Plush You Opening and That Time I Met Twinkie Chan!

Friday was the opening night for Plush You, an annual toy show at Schmancy Toys in downtown Seattle. Twinkie Chan wrote that she was going to be there... so Jacob and I went to meet her and check out the toy show!

I've actually never been to Schmancy before, though I've heard of it. It's not a huge store, but it was packed full of awesome and diverse, handmade toys for the show! Definitely a shop I'd stop by if I were in the area.

The jellybean jar was Jacob's favorite! Little plush jellybeans with all sorts of funny expressions... stuffed into a jar. So cute!

I posed (awkwardly) with a the two-headed deer and a tiny little fox. =)

Jacob chose a super fuzzy monster with too many eyes and a beard... hehe.

And... Twinkie's super cute crocheted tissue cozies were on display! Jacob decided to be super sweet and told me he'd buy me a gift of choice at the show. Can you guess which cozy I went home with?

Oh, and Twinkie herself! The way she's built up her cute, bright, and colorful brand totally inspires me. I'm a total idiot and planned my entire outfit colors to match the crocheted cupcake scarf I bought from Twinkie's shop... and then I forgot to grab it on the way out. Argh!!! Anyway, thanks, Twinkie, for taking pictures with my super-awkward (and forgetful) self! =D

My outfit: hair bow - CRSparkleGalaxy;  jewelry - Kelsea Echo, unreleased collection;

tank top - Jessica Louise; tote bag - Callowlily

No toy show opening night is complete without drinks and circus animal cookies. Right?

It was a fun visit and I would definitely recommend stopping by Schmancy to see Plush You if you're in the Seattle area anytime soon!

Help a Heart - Update #1

I thought it was about time for a little update on Help a Heart! New items, giveaways, etc.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far via donations, purchases, or spreading the word. It really does mean the world to me. Keep it coming! So far we've raised $300. Just remember that you only have until the 19th to make a purchase that 100% benefits the American Heart Association (and catch the 25% off sale!). I am stocking up as many small items as possible to make it truly affordable to add your own little contribution and I'm really hoping to pick up the pace! So here's what's new.

New Items
Trick or Treat Bags
I just added these fun Halloween trick-or-treat bags, which basically work like super value grab bags (you get twice the value you spend), except you get to include some preferences (style, color choice, type of goodies)! I'll personalize them just for you and it'll still be a fun surprise! Check out the listings for details. I can also do custom amounts - contact me to set one up. These are the best value I've ever offered and I'm not sure if I'll be continuing these... so get one now if you're interested!

Necklaces and Rings
Tons of new items posted in the shop. I'll be adding some other types of goodies shortly... hair pins, purse clips, ear studs, headbands, and such. Keep updated via my shop facebook page. Here's a little peek of a few necklaces in progress!

... I've also gotten word from several very, very sweet major bloggers that they'll be linking the event soon. So if you see something in the shop, be sure to snatch it up ASAP as many of the pieces are one of a kind or may not be back in stock for a while. I will do some limited reserves if you're waiting on another item type to show up in the shop or something else, but due to the nature of the event I can only hold items for a few days at most.

Giveaways
Thank you to these super sweet lovely ladies hosting giveaways to help promote Help a Heart! If you don't already follow them, I highly recommend doing so - and make sure to enter all the giveaways! Some of them end very soon, while others run through the entire event and include extra entry points if you make a purchase, regardless of the amount!

*Aizzing of Icing & Write
*Cara of Marvelous Flight of Cara
*Sammy of The Cookie Button
*Jessa of Caked Vintage
*Kate of Scathingly Brilliant

Thank You
At the end I'm going to do a big thank you post, so if you donate, make a purchase, or spread the word, be sure to leave me your shop/blog name (checkout notes, Etsy conversation, or e-mail) if you have one - that way I can link to you!

Help a Heart Event

A week and a half ago was my little brother Corbin's birthday. I wrote a happy birthday post and told his story about the fight with heart disease. If you missed it, I really hope you go back and read that post as it sets the tone for today's part two post - what I'd consider the most important thing I've written on my blog thus far.

New heart-themed designs in the shop.

Part Two - The Help a Heart Event

As I mentioned in Part One, I am participating in the Heart Walk again this year, which benefits the American Heart Association (AHA). I typically send an e-mail to close relatives asking for donations and many of them have generously contributed over the years. This year, I thought hard about what I could do to step up my fundraising efforts and also express my appreciation for everyone who contributes to the fight against heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. I decided to start the Help a Heart Event.

ALL revenue from my Etsy jewelry shops will be donated to the AHA from now until the Heart Walk. As an added incentive, I'm temporarily discounting everything in my main shop by 20%, so everyone wins! And I really do mean that I’m donating 100% of the purchase price, meaning if you pay $25 for a piece, the AHA will get $25. I am donating the materials, time and expertise in making the pieces, Etsy fees, and shipping cost. Help a Heart will be a combined effort from you and me. =)

I designed several heart-inspired pieces with the event in mind and I also included quite a few Halloween-themed designs to make things fun! I'll be adding lots of new items to the shop over the next few weeks.

You can participate in a several ways.

1.   Donate directly to the AHA on my page here (minimum online donation is $25). If you want to donate a smaller amount, contact me at kelsea@pinkwonderland.com! I'd love for you to also send me an e-mail so I can thank you personally. =)

2.   Buy anything in my etsy shops: cameo jewelry & boxes, polymer clay jewelry, gemstone jewelry. I'll then take the revenue and donate to the AHA every few purchases/days.

3.   Contact me to set up a purchase. E-mail me at kelsea@pinkwonderland.com letting me know what you’re interested in – the heart necklaces, a custom piece, etc. We can talk about the minimum donation amount for the piece you have in mind, and we can talk details.

4.   Donate products. Are you a vendor? If you’re interested in donating revenue from some of your own products, please contact me! It's for a great cause and I will do what I can to bring some exposure to your shop - possible vendor highlight posts, and at the very least, mentions on the HELP A HEART page + social media love.

5.   Share your story. If you have heart disease/heart problems or know someone who does and is comfortable telling their story, I would love to hear it and share it on my blog. Please contact me at kelsea@pinkwonderland.com.

6.   SPREAD THE WORD!! Please, please, please. Anything helps. A link on facebook. An e-mail to friends or family you think might be interested. A tweet. A blog post. Adding a badge to your page. Anything. I appreciate it so much – by all means tag me or let me know! I am also happy to do a guest post about Help a Heart on your blog – let me know! I may even send you a little thank you gift. ;) Also doing some limited giveaways to spread the word. You can link this post or the HELP A HEART page, which I set up for this event and will be updating regularly.

Basically, I want to make this as easy and rewarding for you as possible. I'll be putting up custom piece listings, which I will likely take down after this event. I will try to set up some grab bags for surprise items. I’m finishing up and finally posting tons of half-completed pieces in my studio. Whatever I can think of to make this fun and beneficial for everyone!

PLEASE CHECK THE HELP A HEART PAGE FOR UPDATES.
I’ll post new things available, links to donation grab bags in my supply shop, etc. I will also post updates & new items on my Pink Wonderland and Kelsea Echo facebook pages.

This event lasts until 5PM PST OCTOBER 19th. The earlier the better so I have time to get everyone’s donations in before the Heart Walk on the morning of October 20^th.

Please contact me if you have any questions, thoughts, ideas... anything! Thank you so much for reading this post and I really hope you participate, even if it’s just by spreading the word!

I have no idea how this will go, but I have high hopes! Let's see how much we can raise together. =)

Happy Independence Day, America!

It's that time of year again, here in the USA... where the red, white and blue starts popping up everywhere. Like so many American families, I used to go down to the waterfront with my parents and two brothers to watch the fireworks. This year, I am in Eastern Washington visiting Jacob's family, so I guess it will be something new (for me). Happy Independence Day, America - and here's a little tribute to you!

Red, white, and blue bundt cake with sprinkles? Yes, please!

Yeah, more cake. You can never have too much, right? This delicious flag cake looks almost too good to eat! Almost. =)

Metallic Independence Day nails. So cool and a little superhero-like.

Fun Independence Day Strawberries!

Trust Katy Perry to take the flag and wear it as a latex dress! Hehe.

Fun craft - starry paper lanterns.

And... a little preview of a jewelry collection I will be launching later this year! Modeled by Bree Vargas. Isn't her Jessica Louise sailor dress so perfect for July 4?

Visit my Pinterest board for more fun Independence Day inspiration! For my U.S. readers... do you have any fun July 4 plans?

Unicorn Jewelry Set Giveaway!

I will write a more substantial post tonight, but for now - just wanted to let all of you know that there is a giveaway for a jewelry set from my shop, along with plenty of other awesome prizes up at the Wonder Forest!

Head over to Dana's blog to enter!