Free Paperdoll from Redbutton

Recently I got honored to design a paperdoll for redbuttonlabel, a children clothing line proudly made in Indonesia.What's special about the paperdoll is, that all the outfits are actual clothes sold at the store! Now we can actually be matching with a paperdoll! Maybe I'm just a big kid, I don't know, but to me this is an amazing idea :D  

You will get yourself a free copy of the paperdoll for every purchase including any of redbuttonlabel girl collection, either off or online purchase.

Stalk them at instagram @redbuttonlabel and Facebook : redbuttonlabel

The Bobbling Deads

This is Halloween month, The Walking Dead returns with new season, and if you're one of the millions thrilled by those undeads (and a few living ones), you'd love Whoppass Enterprises' new line of the Bobbling Deads. What are the Bobbling Deads, you say? In 5 words : zombified booble-head of you. Yes, you! Ever imagine what would you like missing a limb, blood gushing out of your body, and gritting your teeth through your bloody lips? Or maybe surprising your friends and family with their version of zombie? Well, you can order one now from Whoppass Enterprises.

I had a lovely chance chatting with Whoopass Enterprise's founder, so here it is, a bit of our conversation ..

 - When/where did you start this business?

Whoopass Enterprises began in December of 2003.  We launched it after our trip to Mexico where we saw a custom bobblehead and got in touch with the artist.  You can read more about the story here: http://www.whoopassenterprises.com/about-us/our-story/

- What makes your product different than competitors?

Our company is based in the United States and works with you to make sure your bobblehead is designed especially how you want it.  We speak your language and make sure everything is done to your specifications.  Other companies are shipping these overseas and don't have a solid understanding of what you want and a lot can be lost in translation.  At Whoopass Enterprises, you talk to our customer service person in Chicago, and we go above and beyond to make sure you'll be pleased.

- What makes your product/service special?

Our customer service and attention to detail is what makes us special.  We really want our products to be something you're proud to display and will work with you to revise things until you're happy.

- Who's your target market?

Anyone with a fun sense of humor!  These go well for anything from a gag gift to a wedding cake topper, and anything between.

- What's the biggest obstacle when you first starting out?

Being able to produce custom dolls quickly and effectively.

- How do you overcome it?

Instead of producing them in China like other companies, we work with partners in Mexico.  It makes communication much easier, allows us to keep costs down, and provides customers with a better overall experience.

- What's is your best selling product?

Our completely custom dolls are the most popular, but the Groomsmen bobbleheads are also extremely popular.  Seasonally, our zombie bobbleheads do very well around the Halloween season.

- How do you see your business in the future?

We really hope people will start using our "build your own bobblehead" custom applet.  This is a cool app that allows users to select clothing and accessories, customize their bobblehead doll however they want, and submit it online.  It reduces the back and forth and makes sure we get things right the first time so you don't have a lot of revisions!

Did I mention that you can even customize your own zombie pose? Yes, you can! It's so much fun playing zombie without having to apply and wash all those fake bloods. Be sure to drop by and get your own Booble Deads figures! 

Happy Halloween! 

Pokaku : Creating My First Custom Case

I love online shopping, I really do. It really has helped me to actually browse, compare prices, and purchase my needs (and wants) anytime anywhere. It also cut back the time I spend on actual shopping (less traffic, anyone?)

But I have a strong love and hate relationship with online shopping business. One business I usually despise the most is a custom smartphone/ gadget case business. Not all of them but the ones taking images off the internet and sell them as their own. Deviantart is usually the best place to find high resolution images with marketable quality. Yes, they stole images and sell them as "custom case".

It was a dream come true when one website, www.pokaku.com launched, and they offer exclusive artists' works, all truly designed and owned by the artists/ designers themselves, sold at your choices and customization, with an affordable prices!! You can even designed your own case, which I did, and here is the result! I'm using my woodland print from my collaboration with papercrane as a last minute image choice (lazy mom) and it turned out quite good.

I am quite pleased with the final result, let's just say it really worth the price.  You just can't compare the quality with original manufacturer's cases, but it is OK. It's not as easily fitted when I put it on as original cases,  but you can't really complain about it, regarding the price it offers. The designing process itself is the most amusing thing, and very user friendly too. You will be guided with a step by step instruction, just upload your image from your computer (or a photo), or you can pick from one of their clip arts, which at the moment, are still quite limited in variety, but I hope more additions would come. Edit, if you must, add text, if you please, pick a coating finish (glossy or matte) and boom, your custom case is ready to be delivered to your front door. The service, both customer service and handling&shipping service are astounding! They excee my expectation of a locally manage online business and deliver safely and on time.

Check them out and start creating one yourself!

Shop Highlight : Dolls2Get

Hi there! It's time for another shop highlight!!

Today's shop highlight is Dolls2Get. Dolls2Get provides you with customized bobblehead dolls, match to your likeness and you can even customize anything it comes with, for example, its clothing, the theme, the activity, the background, additional items, etc. They also offer free proofing until you're satisfied with your dolls. All start from US$ 69.90. 

Here is their introduction : 

• Dolls2Get was the first large bobblehead company to make individual dolls, and we've been making them for many years now. Over 96% of our customers would recommend us to a friend, which is quite a testimonial! 
  We know the best way to keep our business healthy and growing is to give you an excellent product and top-notch service. Our bobbleheads are a lot bigger than you can find elsewhere, also made from polyresin, best quality compared to our competitors. Our best selling product includes custom made bobbleheads, custom made cake toppers, custom made wedding cake toppers.
• 
  

If you're in the hunt for a one of  a kind gifts or momentos, here's how to order : 

1. Choose a bobblehead body from our listhing.

2. Send your pictures online or thru email.

3. Choose the options and purchase your bobbleheads 

4. Check regularly your email inbox to follow the production

5. Get your custom bobbleheads at home after your final approval

Or you can just simply visit their site. Dolls2Get site is pretty user friendly and you will guided on an easy step by step instructions.

Kick Start your Summer with Travel Jam's Nécessaire

If you are a stylish mom with a bunch of kids with who share your good tastes, you might love Travel Jam magazine. Three years after the first issue published, Travel Jam team up with Surf's Up Kidside to present you  the ultimate summer travel kit, perfect if you're traveling this summer with your mini-me(s). The travel kit contains a 59ml shampoo, shower gel, and a moisturizer, a perfect week-end capacity also adapted to airport controls.  You can be rest assured and relax on the beach, because all products have no parabens, phtalates, formaldehyde, DEA, MEA nor TEA, absolutely worry-free.

pics from http://www.sochickidz.com/

If that's not enough you can entertain your youngs with 3 postcards, exclusive temporary tattoos printed by Tattyoo (to tell you the truth, this is the one that got me hooked firsthand, I can't resist cute temp tattoos!), stickers, candies...all wrapped up in a eco friendly cotton bag that you can reuse as almost anything. And have you heard? Pineapples are in!!

pics from http://www.sochickidz.com/

They are limited, so be sure to get your hands on the travel kit at www.sochickidz.com. 

Meet Petitbleu

Hear ye, hear ye, all expectant parents of the world. *cue royal trumpet sound* - I guess I'm watching too many Baby George arrival press coverage, ehem, anyways...

Yes, I do think all babies are royals in the eyes of their proud parents, now, don't they. And what pinterest album would you create first do if you know you're expecting? ..Yes, I'm guilty as charged as well, it must be the "NURSERY" album, no? We can dream, right? pssh.

Well, at least, if you're more than willing to turn your pinterest nursery album into reality, I have the one that would sure to help you. Meet Petitblue!

This particular crib has a smart storage solution of a drawer underneath with soft closing system.

Here is their intro for you to get to know them better..
"Petitbleu is an Indonesian brand developed by parents Celestine Yoviana and Dan Fulga. An Indonesian/Romanian, husband and wife team who realize the lack in nursery furniture to suit their taste while searching for a crib for their first son.

All Petitbleu products are eco friendly with non-toxic finishes and made from timbers grown on renewable plantations. Each product is made to meet or exceed International safety standards. So there is no need to worry about baby getting “stuck” between the slats.

The cribs offers 3 mattress position for your growing child, and also converts into a junior bed.
Petitbleu  also offer very reasonably priced for the cribs that turn into junior beds.

If you are already interested in buying something from them but the color or the size just don’t fit in your nursery, no worries because all of Petitbleu nursery furniture is custom-built exclusively for your bub and they ship to almost anywhere in the world."

If you happened to stop by at Jakarta next November, please do jot in your reminder about the 5th Indonesia’s largest Maternity Baby & Kids expo, happening November 22-24, 2013 at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC). Petitbleu will be participating on booth #74, so if you are thrilled to see their products in real life, this is your opportunity to see them! And just saying hi would probably more than nice, remember, it's their first time exhibiting their furniture and wall decor, so don't be shy, just drop them a hello.

Shop Spotlight : Tee Tick Personalized T-Shirt

Remember when you're in a team, and you'll always have to make a "team" matching t-shirts for everyone in the team? I used to be that one person assigned with that job. I don't know, maybe they trust me because of t-shirt designing ability? Little did they know, designing and actually making one are on a whole lot different levels. And finding the one shop that can deliver what you design, obviously on a budget is pretty challenging.

Ok, luckily that was about 10 years ago. Now, with a click of mouse you'll get thousands of shops to choose from and they will be willing to deliver the finished t-shirts right in your doorstep. Convenience! Yes! Now, I'm not guiding you to ALL the shops, but here's one that you should try if you need any clothing, not only t-shirt, customized. Meet Tee Tick!

Now a bit about the shop ..

"TeeTick is a private label clothing manufacturer where its customers can order their own personalized clothing for personal use, group/team use, or for their clothing brand at affordable prices.

Founded in Vietnam by a group of four creative, experienced and ambitious people who are passionate and strive for meeting the demand and the expectations of customers by creating quality personalized clothing "made in Vietnam", TeeTick offers printed and embroidered personalized t-shirts, poloshirts, sweatshirts, tank tops, hoodies, and jogging bottoms for men, women, and children. The company allows its customers to personalize their clothing with their own logos and text so that each item uniquely meets each customer's specific requirements. 

Being based in Vietnam allows TeeTick to offer amazing wholesale rates for the very affordable and great quality personalized clothing. Also, due to their positive trade status with the USA and E.U, the regulations for importing clothes from Vietnam are more agreeable. As a result, these competitive advantages make TeeTick become the “supplier of choice” for any clothing brands in the United States, Australia, UK and the rest of Europe. They bring together skills in sourcing fabric, sewing, printing, embroidery, labeling to ensure the clothing they manufacture helps their clients’ clothing to stand out from the crowd. TeeTick will only offer you the best quality personalized clothes at the most cost efficient rates. That is a guarantee!"

all pictures taken from TeeTick's Facebook page, custom children clothings and printed bag divisions. 

Had they said they're not making T-shirt? They're doing custom dresses, printed bags, jeans, pants, hats, .. almost any items of clothing you'd need! They are a basically clothing manufacturer who accept your personal orders. And they offer not only printing, but also embroidery to adding embellishments! I'm mostly intrigued about their children and maternity line. You know how lovable that maternity t-shirt that said 1 month, 2 months, ... or about a gender reveal, or maybe the one with a cute little foot prints on them? (They're all over pinterest, search them if you must) Now, that's only one idea from me to contact TeeTick immediately and order some personalized tee. What' s your idea for a customized clothing?

Ps. TeeTick ships worldwide and have shipped to USA, UK, Australia, Canada, France.
The shipping cost is approximately US$6.00 - US$7.00 per kilogram. 

Introducing : WikkiStix

If you have a toddler or two in your household, or have been babysitting one, you'll notice that you would likely to must constantly keep them busy. Otherwise, certain catastrophe might ensue. Occasionally might or might not accompanied with tears. 

I'm so thrilled when Adeline Woo, a mom-treprenuer (mom "slash" entrepreneur) from Singapore introduce me to Wikki Stix! What? Yes, Wikki Stix. It's yarn pieces dipped in a safe food grade wax, basicaly, it's a bendable gummy sticks, much like a  modeling compound, but skinnier. Younger kids might be mistaking it for a stick bubble gum, so please follow the age requirement and always assist your child when playing. Though it's food grade I don't think it's intended to be eaten. Wikki Stix 100% made in USA, so you can count on  it by the safety dept. It's also gluten free, by the way, so kids with allergies can safely play with it. Still, I'd say it again, please don't eat it.

There are thousands of possibilities of playing with Wikki Stix. Big Sis G and I tried the pink pack first, obviously. And she made a crown! So predictable of her, don't you think? See what else we made that day :

I have to say I'm surprise that Wikki Stix is absolutely odor-less. It looks like wax, felt like wax, strangely doesn't smelt like one. But it does leave sticky feeling on your hands and on glass-y surface. Nonetheless, it's not messier than regular play dough and definitely more hassle-free. It also came in lots of educational activities, if you bought the intended packages. There are dot to dot activity, maze, numbers, alphabet writing, Chinese writing, and themed/seasonal activity kits. If you're doing an art and craft party Wikki Stix would be a perfect addition to your activity.

dot to dot activity with Wikki Stix!  

After playing with Wikki Stix, here are my (and Big Sis G's) verdict..

thumbs up for :

• Glutten-free, non-toxic, food grade, odorless, mess free materials. 
• It never dried up, you can use it over and over again. 
• surprisingly sturdy and hard to break
• Fun, creative, and educational content.
• Big Sis G's own word : "I can make things with this spaghetti"

If there are rooms for improvements :

• They are highly sticky and leave sticky, glue-y streaks upon glass surface, cleaning the surface needs some extra time. You can always lined your glass/wooden table with some coverings before you play though. 
• Once you cut it to desired length, well, there goes your length. 

Wikki Stix can now be found all across South East Asia; Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Indonesians, in particular, can find Wikki Stix  in Kinokuniya Bookstores all over Jakarta (Plaza Senayan, Pondok Indah Mall and Grand Indonesia). Price ranging from $6.30, lots of variety too, from single color packs, educational kits,  themed/seasonal kits, to birthday sets, and if you shop online, they are offering free worldwide delivery!

California Baby Everyday Lotion and Sunscreen Review

It's been ages since my last product reviews, geez, I know, I know, I'm such a lazy lady (hey it rhymes!! err.. somehow...nothing to be excited about.. carry on..)

California Baby Super Sensitive Coller Tote, IDR 540.000,- 

Without further ado, I'd like to present to you my own personal review of the much talk about baby product: CALIFORNIA BABY!! Seriously, I have been using California Baby since my toddler, Big Sis G, 7 months old. Then, I obtain their products through a specialty imported baby boutique, which the boutique itself is a rarity in my area, or I tested my own patience by pre-ordering California Baby from (unauthorized) online baby shops. Yes, the prizes are often marked up as high as the moon. No, I'm just kidding, just as high as our stratosphere.

Good news, fellow Indonesians, since there are too much hassle in shopping directly online through international California Baby's website (Indonesians must know what I'm referring to), California Baby finally has its own authorized representative in Indonesia! *insert cheering and clapping sounds*

Here they are, California Baby Indonesia, all polished and ready to serve you. If you'd want to type the address yourself to your browser, it's http://www.ca-baby.com/ instead of www.californiababy.com. Don't worry, they're highly professional, easily contacted, and willingly ship to all regions in Indonesia. They ship real fast, I got mine in less than two days.  They are currently looking for re-sellers across Indonesia too, so if you're interested *aggravated winking at my local baby boutique and grocery stores*, do contact them!

California Baby Indonesia is so kind to send me not one but two products to be tested, reviewed, and then shared the news with all of you. They are Everyday Lotion in Summer Blend and Super Sensitive SPF18 Sunscreen, both suitable for daily wear. All California Baby products are claimed to be :

Contains organic and sustainably grown ingredients
Non-toxic
Non-comedogenic (yes, mothers of the world, now you can pat the products on your face in peace)
Non-staining
PABA, BPA, PVC, and phthalate free, not only on the stuff inside but on their packaging as well
Only vegetable and plant based ingredients
Non-irritating, non-chemical formula
Hypoallergenic

First up, is The Everyday Lotion : Summer Blend (IDR 156.000,- 6.5 oz.) It's from the same range of the much raved about Calendula Lotion, it's highly hydrating I heard it's used more by mothers (and grandmothers) to fight wrinkles rather than by babies and kids. Did I get your attention now? OK, read on. On site, it's said to work well on summer, (duh, thus the name!), non greasy, quickly absorbed, soothing after a long day in the sun.

This is my first time trying the Summer Blend variant, I bribed  allowed Big Sis G to model and test for me. LOL, seriously, no, I didn't bribe her. She's more enthusiastic than me on this one. Maybe she'll start her own beauty blog as soon as she can type.

These are the picture of the bottle, yes it is conveniently come with its own pump! You can see all the major ingredients here (Aloe vera, lemongrass, cedarwood) and the rest of harder to pronounce ingredients on the back.  

The texture is a but runny, more liquid than usual face cream or average drugstore's body lotion. It's unsurprisingly not chalk-y white, phew, it's good news, since whiter than white product could mean *eep* bleach is in it. It's ivory, more beige white. To my Indonesian nose, a lingering scent I picked up the most is the citronella (it IS listed as one of the ingredients, but it's not the main ones). It's quite strong, so maybe it's the reason it's not suggested to be used on babies under 6 months old (well you may, but be sure you're doing it under professional's supervision). On the other hand, it's another good news. Us, Indonesians must be really familiar with citronella, because yep, we have lots of mosquito here and we have tried everything to prevent them from sucking our blood. And citronella here is proven to be quite good doing so. A hydrating lotion that doubles up as mosquito repellent? Now that's genius. It is also rather nice to soothe already-bitten-ohmygod-it's so-burning-and-itchy skin surface. The down side of this whole citronella thing is, of course, you may not want it to use it on your face. As I said, it's a rather strong menthol-ly scent. I, myself, can not stand to use it near my nose, eyes, and mouth.

Mosquito repellent aside, let's test the hydrating power. Here is a really blatant picture of Big Sis G's right knee. A beauty mark to prove it's the same knee. :) First day of use, you can see there are little white patches of un-holy dryness on her skin. Big Sis G is an active toddler, she often use her knees as substitutes for her actual legs. So, go figure. The "after" picture on the right is taken approximately 7 days after our first try. Not bad, eh? I can actually feel it softer and more supple..the uneven darker area is slightly brightened too! I know what you're thinking, you'd want to get it for yourself, would you? Relax, it's also for "sensitive" adults, if you're not, well, you still can use it.

 

Next up is a Super Sensitive SPF 18 Sunscreen (IDR 270.000,- 4.5 oz. ) It's not loaded with bad-ass SPF number, so maybe you would not want to take this baby (pun intended) to the beach, or any place with high sun exposure if you're not re-applying. Although it's said to retain its effectiveness after 80 minutes of water activities or simply sweating, please use higher SPF for extreme sun exposure (you won't remember to re-apply when you have fun, that is). It's also light weighted enough to use under your makeup. *winking vigorously to mothers reading this. 

                            

As expected, the sunscreen has a more creamier, thick texture. A bit more yellow-ish as well, it looks like a pale foundation. It does smell funny, but milder than the Summer Blend lotion. I'm not sure what is dominant in the sunscreen's scent, but I put my bet on the coconut. It does smells a little like cocoa butter. To my surprise, it took just seconds to absorb to the skin, evenly, smoothly, and weightless!! You know how sun screen always leaves a streak of whites, takes forever to absorb, and felt really heavy on your skin? California Baby's the opposite of all that! But it does leave a glittery white cast upon application, but hey, it's better than average. With a busy, jiggly toddler or a crawling baby, you might want to take sunscreen time as little and as practical as possible. 

Soooo.. what's the verdict? I'll give my 4.5 out of 5 stars for these California Babies. The only downside of these two bottles with built in pumps is they are huuugggeee! Though it makes them sturdy and strong (big sis G has already dropped the lotion twice, and not a single leak in sight) it might add some ounces to your belongings, when you're travelling. If you travel low-fare airlines like me, you'll understand the importance of this. Well, there are travel sized products available on the site, so if you're so keen on travelling light, there are options. Got any itching questions? Try hooking up on California Baby Indonesia's Facebook and/or twitter page.

Don't stay away from the blog now, you might even want to bookmark this page, because I will be having a California Baby giveaway soon!! Which products, you say? That's my lovely secret!! If you want, you can tell me which product you'd most love to win in your comment. Let me read that!   

*** I'm not financially compensated for this post, although I did received samples of the products. All photographs, opinions, and words are my own. The sources of any other photographs and information listed that are not mine are stated. ***