WHAT News

Etsy Front Page: Panda Pillow


Yay! :D I was ecstatic to find out that my panda pillow had made it on the front page of Etsy last night. I'm so thankful for all the sellers who convo'd me to let me know! What are the chances of stumbling across your own product on the front page, right? It's so nice that there are so many sweethearts out there who'd take the time and share. :D Grazie!

NOTE: I also wanted to thank everyone who's commented, chatted, and/or are now following my shop blog. Thank you so much for the all the support! I LOVE reading blog posts, so if for any reason I've forgotten you (>_<) let me know. :)

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Penguin Plush



Last week, I received an order for a personalized penguin plush for a birthday princess. :D I was worried that I wasn't going to make it in time for the birthday so I put a mental rush on it. Over the weekend, I quickly drew up some rough sketches and sewed up this super cute princess penguin with her pink birthday cake! :D YUM, I started to CRAVE strawberry shortcake... like I am at this moment. Maybe I'll get a chance to bake something sweet this weekend. :)

Happy early birthday Ms. T!

Other personalized penguins: Dax Monster, Princess Cloak, Scarf & Bow, Scarf & Earmuffs, Baseball Cap

Shout Out - glasfaden

Artist Devi Schäfer-Tjandra


Our last feature, dindi, has given a Shout Out to glasfaden.

Ms. Devi, is multi-talented. She's from Indonesia, living in Germany who also speaks English. (It doesn't stop there.) She's capable of computer programming, making hand felted objects, making glass beads, designing graphics and digital arts, working part time in a B&M shop and caring for her son! Check out her profile for a more detailed background. :) There's a wide range of items in Devi's shop, which reflect her range of talents. All her products are very unique and one of a kind. Here's a few questions I asked her:

What name do you go by?
'glasfaden' is a German word for English 'stringer' in the glass world. It's a thin glass rod (sometimes hair-like), which is used to decorate things (in my case glass beads). I thought, it sounds like a word game for someone, who don't know it. Just perfect to describe, which materials I use most in my shop - glass and thread/fiber.

Where are you from?
I came from Jakarta, Indonesia. A big city girl ^_^

What is your favorite food?
Sushi, combro (it's an Indonesian snack made of cassava, filled with oncom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncom) and noodle (any kind of noodle :)).

What is your inspiration?
Mostly the material itself (texture and colors), but nature also give me a lot of inspirations.

Who is your favorite artist?
I admire the work of M.C. Escher and R. Magritte. As for living artists there are simply too many, which I love :)

Go check out her shop and let me know which item of hers is YOUR favorite! :D

Photo: Ladybug's Garden

NOTE: From here on out, the featured seller will be Shouting Out to another seller. This way I get to share shops that I wouldn't have come across myself. :D

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Penguin Plush


This post is dedicated to my special penguin plush, disguised as a bright blue monster. Please welcome the DAX MONSTER! :)

My lovely client, Viva la Violette, was looking for something special for her son. Something that represented him, Dax. So we brainstormed together and she mentioned that Dax was born on Halloween, wore a green monster costume and got the name Dax Monster. I was ECSTATIC because I've been wanting to get to my penguin projects but just hadn't had the chance to! :D When I finished my monster creation in his favorite color, I had the hardest time letting go. :P After taking photos of him, I sent Dax Monster to his new loving family. She loved it and left me the sweetest compliments. Thank you so much for letting me work on this project, I loved it!

If you're interested in a personalized penguin plush and have your own creative ideas, don't hesitate to ask! I'm always up for challenges. ;D

NEW My Dear Darling Gift

Pear Plush Pillow


My tummy is rumbling, hungry for some sweet pears. The Perfect Pear Pillow is the second addition to My Dear Darling's fruit pillow line, where you can opt to have a whole pear, half a pear or a pear slice. Don't forget, you can also personalize all plushies! :D

NOTE: My Dear Darling is now officially shipping internationally! You won't believe it but I JUST figured out the shipping profile tool. :P Took me long enough, eh?

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Panda Pillow




I love how you can say "I love you" or "I care about you" in so many different ways. You can send your loved ones greeting cards, emails, or text messages. You can give them hugs, kisses or... their very own personalized panda pillow, even in their favorite color! The above photos are from my past few completed orders. Yes, they're all pandas! I'm telling you, pandas and penguins seem to be the craze. :D I seem to have accidentally thrown away a photo of the front of the pretty green panda that I really wanted to share. :( But let your imagination roll and I'm sure you can get an idea by checking out my LOVE panda pillow. How will you be telling your special someone you care? :)

My Dear Darling pillows: Apple, Bear, Bunny, Love Panda, Monkey, Owl, Panda, Pig, XOXO Bear
My Dear Darling Penguin Plush

Reminder: Free shipping on Valentine orders ends this Saturday, January 31st!

WHAT News

Etsy Voter

If you didn't know about Etsy Voter, it's where Etsy chooses a handful of items and have Etsians vote on which is they're favorite. :) There's a new Season of Love: How do YOU say love? poll. Go get your votes in today. Hehe, my LOVE panda is there too! ;) Enjoy!

WHAT News

Etsy Front Page: I made it!!


I checked my email yesterday, surprised to find quite a few Etsy convos sent to me. "Oh, dear, what did I do!" So I took a deep breath and clicked on one to read, "Congrats! You're on the front page of Etsy!" :'D So, of course, I check Etsy.com but it was already gone. LOL. I missed my moment! Hehe, but thankfully I knew of the Flicker: Etsy Front Pagers site and found my little panda. :D Thank you sleepjunky for including me in your cute treasury and thanks to those who sent me a message notifying me! This week has been so good to me; 2 treasuries, a front page and my penguin was #1 on Timothy's Top 10 Monday! I seriously couldn't ask for anything more. :)

OFF Topic

I love reading other people's blogs when I get the chance. Occasionally, while I'm browsing, I find blogs with fun gadgets and I almost ALWAYS play with them. So I wanted to share a few that some of you may enjoy. Have a good Wednesday!





















What was your highest score? :D Addicting, no?

NEW My Dear Darling Gift

Panda Mail


The Panda face greeting card is now available. :)

Other cards: Penguin face greeting card, penguin note cards

NEW My Dear Darling Gift

Penguin Mail


A brand new product line from My Dear Darling: Greeting cards and note cards! :D Today we have the penguin face greeting card where you can have your message printed directly on the inside portion of your card! (No extra cost.) The penguin note cards come in a set of 4 along with 4 envelopes. Together, the pink letters spell out "LIVE". These also can have your message printed on the front side. :) Enjoy!

NOTE: Thank you so much for all the sweet comments. I do read every single one of them and I appreciate you taking the time to do so. :D Thanks again!

NEW My Dear Darling Gift

Apple Plush Pillow


My Dear Darling's new food line: the cute apple pillow. This is a big one. Go check it out! :D You can opt to have a whole apple, half an apple or an apple slice. This means you can mix and match the two different sides shown. Whatcha waiting for? :)

My Dear Darling character pillows: Bear, Bunny, Love Panda, Monkey, Owl, Panda, Pig, XOXO Bear

WHAT News

My Dear Darling Featured on Guerilla Handbags' Blog


So I just checked my Twitter DM (Direct Message) and saw I had a message that was sent to me a few days ago from Guerilla Handbags. She had featured me on her blog! :D How awesome is that? Go check out her blog HERE and read her other fun posts. Thank you GH!

NEW My Dear Darling Gift

Owl Plush Pillow


A new addition to My Dear Darling's family: the cute owl pillow. Go check it out! :D I think this is one of my favorites because the bright blue and the big eyes make me smile everytime I look at it. :P

Other plush pillows: Bear, Bunny, Love Panda, Monkey, Panda, Pig, XOXO Bear

Shout Out - dindi

Designer Erna Price


Last month, I had the pleasure to stumble upon Erna's Etsy shop, dindi. I was trying to find a Christmas gift for myself from my husband and knew I wanted a charm necklace. Erna's works stood out to me because of the clever phrases she engraves in each of her charms. I definitely had a difficult time choosing just one. But I eventually did and ordered In Charge, and I absolutely love it! Her work reflects the wabi-sabi style (read her profile to find out more on this style) and it's very well designed. Here are a few questions I asked Erna:

What name do you go by?
My name is Erna Price, but on etsy I am known by the name of "dindi".
I took this name from the famous song "dindi" by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Where are you from?
I´m originaly from Java, grew up in The Netherlands and now I live in Germany

What is your favorite food?
Indonesian food is my favourite! (I don´t like pasta!)

What is your inspiration?
I get my inspiration from everything around me: from poems, quotes, and colours and the material I´m working with...and MUSIC!!

Who is your favorite artist?
I have lots of favourites, but my favourite jewelry maker has to be Jes MaHarry.

Go check out her shop and let me know which was YOUR favorite! :D

Photo: Count the Moments

NEW My Dear Darling Gift

Pig Plush Pillow


The first new addition since the new year to My Dear Darling's plush pillow line: the cute pig pillow. Go check it out! :D

WHAT News

Mountain of Pandas


I'm looking forward to many exciting opportunities this year. :) There's so many tasks I want to accomplish with My Dear Darling, I feel a little overwhelmed. I haven't posted new items since last year. WHOA! (I just realized this right now.) :) I've been working on numerous projects and collaborating with a wonderful designer... I can't wait to share it with everyone. Thanks for all your support!

NOTE: Purchase your penguin plush on sale today and tomorrow for $20!
Personalized Penguin Photos: Princess Cloak, Scarf with Bow, Scarf with Earmuffs, Baseball

Shout Out - soopajdelux

Artist Jenna Colby




Yesterday, I was looking for art on Etsy that I'd eventually buy for my bare wall in my office. I wanted something inspirational and creative, something original and thought provoking. So while browsing through pages and pages of lists, I remembered I had already found what I was looking for. I hearted this wonderful shop, soopajdelux, a while back. I absolutely LOVE Jenna Colby's paintings! She's a self taught artist in Seattle, Washington that describes her creations as "Bubbles popping and bare feet." Take a moment and look through each one of her artworks and let me know which was your favorite. I'm having a difficult time choosing just one! :)

Photos: lost loompa, little blue dot, the explorers

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Penguin Plush



Here's a cute pink cloak for a penguin princess personalized for M. I love personalizing these gifts for my clients. It's always a pleasure working with my customers and making gifts specifically for them. It's fun knowing no one else in the world has the same penguin plush or personalized pillow. :D

Order a penguin plush (base or personalized) before the 15th when the sale ends! Only three days left to purchase the base penguin for $20!

Click here for other personalized gifts from My Dear Darling.

WHAT News

I was browsing online in Etsy's "Season of Love" Gift Guide today because they've chosen a TON of great items and shops that I haven't seen. It's inspiring and I'm thinking of buying a gift or two. But I gotta keep it on the dl so DH doesn't see. :P I also clicked around to find my Gold & Yellow Versatile Pouch in the "Under $20" section!!! I feel so lucky. :') Thanks Etsy again.

On a different note... I went on a walk with DH and Katsu, our dog, today. We walked through parts of our neighborhood that we had NEVER seen before. (We moved up here last June but haven't gone exploring much.) Huge ranch style houses and horses and we came across the rusty mailbox above. :) Makes ya think what other treasures are hiding around the corner.

Happy Saturday!

WHAT News

Etsy Teen Gift Guide


I woke up this morning, checked my mail and all the other good stuff and found out that my Penguin Plush had made it into Etsy's Gift Guide! :D Woot woot! Thank you so much Fuzzington! ;) And thank you Etsy for picking my penguin! What a wonderful way to start the day. *HUGE smile*

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Penguin Plush



Last month, I posted a cute photo of a client's drawing of their vision of a personalized penguin plush. The above photos are of the final gift. :D

Thank you to all my new supporters! I wouldn't have the pleasure of doing what I love without each and every one of you. ;) I love reading everyone's comments & messages. Many, many thanks!

WHAT News

I was trying to post new pictures of personalized penguins all day today and blogger kept giving me error messages. I FINALLY found out that blogger's been having "technical" issues. :( What a waste of my time, right? Hehe, I should've given up hours ago. So instead, I'll share My Dear Darling news updates. :)

I finally had the chance to post better pictures of my Kiwi & Brown Versatile Pouch. Better pictures but I realized, I need one of those steam iron things so I can get rid of the wrinkles. Yes, I have an iron but it didn't do any good... maybe it's just my iron though. :P Go check out my new pix!

Also, earlier this week, I woke up to an unexpected email saying my Valentine's Day bear pillow is featured on The Magickal Ewe's Top 10 Hand Crafted Picks for January 2, 2009! :D Here is the link. If you'd like to have one of your items be considered for the following week, just comment saying the bear pillow is your fav. JUST KIDDING! You comment saying which one of the 10 items is your favorite. :) Have fun~!

Shout Out - MyDarlingBaby

Fun Soaps for All



Very creative with a great sense of humor, MyDarlingBaby, always comes up with new ways to bring a smile on people's faces. Give these soaps to your friends as gag gifts or surprise your guests with a hamburger soap in your restroom. Go check out all her neat soaps! :D

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Panda Pillow




Out of all my pillows, I have to say, the panda is the most popular. I don't know what it is about pandas that people just enjoy! :) These are some pictures of personalized panda pillows I made for three special customers. They're great gifts for friends and family because they can be used almost anywhere. Interested in personalizing your own panda pillow? Email me at MyDearDarlingShop@gmail.com. :D Click on the photos to see non-personalized versions of the panda pillow.

Here are other pillow options: Bear, Bunny, Monkey, V•Day Bear, V•Day Panda
Another gift you can personalize: Penguin Plush
Other photos of personalized gifts: Click Me :)

OFF Topic

Tea Forte Branding

I've been wanting to try Tea Forte's signature teas for a while now and I finally got the chance to do so when my sister gave me a package for Christmas. They're brand is so clean and strong, it's relaxing just clicking through their website!


I LOVE their branding system, particularly their package design. :D I'm sipping on my
white ambrosia white ginger pear tea as I write this entry. Mmmm, peace. hehe. Go check out their website and feel relaxed.

NOTE: For those of you who don't know me, I'm a graphic designer so I'll be posting "OFF Topic" updates about design, my other love aside from crafts. :)

Happy New Year from My Dear Darling

OFF Topic

Rebranding of Pepsi

I was watching TV the other day and came across this commercial for what I thought was an airline company. (Maybe Korean Airlines?)

It turns out that Pepsi had rebranded themselves (again?). Although I liked their commercial, I can't believe they changed their brand so much. o_O There's three different logos between Pepsi, Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi. Weird... their bottle is super phallic too. Why?