Both of us love buying handmade, and just don't do it enough! Today we're reviewing dolly darling, a store that describes itself as having "cute & quirkiness at its very core", which definitely sounds like something that would appeal to us! Dolly Darling is well-known for these adorable deer headbands, and also for the adorable pastel fashion blog of its owner Georgina! The shop sells super cute pastel inspired accessories and plus size handmade clothing, all of which is handcrafted!
Our order was for one of these pretty carousel animal pieces - in our case, the carousel bunny in a brooch form! I love bunnies, and both bunnies and carousels are such a prevalent motif in lolita, we though that it would mesh really well with our styles and with our wardrobe! The brooch itself is an original illustration (I really love the colours! they feel so pretty and soft, like an illustration in a children's book!) printed on laser cut wood. For £8 with free shipping, it was definitely a steal!
We placed our order and paid on the 8th February, which was a Sunday, and although we didn't get any confirmation as to when our order was shipped it was with us on the Tuesday, which for free shipping is pretty darn quick! We didn't need to communicate in any way and the website was incredibly easy to navigate, so ten out of ten in every way for ease and quickness of the order! The brooch was shipped inside a bubble mailer, which was stamped with a dolly darling logo! I love it when stores have cute little factors like this so you can recognize a package as belonging to them!
Inside the mailer, the brooch was in a little ziploc bag! It was very secure and safe and the brooch got to us in perfect condition. Also included were these sweet holographic Easter-themed sticker flakes, which was a nice touch! I know a few people who dislike getting "extras" in packages, but we are definitely not one of them! It's nice to think about the seller putting extra love and care into their wares.
As you can see, the wood isn't super thick, which means that it won't drag down lighter materials of cardigans and dresses! I have a vintage puzzle piece brooch made out of a very thick wood that can only be clipped onto thicker cardigans and jumpers, so this is a really nice weight! The brooch pin seems really well attached, although there were a few glue strands and a bit of overspill. These are totally covered when you're wearing the piece though, so it doesn't affect our enjoyment at all! As people who work with glue in our own work, we know how hard it can be to get everything totally perfect.
The brooch itself is absolutely adorable. The pastel colours you see in the stock picture are dead-on for the brooch in real life, so you definitely won't be disappointed! The print is crisp and detailed and most importantly really really cute - I can't wait to put together outfits using this brooch in them! There are so many adorable tiny details (how cute is the bunny's little nose and collar? I'm in love!) and it's so beautifully drawn and made!
All in all, our experience ordering from dolly darling was absolutely wonderful - the piece is well-made, got here in record time, and is going to look so cute worn with both our lolita wardrobe and our casual wardrobe (I'm already thinking up co-ord ideas using our Cinderella Bunny print!). I would definitely recommend buying from dolly darling if you're looking for something cute, kitschy, twee or anything in between those! I know that I am eyeing up this sweet embroidered kitten brooch for my ever growing brooch collection!
✿Love,✿
♥Haz & Nat♥
