August 29, 2009

Etsy Review - #5) OhFudgeStore

Fifth review is for OhFudgeStore

OhFudgeStore has been opened, or the user name was created, since April 2008.
The store has had 338 sales/buys and has a rating of 100% positive.
And the location is in the Pacific Northwest!


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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Shipping and Packaging~¤

The Fudge was in a padded envelope and was safe and secured in one piece. The container is resealable which is handy, especially since I can't eat that much sugar in one sitting. Aha! there wasn't any special wrapping or additions but it wasn't necessary as the fudge spoke for itself.

All in All the shipping/packaging receives a 5/5

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Edibility/Taste~¤

The Fudge I ordered was a Buttercreme fudge and was absolutely to die for. Now I dont buy fudge often because of how sweet it was but this was definitely worth the wait time for shipping. Although it did have its fair share of sugar, it was still not too sweet which was extremely important because if the flavor is too much ro the sugar is too much then it just doesn't not taste good. This was damn good fudge, I highly recommend it!!

Taste scores a whopping 5/5.. if it could be more, realistically, then it would be.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Contact/Shop~¤

I actually didn't have a long conversation with the contact from the shop but they were up front and honest and took the time with the fudge. Although they made it right away, the contact didn't want to ship it out right after in case it would have been sitting in the post office all weekend. So I was sent a message saying they were going to wait till Monday and I really respect the thought in that. If it had sat in the post office all weekend long, especially in this heat we are having, it would have done something wrong to the Fudge. I can only imagine how separated and gross the Fudge could have been and I am thankful it made it to me in one yummy piece.

To Check Out The Video - Go to http://www.youtube.com/ScrtSolstice

Or Check it out Here:

August 27, 2009

Etsy Review - #4) layla

Fourth review is for layla

layla has been opened since August 30 2005
The store has had 1691 buys/sales
And the rating is 100% positive!
From Washington (Not Hawaii...like I said in my video.. oh dear..)

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Shipping and Packaging~¤

Whether or not the big box was necessary I do not know but I do appreciate it because it allowed room for cushion. And we all know that banana fragments are not the same as banana chips! So hurray!

All in All the shipping/packaging receives a 5/5

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Edibility/Taste~¤

The chips were not too hard but also not soft which is perfect.
The banana flavor wasn't too strong or too light and so they were awesome! A lot better than the bulk ones you can get at your local Extra Foods so they rocked!
A definite 5/5~!

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Contact/Shop~¤

The shop contacted me almost immediately and said that they appreciated what I was doing in the month of august! Which is almost. And when the shop contact realized how much it would cost to ship they contacted me first to double check that this was still ok! And that rocks! Thanks for being so considerate. I appreciate it. And I love the chips.

To Check Out The Video - Go to http://www.youtube.com/ScrtSolstice

Or Check it out Here:

Etsy Review - #3) miaMallows

Third review is for miaMallows

miaMallows has been opened since June 2009 and has had 57 sales/buys with 100% positive feedback. From San Antonio

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Shipping and Packaging~¤

The box was the standard shipping box that we have been seeing a lot of in my house for the last few days and it was stuffed to the brim with marshmallows, no space wasted which I am really happy with. That box was definitely used well for once aha! There was a nice little wrapping and a thank-you card so....

All in All the shipping/packaging receives a 5/5

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Edibility/Taste~¤

These are possibly the best marshmallows I have ever had. That being said I am not a fan of some of the flavors on their own. Although I do not like the coffee or cotton candy/bubble gum or caramel flavors they mimicked their concepts almost identically. The coffee smelt and tasted like a cup of Tims, and the Caramel looked great and tasted like caramel. The Cotton Candy kind of tasted like bubblegum but that is alright. Didnt taste bad.
The Pina Colada was the best BEST BEST! I also loved the Lime and Raspberry.
But omg... go get some.. Pina Colada!
And they were individually wrapped, labeled and and and they were extremely soft and yummy!
A definite 5/5~~!!!

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Contact/Shop~¤

The contact was extremely friendly and got back to me in an extremely timely manner. I really appreciate the friendly and outgoing manner I was contacted in. Every one of the marshmallows were individually wrapped and labeled which made my life easier! And And And!! I got a thank-you note.

And I conned Alex into trying them all! His fave was also the pina colada but he also liked the Coffee.. it freaked him out how well the flavors mimicked the actual identity. Well done indeed!! If you made something so good that Alex tried it, then it can only be awesome!

To Check Out The Video - Go to http://www.youtube.com/ScrtSolstice

Or Check it out Here:

August 19, 2009

Etsy Review #2 - inspiredcakesicles

Second review is here and it is inspiredcakesicles

inspiredcakesicles has been opened since January 2009, and has 2 sales and a rating of no feedback. Which may or may not be a good thing.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Shipping and Packaging~¤

Im not sure exactly how long the shipping took as the contact never got a hold of me. Although I did buy the item on July 30th and it arrive on August 10 so I would like to think that the shipping came fairly fast. The packaging was in a standard small flat rate shipping box and there was no waste space which I really like.

All in All the shipping/packaging receives a 5/5

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Edibility/Taste~¤

The taste of the candy clay was a little interesting. It was not bad by any means but it wasn't amazing either if you know what I mean. It was sweet and had a familiar taste to it but I cant quite place it for some strange reason.

All-in-All rating for the Edibility is another 4/5

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Contact/Shop~¤

No one from the shop actually contacted me.
They already had the Canadian shipping set up so I just went through the transaction and never heard anything. That being said though a note was included that warned of "sweat" which was great. Also there was instruction to explain how to use or for ease of use. Which I thought was great. All and all an interesting experience.

Interesting that is for sure!

To Check Out The Video - Go to http://www.youtube.com/ScrtSolstice

Or Check it out Here:

August 14, 2009

Etsy Review - #1) MermaidCaramels

MermaidCaramels
Our review is finally here and it is for the package which arrived first: MermaidCaramels

MermaidCaramels has been opened since June 2009, and already has 7 sales and a rating of 100% positive. Which is more than me so you can already tell they are doing something right.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Shipping and Packaging~¤

Shipping only took about a week, which is fairly speedy considering the other items I have purchased from the US before and their time lines. The main one I am referring to is one that took 3 weeks. The package was shipped on July.31 and arrive either on August 10, or the 11th, the people who were here at the time cannot remember. But never the less great shipping time.
Packaging is probably my favorite so far for the appearance of the outside of the box. I love how the logo is on the front, almost like a little advertisement in a way but it also makes the box more colourful which I like. Inside there was a plastic air bubble thing and I am not sure whether or not that was entirely necessary but I do not know US Post and how they work so maybe it was and on the plus side I can reuse it when I finally get a sale so it is all good.
The caramels themselves came in a little brown bag with a ribbon and label - I love love love the colour scheme of brown and turquoise. The caramels were individually wrapped, another thing I really liked, in a wax/parchment paper and they did not stick to the wrapping which is something I appreciate.

All in All the shipping/packaging receives a 5/5

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Edibility/Taste~¤

The overall taste of the caramels was good. I was expecting a slightly more salty caramel and was blown away by the sweet taste. Although it was a sweet buttery caramel flavor, there was also a hint of salt which I really enjoyed. If you are someone like me who loves salt it can be a bad thing to have a lot but I think these are probably the perfect way around that dilemma. You can taste the hint of salt but there isn't a lot to it so it works!
Another important tidbit is that the caramels were soft and not hard. I have had a few different caramels before and they tend to have a thicker consistency but these were nice and soft. Almost like the honey sticks you can buy where there is honey in the little wax tubes that you can bite and eat. They softness just makes them better and allows the flavor to just run down your throat and warm you up with that homemade feeling. Not like those caramels you get from trick or treating that are insanely hard and are almost always just used to make caramel apples later on.
& Another useful thing to know about these is that they didn't stick to my teeth! Which is an A+ in my books. Maybe it is just my teeth but I didn't have a hard time trying to swallow or get it out of my teeth. The caramel was soft enough that it was perfect. I always hate trying to unstuck caramel out of my teeth.

All-in-All rating for the Edibility is another 5/5

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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤~Contact/Shop~¤

Something I didn't make a point of mentioning in the video too too much was the friendliness or ease of contact the store had. I did mention that the contact got a hold of me right away which was extremely important in online sales because in the end the buyer gets to rate their seller, and if it is a bad rating the seller's overall rating goes down.
She got a hold of me and we immediately started planning our shipping and how to go through the till and everything like that. Although there was no thank-you note inside (like I have received in the past) the contact was very polite and friendly online and offered that I would only pay the US shipping this time around so that it would be cheaper. Keep in mind the shop may not do this every time but her point was that $12 dollar shipping for 6 pieces of caramels was a tad ridiculous and she understood that. If I had ordered a higher quantity then the shipping would have made since.
This is something I admire in a shop because they go that extra distance to ensure that they please the seller. The contact had a thought to help me out in a way that I had not thought of and took the chance of offering and sending it that way. As a buyer you always hope that the seller is an honest individual who wont steal your money and laugh at you and in this case the hopes were un-necessary because the shop was down-to-earth from the start.


Great Taste, Great Product - I only wish that someone in Canada made them so that I could get cheaper shipping aha!

To Check Out The Video - Go to http://www.youtube.com/ScrtSolstice

Or Check it out Here:

August 03, 2009

Funny Find...

All the taste testing aside for a day, I am sitting in my room.
Minding my own business,
listening to all the enya on my computer in repeat mode,
and what pops up on the main page of etsy,
(I know this isnt a proper sentence because its too long but BAH)
nothing of mine no,
but something way funnier than mine,
and I have to apologize in advance because Im not trying to insult the work or the artist,
it is a nice little small needlepoint.

Cute little thing isn't it? I actually love the rain drops but I have an issue with the wording and I will tell you why... but first here is the description:

Ahhh, the exquisite pain of this world. Hand embroidered 6" black embroidery loop, black thread stitched onto recycled white cotton fabric with black felt tear drop appliques. Added on May 20, 2009

Now, judging from the rain drops.. which I am assuming are tear drops from the description.. and including the description this little needle point which isn't exactly a needle point because I just read that the tear drops are appliques.. has the words "le pain" written on it.

Now clearly this piece is pulling towards being emo but we are not here to talk about peoples lifestyle choices no. We are talking about this because it says "le pain"

Now I can tell you from my 12 years of french that as soon as you take an English word and place it with a french preposition it changes the words meaning. A fair few words in English and words in french are the same but a fair few words in french mean something completely different in English. And let me tell you that "pain" in french is not heart wrenching pain no.
In fact by adding that preposition "le" it has gone from being heartbroken to being "le pain" meaning bread.... Which made me kind of laugh because not everyone speaks french and that's fine but I don't think that this person is aware of the error... or maybe it wasn't an error.
I just thought that a little needle point trying to express pain with tear/rain drops was slightly more funnier when it says "bread"

-Miss.A

August 01, 2009

Orders have been made & paid! (Update Aug2!)

Here is the new list of all the shops involved!
I think I have more on the list than I previously had aha!

Ordered:
Working out Shipping:


Haven't Heard From:
Arrived:



Some of the people I havent heard from are on vacation and won't be round till after the 10 or so, so we may not seeing anything till the end of August.
& heres to everyone with 2 asterisks as they are new to the list!
&& three cheers to WelshGardenTearoom who is new to the list and is also from Europe, and is taking a chance on shipping to Canada!! I was her first sale too, so check out that shop!!

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&&& Update from today August Second!!
Any of the listings above that have three stars on them were updated today, or added to the list! I have a fair few now and this is the official cap! No more searching for shops! These are the shops for this months adventure! Lets hope I dont get food poisoning!
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Setpember 21!
All things ordered have arrived and shall be posted soon
-Mrs.A