).

(Click any photo to enlarge)

The build was challenging but not hard. LEGO does such an amazing job creating instructions that really take any mystery out of the build. Assembly took about 40 minutes with the kids helping (30 without?). Although the age range for this kit starts at 8 years old, I would say parental help at that age is recommended.

The finished Star Wars Tie Fighter kit is really fantastic, Lego did a remarkable job getting the details right. I know for a young child imagination goes far, but for a 41 year old Star Wars nut the likeness was more than OK. It was nice to see them get the kit right without any (or almost no) specialty parts. Not an easy feat.

Overall opinion? The Star Wars Tie Fighter kit from ThinkGeek was fun to build with my kids and a decent reproduction of a classic from my childhood. I can't imagine another man my age thinking any differently about this kit.

For more cool Star Wars gifts, including more LEGO Star Wars kits, visit ThinkGeek.com.


Thank you to ThinkGeek for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

2011’s Hottest Lego Sets

Since this iconic construction set launched in Denmark in 1949, a staggering 400,000,000,000 Lego pieces have been produced and more than 300,000,000 children have built something with Lego bricks! With Lego topping the most-wanted lists again this Christmas, we thought we’d look at the hottest Lego sets of the moment. If you’re looking for the best deals on Lego toys this year, you can search and compare Christmas gifts from perfume to Lego Star Wars sets over at dooyoo.co.uk.


PS3 Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

One of the most in-demand Lego products right now isn’t your standard Lego set, it’s the virtual Lego-building world of Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars for the PS3. Allowing players to take part in their favorite Star Wars stories and to create, control, and explore in a galaxy far, far away like never before.

Lego Star Wars Arc-170 Starfighter

Topping the list of the most-popular Lego toys at Toys ‘R’ Us right now is the Lego Star Wars Arc-170 Starfighter. The heavily armoured, multi-purpose Starfighter is designed to lead raids on the Droid Army, and comes with Clone pilots, Droid and Kit Fisto minifigures.

Lego Star Wars Motorized Walking AT-AT

The most in-demand Lego set over at Amazon just now is the Lego Star Wars Motorized Walking AT-AT, and, as one of the most iconic vehicles from the original Star Wars series, it’s easy to see why! At over 30cm tall, this AT-AT really walks, moves its head up and down, fires laser cannons and comes with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, C-3PO, Rebel Trooper, General Veers, an AT-AT Pilot, and two Snowtrooper minifigures.

Lego City Police Station

Proving that not all of the hottest Lego toys are Star Wars-related, Tesco have announced their top ten most in-demand toys for Christmas 2011, and the list includes the Lego City Police Station. Kids can build up their own police station featuring two jail cells, an evidence room, mug shot area and secret compartment. This set also comes with a police van, police car, handcuffs, officer and criminal minifigures, and even a police dog!

Lego Winnie the Pooh Duplo House

Perfect for younger kids, with the Lego Winnie the Pooh Duplo set, little ones can have fun recreating Pooh’s famous Hundred Acre Wood abode. The set comes with honey pots, a slide, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore using large and colorful pieces that are safe for the little hands with big imaginations.