Review & Giveaway: Yoyen Designs

YoyenDesigns, a small family owned business based out of San Diego, CA, has some of the most unique artisan goods all in one shop!

I spent a little over a week speaking to owner, Lorena, via email. When I couldn't decide between a blue MiniBook or a pink one, she asked to send me both- one for me, and one for my soon-to-be-born daughter! 

Lorena, whose nickname is Yoyen (her own misspeaking from childhood trying to say 'Loren') has an amazing personality. She truly was so sweet to work with and very responsive to my questions!

I discussed with her my light metal allergies. I never quite know when jewelry is going to bother me, but when it does, it causes a rash so severe that I that I can't wear it at all.  

Loren offered to make the pink one with a pretty cord instead of their usual chain. I though that was very accommodating! I loved that we were only altering one, as it let me see the variety of what they offer.

When the book necklaces arrived, I was so thrilled! Even the packaging was impressive. They came in sturdy small boxes filled with shredded paper cushioning.

Each MiniBook necklace was also packed inside a canvas pouch "MiniBag".

The necklaces were beyond adorable! The two I received had a Sensuede cover (an ecofriendly animal-free alternative to suede, that looks and feels just the same). 

They were both approximately 1 ¼” wide and 1 3/8” high, with roughly 36 100% cotton fiber pages inside.

The blue one has a small antique yellow jump ring and 32” chain.  I really love that it hangs low enough to use the book!  The book is tied closed with a thin strip of blue Sensuede that is attached to one side of the cover, and wrapped around. The jump ring holds an antique yellow key charm as well as a blue lapis bead.

The pink MiniBook has a silver plated jump ring connecting to a pink lacing cord. A cute nautical pewter charm hangs off the jump ring. 

One thing I didn’t like as much in this one, was that the pink cord tying the book closed, comes all the way off rather than being attached by one side to the book. I imagine it's only going to be a matter of time until that piece is lost.  That aside, it is really adorable!

While my original intent was to save this one for baby, or use in her honor somehow, my five year old fell in love with this one before it was completely out of the package.   I should have remembered - anything pink belongs to Hailey!

The quality of each of the books is quite high.  Lorena studied ‘Book Arts’ in college and fell in love with the process! Each book is made with fine arts paper and is hand torn to give it rough edges.  The pages can be used for ink drawing, calligraphy, or 'wet media' such as watercolor or pastels. These pieces really are one of a kind ‘wearable art.’

There is a good variety of styles - some MiniBooks are available with regular bound pages and some with accordian pages that have tiny pockets. They might be affixed with various beads, charms or even feather. The mini books range from about $25-$30. That's a very affordable piece of jewelry in my opinion!  If you have something special in mind, Loren will work with you to customize one for you.

I haven’t yet decided what I am going to write in it. I have this problem with all pretty journals; I always buy them, but them deem them too pretty to actually use. I have yet to find the perfect use of it, so for now, I’ll just keep wearing it!

Yoyen Designs carries a variety of other treasures as well! 

Also you can find ‘Handmade Imports’ that consist of necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. Aside from a gorgeous $12 dreamcatcher necklace, nothing in that category appears over $10! I can’t wait to stock up on these, as many of them seem to be metal-free.  She also carries a line of embroidery kits and framed wall art.

Aside from all the pretties previously mentioned, Yoyen Designs carries a few fun printed items. I was sent 2 Signature Prints, a greeting card, and a bookmark. 

The prints are 8x10, printed on sturdy premium paper and display bright, vibrant colors! One of the prints has an adorable bicycle with tulips nearby and says ‘Enjoy the Ride’, a reminder we all need every now and then. 

The second print has a pair of orange retro quad roller skates and says “Life is fun on roller skates.” I smiled at this one as coincidentally, before getting pregnant with my newborn, I was actually a part of a local roller derby team. I can’t wait to hang these up! These retail for $12.99 each.

The greeting card and bookmark both display the same bicycle and ‘Enjoy the Ride’ theme. They are also of the same paper and quality. The greeting cards cost just $3.95 each and would be great to keep on hand as all-purpose note cards.

Yoyen Designs is giving away one Cadet Blue MiniBook Necklace (like I received) to one of our readers!  This necklace is valued at $29.99 and this giveaway is open to US residents only.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This lets us contact you if you win!)  This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

Good luck, everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yoyen Designs Website

Yoyen Designs on Facebook

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