penandthimble

bright + fun lunch essentials for zero waste families!

Amherst, Massachusetts | 2011 Sales

5 out of 5 stars (574)

penandthimble

bright + fun lunch essentials for zero waste families!

Amherst, Massachusetts 2011 Sales On Etsy since 2014

5 out of 5 stars (574)

Shop owner

Contact

Request Custom Order
Contact shop owner
2011 Sales
842 Admirers
 

All Items

Gillian Freeman

Contact shop owner

Gillian Freeman

Announcement    NO LONGER TAKING ORDERS FOR HOLIDAY DELIVERY. I'm still working on purchases as they come in, just make sure to note the estimated delivery dates at checkout. Thanks for understanding that handmade takes time and care to make! :)

Handcrafted placemats, cloth napkins, reusable snack bags, and more for waste free schools and eco-friendly households. Less waste is a bright idea!

FREE SHIPPING STOREWIDE!
Domestic (US) shipping is now FREE ALWAYS. Because YAY FREE SHIPPING!

ECO-FRIENDLY UNWRAPPING +SHIPPING!
All items are lovingly wrapped in a paper bag and colorful washi for added protection and the fun of unwrapping! Most purchases are mailed in an eco-friendly bubble mailer that is 1) recycled, 2) reusable, and 3) recyclable. Large-quantity orders may be mailed in a regular bubble mailer as my eco-friendly packaging provider does not have larger mailers at this time. But I've put in a request!

PERSONALIZATION
Personalization is rolling out shop wide. See something and wondering if you can add a name or monogram to it? Just ask! Let's do it!

CONTACT INFO
→ Convo me here: https://www.etsy.com/conversations/new?with_id=26837965
→ Email me here: gillian [!at] penandthimble.com

SEE ME MAKE YOUR PURCHASES IN REAL TIME!
If you’re on Instagram, find me @penandthimble and you may just catch me working on your purchase in my Stories! I love to share parts of the creative process  and work-in-progress over there. You can see firsthand the care and love that goes into making each pen&thimble item. 
→ Copy and paste this IG link to find me quickly: www.instagram.com/penandthimble

ARE YOU A PEN&THIMBLE EMAIL INSIDER?
Oh, and if you like exclusive coupons and sales, join the pen&thimble email insiders! I'm also sharing my family's waste-free journey via email too! So far in 2019, we've reduced our paper towel use, made a no-excuses pledge to only shop with reusable shopping bags, and got back on track with composting!
→Copy and paste this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/bONjJD

Announcement

Last updated on Dec 9, 2019

NO LONGER TAKING ORDERS FOR HOLIDAY DELIVERY. I'm still working on purchases as they come in, just make sure to note the estimated delivery dates at checkout. Thanks for understanding that handmade takes time and care to make! :)

Handcrafted placemats, cloth napkins, reusable snack bags, and more for waste free schools and eco-friendly households. Less waste is a bright idea!

FREE SHIPPING STOREWIDE!
Domestic (US) shipping is now FREE ALWAYS. Because YAY FREE SHIPPING!

ECO-FRIENDLY UNWRAPPING +SHIPPING!
All items are lovingly wrapped in a paper bag and colorful washi for added protection and the fun of unwrapping! Most purchases are mailed in an eco-friendly bubble mailer that is 1) recycled, 2) reusable, and 3) recyclable. Large-quantity orders may be mailed in a regular bubble mailer as my eco-friendly packaging provider does not have larger mailers at this time. But I've put in a request!

PERSONALIZATION
Personalization is rolling out shop wide. See something and wondering if you can add a name or monogram to it? Just ask! Let's do it!

CONTACT INFO
→ Convo me here: https://www.etsy.com/conversations/new?with_id=26837965
→ Email me here: gillian [!at] penandthimble.com

SEE ME MAKE YOUR PURCHASES IN REAL TIME!
If you’re on Instagram, find me @penandthimble and you may just catch me working on your purchase in my Stories! I love to share parts of the creative process  and work-in-progress over there. You can see firsthand the care and love that goes into making each pen&thimble item. 
→ Copy and paste this IG link to find me quickly: www.instagram.com/penandthimble

ARE YOU A PEN&THIMBLE EMAIL INSIDER?
Oh, and if you like exclusive coupons and sales, join the pen&thimble email insiders! I'm also sharing my family's waste-free journey via email too! So far in 2019, we've reduced our paper towel use, made a no-excuses pledge to only shop with reusable shopping bags, and got back on track with composting!
→Copy and paste this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/bONjJD

Reviews

Average item review
5 out of 5 stars
(574)
See reviews that mention:
quality 170 shipping 107 customer service 68

Updates

1 week
It’s still apron season over here! I’m loving seeing each name that comes in and everyone’s thread color choices! orange_heartrainbow

Tagged in this photo

  • Rainbow Apron Unicorn (Kids Apron Personalized, Toddler Apron Pink, Girls Birthday Gift, Reversible Apron, Kids Art Apron, Childrens Apron)

    penandthimble

    $28.00 FREE shipping

    • 2 weeks
    Out of this world unique custom aprons will have you baking and making to the moon and back! unicorn_facerainbowzap️

    Tagged in this photo

  • Personalized Apron For Kids, Space Unicorn (Custom Name Apron For Toddler, Rainbow Pink, Girls Gift, Pretend Play, Reversible Cotton Apron)

    penandthimble

    $28.00 FREE shipping

    • 3 weeks
    It’s custom apron season! This is the fave option for dinosaur lovers! Do dinosaurs make holiday cookies? t-rexsnowflake️cookie Of course! star2

    Tagged in this photo

  • Dinosaur Apron with Custom Name - For Toddler 2T-4T and Kids 5-7 (Tie-On, Triceratops Reversible, Monogram Option, Personalized Boy Gift)

    penandthimble

    $28.00 FREE shipping

    • View all 179 updates

    About penandthimble

    Sales 2,011
    On Etsy since 2014
    • Eco-Friendly Goodies Heading Your Way In Recycled, Reusable, and Recyclable Mailers!
    • Less Waste At School!
    • Less Waste By The Handful!
    • Less Waste At Home!
    • Less Waste On-The-Go!

    Less Waste is A Bright (And Easy) Idea!

    You want to waste less, you want to leave this world a better place, but also you have kids and they make messes, life is busy, and making better choices means having mental space and time to make it happen. And you don't have either to spare. Right? Been there.

    It's not easy to break routines and go zero-waste. But I don't think it has to be that extreme. It can be easy. Just start with one small step at home. Our first step was to start using cloth napkins instead of paper. And that one step changed my business from making things, to making things to reduce consumption of single-use plastics in a fun and easy way.

    My personal journey and business are intertwined. It started with making cotton napkins to use at home, clean up messes, and send to school. (Two kids and we have lost 0 napkins at school in 3 years! Yay!) And I added cloth napkins with our signature absorbent backing to the shop! That evolved into making snack bags for crackers, apples slices, and carrots for school, playdates, and on-the-go. We loved them and they were easy to clean so I added them to the shop! That led to saying no to plastic straws and utensils and carrying our own. And utensil and straw travel cases were added to pen&thimble too!

    With pen&thimble, I'm on a mission to make it easy for your family to make small steps to waste less. I choose bright and fun prints because stopping old habits and creating new ones is a bold move and I want my products reflect that!

    And I want you to know that I practice what I preach inside and out. My family is still a work in progress when it comes eliminating waste, but we're making great strides with composting, shopping with reusable bags every time, and giving up paper towels to name a few things -- which I talk candidly about on my blog at penandthimble.com.

    Behind the scenes at pen&thimble, I'm making conscious cuts when I construct items to eliminate textile waste. And the textile waste I do produce is recycled locally. The eco-friendly products I ship to you are wrapped in paper with a bit of bright washi tape (for fun) and mailed in an eco-friendly mailer that is made from recycled plastic, reusable, and recyclable!

    If starting or continuing a less-waste lifestyle is something you're into this year, I’d love if you’d join me! Follow my personal and business waste-free journey I'm sharing on my blog, Instagram, and Facebook @penandthimble. I'm also using the hashtag #wastefreecurious to share monthly challenges and our waste free wins and fails. So come on over and take a small step with me!

    Shop members

    • Gillian Freeman

      Owner, Maker, Designer

      Creator of pen&thimble. Dedicated mom and maker who believes that reducing waste starts small and at home. Inspired by laughter, giggles, and bright prints!

    • Phee

      Assistant, Customer Service

      Creative genius and my constant studio companion!

    • Ivy

      Shipper, Marketer

      Our youngest shop elf! Always brings the smiles (and lots of toys) to the studio!

    • Patrick

      "The Board"

      Husband, rock, cheerleader, listener. Doesn't spend much time in the studio, but always down to hear all about what's happening there!

    Shop policies

    More information

    Last updated on Apr 15, 2019
    Frequently asked questions
    Care instructions

    Care instructions for all items can also be found in the item listing and are also included on a tag with item.

    Gift wrapping and packaging

    All items are carefully wrapped in a paper bag and bright washi tape that is easy to remove for recycling. Most items ship in an eco-friendly mailer that is made from recycled content and is also reusable and recyclable.

    Sizing details

    Sizing details are included in the listing of each item. Measure your little one or utensil case items if you are concerned about fit/sizing.

    Custom and personalized orders

    I LOVE fulfilling your custom or special requests!
    See a placemat pattern you wish was a snack pouch?
    Love my designs but want something to go with a specific theme?
    I want to help!

    Custom/Special Order Prices Are As Follows:
    - If you request a special fabric, you will be charged the price and shipping cost of that fabric. Custom fees are typically around $8-$15.
    -No additional cost if the fabric is already in-house!

    Wholesale availability

    Want to place a wholesale order? Let's talk!

    What does it mean that our shop items are compliant with CPSC and CPSIA for Children's Products?

    It means different things for different products.

    In short, it means that our resin snaps have passed tests for phthalates and lead content. The fabrics we use have passed flammability tests for clothing textiles. The organic wood rings we use have passed heavy metals, small parts, and mechanical hazards testing.

    We have collected federal standards compliance documentation for every item used to create a product in the shop and, in turn, carry certification of each item we produce.

    So you can rest assured you are getting handmade quality that meets federal safety requirements.

    Safety compliance is important to us. And small handmade businesses aren't exempt from these requirements.

    Lost Packages

    This has only happened a few times so far while I've been in business and is such a rare occurrence because USPS is pretty amazing!
    But if you are worried about your contents being lost/stolen, choose Priority Mail. It ships with insurance so we are all covered and no one loses!
    At the end of the day, my policy is to figure out a solution that makes everyone happy!

    Wrong Address

    Make sure to check that you are sending items to the correct address BEFORE you place your order. My job is considered complete when I create your items and ship them to the address provided. And USPS has done their job when they deliver a package to the address provided. We aren’t responsible for items you don’t receive because of a successful delivery to an address you provided.
    If items sent to the wrong address are returned to me, I’ll happily redirect them to the proper address. And the buyer is responsible for additional shipping fees.