Shop Review: Pam Wishbow

Greetings Fanatics!

Sorry in advance for bad pictures, my phone is being terrible to me today. I recently made a purchase of a few spooky items from PamWishbow, an artist on Etsy. Besides her beautifully cartoony illustrations and use of color, the dark themes in Pam's shop speak to whatever is residing in my bones that compels me to accumulate interesting things. Whatever you can call Wishbow's style, you can be assured that it's got "It". Besides art prints and zines, she carries items you didn't even know you needed: a random pack of items for whatever adventure you might head off on, a personalized haunting for your home, hand sewn sigil banners to protect your home.

For my first (but certainly not last) purchase from Pam Wishbow, I bought a House Ghost, a Quest Pack for Aaron, Professor Pam's Semi-Famous Hex Breaker, and a mini love zine called The Carpenter to gift to Aaron. When I received my package, I was thrilled to see that it included a little print and a Fortune Telling Fish! My previous fortune fish went through the wash and I was excited to get another. Aaron's fortune read "Passionate" and mine was "False" (important for later!).

If you've been reading my reviews for any length of time, you'll know that I like to review each item separately first and then as a whole.

Shop Review: Formulary55

Greetings, Fanatics! 

This week's Shop Review is Formulary55, a Colorado based soap company. 

Formulary55's owner has been making soaps and building her brand for over 20 years and prides herself on her small batch bath and body products. Although their website says that about 70% of their business is wholesale and their products are available in shops such as Anthropologie, I went ahead and ordered my soaps directly from their Etsy store. 

I would like to say, first off, that the soaps are packaged beautifully.

The wrapping gives off the feeling of hand cut soap blocks being covered in pages torn straight out of an antique dictionary, while still portraying a modern, clean look. It's very easy to take lovely pictures of these soaps and they would look great in a gift basket. 

I bought 3 guest bars of soap, which are about 2"x2"x1", good for placing next to the sink. The scenting on these soaps are fantastic. Tea & Tobacco was bought for Aaron, and he loved the smoky fragrance although it wasn't as strong as other tobacco scented soaps we've bought. Song of the Siren was fresh and salty, but my favorite was Narcissus. It had a fresh, grassy smell that I've been looking for in a soap that I've yet to find elsewhere. Blending essential oil is an art that I've yet to master, I highly respect those that do it well.

The fattiness/moisturizing effect of the soaps were average, I'd say. Pleasant and certainly softening, but if your main concern for a soap is how moisturizing it is I would find a more economical brand ($5/guest bar $10/body bar). 

I'll probably revisit Formulary55 again; besides soaps, they sell soaks, candles, and lotions that I'd like to try. These soaps are best left (for me at least) to be an occasional luxury or a thoughtful gift, but for those who are looking for a lovely smelling soap and are drawn to gorgeous packaging, I highly recommend Formulary55's soaps.

Megh's Indie Artist Gift Guide 2014

Greetings Fanatics!

 It's gift giving season and I personally can't think of a neater thing to give than a special piece of art from an independent artist or small business (except for something you made yourself, of course).

Buying something handmade or locally produced is a terrific gift to give - for everyone involved! It allows you to give a friend a hard to find, unique gift with a very personal touch, it is good for the -local- economy, and it supports and encourages artists to share their art!

Here's a list (ordered by location) of artists and small businesses that I've purchased from or had items purchased for me in 2014, along with a link to where you can order from them, a short description of their shop, and what I got from them. I hope you find something cool!

WORLDWIDE:

Sugar and Vice (UK):
A terrific shop that features laser-cut acrylic charms in necklaces, rings, earrings and more! Aaron surprised me with this sweet magpie necklace.

Taken from artist's website.

CreepHeart (AUSTRALIA):

Talented artist Ella Mobbs makes creepy-cute, Halloween inspired illustrations and offers them as prints, jewelry, shirts, and bows! I got this sweet bat button to add to my button board.

Yu Kitten Me (AUSTRALIA):

Old school cool tattoo styled prints! Often featuring Kewpie dolls doing decidedly non-Kewpie doll things. The print below was a collaboration between Yu Kitten Me and Ella Mobbs!

UNITED STATES:

For Strange Women:

Lovely and unique scents for the strange woman inside of you. Sells hand-mixed perfume oils, solid perfume lockets, and other necessities. I got a sample set of several of their scents and reviewed them here. 

Black Quartz Alchemy:

Hand crafted, sustainable, loose leaf tea blends. Yummy!I got a sample set of their tea blends and reviewed them here.

Michelle Coffee:

Creepy and cute tattoo styled art. Most of her pieces are only sold as original art and get snatched up quickly, so keep and eye on her Instagram!

Crank Bunny:

Magical handmade paper art. Great for unique cards and wall decor! I got this Senor Devil mask for the 2014 Comicpalooza ball, only to find out that there was no ball this year. :(

Taken from artist's website.

Pity Party Corporation:

 Irreverent zines, patches, buttons, shirts, and stickers that will make you nostalgic for the 90's.

A grab bag of the goodies I got from them!

Evil Supply Company: 

"Better living via questionable morality." Paper goods, shirts, and stationery for every villain. I got one of their "Mister Ghost’s Highly Enviable Monthly Parcel of Simple Yet Amazing Wonderments" earlier this year, and the review for that is here.

Sugar Bunny Shop:

Cute merchandise inspired by Japanese art. Check out their bags!

Pretty and Cute:

Not so much an indie artist, but a small business based in Portland dedicated to providing affordable and accessible Korean and Japanese cosmetics and skincare.

TEXAS:

Black Widow Balm: 

My favorite lip balm / lip tint maker. Try a tube of Voodoo color balm and I guarantee you that you won't be going back to Chapstick. She offers nut free formulas as well!

Tiny Art Shop:

Lovely watercolor paintings and prints inspired by nature and human anatomy.

Taken from artist's website.

Cult Grrrl Creations:

Cute and creepy crocheted creations! I got the black version of the cat below; I had to take a photo from the artist's website because my phone refuses to focus on my cat.

Solo Cosmo:

The artwork of Jessica von Braun, a Texas based artist. I picked up a print and a button from her at a few different Houston conventions we were both vending at.

Johnnie Rosales Jr:

Texas based artist. Picked up a very cool ink Xenomorph postcard from him at this year's Comicpalooza!

Houston readers! If you would rather shop in person, The Tinderbox carries some of the above Texas artists' and several more local artists' items at their location in Mid-Main!

Stay Fanatic this season,
Megh