Okay it’s been a while, it’s totally my fault and I apologize sincerely. I got so excited to launch this new feature on the site but I didn’t manage my time accordingly 🙁
I’m thrilled to present another handmade product review! PS: click on a picture to enlarge it; you can also scroll through the entire gallery that way.
Etsy shop: Gold Creek Designs
Craft: Sewing and crocheting
Item being reviewed: Black & white polka dot pleated wristlet/clutch
Shipping and presentation: Shipping was super speedy despite inclement weather out on the East Coast where the item was shipped from. It was comfortably-packed in an appropriately-sized envelope; no damage to the exterior of the package and the contents were very well protected.
Upon opening the envelope I was presented with a very carefully-wrapped (double-wrapped) package and a personalized Thank You card from shop owner Patty… This was a pleasant surprise and I immediately felt special so I pulled out my camera and started clicking away. The card also reiterated the cleaning instructions.
I have to confess that I intentionally opened the inner packaging very gently in the hopes that I might be able to recycle the white tissue the wristlet was wrapped in 😉
Buying experience: In the Gold Creek Designs shop you will find hats, scarves, ear warmers, and more. It’s evident that Patty likes to create things by crocheting and sewing so I had quite an array of choices in the shop. I eventually settled on the clutch/wristlet.
What I didn’t like though was that I could not use my PayPal account to pay for the item. For some reason the only method of payment accepted was credit cards so I found it slightly inconvenient in that sense and had a little bit of pause because I personally feel a bit more comfortable using PayPal for such transactions. This may not be a problem for most however, but I think offering multiple payment options would be a plus.
Actual product: I purchased this wristlet because I have been looking for one for quite awhile… Not an emergency must have, but just one of those things where I was willing to be patient until the right one came across my path. One problem I had with all the ones I had come across in the past was that they could not fit my wallet. See, I am attached to my wallet and everything I need fits right into it neatly so I really just wanted to downsize from carrying it around in a purse, at least from time to time.
The fabric was very clean and smelled fresh. I’m a scent person so the last thing I want is for a new item I buy to smell anything but fresh. With handmade items there is a risk of items picking up the ambient scents in the homes in which they are created, not so here; it definitely smelled new 🙂
I particularly loved the stitching, it’s very neat and so well done but still had that human feel to it. One of the reasons I shop on Etsy is so that I can buy handmade items because I want handmade items so I don’t like them to look too factory-perfect.
The dimensions of the clutch/wristlet were in the listing but I couldn’t really envision what the actual size was. It measures about 10.5″ lengthwise (from right to left) and 5.5″ in height (from the zipper on top to the base). There is an inner pocket on the inside of the clutch.
Now here are the measurements in practical terms, I was not able to fit my phone (an iPhone 5S) in the inner pocket and zip the clutch, however, when I laid it down in the main compartment right next to my beloved wallet that is somewhat over-sized when compared to most, it fit perfectly well with lots of room on all sides. I then tried to see if my old iPhone 3GS would fit in the inner pocket and it did fit very comfortably and securely. Therefore, I surmise that smaller phones, or an iPod (who uses those anymore these days…?) or something of similar or smaller size can be stored in that inner pocket…perhaps your feminine hygiene products maybe…
Altogether my phone and wallet in the wristlet weighed approximately 1.5lbs. I zipped it up and yanked on it to test if it would hold up to jerky movements (granted, I didn’t use brute force because my phone was in there, but still, within reason…) I also carried it all day for my outings for the day so this entailed being tossed onto the car seat, picked up by the strap as well the main compartment intermittently, and though there isn’t any inner padding, I didn’t feel like my stuff was not well-protected. The zipper is attached to the strap so it was very convenient and easy to access my wallet or phone when I needed either of them. Just unzip and reach in; the zipper pulled away far enough so I didn’t have to take my wrist out of the strap in order to reach the contents of the clutch.
Final thoughts: The only other thing I would recommend (in addition to maybe accepting PayPal payments) would be to have some sort of an insert with the Etsy shop name so that a satisfied customer can put it in a Rolodex of sorts and easily refer back to it when they want to go shopping at Gold Creek Designs again.
PS: If you’ve enjoyed reading this product review and you’d like to have me review one of your own handmade products and spotlight your Etsy shop in this Product Reviews section, please use the contact form and send me a message (don’t forget to tell me what the name of your Etsy shop is) and I will buy something from your shop and review it!