Indie Odyssey

Indie Odyssey started out as a true hobby shop on Etsy in 2009, with random new items added at odd intervals. Its creator, Shannon, was living in England at the time and was creating her necklaces, earrings, and button badges in her home. In 2011, however, her life had changed gears. She had moved back to Canada and began focusing more on her creations.

Shannon has always been blessed with creativity and with many inspiring ideas coming to her, she couldn't help but make them come to life. Once she started creating again, her friends and acquaintances took notice. After filling their requests, she began to receive even more orders from people who heard about her creations through the grapevine. She knew then that she needed to start investing more time into Indie Odyssey.

Shannon loves to create Indie Odyssey's items with resin, because the numerous possibilities. She taught herself how to use resin by experimenting and perfecting her techniques. Now she can add colors and textures to her resin, as well as cast it into different shapes.

"I think it is very important to shop homemade as you are supporting the little guy...not a huge corporation," says Shannon. She likes to imagine that the money she is spending goes to supporting the families of those who's blood, sweat, and tears went into the work. Plus, the quality and uniqueness of the work is a beautiful bonus, as well!

Indie Odyssey's series of cameos are some of Shannon's favorite creations. She says she loves making them and she puts a lot of herself into each one. She makes sure they are up to her standard of high quality by taking a good deal of time creating the frames, hand painting the details, and adding the perfect embellishments. 


Show Indie Odyssey some love on their social media accounts!
Indie Odyssey on Facebook
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Indie Odyssey on Instagram

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Heart and Soles

"I know when I buy handmade, it was made with love," Amy from Heart and Soles said when asked why she thinks it is important to shop handmade. If a customer is going to spend money on a gift or on themselves, it is important for the item they get in return to be special. Amy wants her customers to know that when they receive their item from her and her husband, it was made with them in mind. She goes on to say that she would rather purchase handmade items herself because she would rather know her money goes directly into the pockets of the creators. It would put food on the table or help cloth children rather than go to a big box store.

The shoes purchased from Heart and Soles goes further to show Amy's desire to give her customers something special. Every item Amy and her husband create is a custom order and a reflection of their amazing customers. It was through custom creations that Heart and Soles came to be, allowing custom works to be the fuel to their success. After finding no items for Regular Show, a favorite of her nephew, Amy began to search for inspiration. She poured through Pinterest and YouTube and she found a video on how to paint shoes. She turned to her husband, who was talented at sketching and drawing, and after some convincing he drew a design from Regular Show on a pair of shoes. Amy painted them and proudly posted their creation onto Facebook, where her family and friends saw them and wanted designs of their own.

However, suddenly taking orders for custom shoes after one pair can have its drawbacks. Amy and her husband had to learn their trade by trial and error. "To this day, I'm not always sure what I'm doing. I just kind of do what feels right," she comments. She admits that when she feels she's being stumped by a pair, she turns to her husband who knows the basics of art. He had some learning to do as well; he had to figure out how to adjust his style of drawing and adjust it to the canvas of shoes. For him, however, it seems enough to be drawing with a purpose. He has been able to transfer his skills of doodling in the margins during schools to sketching on personalized shoes for money. And while her husband puts all he has into every shoe with his pencil, Amy turns to her paints in order to pour herself into the creation as well. She sees a blank surface of shoes and revels in the possibility for her to paint in the endless spectrum of colors available.

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Storenvy Crochet Pattern - Minecraft Logo Hat

Little Wonderland's Minecraft Logo Hat is now available as a pattern!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Also, if you're not a big crocheter but would like to purchase this item, you can purchase it made just for you at my Storenvy shop.

If you're interested in more patterns, I have several for sale through my Etsy shop and even a few geeky patterns at my Storenvy shop.

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Fiction Fingers

Around Christmas 2013, a little faith and a lot of yarn went towards the opening of Fiction Fingers. It was during this time that Fiction Fingers mastermind, Sarah, made some Pokémon finger puppets for her son. "I used to only crochet once a year around Christmas time but then something strange happened. Suddenly things that didn't used to make sense to me became clear and I found myself able to do all kinds of magical things with yarn and a crochet hook," she explains on her Etsy profile. Her husband was so impressed with her work, that he took a couple of her finger puppets to work with him to show off to his co-workers. Before Sarah knew it, people began asking for puppets of their own! 

After seeing the reaction to her puppets, Sarah's husband insisted and encouraged her to market her crochet creations. Sarah says that it was her husband's faith in her creations that motivated her to open her own shop. The fact that her creative outlet is also a second income to help with finances is a relief to this stay-at-home mom. 

Sarah learned how to crochet when she was in middle school and her mother taught her the basics. However, she didn't get excited about it until she had her son and she suddenly felt the urge to make him things. To expand her skills beyond the basics, she turned to Google and YouTube and began teaching herself. Even now, she says she is still learning new techniques and she loves trying out new ways to sculpt with yarn. In order to sculpt her creations correctly, Sarah has to use a certain type of yarn for each project. Caron Simply Soft yarn is her favorite brand to use due to its rich colors and gently fibers.

Sarah feels that her Pikachu puppet, seen below, best represents her work. She admits that it will always have a special place in her heart due to the fact that it was the creation that started her on her path to opening Fiction Fingers on Etsy. Although she has created many things that she has fallen in love with, she wouldn't have kept crocheting if she hadn't made the Pikachu puppet and realized the possibilities before her.

Show Sarah and Fiction Fingers some love!

Fiction Fingers on Etsy
Fiction Fingers on Facebook

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Storenvy Crochet Pattern: Minecraft Layers Hat

Little Wonderland's Minecraft Layers Hat is now available as a pattern!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Also, if you're not a big crocheter but would like to purchase this item, you can purchase it made just for you at my Storenvy shop.

If you're interested in more patterns, I have several for sale through my Etsy shop and even a few geeky patterns at my Storenvy shop.

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YouTube Tuesday

Whenever I go on a Minecraft binge, I can never just play Minecraft. I always have to have something else playing in the background. Usually I opt for Let's Plays or Podcasts, but lately I've been choosing something that sort of falls in the middle.

The Far Lands or Bust series features a Let's Player who has decided that he is going to undertake the journey to the "far lands" of the beta version of Minecraft. He has even decided to make it into a walk-a-thon to raise money for Child's Play.

Child's Play is a fundraiser that raises money for books, games, and toys for hospitalized children. Since 2011, Far Lands or Bust has raised over $200,000 for Child's Play!

As he walks, Kurtjmac talks about everything from astronomy to Minecraft news to fan questions!

And he's a Doctor Who fan, so that helps. =)

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Storenvy Crochet Pattern: Gameboy Phone Sleeve

Little Wonderland's Gameboy phone sleeve is now available as a pattern!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Also, if you're not a big crocheter but would like to purchase this item, you can purchase it made just for you at my Storenvy shop.

If you're interested in more patterns, I have several for sale through my Etsy shop and even a few geeky patterns at my Storenvy shop.

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Storenvy Crochet Pattern: Pokemon Phone Sleeve

Another new pattern is available through my Storenvy shop! This Pokeball phone sleeve always brings smiles to gamers' faces and can be made in any Pokeball color! Check out the pattern here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Also, if you're not a big crocheter but would like to purchase this item, you can purchase it made just for you at my Storenvy shop.

If you're interested in more patterns, I have several for sale through my Etsy shop and even a few at my Storenvy shop.

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Storenvy Crochet Patterns: Dirt and Diamond Minecraft Block

I've released two new patterns onto my Storenvy shop! These Minecraft cubes are some of my favorite items I've made and are always a huge hit at parties with my gamer friends! More to come, too!

Minecraft Dirt Block Pattern
Minecraft Diamond Ore Block Pattern

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Also, if you're not a big crocheter but would like to purchase these items, check out the dirt block and diamond ore block on my Storenvy shop!

If you're interested in more patterns, I have several for sale through my Etsy shop and even a few at my Storenvy shop.

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A Cup of Nostalgia

As a handmade shop owner and a huge fan of handmade items,  I would like to start shedding more light on other handmade shops. Through Little Wonderland, I've made several amazing connections with other shop owners and have seen some amazing products. An example of this is the five star Etsy shop A Cup of Nostalgia. 

Jennifer Hess started her handmade shop on Christmas day of 2013. Her son was born with unfortunate circumstances, which forced her to become a stay-at-home mom. She had always had an income, so not working for an entire year in combination with a new child and recently purchasing a new home motivated her to try something new. She took a chance and posted five coffee mugs she had decorated as Christmas presents. They were a rave on Instagram and soon began selling quickly on Etsy. Before she knew it, she had became a popular mug shop with nearly 700 sales in a year!

Her favorite items to make are the fully painted mugs, rather than the handwritten ones, since she loves painting. She began by trying the Sharpie method popular on Pinterest, but learned after a couple mugs that the writing and painting won't last. It took her months of trial and error - speaking with other successful mug shops, researching, reading blogs, etc - to learn which paints last, how long to bake, how long to dry, and everything else. However, she admits that she is now comfortable with the tools of her trade. 

 

Jennifer's believes her "Don't let the muggles get you down" mug best describes her. She says she loves quirky art work with small details and is fascinated with silhouettes will fully painted backgrounds. She admits that everything she paints and sales has a little bit of her in it. All the items in her shop has a personal tie to her in some way.

When asked why she thinks it is important to shop handmade, she replied, "Because you're directly helping family's like mine out. I can't even begin to describe the gratitude I have for every single person who has purchased a mug from me this past year. They helped put extra food on our table, pay a couple bills here and there, and even gave me a life outside of my home where I can interact with amazing people all over the world." 

Please be sure to check out her other work (she does customs!) and show Jennifer and A Cup of Nostalgia love on her social media:

A Cup of Nostalgia on Facebook

A Cup of Nostalgia on Instagram

A Cup of Nostalgia on Etsy

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Things I Love Thursday: Achievement Hunter Hoodie

For the hubs' birthday - okay, early-birthday...I always get too excited and give him his birthday present early - I decided I would keep him warm in style with an Achievement Hunter hoodie. If you've been following this blog for a while, then you've heard a little about Rooster Teeth. Achievement Hunter is a part of the Rooster Teeth company known for tattoos, beards, Brits, and screaming. If you've seen even one Achievement Hunter video, then you at least know what I mean by the last one...if not all.

The hubs and myself are both pretty big Achievement Hunter fans. The kind of fans who know the spouses' names, children names, and a bit too much backstory.It's a problem.

Anywho...back to the hoodie.

Jess has been mentioning for awhile that he would like an Achievement Hunter hoodie. So I took the hint and avoided another Zelda themed gift (this has totally been the year of Link) and got him a simple black zip-up with the AH logo.

Check him out!

+15 frost resist

He was happy. And that makes me happy. I'm lame.

By the way, if you're a part of the RT community, add me!

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