KawaiiKraftsDesigns – Pokemon Cubone Terrarium

You guys know how much I love Pokemon, and especially supporting independent artists/businesses who create amazing stuff of things I love. So, today I’ll be merging both of these together to talk about KawaiiKraftsDesigns and my experiencing with getting a custom Pokemon terrarium!

KawaiiKraftsDesigns is a Birmingham based independent business who specialises in creating terrariums, but they do also sell keyrings, necklaces, 3D frames, hand painted, plant pots and more, plus, they’re all kawaii themed too, hence the name!

I discovered KawaiiKraftsDesigns at the UK Games Expo in June 2022 when I went to Dane and our friends. There were quite a few terrarium creators there, but KawaiiKraftsDesigns stood out to me the most, especially on Cubone design in particular. As we’d not long got to the expo we decided to walk around and get an idea for everything before we decided to do any buying. Alas, when I went back to the stall towards the end of the day, the Cubone terrarium I liked the look of had sold. I was gutted but made sure to grab one of their business cards so I could give them a follow on Instagram, their store, etc.

About a week later I decided to reach out to Jade, owner of KawaiiKraftsDesigns on Instagram to ask when she would be working on commissions again as I was interested. Jade was so lovely and replied relatively quickly to inform me she would be opening them again and asked what I was interested in. I’ve also loved the Cubone funko, it’s so adorable and as Cubone is one of my favourite Pokemon anyway, I knew it was one I would love in terrarium form. Plus, it’s the same Cubone I’d seen at the UK Games Expo, so I knew that’s what I wanted from a terrarium by Jade.

I proposed my idea and paid a deposit that covered the cost of the Cubone figure, as well as some materials. I decided to go for Cubone in a Japanese garden themed terrarium, so I was super excited not only to hear of updates from Jade on my commission, but when it was completed! When Jade was ready to start working in my commission she made a unique listing for me on her Etsy, which was the rest of the monies I needed to pay for my piece.

During Jade working on my piece she constantly sent me updates and photos of how it was going and made sure to ask if I was happy/unhappy with anything. Some ideas were proposed to me that I didn’t feel worked with the idea I was going for, so I politely declined these, but did suggest others. Jade was amazing to work with on bringing my commission to life and once it was completed I couldn’t wait for it to arrive!

Before I knew it, my Cubone terrarium arrived and I couldn’t wait to display it!

You get a little stand with your terrarium so you can display it easily without the worry of needing to make sure it stands up on it’s own, propped up against something, and more. I keep my terrarium near my desk at home so whenever I fancy looking at it whilst working, it’s not too far.

I don’t want to mention how much I paid for my terrarium as prices change all the time, and the last thing I want is for Jade to get guilt tripped for putting her prices up. One thing that I stand by with independent businesses and their prices is that they know their worth, and if we don’t want to pay them prices as shoppers, we don’t have to as they’re not forcing us!

The price I paid for my terrarium was incredibly fair, especially for the time, communication and quality of the item too. 🙂

Overall my experience with Jade and KawaiiKraftsDesigns was incredible and I couldn’t have asked for a better one to be honest. As I said previously, Jade was really thorough with any questions or suggestions she had for me with my terrarium and to boot she was also really lovely to talk to! As you all know, I love supporting and talking about independent businesses on my blog, but I especially love to talk about and share ones who are also from Birmingham like myself. 🙂

I know that Jade has stated on Instagram that her next restock is due this month with a date to be confirmed. I can only assume this is restocks, as well as commissions, so if you’d like to get something like mine yourself, or even as a gift for someone else, then make sure to follow her on Instagram. I’ll pop all the links below.

If you have any questions in regards to commissions I highly recommend going to KawaiiKraftsDesigns Instagram page and view the highlighted stories. All the information will be there for you, and if it isn’t, you can always drop Jade a message on Instagram or Etsy. Both are linked below.

What do you think of the Cubone terrarium I got? Would you like a Pokemon or any other kawaii themed terrarium of your own? If you already own one, what do you have in yours? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time all, take care and have a lovely weekend!

Shop Small UK Guide – Christmas 2021

We are officially less than two weeks away from Christmas now and DAMN it’s starting to feel real! I’m just about finished now with most of my Christmas presents in the run up to the big day, but in some cases I’ve been and still am in need of some inspiration. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve really struggling this year to find the perfect gifts for Dane, my friends and especially my mom! My dad has been the easiest person to buy for this year, which makes a change. 😛

Alongside my Christmas present woes, I always enjoy writing and sharing gift guides with you all and this year is no exception. Last year I wrote about independent businesses in the UK that you should buy from and I wanted to do that again this year. The past twenty-one months has been hard for everyone, especially independent businesses, whether or not they existed before or after COVID began. This doesn’t just apply to the UK, but I’ve seen a lot of small businesses struggle lately, and in worse cases close down due to not being able to make enough sales to keep going.

I really want to continue to do my bit in helping these businesses as much as I can. Not only do I hope it helps you gain some new gift ideas, but I also hope it introduces you to some businesses you may not have heard of before and decide to shop with going into the New Year!

I still love a lot of the small businesses I mentioned last year, so I will link that post here! I won’t be mentioning businesses again that I spoke of last year, just so it’s fair on other businesses mentioned here.

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this blog post today! I’ll be mentioning stores last dates to order for Christmas too.

Image taken from SplashJaguarCo

SplashJaguarCo – Kawaii home and stationary items inspired by Animal Crossing. Rugs handmade in West Midlands, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – 2nd Class 18th December and 1st Class 21st December. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

If there is one thing people have been really loving towards the end of the year, it’s been Animal Crossing! With the new update and Happy Home Paradise launching at the start of November, Animal Crossing fans have gone mad even more than ever. If you know someone who loves Animal Crossing, as well as stationary you should definitely check out SplashJaguarCo! Not going to lie the Cookie washi tape pictured above is on my Christmas list and I really hope I get it this year. I plan to use it to decorate my diary for 2022 and more. There are various characters to choose from to have on washi tape including Maple, Marshal, Tangy, Roald, Stitches and more! A roll or two of these cute little washi tapes would make perfect gifts for any Animal Crossing fan of any age or gender, whether it be for Secret Santa, a stocking filler and more.

Image taken from BeaconCandlesUK

BeaconCandlesUK – Scented candles for Gamers, Readers and Film Fanatics handmade in Manchester, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – The store will be closing on Sunday 19th December. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

BeaconCandlesUK is a brand I’ve known about for as long as I can remember now and have always wanted to order from. I can’t remember how but I discovered them through their Lavender Town candle that is clearly inspired by the town in Pokemon. Not only does it sound amazing, but it looks really cool with the Cubone skull and bone on the top of the candle too. Alongside Pokemon candles you can also get some inspired by Final Fantasy, Animal Crossing, Lord of the Rings and more! The scents sound delicious and I’m sure these would make great gifts for any candle lovers out there! I’m contemplating buying some of these for friends this year for Christmas. I feel like candles make amazing gifts for people and it’s one of those where even if you aren’t sure what smells someone will like, if you bought a Pokemon fan one of the Pokemon candles, they would be so thankful!

Image taken from PokieMinx

PokieMinx – Terrariums and vanity desk gifts inspired by Pokémon & The Moomins. Handmade in South Yorkshire, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Unfortunately orders for Christmas have now ended. This being said the store IS still open with items being sent 1st Class tracked and signed so they arrived within 1-2 business day. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I couldn’t not share PokieMinx and her adorable creations! These would make perfect gifts for any Pokemon or The Moomins fan out there, especially if they’re like myself and have started to work from home part time. A terrarium with their favourite Pokemon inside sitting on their desk could really brighten their day. Or maybe a mirror? The Cubone one shown about is gorgeous and I can’t stop looking at it whenever I venture over to PokieMinx’s website whenever I take a look at it. Anything from PokieMinx’s store would make amazing and personal gifts for any Pokemon or The Moomins fans, especially as everything is handmade by Kimmy! There are also enamel pin/earring stands too so if you know someone who has started to get into collecting pins or earrings, these would make amazing gifts too.

Image taken from ARTBOX

ARTBOX – Cute character goods from Japan and Korea. Based in Covent Garden London, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at the time of writing this blog post. If you’re based in or around London, the Covent Garden store will be open on Christmas Eve from 11am until 4pm. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I wanted to mention ARTBOX here as whilst it isn’t as independent as some Etsy sellers and independent stores might be online, it’s a great place to buy Japan and Korea based items, whether it be online or from their store in London. I’m yet to come to the day where I actually order something from them, which might be later today! 😛 ARTBOX would be a great place to get items for your friends and family who love Sanrio, Pusheen, Rilakkuma and BT21. There are all sorts of different items to buy from and at all price ranges so it’s perfect for anything and everything. Personally I’m toying with treating myself to the PomPomPurin plush shown above, which you can pose and dress up! How cute is that?!

Image taken from Stitchtothepast

Stitchtothepast -Video Games Cross Stitch, Patterns & Kits! Based in the UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at the time of writing this blog post. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

The final store I wanted to mention on today’s post is about Stitchtothepast, which is a store I discovered in the summer. If you’re a newbie to cross stitch, or a “pro” like me there is loads of choose from. Personally for gifts the cross stitch kits from their store would make great gifts for anyone, especially if they’re into Nintendo video games series such as Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Zelda, Kirby and more. I personally really love the look of the Animal Crossing Celeste cross stitch kit where she’s stargazing. It’s such a gorgeous design and one I would love to do and display in my house in the future. The kits are really good and come with a cross stitch guide, a wooden hoop, thread and a thread organiser, pattern, a needle and more. If you know someone who would like to get into cross stitch in 2022, one of the kits might make a great gift for them!

So, there we have it, my 2021 guide to small shops you should buy your Christmas gifts from this year! All UK based of course. 🙂

What do you guys think? I didn’t cover off as many stores and themes as I did last year, but I felt like last years post was so detailed, I couldn’t really improve on it as good this year. Please do check out last years guide too, those stores are still around and amazing to boot!

Honestly guys, I hope you enjoyed this post today as much as I enjoyed writing it. I watched Christmas movies whilst writing, as well as chilling with Dane in our office. It’s made a lovely change sitting at my desk to do blog work.

Are there any small shops in the UK that you feel I should know about? Make sure to let me know and I’ll take a look for next time and promote on my Instagram page before the big day. 🙂

Until next time, take care all and I hope you had a lovely weekend. 😀