Learning how to Shop on Etsy: My Etsy Experience

I love Etsy.  I really do.  I have ordered so many things from Etsy, and have been very pleased with them all...until now.  I don't want to discourage anyone from purchasing on Etsy.  I will continue to shop on Etsy, but I had to learn how to shop on Etsy.  I think there are many people who are still not familiar with Etsy, or don't quite know their way around it.  I wanted to post about my experiences with Etsy, and give a little buying advice from my experience.

These are the first items I bought through Etsy:

1. The first item I bought on Etsy was this cute print from Graphic Anthology.  This shop has a lot of cute prints, and there are prints on Etsy for just about every quote, song lyric, and bible verse that you can imagine.  

2. I bought three bubble necklaces for Christmas gifts.  I actually bought them from different shops, but they were all in China, so shipping took A LOOOONG TIME.  In fact,  the one I ordered for Candice (My Bro-in-law's fiance) didn't make it in time for Christmas.  But the necklaces were cute, and the seller was very nice, so I left good feedback on her shop.  Here is where I learned LESSON #1 when Shopping on Etsy: Always look at where the shop is located.

 3. I ordered a super cute Gender Reveal Party Package from The Paper Blossom Shop.  You can find all sorts of cute party decor here, and in several other shops on Etsy.  Etsy is a great place to order your stationary, Invites, Photo Announcements, etc.  This set came with personalized invitations, Party Circles, Welcome sign, centerpieces, and Water bottle Labels.  It also came with other non-personalized items such as cupcake wrappers, buntings, etc.  I ordered this without looking at other pictures in the listing, and without reading what all it came with.  I then saw a listing in her shop for water bottle labels, so I ordered those as well, not realizing that the package I had ordered already came with them.  Thankfully she was very sweet and messaged me about the mistake, and refunded the money for the water bottle labels. Here is where I learned LESSON #2 when Shopping on Etsy:  ALWAY LOOK AT ALL THE PICTURES IN THE LISTING, AND READ EVERYTHING IN THE DESCRIPTION.

4. I bought my baby bedding back in April from Dandelion Baby Blanket.  (I linked this to her feedback, because she has since deleted her shop.)
 This has by far been the WORST Etsy experience, and probably the most valuable lesson I learned while shopping on Etsy.  I custom ordered my bedding, and she was very quick to get back with me on the details of my order.  I paid $330 for the bedding, and then I saw that her policy said it would take up to 12 weeks for the order to be shipped.  This was my first mistake with this order - not reading the shipping policies, but I figured 12 weeks was before my due date anyways, so no biggie.  Later on, though I found her feedback, and it was ALL horrible.   Pretty much all of it was saying they didn't receive their order in the specified time frame, and that she completely ignored all of their inquiries.  Second Mistake: Not Reading Shop Feedback.  This is only her most recent feedback.  There is SO much more.

This made me really nervous, so I messaged her and she got right back to me:

I left her alone until last Week - week 12.  I asked her about the status of my order, and if it would ship that week.  Again, she got right back to me and told me it would ship on Friday:

I was really excited thinking that maybe she had learned from all the bad feedback, and my order would actually be on time.  But it's been a week now, and she has not only been ignoring my inquiries, but she has also deleted her shop.  I am feeling like she is taking my money and running with it, and what's sad is that I'm not the only one she's doing this to.  I will probably have to dispute it through PayPal.

I learned a few important lessons with this experience:

Lesson #3 when buying on Etsy:  ALWAYS READ SHOP POLICIES

Lesson #4 when buying on Etsy: ALWAYS READ FEEDBACK!!

I have really only had the one bad experience with Etsy.  I will continue to buy from Etsy, but I have learned some very important lessons through my first 4 Etsy Purchases.  Since then, I have purchased many other items, and have been VERY PLEASED:

5. We ordered these 16 x 20 Vintage Baseball prints from Gemini Studio.  They shipped very quickly, and we LOVE them.  This guy has a ton of awesome prints in his shop that I have favorited.
6. I ordered these vintage locker baskets from Third Times Charming.  Again, they shipped quickly, and look great.  This shop is full of vintage pieces.
7. I ordered this baby girl Texans onesie for my sister-in-law Megan's baby shower.  I ordered it from Gifts We Love.  She doesn't have anything in her shop anymore, but I was very please with this order.
8.  I ordered these baby headbands and another set of 3 for Megan's shower as well.  These are from Fab Flower Headbands.  She has SO MANY precious headbands in her shop, and I loved the ones I got.  I will be ordering from her again.

9. I ordered a Contour changing pad like this one but a different print from Designs By Christy S.  She has some bad feedback, but most of the complaints about not receiving orders on time were because of the tornados in Oklahoma City, which is where she is from.  Thankfully my order shipped and I am pleased with it.
10.  I ordered this cute print for Aiden's room with a picture of  Malti-Poo on it, and of course Aiden's name.  I ordered this from Wallfry.  It shipped from Australia, but it shipped really quickly, and looks AWESOME.  I love it.
11 &12. I ordered my Diaper bag and a pacifier holder from Bag Envy.  The bag is Navy Chevron with Orange Lining.  I am also having it personalized with Aiden's name.  I haven't received it yet, but it should ship next week.  I'm not worried about this one.  She has RAVE reviews.  Her bags are awesome.

 13. I ordered these Onesie Stickers from Buddha Bellies.  They are too cute.  These ladies are really talented and have just about every type on onesie sticker you could dream of.  They shipped quick, and look great!
14. I ordered this Wet Bag to match my diaper bag from Pink Pigeon Creations.  I was very pleased with it as well, and the shop has lots more cute items like this.
15. I ordered this Travel wipes case from Baby Penelope.  I love it.  It looks great, and shipped quickly.
16.  I ordered this Car Seat Cover from Kit Carson Blue.  I haven't received it yet, but I can't wait!

17. I ordered this precious little crocheted newsboy hat from My Sweet Baby Etsy.  She has a lot more cute crocheted items.  I love this one, and can't wait to use it in Aiden's newborn session.
18. I LOVE my little Astros Crocheted hat and diaper cover!  I ordered it from Handmade by Chhunneang.  Her crocheted items are absolutely precious!  I will probably order from her again!

Hopefully this helps some who aren't as familiar with Etsy to have a positive experience.  I love Etsy, but it's important to know who to order from and who not to order from!

Daddy's Hospital Survival Kit

I saw this cute idea on Pinterest a while back:

Right away, I knew I had to do that for Eric too.  He's been so sweet and patient with me throughout this pregnancy, and he deserves a little "Pampering" too!  I started looking for some of his favorite snacks and candies.  I skipped the magazines, because we'll have my kindle and our phones.  I also wanted to find a few comfortable new things for him wear while at the hospital.  I put it all together last night (in case something didn't fit and I needed to take it back), and waited for him to come home.

Here's what I came up with:

I had it ready and sitting on the island for when he came home from work.  I wrote a little note inside the card telling him how much I appreciate him and so on.  He's a pretty special guy. :)

 Here's everything I included in his little kit:

1.  FEED for Target Short Sleeve Shirt  - This is one of the softest T-Shirts I've found, and HE LOVED it.  I'm gonna go back today and get him the Gray one.
2.  Mossimo by Target Short Sleeve Shirt - He has a couple of these, and they are very soft.  Love them.
3. POLO V-Neck T-Shirt - I found this at Dillards, and thought it was so super soft, but this one is going back.  It's HUGE, and not attractive on at all.  Oh Well...
4. Polo Super Soft Comfy Pants - These are so soft, and he loves the Polo sweatpants.  These are just lightweight cotton, so they are perfect for lounging around in.  They were a keeper.
5. Soft Comfy Shorts from Dillards - These are just a basic Dillards brand soft cotton shorts.  These are keepers too.  
6. Bag of quarters for the Vending Machine - I got him snacks, but who know how long we'll be there.  Quarters will definitely come in handy!
7. Builders Bars - These are his favorite flavor.
8. Sour Punch Straws - Anything Sour, and he's happy!
9. Two Gatorades - These will come in handy.
10. Starbucks VIA Refreshers Valencia - This is his new favorite Starbucks drink, and I was excited to find this.  I really wanted to find a cool "Daddy" cup to go with them, but couldn't find one I liked.
11. Chapstick - He loves his chapstick.
12.  Lindt HELLO chocolate bars - He's never had these before, and neither have I, but I found them at Target, and they look so yummy (I may actually be the one eating these!).  I bought Strawberry Cheesecake, Cookies and Creme, and Caramel Brownie.  They also have a Nougat Crunch flavor, but it must be very popular, because they were all out.
13. More Sour punch Straws
14. Sour Patch Kids - His Favorite Sour Candy

He's all set for the hospital!  Daddy's Hospital Kit is getting packed in my bag this week so it'll be ready when the time comes!

Week 35 Update, and a Children's Book Themed Shower

I am so bad about blogging on time, but better late than never, I guess.  First things first, here is my week 35 update.  No chalkboard picture this time, but I've got something better - a preggo sisters-in-law picture!

Week: 35
Stretch marks? Nope.
Wedding rings on or off? Still off...my fingers look so chubby!!  I can't even wear my watches now!  My wrists have always been so tiny that I could put my touch my thumb to my pinkie wrapped around my wrists and still have a little room.  Now I can't even touch them!
Best moment this week:
Eric and I took a full day child birthing class two Saturdays ago.  We feel so much more prepared now.  Eric knows how to time my contractions, and exactly when and where to take me when the time comes!  He also learned quite a bit about different coping positions to help me with pain, and how to rub my back to help - he was quite the class clown during all the breathing...I'm sure he'll take it much more seriously when the time comes!
I checked two big things off the list this week - Newborn Photography, and Pediatrician!  It feels so good to check things off!

We also had an awesome shower from Southeast two Sundays ago.  Eric and I are truly blessed to be a part of such a loving congregation.  Sweet Allison did an awesome job coordinating the shower!  The theme was just perfect!  She did a fantastic job getting things together and making it look amazing!  She went with them children's book theme - so me!  I LOVED IT, and my wonderful hostesses all did such a great job decorating.  Here are a few pictures from the shower:

 

Food Table 1

Food Table 2

Here's Mama Rue signing in and putting her address on an envelope.

I love all of the books and book characters - thanks to Stacie VanLoenen for providing them!

Such a pretty cake!

I love this banner that Allison put together!  She is so talented!

All my wonderful hostesses!

So much Love

Holly, Megan, Me, and my Mom

Book themed food!  Cookies for If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, and Blueberry Muffins for Blueberries for Sal.

Meatballs for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Ham Sandwiches for Green Eggs and Ham

Lemonade for Lemonade for Sale, and fruit for The Very Hungry Caterpillar

A Veggie Tray for The Tale of Peter Rabbit

And look!  The Fruit Tray was made to look like The Very Hungry Caterpillar!  How creative!!

Me and my "helpers".  Jordan helped by handing me presents, and pulling out tissue paper, and Megan wrote down all my gifts for me!

The shower was wonderful, and I am so thankful for such an amazing church family!

Week 35 update continued:

Miss Anything? Just being comfortable...BUT about a week after I posted my rant post about my Sciatica, I woke up and it had magically disappeared!  I have felt SOOOO much better since then.  Food Cravings: Nope.  
Movement:  I love watching him do flips in there!  My belly does the wave several times a day.  His kicks aren't so much kicks anymore. They are more like a sliding motion - like he straightens his leg out and moves it down the inside of my belly.  It always takes me by surprise, and kinda tickles.  I can't help but laugh out loud when he does it!
Belly Button in or out? I don't know how it could pop out any more!
Happy or Moody most of the time?  Happy - now that Summer School is over, and i can just relax at home.  I am getting restless - very anxious for him to be here.  Just trying to relax and nap as much as I can - WHILE I can! 
Looking forward to: Being Full Term in two weeks!