And things always look better in sunlight and budding flowers.

I haven’t blogged in a while about all my groovy indie purchases. I really didn’t think anyone though my reviews were so important to their business that they would stalk my family members with their wares. Yes, happy indie gifts readers -there’s a designer out there that felt the need to hunt down a family member of mine in order to send them a pair of their pj’s so that my family member could try them, tell me about them and then blog about their items. It creeped me out to say the least.

It’s all been worked out and I’m back to rambling about my favorite designers. For Jan., I was in 2 car accidents and then I nearly cut off 3 of my 5 fingers at work. Typing hasn’t been so easy with just one hand. Everything is good now so I’ve added a couple of other pages to the site for anyone that would like links or if you really want to, send me product to review.

If you want to send product for a review, here’s some facts;

1) I will post that the designer sent the product free of charge…and I will say exactly what I think of it - no promise of a glowing review.

2) You won’t receive your product back. Sorry, if you want to send me something, it’s at your expense and I am not returning it even if I don’t review it. Some things are just best left unspoken and unseen if you know what I mean.

I’m crushed - yes, I really am but it is for selfish reasons. Just this morning I received an email from Amy Menousek the artist at AM Design Studio. Last year I found AM Designs and fell in love with her resin work. I have 3 resin pieces and from clasps to finish, color and weight - everything shows craftsmanship and quality. Her semi-precious pieces are delicate and colorful. But Ms. Menousek is closing her on-line site on Dec. 31st and is having a 30% off sale on everything but her custom work. Things are going fast so don’t be surprised to see things sold out - I’m not the only one that thinks she creates stunning work. Many of the pieces are one of a kind so you will surely find a unique gift at an incredible price. Here’s the details from her message:

“AM Design Studio’s online store will be closing as of December 31st. SO, take advantage of the best sale EVER!
From now until December 31st you get 30% off everything on amdesignstudio.com….(you’ll see the discount when you add the item to your shopping cart) The only exception is that it does not cover custom orders, but there’s plenty to choose from on the site, so no worries. If there’s something you want and don’t see, let me know…I may just have something like what you are looking for that’s not on the site.”

So if you are looking for jewelry gifts handmade by a true artisan (and might I add she has cute pink gift wrapping) be sure to check out the one of a kind pieces at AM Design Studio…but only until the 31st!

A Planet 4 Cuteness in my book! I love Lilie’s adorable little earrings. She’s having one of her killer sales and I ordered these because I recently lost another pair. They are perfectly simple and I wear them all the time. Check them out….

Lilie, who owns A Planet 4 Creation was nice enough to offer a coupon code to IndieGifts.net readers - how nice is that?? So if you are kind enough to read my little ramblings, Lilie will offer you 15% off your order if you use the coupon code of indiegifts. Now it’s NOT valid on sale (her sales are so good you don’t need a coupon!), BCA or custom items and expires May 15/08.

With holiday gift giving time, this indie designer offers FREE gift wrapping too! Everything comes in a purple gift box tied with a white bow. And I must add, AP4C is extremely fast on shipping. Check out her Asian designs, Under $20 Gift Guide or the Guy Gift Guide. All her items make perfect stocking stuffers!

A Planet 4 Creation

You know you found a great gift when your mother-in-law is happy! My MIL is wonderful, so I can’t whine, but she is a stickler for quality. When I heard she was looking for some 500 count bed linens, I thought I would do some checking on the internet for her. Since I love indie, I figure I could find something special for her….

What did I find but the MOST lovely, hand made nightwear right here in my own backyard of Missouri. This amazing indie business is Body Linens . The highly talented Jenna Hunget offers beautiful hand stitched 100% Egyptian Cotton nighties and robes for both women and men. What’s so special about them? You can choose between 300, 500 or 800 thread count!! Plus, they can be monogrammed for a personalized touch. I purchased the Mandarin Collar Classic Pajamas pictured for Inge. The pants are cropped and the top is roomy, yet not too boxy looking. The detail signature pink piping is attractive and well done. The buttons are mother of pearl.

As usual I was running behind and ordered them gift wrapped. The PJ’s arrived faster than quoted and the elegant gift wrapping with a gift card was perfect. Needless to say, I came out looking good that day thanks to Body Linens!

For this Christmas, I plan on ordering the Robe for her (no worries, Inge doesn’t know I write this blog). Comments of how well made, and how incredibly soft and comfortable to sleep in, are mentioned 6 months after giving them to her. I am eyeing the Nightie…incase my husband would like to find me something! Read more

Show you care and take the pledge this holiday season at BuyHandmade.org.

With the rush of holiday shopping starting, it’s time to make sure your purchases and gifts are extra special. What better way of showing you took some time to pick out a gift than buying indie gifts from unique, artistic indie designers?

Starting Nov.1, I’ll be posting some of my favorite holiday gifts that are all handmade by people that love to create. You’ll also find some of my other favorite indie designer’s gift lists too - with so many indie gift guides, you are sure to find something….and maybe some thing for yourself too, I always do!

Now go pledge to buy handmade and support independant arts and crafts!

And even if you don’t, I found someone that will take what you want to say and turn it into the most wonderful, most delightful poem or limerick. The Poem Company is where to go to have Julieta Kendall craft the words you always wanted to say, whether for a wedding announcement, showers or just simply to say “hi, just thinking of you” in a creative, fun way.

I was introduced to The Poem Company through an indie craft/business forum and thought I would see what she could do for a new website I am having built. It is all about round things, like pocket mirrors, coasters, magnets…little fun things like that. Well, without much to go on, she was able to create whimsical verses for my products in no time at all. When the site is finished, I’ll be sure to post again so you can marvel at her work, not my mirrors. Everything she writes has such a personal, special touch to it, as she was able to pull out the feeling of fun I wanted in the products- plus she was always considerate of the budget I gave her to work with.

But don’t expect everything to be cutesty! The Poem Company can provide you with serious and heart felt senitment too. There’s so many great examples of Julieta’s work in her portfolio, along with lots of information on making your poem look perfect too. Now you can rest easy knowing that no one else will give a card or have an announcement like yours - your event is special, so make your words special too.

http://www.thepoemcompany.com

Know a techie that has a passion for robotics? Then check out the new Nut and Bee Snuggler 5000 Robot tee. It’s on pre-order till July 20th, and shipment will probably start around the 30th according to Annette’s newsletter, which I might add keeps you up to date on the latest designs and sales.

If you don’t know, I LOVE Annette’s designs. The cast of original characters she creates all have such personality. The list of products are growing too! From lettersets, magnets, note pads, stuff animals and now tee shirts, this New Zealand illustrator aims to “spread sweetness, whimsy and pleasant thoughts across the world”, which is always a good thing in my book. And don’t worry about shipping if you are in the US because the shipping from this indie artist is easy, reasonable and FAST.

Hurry to get in on the newest designs at http://www.NutAndBee.com

Whimsical, bright and plenty of feeling is what I think Atelie Luna’s illustrations have. Consider giving an original art piece by Atelie Luna to someone for a house warming gift or birthday. I recently used Livia of Atelie Luna (Studio Moon translated) to create an original graphic for my business, and was delighted with her ideas and work. On larger projects, she works together with her friend and colleague Razvan Cornici and they have been working together since high school. In the past years they have illustrated several children’s books and also illustrated a large series of editorials.

Located in Romania, Livia has her work on her blog and their website is coming soon. I had no problem purchasing from her internationally. It seems so many times, US buyers are not sure about purchasing art from overseas, but Livia was great and I had no problems.

Check out their painting and cards on http://atelieluna.blogspot.com

Sometimes you just need a gift for yourself, it’s that simple. It’s been so cold and I love warm weather. The sun has not shined in days, and summer seems so far away. But no worries, a perfect up of herbal tea by Herb + Ginger was the fix for me! Their easy to order from on-line store offers so many different types of hand blended teas. I place my order and within 2 days, I was brewing fragrant tea. My order came with lots of sample teas too - to completely hook me on all the others now…..

Their new Orange-ology Herbal Tea is tangy and loaded with chunks of apples, tangerines and oranges. I also picked up their Berry Fruity Fruit Tea and it was quite nice.

There is something just so soothing about making tea using the loose form. It takes a bit more effort (and we know how everyone loves to rush) but Herb + Ginger makes the experience delightful. So if you’re shopping for somone that loves tea, try this indie shop. Add their teaware, a couple of different teas and you’ll have a simple, useful and appreciated gift. Or you can be like me, and just buy if for yourself!

If you are fond of the decandant smell of chocolate, check out JennyLou’s yummy Chocolate Truffle Soy candle.  It’s in a perfect little travel tin and made with clean burning soy wax.  If you still can’t get enough chocolate, she’ll set you up with skin loving chocolate truffle body butter and sugar scrub! 

Along with smelling delicious, you’ll find out quickly on the JennyLou site what a fashionista this woman is!  Offering trendy baubles and more, she devotes an incredible amount of time to charity work (she offers some Awareness jewelry items too) and her monthly shopping party of Haute Market.  Make sure to check out her store if you are in the Kansas City area or catch up with her blog.

About Indie Gifts

The purpose of this blog is to show off some of the amazing indie designers that I have personally dealt with, and that create clever, unique, handmade gifts.

There's no paid ads, just stores and designers I have personally shopped with and found their products/services along with customer service to be stellar.





• Favorite Indie Stores

  • Amy Menousek
  • Anna Bella Stationery
  • A Planet 4 Creation
  • Body Linens
  • Button Arcade
  • Egg-A-Go-Go
  • Exit 9
  • GR Scrub
  • Hempsown
  • Herb + Ginger
  • Little Flower Designs
  • The Poem Company
  • Juniper Design & Ink
  • Jenny Lou
  • Manic Trout
  • Michael D'Andrea
  • Nut and Bee
  • Weekend Jewelry
  Some of my favorite items over at Etsy.com