“When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars.” –Aquarius, Hair

Ancient civilizations used crystals as protective talismans, peace offerings and wore them as jewelry. Many believe that the semi-precious stones have healing properties. They are often recommended to clear mental and emotional blockages, emit positive vibes, alleviate stress and improve sleep patterns. Tiffany Willardo is harnessing the energy of these shimmering stones in her small shop, Designs by Tiffany W. The shop sells, among other things, hanging crescent moons constructed from colored wire, glass prism chandelier beads and iridescent beads of various shapes and sizes. “My designs are not only decorative, but they also serve a function if the buyer chooses to hang the crystals and radiate their energy in different parts of the home,” she explained. “For my entire life, I have always been into astrology and the moon. I had some crystals and thought to myself how lovely they would look hanging in parts of my home on a moon because I regularly cleanse and charge them during the new moon and full moon every month.”

Willardo opened up shop about four years ago. “I was making wreaths and many people were interested. I recently started making the moons and I am obsessed,” she exclaimed. “I love the colors of each one and the glass iridescent beads I attach. The beads make the prisms of light glimmer and sparkle when any light hits it. They look fabulous near a window catching natural light or outside under the moonlight.” I asked Willardo to pick a favorite design, but none of the moons “eclipsed” the others for her. “I love them all,” she laughed. “The copper colored ones seem to be most popular and I am personally drawn to blues.” Each lunar display is custom made to order and they generally range in size from six to twelve inches.

Although her crystals may help Willardo set intentions and improve concentration, the artist usually finds her design inspiration in the great outdoors. “I am influenced by everything around me, but especially now because I live close to the water, which is where I feel I need to be,” said Willardo. “There is magic and beauty all around me everyday.”

Elevate your sacred space and bring home a little metaphysical energy from Designs by Tiffany W. Willardo is currently working on hand painted crescent moon wall hangings, which she plans to release before year end. View images of her eclectic works in the Designs by Tiffany W. Etsy shop and follow the shop on Instagram for some celestial inspiration. 

It seems appropriate that an eco-friendly small shop – that initially specialized in cloth diapers – launched on Earth Day this year. “We originally started as Dapper Flats Diaper Co. and aimed to sell mainly cloth diapers and accessories. However, we quickly switched to custom clothing and very recently changed our business name to Dapper Flats Clothing,” explained Cassie Jahn. “We have come a long, long way and we have learned so much on the journey!”

Dapper Flats now offers small shoppers customized apparel for kiddos. “We are a fully custom shop. We make all of our clothing to order and offer a ton of different high quality fabrics that are not available everywhere. This means you can truly get a one of a kind piece,” she shared. “Also, my wife and I run the shop, so we try to be extra inclusive and offer regular discounts to the LGBTQAI+ population.” The Dapper Flats joggers and tie overalls have trended well with small shoppers. “They are so stinking cute,” said Jahn of the joggers pattern. “I love the fall colors and black and white stripes. We also have had some different rainbow fabrics that have been super popular.” For Jahn, her favorite part of the design process is “seeing people’s ideas come to life. They tell me their thoughts on what they hope to see and it is so exciting when they get their piece and it is exactly what they were dreaming of – or better!”

And, although Jahn has since shifted her focus from diapers to dapper apparel, her inspiration remains the same. “I find design inspiration all over, from the grocery store to different groups on Facebook dedicated to patterns,” she said. “But my biggest inspiration is my son. I use a lot of what I love to see him dressed to inspire me. We love to keep it stylish and comfy! Plus, he’s my world.” Jahn also credits the support of the Dapper Flats fans. “We have an amazing group in our Dapper Flats Chat & BST group on Facebook and they are so supportive and always trying to help us find new ways and new items to offer,” she exclaimed. “We also have a great group of brand reps supporting our business, spreading the word about Dapper Flats, and helping us to select and create new items. Ultimately, the last four months have been a crazy learning experience, but so much fun and we can’t wait to see what will come next!”

You won’t have to wait long for the shop’s next offerings. “We are in the process of adding in some new items, like cozy rib knit and french terry items, joggers, lounge sweaters, and so much more. We are also releasing a new not so basic mystery box. I’m sure winter will bring tons of even cozier items to share!” Find something warm this season on the Dapper Flats Facebook page and follow the shop on Instagram for pre-orders and new releases.

“Sleepyhead, close your eyes. Mother’s right here beside you.” – Lullaby and Goodnight (Brahms’ Lullaby)

The dozing eyes of each Wee Little Wild Ones lovey suggest long days of imaginative playing. “The closed eyes started because I was looking for a dreamy look for our lovies,” explained maker Sherry O’Neill. “I liked the look, so I have done them all that way.” I like anything that encourages my kiddos to nap.

Based in Minnesota, Wee Little Wild Ones focuses exclusively on plush loveys and stuffed animals. “The bunnies are one of my favorites. They have such a sweet look and are fun with their long ears,” O’Neill said. “I think the mouse mini stuffy was really popular. In fact, all the woodland creatures of our recent Forest Friends drop sold out pretty fast!” Each plush friend is constructed from high quality, silky soft materials and most of them measure approximately 16” in length. And, the Wee Little Wild Ones eyes are not their only distinctive feature. “All of our creations have a heart sewn on their butts. This is something we started in honor of my little niece who was born with a severe heart defect and spent almost seven months in the NICU. We almost lost her but thankfully she is home now,” O’Neill shared. “Our hope is to find an organization that helps heart babies and make donations or do auctions to help them as their expenses are so great.”

O’Neill opened up shop this past summer. “I have been making stuffies and lovies for years for my own kids, grandkids and friends. Everyone kept telling me I should open a shop, so finally I did,” she recalled. “I love to create things that kids can play with and take on adventures. My kids and my grandkids draw different designs and then I create them in stuffie or lovie form.” The Wee Little shop name was also inspired by O’Neill’s wild littles. “The shop name is something we thought was cute. It can mean animals, monsters or any creature we can imagine!”

As a fledgling shop, O’Neill is learning the ropes of the small shop community. “I have learned so much even though I have only had a few drops so far. People should not underestimate how much work goes into the whole process. Every maker works very hard, much harder than I realized,” she said. O’Neill herself is hard at work on new holiday releases. “I am super excited because my grandkids have some fun drawings I plan to make, including several monsters. I can just let my imagination go with those. One will be making its debut in stuffy form soon!”

Pick out your own snuggly lovey from the Wee Little Wild Ones website and join the shop’s VIP Facebook group for details on other upcoming drops.

Linus from Snoopy famously lugged around his blanket and I bet your kids have one too. Elizabeth Richardson of Libby Ann Quilts has been sewing security blankets since 2017. “Picking a favorite is hard because every time I design something new, it becomes a favorite,” she laughed. “My kids are really into dinosaurs and I adore the ‘Dino Letters’ blanket we have. I am very partial to watercolor drawn floral prints. I have a ton in my shop and they are some of my favorite fabrics to sew.”

Richardson stands proudly behind the high quality of her minky creations. “Libby Ann Quilts offers premium blankets made from a traditionally-trained quilter. We only use luxury fabrics from top designers,” she shared. “We want your child to fall in love with his or her quilt and use it—a lot! With a lot of use comes the need to wash it frequently, which can be hard on fabric. Not with a Libby Ann Quilt! We only purchase the best premium minky, satin and thread so that your child’s special blanket will wash beautifully for years to come.” Beyond durability, every blanket is personalized for its recipient. “Each letter is meticulously cut out and sewn on.  We do this all by hand, making each blanket a truly unique heirloom quality gift. It’s what makes it a Libby Ann blanket!”

Based in Iowa, Richardson named the shop after a childhood nickname (“because it is personal and unique”). “We had recently moved due to my husband’s job and I finally decided it was time to take that big leap and open my own shop,” she recalled. After some trial and error, Richardson discovered the snuggle was real. “I started with traditionally pieced baby blankets, but quickly realized that the business model of selling unique, one of a kind pieces online was not going to be a great fit for me. Finding a way to make unique, fun and reproducible blankets was the way to go,” she said. “This is when I started working with satin and minky. They are the fabrics my own kids were always drawn to and their favorites to snuggle with. It took about six months to master my personalization techniques before introducing them as an option for the shop.” Richardson also built up one of her greatest resources – a strong mom sounding board. “We have an awesome tribe of moms in our Libby Ann Snuggle Club on Facebook. When we are ready to add new designs to the shop, they are always there helping give me opinions and ideas of themes their kids are looking for. I love the interaction in the group,” she exclaimed. “I also love Pinterest and spend a lot of time on there following nursery trends. Our brand does not shy away from color!”

The Libby Ann Quilts blankets make terrific baby shower and birthday gifts. “The shop gets really busy starting in October for holiday gifts too!” Pick out a minky print on the new Libby Ann Quilts website and join in the mom group in the shop’s Snuggle Club here.