Review and Giveaway: The Wishing Elephant (CLOSED)

I was introduced to The Wishing Elephant when I was lucky enough to win a giveaway on IndieSpotting for an adorable onesie from this shop. After I won, I took a look through all the other items for sale, and I absolutely fell in love. That's why I was so excited when Carolyn from the Wishing Elephant also agreed to sponsor a review and giveaway on Twee Poppets. I've really enjoyed getting to know Carolyn through our correspondences, and I think you'll enjoy getting to know her, too:

Please introduce yourself and your shop.

I'm Carolyn. I inherited my craftiness (and brains) from my mom. My store is a place to find unique clothing for babies and toddlers. I use eco-felt on all of my clothes because it's amazing fabric. Eco-felt is made from 100% recycled post consumer plastic bottles and it's washable, soft and super cute. Each applique is made (from start to finish) from hand. It usually works like this - I get an idea, I sketch it, make a stencil and, finally, cut it out of felt. I honestly love it, can you tell?

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

I can't really give too many details on the shop name. I've always wished on stars and I've found that it usually pays off. I also feel that elephants are ethereal creatures. So, I put two magical things together in the hopes of creating a third. Amazingly, my husband is a Creative Director and designed the amazing logo for my shop. My hubby is da man.

How did your business get its start?

I guess it really started when I had my son. I wanted him to wear something adorable, maybe a little funny and definitely unique. A few shirts for him turned into a few shirts for my nephew and all of a sudden I was making shirts for everyone I knew (and even a few I didn't know). A friend suggested Etsy and it was love at first sight.

What is your personal favorite item in your shop?

I love The Love Bus. I don't know why, but it makes me happy. I have a tender spot in my heart for all things hippy dippy. I'm also obsessed with my newly created monster and devil horn headbands (they should be up soon)!

What is your favorite crafty activity? Are there any particular crafts you'd love to learn?

This may sound crazy, but I have a Sharpie obsession. I love the way they doodle! I'm constantly drawing with them. I've also always loved cutting things with scissors. My mom loves to remind me that I used to cut up important paperwork when I was little (and one time her nice set of sheets). I can remember the first time I discovered pinking sheers - whoa mamma! I have a habit of collecting natural objects (shells, tree bark, drift wood, etc) and those generally end up in some sort of crafty activity. I love getting my hands dirty so if I had time to pursue a craft - I think it would be clay based.

What do you love to do? What makes you smile?

I spend as much time as I can with my family. The craziest thing about us is that we actually like each other. I also love sleeping. I don't do much of that anymore and that's because of the thing that makes me smile the most - my son. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. It's amazing how consuming my little love is - he's my world! I also love swimming, dancing (badly) and laughing.

What is your greatest accomplishment thus far?

No brainer. My little guy. He's almost a year old and I'm stunned. Like every other mother, I think my child is the most amazing child ever born. I couldn't be prouder or happier. In terms of The Wishing Elephant - getting my shirts into a store called Made in Jackson Hole, WY.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? Where do you see your business in ten years?

I see myself happy in ten years. It's a conscious choice. My aunt always said "you decide every morning if it's going to be a good day or a bad day". I choose to make it a good day and ride the upward spiral. I see my business flourishing and fun! 

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

I'm a Pisces and I love melty mints.

For my review, Carolyn was kind enough to allow me to choose any onesie from her shop to review. Boy, was it ever a tough decision! Every single item in her shop (and I say this with no exaggeration whtatsoever) is something I would love to own. After much deliberation, I settled on the "Power UP" onesie, which features the red power-up mushroom for the Super Mario Bros. video game series!

One thing all you folks out there in Blog Land may not have known about me is that I'm a huge video game fan! I was raised on Nintendo and have loved the Mario games since before I can remember. This little red mushroom is a major icon for me! So not surprisingly, I was particularly drawn to it as I browsed through The Wishing Elephant's shop on Etsy, and I just knew I would love it. When it arrived, it met every expectation I had for it! It even came neatly folded and wrapped in tissue paper and ribbon - perfect for gift-giving (but I won't be giving this beauty away anytime soon!).

I unwrapped my package and checked out the onesie right away. I was very impressed with the quality! The mushroom is handcrafted from nice, thick eco-felt that is securely attached to the onesie. My only small complaint is that if you look very closely at the edges, you can just barely see where Carolyn drew the shape on the felt - but this is not immediately apparent, and everything else is impeccable. She did an amazing job at making the mushroom applique look just like the mushroom in the game!

The shirt itself is soft and thick - not one of those "so-thin-it's-practically-see-through" cheapies you sometimes see. Plus, Carolyn even ironed on The Wishing Elephant's logo on the inside of the shirt's neck, which really gives it that professional, boutique look - and so much better than having an itchy tag rubbing against baby's sensitive neck!

Overall, this onesie is almost perfect. It's extremely cute, well-made, soft, and durable. I just love my onesie, and I know you would love one, too! Take a peek at a few of my other favorites from The Wishing Elephant:

The green mushroom gets you one extra life in the Mario games - wouldn't that be perfect for a newborn? Get it? Extra life, newborn...?

Buy It!

You can purchase your own baby onesies, t-shirts, and more from The Wishing Elephant for approximately $5-$15 each. I highly recommend it!

Win It!

Carolyn has offered to send one winner the winner's choice of ANY single-item listing from The Wishing Elephant's Etsy shop! This contest is open worldwide! Thanks, Carolyn!

Please be sure to leave your email address in at least one entry; 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 Etsy shop for The Wishing Elephant and tell me which single-item listing 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 (Leave 2 Comments): 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 (Leave 3 Comments): 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 TheWishingElephant as a favorite shop on Etsy.
• 1 Extra Entry: Mark your 3 favorite TheWishingElephant listings as favorites on Etsy.
• 1+ Extra Entry: Enter another one of my current giveaways. You may have one extra entry PER contest entered (please leave a separate comment for each). This applies only to current giveaways. Giveaways that have already ended (before 7/15) do NOT count.
• 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: #GIVEAWAY: Win ANY single-item listing from The Wishing Elephant. CUTE ONESIES! Enter to win @TweePoppets: http://tinyurl.com/WinTWE (7/29)
• 2 Extra Entries (Leave 2 Comments): 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 (Leave 2 Comments): Become a fan of ("like") The Wishing Elephant on Facebook. Leave a comment on their wall letting them know that Twee Poppets sent you! (You MUST comment on their wall, or this entry will not count!)
• 2 Extra Entries (Leave 2 Comments): 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 (Leave 3 Comments): 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). 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 (Leave 3 Comments): 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). 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 (Leave 10 Comments): Make a purchase from the TheWishingElephant Etsy shop. Be sure to let them know that Twee Poppets sent you!

Contest will end at 11:59pm PST on July 28, 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 in the US only.