Owl Things Considered

Today I'd like to show you something that combines three of my favorite things! Owls, stationery and pretty tins…

I just adore these little sets of memos. Of course, the owl is one of my favorites, but I also love that adorable hedgehog. And I really like how these little notes fold over to create a tiny moving animal. So simple, yet so very clever.

Anyway, there are also tons of birds available, as well as a panda, and -to complete my top 3- this adorable bunny.

You can find the whole collection here on eBay, but there are also a few designs available at this Etsy Shop.

Mood & Music Mosaic

Wah Ha - Lisa Mitchell 

dress - candle - shoes - satchel

So I thought I'd try some new posts to shake things up a little bit… I've been wanting to bring back music and also to create another platform to share pretty things that fit a certain mood, be it personal or seasonal. Hope you'll enjoy!

Tukoni Tribe

A couple months ago I happened upon Tukoni Tribe, a truly wonderful Etsy shop that continues to warm my heart. I've been browsing the shop a lot, but somehow didn't get round to sharing it on my blog until today. So here we go!

The shop is filled with beautifully illustrated brooches portraying animals and fantasy creatures. All in the same Tukoni style, but in a big range of colors and personalities. I fell in love with so many that I found it hard to choose!

I often gravitate towards cute critters, but these seem to be a lot more than just adorable. They look like they have their own little world and community, like they're alive. And I find them very uplifting and soothing to look at.

Some creatures just are, but some of the others carry items, and there is even a group of musicians! I secretly wish I could hear the music they're making… There's even one that plays guitar just like me! Needless to say I adopted that one today.

Apart from brooches you can also get art prints for your home, as well as postcards to send or to frame. And laslty, I also wanted to mention the most recent addition to the Tukoni Tribe… families of owl stickers in different sizes!

Anyway, this is one of those rare shops that immediately became a favorite of mine. Everything about it is just wonderful! The creatures, the products, the packaging and even the photography! No wonder I browse it so much.

Owl Things Considered

Owls generally get me pretty excited, but especially so when they're incorporated into very clever designs! And DAINTYmeBOUTIQUE has a very clever product indeed: stacking rings that make a whole animal hug your finger!

And they have a bunch of different animals too! From pets to woodland to very exotic. All enamel and all beautiful.

The "hugging" ones are extremely clever, but this squirrel definitely is too! I love how he's kind of stuck between your fingers as he reaches for the acorn. And his tail is such a nice finishing touch, isn't it?! I love it!

I also had to show you this hedgehog. It's "just" one ring, but it is adorable enough to melt your heart.

Lastly, I'm also very smitten with these bunny earrings! They're cute as well as elegant. And I love their golden noses.


There's plenty more in the shop to marvel at. I'm definitely going to check in every now and then... I have a feeling this shop might release many other interesting things in the future. Whoever's behind it clearly has great ideas!

Wishlist

I am a big fan of Threadless. They have so many different styles of illustrations as well as different garment fits and I find myself quite smitten with something every time I browse their website. So it's quite a dangerous website to visit...

This time a sloth shirt caught my eye. It's called pi-sloth-tes and would definitely make for a nice work-out or lounge shirt. I love the colors of the illustration and the scoop neckline of the shirt. And it's just so cute and funny!

King's Day Loot

This year I've grown a lot stricter about the number of items that enter my house, but I make exceptions on certain occasions. An obvious one was King's Day. The one day a year people sell their stuff for very, very low prices...

Now I did only get things I really really wanted. And I even got a few things for free. Anyway, I think I paid 5 bucks for this whole pile of books, not bad right? One of those books was already in an online cart for more than that.

And I can not tell you how many times I nearly bought a copy of The Great Gatsby… There were so many stunning covers that I couldn't choose! This one, however, is probably the prettiest one I've seen so far. And it even contained a hidden treasure. The book itself isn't old at all, but inside I did find a vintage snapshot of someone's vacation...

Another great score was this record! It's in quite a good condition and only cost 50 cents. And even though it has me incredibly excited, I still haven't managed to take it for a spin yet. But I plan on doing so sometime this week!

One of the shows I really miss since quitting my cable is Castle. So when I found five seasons for the price of one new one, I didn't have to think for long. I've been binge-watching the episodes ever since. It is such a great show!

My goal for the day was to get some good deals on things that would entertain me for quite a while after. Especially tv-shows because those are a whole lot pricier new. Anyway, I consider this mission greatly accomplished!

An eShakti Coupon!

If you missed my eShakti review from last weekend, I recommend you still check it out. I received a gorgeous dress fit to my measurements and desires. And if you did see it and are planning on shopping at eShakti, you are in luck!

Just use coupon code "blueeyednightowl" and you will get 10% off*! You could even order the owl dress above, with the sleeves, neckline and skirt length of your choice. And in your exact measurements, of course.

So if you wanted to treat yourself to a tailor-made garment before the holiday season starts, look no further!

*Please note:

Code has to be entered in the ‘promotional code’ box.   It is not case-sensitive.  

Code can be used any number of times until the validity period. 

It can be clubbed with any other promotional offer, gift coupon or gift card in the same order unless explicitly specified otherwise in the offer conditions.

This discount code is not applicable on clearance / sale, gift cards & overstock categories.

Not applicable on previous purchases.

Review: eShakti

Have you ever had a garment made to fit you? I never had, so when eShakti askes me to review a tailor-made dress of my choice, I didn't even have to think about it! Today I will show you the dress, and share my thoughts on it too.

There was so much to choose from! But I ended up picking this aubergine dress with an asymmetrical collar. One of eShakti's other perks is that you can customize it, and I went with 3/4 sleeves and a skirt that stops below the knee.

Since the dress was completely custom-made, I was already expecting the sewing to be done by a real person. There are a few areas where it shows it's handmade, but that only gives it character. The stitching is actually very even!

The fabric is different from what I expected. It's a light, slightly stiff cotton. However, it turned out to be warmer than I expected. So I can still wear it in the Fall! And it also grew more and more comfortable the longer I had it on.

One of the things I love most about this dress -apart from the obvious, like color and design- is the fact that is has pockets. And so beautifully lined up next to the pleats! Most dresses I own don't have pockets, so this is a real asset!

Above the pockets is a the little belt that's attaches to the front.It helps give the back such a nice silhouette, while not being tight on the stomach at all. So it's a perfect dress for dinner parties, or even Thanksgiving!

Now this isn't an issue as long as you have it on, but the dress is what I refer to as a "garment-not-fit-for-single-ladies", because it is quite hard to get out of without the help of someone else. Not impossible, but it's slightly scary and more time consuming than most clothes.
   Now I don't expect all their dresses to have this problem. (I think it's caused by a combination of the cut, fabric and my own measurements.) But if I could change anything about my particular dress, that would definitely be it.

Final Verdict

I'm happy! The dress fits nicely and is comfortable. You can tell someone paid attention to all the wonderful little details. I kind of missed feeling the fabric like I would in real stores, but that's not such a big sacrifice, when in return I got to customize the entire thing. Ordering was super easy! I really liked that you only needed to insert your measurements and click an illustration of the sleeve or skirt length. And eShakti took care of everything from then on.

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If you are an American or Canadian lady with tricky measurements that aren't found in shops, eShakti would be a real treasure! It's also a great website for bridesmaids' dresses, as you could get the same dress to fit all your friends, or pick a basic fit and color and have all your bridesmaids take their pick from necklines, sleeves and skirt lengths.

You can also find eShakti on:

Facebook - Pinterest - Instagram

P.S. eShakti sent me the dress to review, but also encouraged me to review it as I pleased. So all opinions are my own.

Wishlist

When I spotted the soakbox it instantly brought a smile to my face! Beautiful yarn, a cute pattern and matching Essie nail polish? Can it get any better? Yes, it even comes with handcream and a special bottle to help you wash your knitwear.

Everything you need to keep your hands busy and cared for. Isn't that a killer idea? Sure everything could be bought seperately, but this is pretty cute, don't you think?

The colors are absolutely stunning and those patterns look lovely as well.

And I'm so intrigued by this bottle of soak, as it has a pomegranate-apple-spice scent. Sounds so good!

 So what do you think? Perfect gift for a knitter or a tad bit redundant? As I often try to color-coordinate my gifts, I really like this idea! Besides, everything in it looks and sounds so delicious.

Owl Things Considered

Though I have a couple of fake plugs in my possession, I can't say I have any quite as intricate or stunning as these. They really blew my mind when I found them!

Though I think the first ones would be easier to wear because they're more compact, these shell ones are stunning as well.



Anyway, both are from a lovely Etsy shop called DewiDesign. And they have tons of unique earrings. I hope one day I get to wear a pair of their stunning fake plugs!

How about you? Are you as smitten with them as I am, or are you sticking to more mainstream earrings?

Review: FloraBeauty

Whenever I have flowers or a bouquet at home, I get really sad when I see them start to shrivel up and die. And I find myself wishing they would stay pretty for ever. Well, it turns out Mirjam could offer me just that!

She recently contacted me and asked if I could do a review for her wonderful shop, FloraBeauty. Of course I agreed! And today I'll tell you what I thought.

The item I received was this stunning ring. Not only does it have some lovely yellow flowers, the blue background is made of a real flower petal as well! And I love the contrast between the two colors.

What really stood out to me was the resin-job, it is impeccable! I love resin jewelry, but find that it often comes with some air bubbles, scratches or fingerprints. With FloraBeauty that is not the case at all. This ring is absolutely flawless!

FloraBeauty has lots of amazing botanical jewelry to offer, in pretty much any color you could think of. So if you're looking for a bit of nature to take with you wherever you go, and something that will last longer than a bouquet, you should really take a look.

Final Verdict:

I was absolutely satisfied! The service was great, the parcel arrived sooner than I expected and the ring was packaged safely. But most importantly, the item is beautiful, of great quality and completely one of a kind.

P.S. FloraBeauty sent me the ring, but I wasn't paid any money to do this review. These are all my honest opinions.

Dawanda Design Market -> favorites

Like I said yesterday, there were a lot of very cool shops at the Dawanda Design Market. Unfortunately I couldn't buy all.

Here are some things I really loved, but ended up leaving behind:

1. I've always admired gemagenta on Etsy and happened to fit this ring(well the darker version of it) perfectly, but I just couldn't justify crossing my budget for it at the time. Perhaps one day!
2. These owls, and Matroshkas were amazing, but too large to fit in my current place.
3. Jeonga Choi sold the most amazing hats. If you ever need one for a special occasion, you must pay her a visit.
4. Somehow I just didn't see the stamps by Stadtwald. Otherwise I probably couldn't have resisted them.
5. These handmade clothes were constructed beautifully! Stretchy jersey is tough to sew, but the folks at MerryMoustache do a seriously immaculate job. And those collars...those collars!
6. This owl was the softest one I'd ever seen! It even played an adorable song. Must get one if I ever have a kid.

I was truly impressed by all the great shops! And I really, really hope Dawanda will come to Amsterdam with a similar event some time in the future. If so, I'll be sure to start saving up ahead of time!