2 Year Etsyversary!!!!

Yippee! I didn't even realize it was coming up! I just happended to notice the date. Today marks the 2 year anniversary since I opened up shop on Etsy! Thank you to all my wonderful customers! Despite some set backs like the whole CPSIA mess, it's been a great two years! And provided the CPSIA allows small time crafters like myself to keep creating and selling, I hope for many more Etsyversaries!!!!

To celebrate, I'm offering for today only, until midnight your time, Buy One Get One Free!!!!! Free item must be of equal or lesser value. Purchase your first item and put in the message to seller the name or link to the item you'd like for free with the code BLOGBOGO.

Here are some of my latest and best selling items!

Calla Lily Hair Clip


Adjustable No Slip Headbands


Karate Girl Ribbon Sculpture


Basketball Player Ribbon Sculpture

Thanks for a great two years!!!!

New! Tutorial Bundle Packs! Save $$$!

How to make these ribbon sculptures in a new bundle pack at PunkyNMunky!


I've had many requests for creating bundle packs of tutorials. I do run a buy 4 get one free for the tutorials all the time. But I thought these smaller packs might be nice to offer!

With this one you will get the following tutorials:
Rapunzel
Dorothy
Alice
Evil Queen

Have fun!

"Sparkly Edward" or "The Skin of a Killer"

So after a friend of mine suggested that I make the Edward "Sparkle", I went for it :). I like him better this way :) I had thought about naming it "The Skin Of A Killer", but thought it sounded a bit harsh, I didn't want to scare anyone away! This one I modeled after the scene in the movie where Edward shows Bella what he looks like in the sun with his shirt open...



Bella: It's like diamonds... you're beautiful.
Edward: Beautiful? This is the skin of a killer, Bella... I'm a killer.
Bella: I don't believe that.
Edward: That's because you believe only the lies... the camouflage. I'm the world's most dangerous predator, Bella. Every thing about me invites you in. My voice, my face, even my smell. As if I would need any of that... as if you could out run me... as if you could fight me off. I'm designed to kill.
Bella: I don't care.
Edward: I've killed people before.
Bella: It does not matter.
Edward: I wanted to kill you at first. I've never wanted a human's blood so much, before.
Bella: I trust you.
Edward: Don't.

I currently have it listed in my Etsy shop here: Sparkly Edward and Bella

Edward and Bella

So I went ahead and made another set to list here :) I'm hoping someone loves them as much as my daughter and I do!

New! Adjustable No Slip Ribbon Headbands!!!

New in the punkynmunky etsy shop! Adustable no slip headbands! I am in love with how simple and elegant these look in the hair.

They are made from grosgrain ribbon with the ends sealed to prevent fraying. To prevent slipping out of the hair they have been treated on the inside with silicone. I sent my model here to school with one in her hair fully expecting to find it in her backpack when she came home. Nope, still in her hair!

Each one has a toggle to adjust the size of the headband to fit many different sizes! I use approximately 29" of ribbon which fits my 5year olds head as well as my big ole head!

So many different colors to choose from, this is just a sample of colors! I have more and I can even order other colors if I don't have what you want!

Goldilocks and The Three Bears

I was so excited to finaly sit down and make this ribbon sculpture! I've loved the story since I was a young girl. I really like how it turned out. I love the pink and brown color combination. The Three Bears are approximately 2.5 inches tall and Goldilocks is 3" tall. Both are on a hair clip. Wouldn't that look cute in your little Goldilocks' hair?

Goldilocks and The Three Bears ribbon sculpture hair clip is currently available in my Etsy shop!

From Hair Bows Wonder World!

One of the fabulous prizes I won in an Etsy challenge was from a very talented and super lovely Etsy seller, Hair Bows Wonder World. She makes the most realistic beautiful roses and flowers out of ribbon! This is me wearing the yellow rose I won! I tucked the end of the pin after I took the picture!


Taking a look through her shop I am always amazed at the work she can do! She has recently branched out into making flowers and accessories for weddings! Here are just a few, you really need to check out her shop if you plan on getting married anytime soon! She has other accessories not just for weddings too, so check it out even if you aren't planning a wedding! You won't be disappointed! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5814372

I hope this one is available when my husband and I renew our wedding vows on a tropical island somewhere on our 10 year anniversary (that's the dream anyway!)


This one is just so delicate and beautiful!


How elegant!

I can't believe these are all made from ribbon!

Just takes my breath away!

Thank you Lynn! I love my rose!

Nutcracker Ribbon Sculpture Instructions

Just listed for those of you who want to get a jump start on your Holiday crafting! A set of instructions to make the Nutcracker ribbon sculpture that you see pictured. You can use the finished sculpture in a variety of ways! Mount it to a clip to wear in your hair or clip to a package! Put it on a pin back, or a magnet! Or even make it into an ornament!

There are 25 pages with 60+ pictures to clearly show you how it is assembled including mounting options.

Stop by my shop today to see what's available! http://punkynmunky.com

Twitter

So you Twitter? I was recently introduced to it. Not sure if I like it or not yet, but if you want to follow me, I'll be posting updates to listings and other tidbits about my day there if you'd like to keep up with me! I'll follow you too! You can find me here https://twitter.com/punkynmunky.

500th sale!!!!

Yay! I did it! Made my 500th sale! The lucky buyer bought the No Slip Grip Tutorial and chose the Spikey Bow tutorial for her free item.

499

I just sold my 499th item in my shop on Etsy! Wow! I want to thank all of my wonderful customers for helping me get this far! I just hope that I can continue past Feb 10, still waiting to hear of any revisions or for the law to be repealed.

Anyway, on a lighter note, whoever is my 500th sale will get to choose a second item for free (of equal or lesser value)!!!!!! I'm not promoting it anywhere but here, so maybe it will be surprise for that individual :)

Silicone No Slip Grip Secrets Revealed!

Available now in my Etsy shop! "How To Make Silicone No Slip Grips For Hair Clips" in a PDF that can be emailed right to you!


I have been asked time and time again for my "secret" method for making no slip grips. I've been very protective of it until now, I am offering it to you all now in a PDF that is 11 pages of easy to read text with 20 clear pictures to show you every step of the way! I tell you what supplies I use, and various methods I use to make the grips!

When making this tutorial I did an experiment. The first picture below was taken in the morning before school (the model has very fine slippery hair), then she came home at 3:30, played outside with some friends (running around, cartwheels, and tree climbing). All this time I did not touch her hair or bow, and neither did she. At dinner time her hair was a wreck (as you can imagine after all that play), but as you can see in the second picture, the bow is still almost in the same place 8 hours later!!! All other no slip grips I have tried never held in her hair through that much abuse!

All my hair bows and clips are made with this lining now unless otherwise asked for! Please visit my shop to see all that I have to offer!

Please Vote!!

I entered a contest that some Etsians put together. I entered that spider hair clip and headband you see pictured above which can be found here in my Etsy shop. If you'd like, would you consider voting in the contest? It is at this blog, "Montly Challenge Blog". I had a blast making that spider, it was definitely a challenge. I couldn't even tell you how many legs I made before I got ones that I liked!!

Coming Soon!

Coming soon to an Etsy shop near you!


Scheduled to be released officially Monday at http://punkynmunky.com!

Featuring Mad Maggie Designs!

How pretty is that family ring?? I just love those swirl earrings too! And oh my goodness, how fun are those candy earrings??
I'd love to introduce you to the artist who has a brand new shop on Etsy! MadMaggieDesigns! I've been admiring her jewelry for a while now on her blog. I got a chance to ask her a few questions and would love to share with you all! Read through to the end to find information about her FREE FAMILY RING GIVE AWAY!!! You don't want to miss that!!!

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your shop.

My name is Leslie Gidden, I am 36 years old, and I live in a beautiful small town south of St. Louis Missouri. I am married and have a wonderful 3 ½ year old daughter Madelyn. My husband and I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary this October 11th. The month of September brings us to our first year in our new house here in Farmington. I am a part-time registered nurse working for a local pharmacy as a Community Education Nurse during the day. I talk too much, laugh too loud. I love to read…..ANYTHING! I love my family more than anything else in this world. I miss my Step-father and Mother-in-law every day, so much I physically hurt. I have a very strange sense of humor……not everyone gets it. I always fight for the underdog. I am a member of the Kids with Food Allergies support group. I LOVE helping others. I am a very caring and compassionate person…..so much so that little daily tragedies that happen elsewhere and are even out of my control will set me into crying jags. I don’t drink, smoke or do drugs………I am SO boring! More importantly, in 1999 I went to visit my father for a holiday during nursing school and it was then that my father introduced me to jewelry making and design. Yes….my father! The Christmas after my daughter was born I made jewelry as gifts for about every female on my list. This came out of necessity as I was now a stay-at-home-mother, and we only had one income coming in….all with a new baby. That Christmas was how it all started. You know how it goes….someone sees the jewelry, they refer them to you and voila……a business is born. .

2. How did you come up with the name of your shop?

From the minute our daughter was born it was pretty evident that she had 2 very distinctive sides to her. She is truthfully, for the most part, very very sweet. But on occasion the “other side” comes out. We call that person Mad Maggie. Her full name is Madelyn Margaret……hence the Mad Maggie. I searched, and brainstormed, asked advice, but the naming of my business kept coming back to Mad Maggie. It just fit seeing as that first Christmas I made jewelry was how this all started and I made the jewelry to stay at home with her…….1+1+1 and all that! It just came full circle around to her…….my Mad Maggie. Why I picked the “evil side” of my daughter I do not know. I guess I could have named it Madelyn Designs……but, I am sure this is a whole Dr. Phil episode in itself.

3. What is your favorite item in your shop?

Oh my gosh, THIS is a hard question. My biggest seller is the family jewelry, but I LOVE working with sterling wire. I love my Mother’s Rings because they were conceived for our local health department who commissioned me to make a piece of jewelry for their new Breastfeeding Clinic. All of the mothers who “graduate” a year with the clinic get a Mother’s Ring……I just LOVE that! I love being in Wal-Mart and seeing someone with my ring on. But, with that being said, I think I am going to have to say my all time favorite is the Sterling Wire earrings……any style. I just love the organic feel and look. I love making them. I love that there are never two the same. Plus I like anything that you can throw on and wear daily!

4. What is your favorite material to work with?

The Sterling Silver Wire, 0.925…..which is so aggravating to love a medium that steadily goes up in price EVERY DAY! I do think I found a new love though…..Brass. I have always loved my mother’s vintage jewelry that I used to play dress up with. The Brass reminds me of that fun time, so you might start seeing a collection of Brass jewelry soon, named for my mother’s side of the family. The Kelly Collection…….we are so Irish Catholic!

5. What is your inspiration?

Truthfully….my daughter. But, jewelry inspiration comes from many places. The Sundance Jewelry Collections, J Jill Jewelry, Acacia, color, other artists…..daily LIFE! Everything I see, people who I come in contact with. For example, my Katie Collection. This came from meeting a friend/co-workers daughter named Katie. She is such a joy and a truly nice teenage young lady! I just saw “candy” in my head whenever I was around her! She has this beautiful smile with those cute braces on her teeth…..it just took off in my head from there! 6. What future plans do you have for MadMaggieDesigns? I would LOVE to be a featured artist on Etsy…..heck I would love to be in a Treasury on the front page. But, with jewelry design, it is a hard road. It is so saturated with sellers. I am still waiting for that BIG IDEA or design to come to me. I want a design that I can create and is so unique that if you ever saw someone wearing it you could say, “Hey, that’s a Mad Maggie’s isn’t it?”. Oh, but wouldn’t it be fun to see Mad Maggie Designs in a retail department store? Before nursing school I worked in the jewelry department of Dillards Department Store in Oklahoma City. I would just SO LOVE to see all of my designs right there next to Anne Klein, Kenneth Cole, Anna and Ava, Adrienne Vittadini, and Napier………*sigh* A girl can dream can’t she?

OK, now for the giveaway! Go to MadMaggieDesigns. Check out her lovely shop. Then take yourself over to her blog and find the post for her giveaway, and post a comment about her shop! Maybe you will be chosen for a FREE FAMILY RING!!!

Day Out With Thomas!

Thomas the Tank Engine came to our area last weekend so I got tickets to take the kids. I had taken Punky when she was 2, so now that Munky is 2, I thought he should get a chance to go too! When I had taken Punky, I had sewn a dress just for the occasion. Wow, I can't believe how much she has grown since then!

This year, since my sewing machine is put away to make room at the dinner table for Munky, I wanted to make a hair bow for the outing! Being too lazy to come up with a ribbon sculpture, I enlisted the help of my online friend Shannon from GHButterflies, she makes some awesome images! I asked her to make some bottle caps for a bow center as well as a bottle cap necklace for Munky! She did a fantastic job!!! I once thought about making my own bottlecaps, but for now, I think if I need some I'll just order from her, it was too easy!

I had intended on making a pigtail set for Punky, but a few days before I made the bows she said she didn't want to wear pigtails, just one ponytail. So I made a bow to wear on her ponytail. I have one bottle cap left over, trying to decide what to do with it now!

Anyway, here are just a few pictures of our "Day Out With Thomas".

International Shipping is now available!!

Everyone tells me it is easy to ship internationally. I've decided to give it a try! I listed shipping prices, not sure if they are accurate. I will eat the cost if I've undercharged and I will refund any shipping I've overcharged by a $1 or more as always. If you are an international buyer, I'd love for you to give my shop a look and see if there is anything you'd love to have :)

Sample Sets!

Not sure if you need a no slip grip? Not sure which is best of the two I offer? Here is your chance to find out!

One is plain, made without a no slip grip.

Another one is made with a clear silicone lining applied, perfect for all hair types! Really keeps them from sliding and helps them stay put!!

The last one is lined with a thicker foam rubber that is perfect for that super thin barely there hair. It acts as kind of a "filler" to help it stay in place.

All ends are sealed to prevent fraying. They measure 1 3/4".

I have set the price of these clippies low so you can test out my clippies with out much investment. This item will ship free with purchase of another item in my shop in the same transaction(If the shipping doesn't total correctly I will refund the extra shipping). Also, with purchase of this item you will receive a discount code to use on your next purchase. So you can't go wrong!

Currently available in the pinks and purples, other colors may be available too!

visit my shop to see what's there!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!

Another Etsy Purchase!

I just received my order from Jennifer from Bailygirlsboutique! I ordered some I Spy bags for Punky and Munky for their birthday. I opened up the package last night and couldn't wait for them to go to bed to open it up! They are darling!!! Very well made! My husband and I sat on the couch and played with them for awhile before I wrapped them back up to be hidden away til their party June 1. Seems a long time to wait, hope I don't give in and give it to them early!

Jennifer gave me permission to use some pictures from her shop, so above you can see the style of the ones I bought, Punky got a pink one and Munky got a pirate one. I'm sure they will love it! Here is part of the description for anyone who has not heard of I Spy Bags

"This toy is perfect for a long car ride or trip on a plane. This is also perfect when quiet time is important, like waiting at the doctor's or dentist office. 25 items are hidden inside and there is a list on the back so the child will know what to look for. It is made of durable fleece and is double stitched.

In addition to fun, this toy has educational benefits as well. It promotes reading comprehension, motor skills, and object recognition.

I can add the child's name to this bag or leave it off if you prefer.

Each bag contains 25 items to find but the items may vary from those shown. I can add beads with the letters in the child's name for an extra special touch!"


Bailygirlsboutique is on vacation right now, will be back May 11, so she has her shop pretty much empty. But please visit her shop, check her sold items to see what she has to offer and mark her as a favorite to visit later! Crayon Rolls, Chalkboard Rolls, I Spy Bags, Bibs and Burp cloths...

A nice surprise!

My friend over at My Ribbon Fix wrote about me in her blog. How nice was that?? It really made my day :) If you've been reading my blog, she is the one who answered my Alchemy request and made a purple key fob for me! She has the neatest ribbon wands! If Punky didn't talk me into inviting her ENTIRE preschool class to her birthday party, I'd have considered purchasing some for party favors, :)