Recent Interview with Fair Ivy Founder
I was recently interviewed by HerEssentials as part of their Expert Interview program. Click here to read the interview!
Category: Fair Ivy News
Natural vegan soap
In April, we were lucky enough to receive some samples of Marvi Beauty‘s natural vegan soap. It was wrapped amazingly, smelled great, and felt wonderful on the skin. Overall, we give it a gigantic thumbs up.
Check out our photos!
How adorable is this handwritten shipping label?
We found the packaging so fun and whimsical. It felt like getting a piece of candy—but one that wouldn’t cause any regret!
Their artist info card read:
Marvi Beauty is a mother-daughter owned skin and hair care company with 100% natural products crafted by hand in small batches. All our products are made from high quality ingredients that combine with essential antioxidants and vitamins found in nature to enhance and redefine beauty.
Some of our recipes have been passed down to us from past generations, while experimenting with new materials and ideas help us create others. Marvi means Beauty Redefined, which has become the heart and soul of our entire company. We are always working and redefining our products, making changes where necessary.
We create all of our own original recipes and packaging, and manufacture all product ourselves.
Niss & Annie Ali
We absolutely loved everything about this!
To head on over to their store and grab some of their beauty products for yourself, click here. Their soap page is this one.
Thank you so much again Marvi Beauty!
Vegan Faux Leather Handmade Clutch
This gorgeous vegan faux leather handmade clutch was sent to our surprise subscribers in February. Made by Lacy Lou Designs, it was custom-created JUST for Fair Ivy subscribers (woohoo!). We adored not only the way it was made so carefully with love, but even the way it was hand-wrapped—front he cute itsy-bitsy clothes pin to the gorgeous graphic design on her business card and info card.
Artist Info card for the Vegan Faux Leather Handmade Clutch:
Lacy is a serious fabric addict based out of northern Utah. She graduated from Utah Valley University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Lacy is a proud military spouse to a loving husband, and a momma to 2 sweet boys that keep her busy with legos, messy rooms, and lots of cuddles. Her passion for fabric and creating guided her into creating an online business.
Lacy’s favorite part of the design process is shopping for the perfect fabric combinations. She loves coming up with new designs for her shop and watching them come together in real life. She makes each item herself on her vintage sewing machine in her basement, all while snacking on Swedish Fish and watching TV series on Netflix.
This clutch was handcrafted with the idea of making you feel hip and confident. It is the perfect design for a night on the town, yet functional enough to be used every day. Its roomy interior keeps all your essentials together while its mixed-media design gives you an urban-chic look. T his particular clutch was designed specifically for Fair Ivy—and you!
Want to pick something similar up for yourself? Head on over to Lacy Lou Designs’ shop!
Or, want to receive a handmade surprise in the mail every month, just like this one? Learn more about Fair Ivy by clicking below:
Natural Gift Wrapping DIY – Autumn Gift Wrap Ideas
I think Autumn is a lovely time of year—things are cooling down and the leaves are starting to fall from the trees.
….and because of all this, it’s also a great time for me to post a natural gift wrapping DIY!
Natural Gift Wrapping DIY
Step 1: Go for a walk
Take a stroll in the Autumn air. On your journey, gather up some twigs, dead leaves, and perhaps some lovely dried berries. If you don’t have any gardening twine, grab some from a garden store (the dollar store usually has it too!).
Step 2: Wrap your box in kraft paper
This is the base layer of how I wrap the majority of my presents. It looks fancier and classier than other types of gift wrap, in my opinion—and is what helps give the boxes their natural gift wrapping feel. If you don’t have any of it lying around, use an inside-out brown grocery bag or a brown lunch bag. If those are also not available, a piece of newspaper (text mostly) can be an ok substitute.
Step 3: Twine it up
The brown twine is also important for the natural gift wrapping feel. Tie it either centered or off-centered. Off-centered can give an even fancier vibe.
Final Step: Try out different combinations
Go nuts with the collection of leaves and stuff you’ve collected. Usually one or two different items is sufficient—like some twigs and berries, or a dead leaf and an acorn, etc.
And you’re done!
I have another post with some more intricate natural gift wrap DIY ideas, so if you like this style go ahead and check it out!
Want to check out some other posts on natural gift wrapping DIY? Check out some of my favorite blog posts on the subject!
- Nature Wraps: DIY green gift wrap for the Holidays from Justina Blakeney
- Fall Gift Wrap from Shari’s Berries
- DIY Holly Leaves from The Pink Couch
Fair Ivy: Now a Vegan monthly subscription box
Been looking for a vegan monthly subscription box? Well you’re in luck….Fair Ivy is now a vegan-friendly subscription box!
I have been toying with the idea for awhile, but it wasn’t until I started doing some work with the vegan film and recipe company Forks Over Knives that things really started to click.
Vegan Monthly Subscription Box : What does it mean?
Firstly, it does NOT mean:
The move towards Fair Ivy being a vegan-friendly subscription will not change the style, vibe or quality of the items you find in the hand-wrapped gifts mailed out each month. It also does not mean that the subscription is targeted only at vegans (e.g. you won’t be receiving any vegan cheese!).
It does mean:
What it means that we will not be selecting artists or handmade gifts that are not vegan-friendly. None of our handmade surprise gifts are made from animal products, nor are tested on animals. This also includes the gift-wrapping for each of the surprise gifts.
We think this is a positive move towards a healthier and more kind gift box experience, and we are happy our company can make this move for both ourselves and our subscribers.
I hope you enjoy the changes, and would love to hear any feedback you might have on this new concept of our handmade subscriptions now also being a vegan monthly subscription box.
Warmly,
Lucy
Fair Ivy Owner
Gold Dome Earrings
March brought our handmade gift subscription participants some absolutely wonderful, delicate earrings—made by Virginia Wynne Jewelry! These handmade gold dome earrings were created at a size just for our subscribers, and were definitely a big fan favorite.
As always, we loved the handmade gift wrapping, as well as learning about the artist in her info card! The text reads:
“These collections of elegant jewelry are hand made by Virginia Wynne in a small studio in Baltimore, Maryland. Virginia Wynne is a Louisiana native and graduate of the distinguished Savannah College of Art and Design.
Using traditional metalsmithing techniques, each piece is individually handcrafted. The studs are hand cut out of sheet metal, shaped, and then a thin layer of 23K gold used inside the dome with a technique called Keum-Boo.
You can find more of Virginia Wynne jewelry on Etsy! Coupon code for 10% off: Surprise10″
We had absolutely wonderful feedback on this monthly surprise gift and will surely feature Virginia Wynne again in the future!
Interested in picking up a pair of these wonderful handmade gold dome earrings? Head on over to Virginia Wynne’s Etsy shop!