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.October Cool Shops! BEADLES AND PINS.

Wrapping up our Cool Shops! for October is a lovely little Etsy store, BEADLES AND PINS…

Beadles and Pins is based in Australia and offers a range of cute and funky hand crocheted and knitted gifts and accessories.

Have you ever seen an Apple Cozy before?  Well, I am now the owner of this gorgeous chocolate brown cozy and it is the cutest thing ever!  

What do you do with an Apple Cozy?  Well, an apple cozy is designed to keep your apple clean and from bruising in your bag.  There is nothing worse than pulling a piece of fruit out of your bag only to find it has bruises and scratches from being prodded by pens, books and other sharp objects! 
Apple Cozies also make great teacher gifts…perfect for beginning or ending the school year or just to say “thank you” at any time.
Beadles and Pins Apple Cozies come in a range of different colours and designs. I particularly like the ones with crocheted green leaves on the top!
And there are plenty more things you can cozy-up, from bananas to mugs…
 

If you are looking for an adorable knitted soft-toy, you’ll find a whole range of them like this super cute Knitted Elephant Doll – LOVE!

Beadles and Pins have some great offers going on at the moment…All scarves, baby items and plushies are 50% of the sale price.  

And Make It Perfect readers can get 20% off the price of any Apple Cozies…send Beadles and Pins a message and tell them about this offer and the price will be adjusted for you!  Then when you make the purchase, simply type “blog review” in the message to the seller!!!

Important BEADLES AND PINS links:
And that wraps up our Cool Shops! for October.  Hope you have had fun exploring with me and have some new fun shops to add to your favourites 🙂
Remember you can view ALL past Cool Shops! here.
October 3, 2010
Make It Perfect

.October Cool Shops! WHISKER GRAPHICS.

Cool Shop! #3 for October is one that I have adored for a long time, WHISKER GRAPHICS

Whitney Beard is the creative genius behind Whisker Graphics, a super cute store well known for their stunning selection of Divine Twine.  Divine Twine is not your regular bakers twine…it is made from 100% cotton, so is soft to the touch, bio-degradable and earth-friendly.  Divine Twine comes in a large selection of mouth watering colours…you won’t be able to choose just one!

I first experienced Divine Twine last Christmas, when I bought some of the cherry colour to wrap Christmas presents with.  I used simple brown paper to wrap my presents in and tied them with some cherry Twine and they looked just lovely.
Now, I am excited to be the proud owner of not one, but all eight Divine Twine colours!  They are almost too pretty to use!  For now, I have decided to display them in my studio wrapped around some wooden dolls I have had for awhile. 
They are adorable and make me smile every time I walk into the room!  Being on display, it also means that they are easy to access and use to dress up presents and crafts.
Whitney has made things easy for you and created a whole bunch of adorable printable stationary for you to customise by simply adding text, printing out and cutting up!  So now you can combine your Divine Twine with your very own customised gift tags and stationary for a totally unique look!!
Some of my favourite printables… 
Birds Recipe Card Set:

Scooter Notes and Labels:

And if you are not keen on printing yourself, you can also order a whole array of pre-printed personalised stationary, stickers and labels like this funky Dress Form Mannequin Flat Notes & Labels:

If you haven’t visited Whisker Graphics before, then I suggest you hurry over there now!  And if you are already a Whisker Graphics fan, then spread the word and tell your friends about this sensational shop!!
Important WHISKER GRAPHICS links: 
October 2, 2010
Make It Perfect

.October Cool Shops! PRETTY & PREPPY.

I’m so excited to introduce our second Cool Shop! for October with you…PRETTY & PREPPY

I first fell in love with Pretty & Preppy earlier this year when I discovered their Etsy store and found myself really, really, REALLY wanting one of their designer fabric Water Bottles.  Pretty & Preppy (owned by mother and daughter team, Janet & Jennifer who make all of the products in store) also have a web-store where you can find more products and variety.  The thing that I love best about their store is the clean, fresh and easy to navigate design.  After going a little fabric crazy, Janet & Jennifer decided that they should just go ahead and open a fabric store as well, and Lola Pink Fabrics was started.  Once again, this website is a breeze to find your way around and they stock a delicious range of designer fabrics and patterns.

Of course the water bottle is what I am going to be reviewing today!  The only problem I had when selecting a water bottle was trying to just choose one, so I ended up solving that problem by buying a couple more!!!  Easy fix 🙂

I have never seen anything quite like these funky water bottles, they are perfect for any fabric-lover or someone who just loves pretty and unique accessories.  (Yes, I am calling my water bottle an accessory…that is how cool it is!!)  The water bottles are made from stainless steel, so that your water stays cold all day long, and you can choose from a whole range of different fabrics to suit your style.  

I couldn’t go past the Monaluna Monaco Scooters in Pink for myself.  It is such a funky fabric and definitely a good conversation starter!  

My friend, Jayne (who is also our awesome tax-lady) is blue-crazy and the Leanika Gemstone in Sapphire had her name written all over it so I had to buy that one for her!  And being the green girl that I am, I needed the Flora & Fauna Dandelion in Lime for a bit of variety 😉

Pretty & Preppy also stock a whole range of beautiful gifts and accessories, all made from gorgeous designer fabrics such as this Monaluna Starburst in Orange Travel Mug:

 Cool Key Fobs to keep your keys looking stylish, this one is Amy Butler Tumble Rose in Blush:

And they even cater for the little people in your life with a selection of super cute Baby Bibs:

I think you’ll agree that Pretty & Preppy is a sensational store!  The perfect place to visit if you want to spoil yourself or are looking for a unique gift for a funky friend 🙂  Thanks to Pretty & Preppy for being a Cool Shop! this month – you guys rock!!!

Important PRETTY & PREPPY links:
October 1, 2010
Make It Perfect

.October Cool Shops! BLUE GINGER DESIGNS.

Woah!  October already…I must be getting old because time is flying by 😉
The good thing about it being October, means that we get to welcome four new Cool Shops! to the blog.
First up for October is BLUE GINGER DESIGNS.
I originally discovered Blue Ginger Designs on Made It, but they also have an Etsy store featuring a range of similar and different items for all of you Etsy lovers out there.
Kylie, the creative hands behind Blue Ginger Designs and a fellow Aussie from Ballarat, specialises in handmade and hand printed eco-fabrics, homewares and gifts for the modern home decorator and crafter.  Her style is very funky and unique, lots of unreal silhouettes and eye catching designs.
Being the fabric-lover that I am, I chose one of her quirky Handprinted Cat and Mouse Craft Panel to review.  I have to admit that I’m not usually a cat lover, but these cats are fun and funky and the addition of a cute little mouse scattered throughout just makes me smile!  It is a lovely, natural fabric printed on 100% eco-natural linen.  I’m not sure that I can bring myself to cut into this panel yet, but when I do I’m thinking a little bag for Lil would look superb!
Some of the other funky bits and pieces you will find at Blue Ginger Designs…
Moose Zip Pouch:

This adorable Dandelion Scatter Pillow:

Beautiful Linen Embroidered and Screen Printed Zip Purse:

And I have to make mention of this men’s Box Thorn Design Linen Tie!  How hard is it to find a decent handmade gift for a guy – this would be perfect!  There is a cool beetle design to choose from too
Blue Ginger Designs are celebrating their first birthday with a sensational sale!  
A huge discount will be offered 4 days starting today, Friday 1st October to Monday 4th October.

First 5 orders over $25 will receive a FREE mini zip coin purse valued at $15. 

(*orders must be at $25 after discount otherwise they are not entitled to free purse.)

25% Homewares range including cushion range
30% giftware range including purses, brooches, bags etc

Gift Vouchers also available at $25 or $50 from 1st October. 
(*these customers will be entitled to a free mini zip purse as well if they are within the first 5.)

So what are you waiting for?  Head over to Blue Ginger and get some Christmas shopping out of the way early, or perhaps just treat yourself to a special little something!

Important BLUE GINGER DESIGNS links:
September 30, 2010
Make It Perfect

.More macarons and no ears pierced.

My second batch of macarons = success!! I’m still not sure why I am getting the little peaks on the top of them…does any one know why?  It would help them to sit flat for photographing!!!

These were raspberry flavoured.  A few of my Facebook followers suggested lime, which I was very partial to, but I had no limes on hand and didn’t want to go to the shops so they will be the next ones I try!

 The only thing I am not entirely satisfied with is getting an intense flavour.  The macarons I have tried have a really strong flavour and I’m sure that professional macaron bakers must have access to some brilliant flavour essences!  I’m sure that a google search will open my eyes to a wide range of flavourings 🙂

So, onto other news…last night I was totally spoiled and treated to a divine massage here.  I decided to take the plunge and get my ears pierced straight afterwards.  My Dad has never liked pierced ears, my two sisters got theirs done when they were a bit older and I have always been happy to stand alone and go piercing-free.  When Dad found out that I was going to get it done, I believe he put his head in his hands and said, “Noooo!”  Okay, that could be a tad dramatic but I’m sure it went something like that 🙂  Turns out he got his way as the lady who was supposed to pierce my ears had to leave work to tend to an emergency, so no pierced ears today!  Should I go back and try again, or take this as a sign that it isn’t mean to be?!!

Oooohhh…and THE MOST EXCITING THING EVER JUST ARRIVED IN THE MAIL FOR ME.  LIKE 2 MINUTES AGO.  AND I CAN’T TELL YOU ABOUT IT JUST YET BUT I AM SO EXTREMELY EXCITED AND AM GOING TO SPEND THE REST OF THE DAY WITH A BIG SMILE ON MY FACE!

September 30, 2010