“In the Dark Ages, Magic was a weapon. Love was a mystery. Adventure was everywhere…and Dragons were real.” – Dragonslayer

Luna Lu’s dragon loveys are readily identifiable. Their distinctive shape and signature detail on their hand-stitched faces, wings and tail make them standouts in the small shop market. “We are more of a fantasy lovey maker and create made-up creatures, such as the Guardian and now the new friend Mims. We put a lot of detail in ours, which would probably explain why it takes me so long between shop drops,” laughed Tamarah Shae Wight.

Wight and her artist sister Tiannah design all of the fanciful loveys for Luna Lu. “I started creating in November of 2017, but I did not make our Etsy shop and do our first drop until February 14, 2018,” Wight recalled of the shop’s early beginnings. “My younger sister’s nickname is Lu and she drew the first picture of my inspiration for the unicorn, my first creation and lovey. I thought it was necessary that I add her cute nickname to the shop name. We are all Italian and I loved including Luna (meaning ‘moon’), so we went with a fun and cuddly meaning for the name.”

The shop focuses on imaginative loveys in the form of unicorns, Wight’s original Mims and Guardians characters – both horned gentle-looking creatures – and, of course, the dragons. “I am always looking for a new fun fantasy creature to join my lovey crew and I usually get my sister to draw and help us create the next fun friend.” Virtually all of Luna Lu’s creations measure 17″ from top to bottom (the mini size is 9”), and feature a lightly-stuffed head and colorful, blanket-like body. The winged dragon design is particularly popular with small shoppers and, naturally, with Wight. “We love making the regular lovey style dragon the most,” she exclaimed. “We change up colors so much with them, but would probably say the rainbow dragons we created last summer are one of our favorite styles.” Also one of Wight’s favorite things: “We love seeing all the pictures with everyone cuddling or taking our loveys on adventures and sharing images in our Facebook VIP page or Instagram.”

Luna Lu recently celebrated its first anniversary this spring. “Over the last year, we really have learned that quality over quantity is very important to us. As we always want and strive to be better and faster, getting the plushes made is not worth cutting any corners to get more out,” Wight shared. “Also, we are learning that we need to advertise our shop better to get our name out there, but we are not the best in that area and really learning and trying to grow.” Wight has big plans for year two. “We are working on a new release with a lot of fun colors and also a new creature is in the works and we really can’t wait to share more!”

Check out photographs of Luna Lu’s fire-breathing friends posted in the shop’s VIP Facebook group and Instagram page. Plus, new releases will be available shortly in the Luna Lu shop here.

“Bear is mad. He was the first one to have to leave the park for a nap. He got an owie on the way home. And then he had to take off his boots and leave his favorite stick outside. Bear thinks it is all no fair. And that makes him very…very…MAD!” – Mad, Mad Bear! by Kimberly Gee.

As a Kindergarten teacher, Erika McCulloch of Mad Bear Shoes knows what kids want. “I started Mad Bear Shoes as a hobby. My daughter always wants matching shoes with her outfits so I learned how to make some,” McCulloch shared. “I had friends request I make some for their kiddos and it took off from there.”

McCulloch launched Mad Bear Shoes in September of 2018. The shop handcrafts customized, fabric-covered sneakers for both big and little feet. Simply provide your shoe size, fabric selection and preference for slip-on or tie sneaker style and Mad Bear takes it from there. “Once I have shoes and fabric in-hand, I glue the fabric onto the shoe. When it dries, I cut out the fabric to fit the shoe exactly and then I do a final layer of Mod Podge to seal and let them dry for 48 hours,” McCulloch explained of her design process. Pricing ranges from $20 to $28 (for kids through adults), and Mad Bear’s turnaround time is typically 4 weeks, depending on availability of fabric and shoes.

From dinosaurs and Legos to Disney princesses and Harry Potter prints, McCulloch can create shoes to match virtually any of your handmade t-shirts, dresses, shorts and joggers. Also, the shop offers a great way for a mama to find shoes to match her littles. The fabric transforms a basic sneaker into something special. McCulloch is preferential to “anything monochrome or rainbow, but I love all the creative ideas my customers have,” she exclaimed. Her favorite part of creating is “the joy and happiness I hear that the kids have from the shoes. Seeing their favorite characters on shoes they get to wear daily is the best.”

McCulloch often releases new fabric designs and offers great sales (like her recent 15% off everything sale this past weekend!).  Images of all of the available fabric selections are posted in the Mad Bear Shoes VIP Facebook group here and Instagram account here. Pick out your own design or request a custom for some fun summer kicks!