My Favorite Handmade Shops

Long time, no post! I had a really concentrated amount of cake orders, and then a nice calm, break. I had one cake recently and have been enjoying my time off! I have a cake to do towards the end of this month that I am just ITCHING to do, but no details, because the recipient may be reading! ;) Here's a birthday cake I made:

So in my break time I have been working my butt off at the gym and planning for crafts and fun stuff to come. I'll be posting a summerish craft tutorial, but it goes with the cake so no clues! Today, I want to talk about my favorite handmade stores and such (etsy and facebook pages) I've done LOTS of searching around and am picky with what styles I buy for Lily.

So many bow makers charge frankly too much, or maybe just too much for me. My favorite bow place is Kota's Bowtique (link here). Her bows are beautiful, nicely made, heat sealed edges, many caps to choose from, occasional clays and most importantly- the perfect price! She also posts sales every so often, like yesterday... which of course I could not resist. Buy 5 bows, get 2 free! How awesome?! She's friendly and has great service. Highly suggest you check her out. Also, she offers different sizes, which is important because Lily looks silly with a gigantic bow on her head, but you certainly want it big enough. You can customize every part of the bow and she is willing to work with it! Her bows were the ones around Lily's Easter basket. Thanks Kota's Bowtique! This is one of my favorites we ordered:

Another important bow maker to check out is Mommy Crafts A Lot. Now I started following her ages ago, and now she's an A-list celeb in bow world. She makes YouTube videos (link here) on many different things, but mainly bow techniques... Unfortunately, bow making just was not my cup of tea. But, she also has a facebook page! Here, she not only sells her bows but promotes MANY other makers and has the biggest auctions featuring tons of different stuff. (check her out) If you're not into the types of bows I am, this page will direct you where to go. Tons of different styles and shops, and often getting you a good deal. MCAL's bows are amazing also, but people bid on them for unspeakable prices!

Leading me to my next point- if you auction, be a savvy auctioner. Check the boutique before bidding way higher than they regularly sell for. I know that's the point, but I only have x amount to spend on fun things like bows, and I'm looking for a bargain.

My go to tutu set girl is Bethanie's Boutique (facebook here) or (etsy here). I splurged a bit on Lily's first birthday outfit, and got her a GORGEOUS set to match her theme. The set was a personalized onesie with a tutu and hair piece. It's currently featured as Bethanie's profile picture!! Here is Lily in her set:

As you can see, beautiful work! Please pay attention to her turnaround time- as any shop- and order in advance to be safe. She's popular, but surely affordable. I ordered two new baby cousins' a set for a unique baby shower gift. Way adorable, and again, willing to work with anything. Super nice woman as well! Thank you Bethanie's Boutique! 

Finally- in regards to all Etsy Goods, do your shopping. Look around for the best price! For instance- I wanted to send my cousin a present in the mail and came across those Future Mrs. _____ rhinestone sweatshirts. SO CUTE. Some of them sold for around $60! I got mine for $33 from My One Stop Bling Shop. I also got a clearance rhinestone tank for my maid of honor cousin. Great prices. Look around the end of each season or year. Stores like to put out new styles every year and often get rid of their "old" ones. Can't wait to show you the lacey outfit I bought on clearance from Etsy in a photo shoot in two weeks. 

What's your favorite bow place? Where do you find great prices?! 

Do your research and happy shopping!!!

Love Becca

Deals, deals, deals! Bargain Hunting for Baby Clothes

Today, I found the cutest dresses ever for Lily and you'll never guess where! I just wanted to do a quick post on where I find the best deals and also ask you guys, where do you find the best deals? So the dresses are below and they were 16.99 a piece at Cosco!!! Yes, cosco has such cute baby clothes at unbeatable prices! I bought three because we have a few events coming up, but these dresses are so beautiful. The brand was Jona Michelle. If you don't have a membership, which you need to shop, tag along someone who does! I don't have one but my parents do. Formula, wipes and diaps are all less expensive in bulk!

I often find great deals at Old Navy, too, for me and Lily both. They have large clearance sections and occasionally run a 15-20% off clearance items sale. Recently I went and bought tons of summer tanks that were around 40¢ a piece! Crazy cheap!! Check out the outfit I found there too, way too cute to leave on the rack!! (At the end, blue and white polka dots) They have the cutest stuff of all time for babies and toddlers and have a wide variety of jeans selection. Personally, I don't think anyone will know the clearance is last season ;)

Target has a super cheap clearance section, too. Their clothes are inexpensive to begin with, so the clearance is always good. But keep your eye on the 'was this price, now this price' tag. If its not a lot of money off of that first price, hold off if you think it'll still be there. It'll go down more! I'm a clearance snoot... I wait for mega low prices!

Believe it or not, gymboree, also. Their original prices are crazy for sure. They do have lots of clearance in the back. Also, check their site before you go in, because they always run 40% off the entire store sales. And definitely shop during gym bucks! You can earn gym bucks that'll be good in a few weeks earning you like 50$ worth for 25$ or 100$ for 50$. You get the point!

Occasionally, I find cheap prices at Children's Place. I honestly don't go in a lot, but when the season's change their stuff is super cheap!! I got Lily a hat and mittens set that matched her winter coat for 1.99 a piece originally 8$ or something!! I believe they also run 40% off entire store days, but I could be wrong.

I highly suggest checking out websites before you go in to stores. Always shop with coupons in hand! Now stores are letting you scan your phones and stuff, too, so make sure to be aware if you can save some dough!

An awesome time to shop is the changing of seasons in general. Especially the new year!!! I find the best sales in late December or early January. Even on etsy, I found Lil and her friend lace rompers for super cheap because the shop owner wanted all new inventory, as most stores do. Buy for next year if you can estimate your child's size. But make sure you have room to store the clothes!

As far as baby clothes go, check yard sales in the summer. If they're not stained or yucky, just wash and sanitize!! I hit some great yard sales last year and Lily always looks good if I do say so myself. ;)

I'm honestly not a big Walmart shopper for clothes for her. I bought her a dress there and it literally ripped in like 3 places on the first day. Yes, you get what you pay for, but if its clearance it was originally more!

Do you have any tips for shopping? Any deals or stores I should check out?! Let me know in a comment below!! Lil and I are shopaholics and would love to be pointed in a new direction!

Also, I appreciate your reads so much and am so beyond happy if you guys pin or repin my blog. It means a lot in all sincerity!!!

Happy Shopping!
-Becca