Woodland Cuties

Spring has sprung here in California, and there's nothing more adorable about spring than woodland creatures and their cute little babies! We really love all creatures big and small (we did a fundraiser last year to benefit a shelter), and we show that love through creating adorable stuffs in their image. So I'll stop rambling and just show you the cute. 

Adore by Nat creates super functional party items, and they're always totally adorable. This spring, she has quite a few woodland creature themed items to choose from! Have a peek below, and click on the link above to see them all!

Sweet Pea Designs by Dee is another shop that always has adorable seasonal items. She creates tons of custom skirts and dresses for little girls, and I squee a little bit every time I see one come into my Facebook feed. She has a selection of items right now that are fantastic for spring and Easter (which we will have another list for very soon)!

Shea Chick Soap Company is one of the few shops out there that I would say, without hesitation, has something for everyone. She seems to nail every theme with ease, and consistently releases new items that make me swoon. She's got this super adorable owl soap for us this time!

Viv and Olive has gorgeous quality and style, and frequently meshes very well with Sweet Pea Designs by Dee's colors. Every little girl (or mama, gotta spoil those mamas) needs a necklace from Viv and Olive, and it doesn't really matter what you like. She'll find a way to make it work. For this theme, she's got this adorable fox necklace, which is also available for design with hedgehogs!

Handmade Moms LLC is a great shop for versatility, providing many different kinds of items. Some are functional, some are decorative, and like this clipboard, some are both! It's bright, fun and super useful. Great for a teacher gift this spring!

Blueberry Corner Quilts has been a busy lady lately, so we haven't heard from her much, but she has returned with a bang! This little fox doll is great for snuggles, car trips, and pretend play with other animals! Little kids will love it, and if you know an adult who has a love of foxes, they can use this guy as a decoration!

Lucky Dog Accessories has the coffee and tea addicts covered with this sparkly mug! The mug is already full of attitude, so why not add your favorite drink to it, too? It'll make you feel like you can take on the world. 

Nerdtastic is also there for the ladies, providing punny necklaces for those who have a great sense of humor! Express your love for your BFF or your intolerance for the day with these necklaces, and people will compliment them everywhere you go!

Last, but certainly not least, BayouVue has a gorgeous bird pendant to add to our list! Totally handmade and super unique, this cute little bird has a feeling of whimsy and freedom to it. Wearing it this spring will definitely put you in the mood for the spring season!

Handmade Fandom

It's a proven fact that people who nerd out on stuff are the coolest people. It's science, guys.

I like to nerd out on a lot of stuff. Some people have specific fandoms they love and nothing else, which is cool too, but I prefer to put my eggs in lots of baskets, if you know what I mean. I happen to also know a lot of makers who nerd out on a lot of stuff, or at least understand those of us who do. To make this easy, I'm splitting the fandoms up into sections, so read all the way through or scroll to your specific interest!

Classic Stories-

Adore by Nat always hits the nail on the head with cute tags and other party items, and nothing is different today with these submissions! Peter Rabbit and Alice in Wonderland (x2) are great themes to go with, especially for the classic party feel! If you're looking for understated, gorgeous simplicity, these are your go-to items!

Being the Mad Hatter that I am, I can't resist making tiny hats that are Alice in Wonderland themed for Down with Plumes. Although I have made many, this is one of my absolute favorites. I had the fairy door on it custom made for this hat specifically, which took more foresight than I normally dedicate to my hats. It was worth it all the way along.

Heart and Soles has amazing talent and a super fun shop filled with awesome shoe ideas! They're available in many themes (as we'll see further down the list), and customization is always available. Better yet, you have the option of providing your own shoes, cutting out all the risk associated with different fits of different brands of shoes! These simple Alice in Wonderland themed shoes are so simple, yet pack a gorgeous punch!

Disney-

Again with my tiny hats. Appropriate for boys and girls, this Mickey hat is a great addition to a simple costume or for a trip to Disney! Not to be repetitive, but there are quite a few themed hats available at Down with Plumes!

Sweet Pea Designs by Dee always has the most adorable dresses in the universe, and that's also true for our Disney theme! Whether your little one loves Mickey or Minnie, Sweet Pea Designs by Dee has you totally covered! The Mickey dress also matches wonderfully with the hat above and necklace below ;)

Viv and Olive also has a tendency to hit the nail on the head with inspired designs! People eat her necklaces up like there's no tomorrow, and this Mickey Mouse inspired necklace is, like all the others, worthy of the mad love!

Movies and Shows-

Shea Chick Soap Co. has something for every geeky fandom, all available in amazing scents! These soaps are great birthday gifts, hostess gifts, and are wonderful for decorating your nerdy bathroom! With Darth Vader soap, Death Star soap, and Dr. Who soap here on the list, you can see the variety and detail that goes into her quality items!

I can't leave My Little Pony out of Down with Plumes, because so many girls love those cute little ponies! I almost had a heart attack when I found these heart ponies, and love the texture with the ultra soft feathers! On a hair clip, it's super easy to wear and very lightweight. Perfect for adults and kids!

I'm a Star Wars addict. My husband is a Star Wars addict. My kid is a Star Wars addict. It seems reasonable that I would keep Star Wars bags in stock in Hubba Hubba Handbags. Available for customization, there is a lot of fabric available with the release of The Force Awakens, so Star Wars purses can be done in virtually any color!

BayouVue comes up with some of the most fun ideas, and rocking a dragon egg necklace is the dream of everyone who loves Daenerys and roots for her to conquer Westeros. BayouVue knows our hearts, guys. Support that geniusness. 

Nerdtastic is always on point, guys. Further, she knows that Khal Drogo and Khaleesi are the best couple to grace the Seven Kingdoms, and they give us serious relationship goals. You can show off how much you love your person, and how much you love the Khal and Khaleesi with these simple and beautiful necklaces. 

You can also be sneaky-sneaky about your love for Dr. Who, and surprise your nerdy friends when they say "Do you have lip balm?" Why yes, you do, and it's better than the lip balm most people have. Good job, you. 

Video Games-

There are *so* many video games out there that have a huge fan base. But guess what? Hearts and Soles to the rescue! She has so many video game designs to choose from, and you can customize any one she doesn't have! Minecraft, Super Mario, Fallout and Halo are just the tip of the iceberg, folks. Go have a look!

BayouVue knows your need for Pacman items, because lets face it, it's one of the most popular games in the world. Everyone recognizes the characters, and almost everyone has spent hours trying to win it. Therefore, almost everyone needs something to remember the time they've spent screaming at the screen about a little yellow dude or troublemaking ghosts. 

Alrighty, folks, I'll leave you with this- Nerds are cool. Nerd stuff is cool. Handmade stuff is cool. I think that establishes that handmade nerd stuff is the best out there, yes? Yes. 

Best Sellers 2015

2015 was an interesting year, folks. A lot happened, but I think the event that summarizes the weirdness of last year is this- Kanye wants to run for president. What a time to be alive.

Selling handmade gives us a glimpse of the world through shoppers- what people were into spending money on in 2015. It may seem mundane, but it's quite interesting when you think about how attached to money people generally are. They normally don't just give it away for nothing, so lots of people buying one thing from one shop means something. It shows what an average person was interested in during 2015. 

For this reason, we've done our research, and across many different types of shops, found what people were most interested in spending money on in 2015.

First up, Pelhuaz- Her tassle necklaces were her number one seller in 2015! This doesn't surprise me, personally. I see this becoming a thing people are interested in more and more. They're beautiful, simple, but unique and colorful. As far as jewelry goes, it's a great way to mix simplicity and style. 

In jewelry for kids, Viv & Olive has found that her "Dainty Meets Chunky" necklaces have been the most popular. Again, we're finding the best of both worlds. Big, dramatic beads, matched with simple, small beads. The big beads bring personality to the necklace, while the small balance it out. They're kind of amazing, if you didn't already know that.

From Heart and Soles, we have "Five Nights at Freddy's" painted shoes. This is a horror-inspired video game, which is apparently being turned into a movie as well. There's a pretty good customer base for this game, which to those who have never heard of it, might be a bit of a surprise. 2015 was a year for video games, definitely, so it's very telling that video game shoes are a top seller! Nerds unite!

From Handmade Moms LLC, we have a gorgeous seashell wreath as a best seller. Even with all the madness of 2015, people didn't let it get in their way of loving simple and classic things. Seashells are so beautiful and remind so many people of vacations with family, quiet days reading, and time spent with a new love. Something for the home that reminds people of wonderful days will always be a hit, no matter what year!

Shea Chick Soap Co. found that her most popular item was her galaxy bath bombs! People in 2015 were becoming more aware of taking care of themselves individually, and space has totally become a cool thing to love. If you need proof, check out Cats in Space Quoting Scientists on Facebook. Yeah. You're welcome. 

Nerdtastic found that her Teen Wolf BFF necklace was her biggest seller, followed very closely by her lip balm. I haven't seen Teen Wolf, so I can't speak to that, but BFF necklaces are coming back with a fiery vengeance, and I welcome their return. (Hell, I bought matching Millennium Falcon necklaces for me and my husband because we're dorks like that.) Anyway, I think the lip balm can be pretty easily explained by people realizing that handmade is better than store bought in many cases (one of them being self-care products). 

Adore by Nat found her super cute elephant cupcake toppers to be her best selling item of 2015. Last year, people loved cupcakes and people loved elephants. Of course people would love elephants on cupcakes. The play on size alone is fun, being that elephants are huge and cupcakes are mini cakes, but elephants were also a super common baby shower theme (I'm in my late twenties. Everyone around me is having babies. I would know.). This is a trend that can continue forever and I'll never tire of it. The elephant trend, that is ;)

Let's see what 2016 brings!