Review and Giveaway: Twigs and Tweets (CLOSED)

Recently, I had the chance to partner up with Teresa from Twigs and Tweets to host a review and giveaway here on Twee Poppets. I'm very excited to feature Twigs and Tweets on this site, because it is an absolutely fabulous shop. Before we go any further, let's learn a bit more about Teresa.

Please introduce yourself and your shop. 

My name is Teresa and my Etsy shop is Twigs and Tweets. I am a stay at home mom of two little boys.

How did you decide on your shop name? What does it mean? 

I really wanted my shop name to apply to both boys and girls. I choose "Twigs" for  the boys and "Tweets" for the girls. I also love nature and birds so that had a little to do with picking my name.

How did your business get its start? 

I have been sewing all my life. Before I was married I worked at my grandmothers quilt shop sewing quilts as my job. When I found out about Etsy I researching what items were desired and discovered the softness of minky fabric. Sewing is just a hobby that I have always enjoy. When I had my boys, there really weren't any cute baby things for boys. I wanted to find cute fabric for boys. I wanted to see if I could sell my creations and it has just taken off better then I ever thought it would. I also discovered all the fun fabrics that I could make my creations with.

What is your personal favorite item in your shop?
I love my ribbon blankets and my crinkle crackle toys. I also love my pacifier clips. They came about when I noticed that every pacifier clip on Etsy was basically the same. I wanted mine to be different cute and universal. I thought other sellers were making them too complicated by adding loops to the end. My pacifier clips are cute and have tons of personality.

What is your favorite crafty activity? Are there any particular crafts you'd love to learn?
I love to applique on baby quilts. I would love to learn how to paint.

What do you love to do? What makes you smile?
Of course since I am from Utah me and my husband are huge ski freaks. We also love to kayak but I wont lie - it scares the be jeezes out of me.

Is there anything else you'd care to share with us?

I really try to keep my prices low so that people can afford them. It is hard to find quality products at a reasonable price. I also love custom orders.

Teresa sent me one of her wonderful crinkle crackles to review. A crinkle crackle is a soft fabric square (approximately 8 inches across) that makes a crinkly noise when handled. Babies love them! The front is made from the 100% cotton "Apples and Pears" fabric by Alexander Henry. All the light blue, bright green, red, light pink, white, dark brown, and bright yellow colors found in the print keep things bright and cheerful. It's a very fun pattern, and the apples and pears are just adorable. It makes me smile just to look at it! The back of the square is made from incredibly soft minky dot fabric in a coordinating light pink shade. I love anything with minky fabric, because it's pretty much the softest thing in the world - I can't keep my hands off of it. My poor cat doesn't get the attention he deserves when there's minky around!

Poor Bowser...

The best part of this item is the crinkly noise it makes! Most babies absolutely love things that crackle, like plastic bags - but this product is a much safer alternative to plastic bags, which pose a huge suffocation hazard. Teresa packs plenty of crinkle crackle material into the square, so there's a ton of noise with every little movement. It doesn't require much effort at all to make the noise, which is great for babies who don't have a lot of coordination yet - they can still learn about cause and effect without having to be so precise or forceful. It's really satisfying to hear lots of crackling when handling the square, so it's nice to see that Teresa didn't skimp on the crinkle crackle material. In fact, she's packed so much into that square that it doesn't even lay quite flat!

Filled with lots of crinkle crackle material!

To top it off, this item is very well-made - a must for any product that will be in the hands of a baby! The cloth is nice and thick, and Teresa has securely sewn it all the way through from front to back. A little one could bend, tug, twist, and chew on this crinkle crackle, and it would still stay in one piece. But there is no sacrifice of form in the name of function - the square is sewn with a decorative top stitch that really adds the cherry on top! The only minor issue I've had with this product is that when I sprayed it with water (as Teresa suggested) to remove the wrinkles, some of the colors on the Apples and Pears fabric bled just a tiny bit. This is not a huge problem, as it's barely noticeable (especially now that it's dry), but  I wonder if it could be solved by pre-washing the fabric before assembling the square.

D

Decorative top stitching.

The crinkle crackle from Twigs and Tweets is the perfect sensory toy. It really is a feast for the senses! The sense of sight is stimulated with the bright colors and bold pattern of the Apples and Pears fabric; sound is stimulated with the abundant crinkling sound that is so easy to trigger, even for the youngest babies; and touch is stimulated with the super soft minky fabric, the bumpy dots on the minky, and the crumply feeling of the crinkle crackle material. This would be a terrific toy for a child with Sensory Processing Disorder, or for any baby who is working hard to learn about the world around him!

Buy It!

You can purchase a crinkle crackle just like this one, as well as ones with various other patterns, at the TwigsAndTweets Etsy shop for just $5! Teresa also offers lots of other items for great prices, and I'd encourage you to take a peek!

Win It!

Teresa has generously offered to make one US or Canadian winner a custom crinkle crackle toy with ribbons and a universal pacifier clip attached to it. She will send the winner pictures of possible fabric selections, or the winner can choose from any of the fabrics already listed in her shop. Click here to see an example of what you could win (but remember that yours will be customized to your specifications!).

Please be sure to leave your email address in at least one entry (preferably all entries); I will do my best to find your email address if you're the winner, but if I have no way to contact you, you cannot win! For complete giveaway rules, please see the "Giveaways" section under the "The Fine Print" page. Winning entries WILL be checked to ensure qualification, so please be honest! :)

Mandatory Entry (Must be completed before any other entries will qualify!)

• Visit the TwigsAndTweets Etsy shop and tell me which fabric combination you might choose if you are the winner!

Bonus Entries (Please leave a separate comment for each entry! If it's worth 3 entries, please leave 3 separate comments!)

• 2 Extra Entries: Publicly follow Twee Poppets with Google Friend Connect. (Click the "Follow" button under the "Followers" section at the top of the main page.)
• 3 Extra Entries: Subscribe to Twee Poppets via email (must be activated to count). (Enter your email address under the "Subscribe Via Email!" section on the left hand side of the main page and click the "Subscribe" button.)
• 1 Extra Entry: Add TwigsAndTweets as a favorite shop on Etsy.
• 1 Extra Entry: Mark your 3 favorite TwigsAndTweets listings as favorites on Etsy.
• 1 Extra Entry: Follow @TweePoppets on Twitter. (Include your Twitter ID with your entry.)
• 1 Extra Entry: Tweet about this giveaway (may be done once daily for one entry per tweet). You may use this tweet: Win a CUSTOM crinkle crackle toy from the TwigsAndTweets Etsy shop! Enter to win @TweePoppets: http://tiny.cc/WinTwigs (Ends 6/29)
• 2 Extra Entries: Become a fan of ("like") Twee Poppets on Facebook. (Click this link or the button under the "Follow on Facebook!" section on the left hand side of the main page.)
• 2 Extra Entries: Grab my button and add it to your blog or website. Let me know where I can find it! (Copy and paste the code that is in the "Grab My Button!" section on the left hand side of the main page.)
• 3 Extra Entries: Blog about Twee Poppets. Leave a link to the blog entry in your comment. Please be sure to mention this giveaway and link back to Twee Poppets (http://tweepoppets.blogspot.com) and the TwigsAndTweets Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/twigsandtweets). Your blog must have at least 10 followers on Google Friend Connect to be eligible. Blogs entries must be at least 50 words long to count; must be a dedicated post (not just part of another post). Please include a link to your blog post in your comment.
• 3 Extra Entries: Pledge to blog about what you won if you are the winner of this giveaway. This is based on the honor system - if you promise to blog if you win, please do. Please be sure to mention this giveaway and link back to Twee Poppets (http://tweepoppets.blogspot.com) and the TwigsAndTweets Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/twigsandtweets). Your blog must have at least 10 followers on Google Friend Connect to be eligible. Blog entries must be at least 50 words long to count; must be a dedicated post (not just part of another post).
• 10 Extra Entries: Make a purchase from the TwigsAndTweets Etsy shop. Be sure to let Teresa know that Twee Poppets sent you!

Contest will end at 11:59pm PST on June 29th, 2010. Winner will be chosen via random number generator. Winner will be contacted by me (tweepopacap@gmail.com) and will have 48 hours to respond before he or she forfeits the prize and a new winner is chosen. Open to mailing addresses worldwide.