~* Halloween P0P up Shopping *~ - 10/11/12

Powdermonki Retro Toy Badges Review

I've been an admirer for awhile and after asking some random cute people around the internet all I heard was that the buttons (as we'd call them stateside) were good quality &; worth a purchase.

There are some really fabulous designs available for purchase, but I decided take her up on the offer to make custom buttons using images of my choosing. Well, nothing could have prepared me for the ability, kindness, communication, and end result of what turned out to be about a month long series of emails back and forth.

Do you know me? Hi, I'm Mindy and I love Popples like the vast majority of people love Care Bears. I didn't watch the cartoons as a kid and cannot think of ever in my child life seeing a commercial or ad for them, but you don't' have to try to sell me on Popples. I don't take interest in a whole lot of things, so I got what I wanted when I did ask. I'm not saying I had every Popple as a kid and looking back I realize that my Popples merchandise was, for the most part, practical items. I had the plates, bowls, cups, a tea set, mugs, puzzles, bathroom decor, the sleeping bag, stickers, colorforms, and of course a few plush. Not all that stuff was new: I've been garage sale-ing and thrifting my heart out since I could toddle down the sidewalk. I've managed to accumulate some really cool Popples stuff through my teen and adult years.

When I first contacted Sarah, the creator of the badges, I had only a memory of a Popples puzzle I had as a kid. This is exactly that first communication:
"Hello,  I love your pins &; hear that they're great quality. I was wondering what kind of image you'd need to make one. I absolutely love how Popples merch has popples plush staged &; photographed. I had a puzzle of Pretty Bit &; Potato Chip (i'm pretty sure) playing with a gumball machine that I'd love to have on a badge. Let me know if it's possible.

~*love and light*~

 Mindy"

Her reply was prompt. Actually the same day, but time gets away from me and it was days, maybe a week, before I saw it and replied. I was pretty much floored. Not only had she found that puzzle based on my description, but also sent along a mock up of it as a badge.


Oh my gosh, that's it! It's so much cuter than I recalled, with Pretty Bit sitting in the busted machine with the top on her head. She explained that this is a photo she found after having "a quick look on eBay" and that it's a tray puzzle and will have lines in it. The lines of this tray puzzle are all wavy like you see: that's not manipulation of the photo. I shared that it was more orangey than I remembered and Sarah said and set about looking for pictures on my own. While I was doing that I heard back from Sarah that she'd also put a glaze layer over the image &; that it was probably altering the color, so she'd omit that in the future.

I suddenly realized that she'd just pulled this image off the web and made a lovely badge with it, so I asked if she'd be able to make badges with any image I provided. I have an inordinate amount of pictures of things I used to have, like, or want on my hard drive. Her response was this:

"Hi Mindy, whilst it's true I can use any image you'd like to make a badge from, it's always best to use a larger, better quality image than a small one. So, what I'll do when you email me your images is make them ready for printing and email the sample images back for your approval (I won't add the mock badge glaze to them, so you can see the images better).

How does that sound?

I'm looking forward to this!"

I let her know I was gonna be searching thru my images and compiling a photo list to send her way!

What I discovered is that there are two releases of this gumball Popples puzzle and the color differs ever so slightly from the tray with a red band at the top from the one with the blue. I sent this image along with the explanation of what was goin on.

In going through my files I'd already come up with some photos I wanted to use. The following images are what I sent:

I have the pillow on the right, but getting to things is not easy for me. It's packed away safe, cuz I've kept in pristine condition for 20 years thru a lot a lot of life: it came with when I left my Mom's house.

(side note:she didn't make it for me, per se, but, my friend Lexi made me a fairy kei shirt with the middle pillow. The Popple holding the ice cream cone is my very first Popple & I don't have her. Pretty Bit is my fave Popple I acquired as an adult)
~☆~

The cutie badge top left I have, but it's vintage & branded on the back: not for using. I could not find a better picture or take a picture of that super shiny button, so I sent this.
~☆~

The middle plate was my special dessert and birthday plate. I don't have my plate but it was all scuffed up by the end of it's use from being, well, used.
~☆~

When I went looking for the tea set I realized it was a rare item indeed! The only photo I found was this one. This is so crazy, you guys! Ok, so the couch this set is sitting on is absolutely identical to the one I was sitting on when I opened my tea set when I was four. It's a small photo, but I'm just amazed to be looking at it.
~☆~

 This I made myself, using MS paint and even though it is a little dodgy I still had to show her. I worked HARD on this. See, as a kid I had that Popple I placed in the image in the forefront and she was very special to me. I sang almost constantly & put on dramatic stage performances in and out of my home. I wish I had her longer since I got very much into the punk scene as a teen.

You've got to understand that I cannot photoshop my way out of, into, or on top of a paper bag. Sarah was very understanding of this and after I sent those to her she gave me the information I needed to collect images that could be made into badges. She told me, "Ideally the bigger the image the better. Ideally no smaller than 600px square. I can't use the image you created in Paint, but I've re-created it using my own images. Punkity's image is now much clearer, but I don't have a bigger image of them both to use for the background"

I was NOT at all expecting this!

I think we'll all agree that this looks oh so much better. I don't have fuzzy feelings for the other Popple, so don't care that it's not clear and the gritty feel suits the scene. They are punks on stage and the audience is throwing tomatoes at them. I also wasn't able to salvage the tail in my paint version & now it's back & u can still see both the guitarists eyes.=^-^=fur joy

"I brightened up the puzzle image, so maybe the background changed colour a bit. How about this:

The one I emailed you before is on the left, and the less orangey one is on the right."

 The one on the right matches my memory better and when you see them side by side like this I feel like the untouched image is too bright and the shadows to deep. The touch up is perfection and I told her so.

After getting that info about most of the images being unusable I found images of those things I could in a more suitable size. I was determined to do the hunting myself & this is what I did every time I was able: sometimes all I'd do in a day is search for Popples or email Sarah. Not because I thought I'd get my head bitten off or anything. In fact, she said, "the best thing to do is for you to send me the images you want made into badges and if they aren't big enough for me to use I'll see what I have saved or can find on the internet and we can take it from there!" I'm just nice and considerate of the fact that other people have RL lives to live, I guess.

I really wanted a Cool Times Barbie button. The buttons she has already up for sale are really cool and there's a great variety, but as you may already gleaned from this blog I'm getting these badges made in order to be able to, in a way, have my most beloved toys with me once more. Truly this is better that finding a mint in box Barbie, though cuz as an adult I can take these with me everywhere and share what I love with the world. All the pictures I found of Cool Times, and there are many merch images and prototype photos floating out there, had her clothes wrong or her hair not in pigtails like mine was. I looked and looked but never found anything that, to me, looked like Cool Times Barbie. Since I was blown away by how well she'd recreated that punk scene for me I asked if she'd be able to another custom for me. This time, of Cool Times Barbie. I wondered if she'd be able to take put a picture I took of my own Cool Times' one remaining earring on a photo of a boxed barbie I found. No Barbie of mine got played with more than Cool Times, which is why she's ruined today. I still have her, which is actually sayin a lot, cuz I'm a pony girl~in my pony world: let's go play My Little Po-nies!

I sent these images:

Sarah got back to me and said she needed the images without the circles now that she knew what part of them I wanted on badges. I did that and also asked if she'd be able to use a picture of the actual Cool Times earring I still have, since the earrings can't be seen in the image I found...any image I found.

The screencaps I painstakingly caught from my own Jem avis are esp awesome. That's Kimber (in signature outfit) with Jem's pink hair. Catching lazy/crazy artists flubs on Jem is lots of fun. Sarah warned me the quality of Kimber wouldn't be great, but it's the best I could do. The Misfits looks fabulous cuz it's the whole screen. It's from the first time they meet Tech Rat.

The lengthy process wasn't due to powdermonki: it was my fault this was March 22 to mid April.

It took me even longer to make this blog, so I can't wait any longer to show you the results of all this fantastic collaboration.

















The first three are smaller ones she designed and made herself. 

blurry from my pic~crisp image in real life

That's my Cool Times earring*!* OMG~so happy
~☆~

It is lower quality..but then again I grew up with BETA, sooo I love it*!*

~☆~

The smaller crafted ones she made have metal back, but the regular retro ones have plastic backs.

Fun badges are a great way to personalize any outfit, purse, or hair bow. I wore my Furrever Friends badge in the button hole of a silk shirt & entered a a fairy kei contest.

~☆~

If you're questioning whether or not to order from Powdermonki, then I assure you, you will be SO happy you did. She adds new badge designs regularly & working with her is a dream come true. Be sure to check out all the categories for much retro fun. I doubt you'll be left wanting for much. There's Lady Lovely Locks, Fairy Tail Birds, Keypers, many Barbies & Care Bears, Wuzzles, Cupcakes, and Rainbow Brite..to name a few. You can even pick up your own Misfits split screen badge cuz my custom request is now a regular shop item.

Communication: Excellent

Quality: Excellent

Shipping Time: Excellent

Packaging: Excellent (with color invoice & all badges secured to the page it's bloody brilliant)

Over-all Satisfaction: Exceeded Expectation at every turn

Would I refer a friend or shop here again? *!*!*!YES*!*!*!*

Leave a comment to let me know which ones you plan on getting *or* share your own experience with Powdermonki.

Powdermonki Retro Toy Badges

How to be KAWAII in KS: Let's Shop for Shoes*!*

Fairy~kei & pop~kei are two Japanese street styles that can be easily incorporated into "normal" everyday outfits. Both styles are fun and youthful with a retro vibe. Pastel is your pallet:D frilly and girly cute ^-^ is fairy kei . Bright colors and black and white patterns :D 80's evolved~!~is pop kei.

Whether you're just incorporating one of these styles into your wardrobe or doing street kei from head to toe, we all know...our shoes complete our outfit. Upon meeting any person the first thing I check out is their shoes. I'm a shoe junkie, but in a weird way...I'm so picky about style that the number of shoes I have owned is quite few. I assure you they have been fab. So, for me, when it comes time to finish off a fairy kei or pop kei outfit the shoe is make or break.

When I began searching, in America, for awesome street style shoes I began to realize how hard it was going to be to find suitable shoes without importing. I wear an 8 or 8.5 and many(most) of the shoes I found to import didn't even come in sizes that big. I've spent months, actually, scouring stores(without much luck) and the internet and am now here to share what I've found with all you luvlees.

Did you know you have the ability to create your own shoe if you go to some major shoe manufacturers websites*?!*

~!~it's too good *&* so true~!~

I designed this Nike Woman's Morgan Mid 2 to be a very fairy kei shoe. Isn't the little flower pattern tew presh*?!*

The absolute best thing about Nike iD shoes is that you can personalize them EVEN MORE by adding text.You can see above that I was able to put different text on each shoe. As a person who is generally obsessed with originality I get such a thrill knowing my kicks will be truly one of a kind. I have saved this style in my locker as Fairy Kewl. Feel free to buy the style or modify it to your liking, but please don't jack my iD, okey?

The colors we have to choose from at Nike lend themselves much easier to pop-kei.The bold teal and brighter pinks on this shoe make it pretty perfect for pop-kei.You can find this design by clicking DESIGN SEARCH at Nike iD and entering Fairy Kewt in the search window.

~*♥*~

I couldn't pass up an opportunity to make a totally rad shoe to go with my 80's inspired wardrobe.
That text is on shiny silver=SO RAD*!!*

Be sure to create a locker so you can save your own designs and share them~!~with me~!~and all your frinds.

Since I'm seeing reebok on so many J-street cuties I decided to check out Reebok's website and sure enuff ~!~custom shoes there too~!~

~*I juss loves the glittery option*~

~*♥*~

For 79$ I could have these Rainbow Reeboks I spent 5 minutes designing just now. Life is AwEsOmE*!!*

Reebok doesn't have the greatest color pallet for fairy kei, but there are plenty of variations you can create using the their only pastels: blue(hydrangea), yellow(thunderbolt), pink(innocent pink), and white. Plus there are several shades of grey to throw in. Only with pastels would I ever wear grey, lol. There are plenty more bold and brights to play with.

I had to go fetch my password, then log in before being able to save my design, so the link below takes you to a slightly improved version. I named it Rainbow.

Reebok allows you to put text on their shoes, but it's not at all prominent or as cool as NIKEiD. With Reebok it's more like you're just able to ID your shoe, but that's still classier than a label-maker and it's permanent.

These custom sneakers are not exactly cheap, but with Nike and Reebok you already know you're getting quality and how can you put a price on custom shoes you designed??? You'd spend as much, or more, importing some super cute shoes, but those wouldn't be made by and for just you, now would they?

~*LINKS*~

NIKEiD Women's Air Morgan Mid 2 FAIRY KEWL <-MY DESIGN

NIKEiD Women's Air Morgan Mid 2 KEWT CHAOS <-MY DESIGN

NIKEiD Blazer High POP-NON-STOP <- MY DESIGN

NIKEiD Women's Air Morgan Mid 2 BLANK <- CREATE YOUR OWN

NIKEiD Blazer High BLANK <- CREATE YOUR OWN

Reebok Custom Women's Freestyle RAINBOW <-MY DESIGN

Reebok Custom Women's Freestyle BLANK <-CREATE YOUR OWN

{EDIT}I'm new to blogging & some of the links aren't working, but if you enter fairy into DESIGN SEARCH at NIKEiD my designs come up{EDIT}

If custom shoes are out of your price range, no worries*!*

A popular fairy kei style of shoe exclusive to Japan is these pastel hi-topsBut did you know that these are basically just reproductions of 1980s reebok shoes*?!*

~*♥*~

I found these on ebay in less than a minute and InMyNotSoHumbleOpinion they're WAY more cute than the repros pictured above.

~*♥*~

I even like these better than the Japanese ones because they are totally pastel and thus more true to fairy kei.

Be sure to check your local thrift stores or raid your(or your friends) parents' closets for authentic expressions of appreciation for the 80s fashion era...tehe, I mean oldskewl shoes =^-*=

At DSW(Designer Shoe Warehouse) I found lavender, soft yellow, and light blue low top sneakers for about 40 bux each. They prolly had pink, but were sold out. I always want to call DSW Designer Ware Shoehouse, so I do. When I was little it was just a result of getting the words mixed up. Maybe it's just from hearing myself say it all these years, but I like the name better that way, teehee.

I just went to their site and found these just now*!* So cute*!*
GO TO DSW AND BUY IT on clearance now*!*

There is some weird and pricey zigzag shoe at reebok that made me think maybe I could customize one to be reminiscent of Rainbow Brite, but the colors were just too uggg. I then searched Rainbow Brite shoes....

~*Look what I JUST found*~

GO TO HALLMARKSTORE TO BUY IT NOW
These even offer a bit of customization, so I selected black rubber. I would totally make these have glow-in-the-dark stars on the toe and a rainbow sole. OMG, I want them SOOO bad*!!*

Keds actually allows you to upload your own images onto your custom shoe{faints} and once I recovered from the shock and sheer joy of all the possibilities before me I real quick made a Jem shoe just using pics I already had on my drive. It is so super EZ ;D I wanna see lots of shoes from you guys =^-*=
GO HERE TO MAKE YOUR OWN

Keds has the greatest customization by far*!* I pretty much just found it out by accident too, lol. =^-*= I can't wait to see what my readers create.

~*♥*~

Target and WalMart will sometimes have cute, rhully cheap & cheaply made, shoes. I've found some of my favorite shoes at Goodwill and Salvation Army. For all you know you'll find shoes in the street ;D everything is possible.

Be open to finding your ideal shoe and the best fit will find you. The most important thing to do before setting out on a shoe search is to say to yourself and the whole universe that you are going to find a pair of shoes that you love. That's what is of utmost importance after all. No matter your style there is an affordable shoe out there in the world to complete your look and make you happy.

~*♥T!PS♥*~

♥ cheap or old shoes can be made more comfy with shoe liners like Dr. Scholls ♥

♥ diff shoe brands fit differently, so try them first or double check the return policy when buying online(you can typically try on similar shoes in a local store that are by that brand to determine if they run big or small on you) ♥

♥ a simple pastel(fairy) or bright/black/pattern(pop) high heel makes fairy & pop kei more chic and grown-up, but platform stilettos tend to go trashy-has a lot to do with your attitude and the rest of your outfit of course, so strut your own runway ♥

♥ if unsure about size, but you must have them, buy a half size bigger cuz you can put on a thicker or another sock, but you can't shrink your foot(this rule is reversed when buying high heels, cuz a too tight shoe will deffy stay on ur foot, but a loose one will prevent you from walking and thus wearing your lovely new shoes) ♥

♥ think of white shoes as a blank canvas for painting or dyeing and if the shoes aren't white but are canvas they can most likely be bleached ♥

♥ boots(esp black) make even the cutest outfit bad-ass ♥

♥ BEST Mindy T!P~ShOeLaCeS change the look of any shoe, so pay attention to cute laces when you're out and about and take the time to de-lace *&* re-lace before stepping out ♥

~*HaPpY ShOpPiNg luvlees*~