Happy Halloween from EtsyKids!

Posted Sunday, October 31, 2010



May your tricks be treats and your treats super sweet,
Happy Halloween
from EtsyKids!!

EtsyKids Design Challenge: We have a Winner!

Posted Friday, October 29, 2010

Congratulations to the winner of this month's challenge 8. Little Miss Frilly Whooo do you love OWL earflap hat colors custom for you by littlemissfrilly!

At Little Miss Frilly you'll find a fantastic variety of crochet items for kids. Beautiful hats, hair accessories, leg and hand warmers, colorful wash cloths, and much more all handmade by talented Joy. Although Little Miss Frilly is already filled with huge selection of different styles and shades, Joy also offers a custom option for most of her items (to select your own size or color). You can visit Little Miss Frilly here.

Sew Frustrating

Posted Monday, October 25, 2010

It was decided. Back in April or May, I can't remember which. Peri knew what she was going to be for Halloween. I thought for sure she'd want to revert to her Alice in Wonderland costume for the second year in a row, but to my surprise (and likely due to the movie being watched daily) she announced, "I'm going to be Veruca for Halloween!" We're talking about the original Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory from the 70's. (Pssst, she's the bratty, I want it now, child, in case it's been a while).

Ever since we started watching the movie, Peri has been acting out all of Verucas' lines and even singing and dancing to her song, then pretending to fall down the garbage chute. Yup, Veruca's her favorite and she just had to be her for Halloween. I wasn't worried about her changing her mind, that is one thing I can always count on with Peri. Stubborn girl. :oP Knowing this much in advance, I took to Ebay to see what I could find. While I could have spent $60 on a custom made costume, that was a bit out of my price range, and instead, I made an offer on a red velour Christmas dress for $5 and called it good. I knew some modifications would need to be made, but hey, there's a first time for everything.

Anyone that knows me, knows that my sewing machine and I are not on a first name basis. We have a mutual respect for each other, but we don't tend to work well together. So I was resigned to the fact that any modifications would need to be done by hand. I'm happy to say, that after a few hours, I finished Peri's costume and it turned out pretty cute.

Since I try to have my kids sorta match, I originally thought of making Ryah into a giant blueberry so she could go as Violet but thought it would be a little awkward for a 3 year old to walk around in. Now if you ask her what she's going to be for Halloween, she says," I'm gonna be a Oompa Loompa." You should hear her say it, it's so cute. It was such a great idea, in theory, until I realized that costume would need to be made from scratch. :oP

After many many many hours of sewing by hand (and a little help from my friend Mandi and her sewing machine - seriously, she cut about 5 hours of my time in just 15 minutes) the Oompa Loompa costume is done. Woo hoo!

I love Halloween, and all the traditions; pumpkin carving, decorations, candy corn cookies... but I won't be adding "making costumes" to the list. I can say I've done it, conquered it, but won't be going there again. Well, not unless my sewing machine and I can come to some sort of agreement, like, sew for me and I won't melt you down into scrap metal to be used in some hideous yard art project. Now there's a thought...


Happy Halloween!!!!








Originally written for The Mama Dramalogues

EtsyKids Design Challenge: It's time to VOTE!

Posted Thursday, October 21, 2010

It's time to vote for your favorite item! Voting will be open through midnight EST, October 27th. This month, EtsyKids members were challenged to create an exciting new item based on a theme "Woodland". We received a lot of fantastic entries from some talented people. Each participant was assigned a unique random number. Please note your favorite from the list below and place your vote. You can also view each entry in detail by clicking on links provided at the bottom of this post or HERE.


(If you can't view the voting poll above, please follow HERE to vote.)

1. Run Turkey Run Thanksgiving Hair Clip and Headband Set by dragonflybowtique
2. Hoot ... Natural Baby Booties by OliveandFern
3. Pink-N-Blue Woodland Shoe Clips by ittybittybirdy
4. Woodland Critter Set by SeaUrchinStudio
5. Newborn Little Bear Cap by littlechickknits
6. Woodland Folk Reindeer Wooden Push Toy for the Vintage-inspired Nursery by prettydreamer
7. 2010 Fall Jumper-Lakes of Killarney Flannel Jumper and Tunic Set for Girls Size 5 by msliesenfelder
8. Little Miss Frilly Whooo do you love OWL earflap hat colors custom for you by littlemissfrilly
9. Woodland Friends Extra Comfy Wide Leg Lounge Pants for Babies and Toddlers Boys or Girls by babe-a-gogo by babeagogo
10. pudgy pink hedgehog hair clip by missmoptop
11. Woodland Animal Pair - Hedgehog and Fox Finger Puppets by stayawake
12. Owl Applique Custom Boutique Euro Vida Dress Knit Tee 2-8 by paintedbutterfly
13. AUTUMN Child Baby Fall Leaves Acorn Hat OOAK DESIGNER Hand Knit Leaf Cap by FiddlestyxStudios
14. woodland top... sz 2-3... by sunnybrookfarmdesign
15. squidbat hand screen printed, long sleeved tee size 2t, 4t, 6 by holdentees
16. Wise Hoots - Brown -- Creativity Wallet -- Includes Crayons and Notepad by DucksInARowBoutique
17. Woodfern Crib Bedding Set by LavishLamb
18. Wood Elf Sweater, 10/12 by kangaroocuddles
19. Nursery Art Print - Forest Friends by rachelod
20. Fruity Owl retro Kawaii Blanket by TwoLovebugs
21. Site Wide BOGO Sale -Hootie Whoo Organic Cotton T Shirt by BoutiqueLuckyStars
22. Woodland Moccasins - Kids Size 6-7 by TawnyBee
23. Creative toddler art toy large crayon artist case Life's A Hoot by OurLittleMesses
24. Corduroy Peasant Dress - Squirrel Forest - Sizes 12M-7 by MommySaidSew
25. Woodland Creatures Finger Puppets (Includes Fox, Beaver/Groundhog, Mallard Duck, Owl, and Raccoon.) by WeeKnit
26. Acorn Onesie by sewmuchlovedesigns
27. Woodland Bloom Deco Jean Set by madkatdesigns
28. Fabric Organizer Basket Bin Reversible OWLS by ladesigns2
29. Owls and Apples----Baby-Toddler -Childrens Car Seat Neck Travel Pillow-Closing Shop Sale by Tracysarah
30. Out On A Limb Owl Slippers Toddler sizes by ThePinkZebra
31. HOLD Woodland Wonder Upcycled Wool Overall Longies with Matching Elfin Hat 6-9m by Berchtasbelly1
32. Made to Order Personalized Denim Diaper Bag - Owl by TriedAndTrueDesigns
33. Cocoa Jester Hat Teddy Bear Newborn by ohbabydotcom
34. WOODLAND WOLF.................PACIFIER CLIP by CuckooBoo
35. Wooden Duckling Pull-Toy by handsinwood
36. NO SEW Iron On Bird Applique by Bellesmademoiselles
37. Woodland Owl Crayons Set of 5-- Packaged and Ready for Gift Giving by GaddyNipperCrayons
38. HEDGEHOG MEADOW Michael Miller AQUA Custom Boutique Pillowcase Dress by lilsweetieboutique
39. What a Hoot Owl Peasant Top by fluffygirlboutique
40. Adorable Owl Big Sister Shirt - Personalized with your child's name by siblingspecialtees
41. Aqua Owl Corduroy Coat by vivyscloset
42. Leaves in Aqua and Orange Twirly Skirt - CUSTOM sizes 12 months to 8Y by thepolkadottotspot
43. Limited Edition Woodgrain sophie/toy/sippy/snack/klean kanteen LEASH by KaelKaed
44. Acorn Baby Beanie Crochet in ORGANIC Cotton--0-6 month by locoMOmomma
45. Forest Owls Camp Time Fun Fabric Reversible Bib and Hand Dyed Burp Cloth by sewbrookstone
46. ONE UNisex hand dyed Burp Rag or Cloth diaper forest jungle animals KAwaii for your baby girl or boy on orange SALE by RockerByeBaby
47. Custom Clothing Dividers WOODLAND CREATURES by paperpartydesignco
48. PINK OWL DOUBLE RUFFLE RIBBON HAIR BOW by jjkgirlythings
49. Minky baby or toddler blanket, sage green and chocolate brown owls by yourloveyboutique
50. Little Woodsman Long Sleeved Nostalgic Graphic Tee in Forest with White by elizabethhorton
51. looploft

EtsyKids Design Challenge for October: Woodland

Posted Wednesday, October 13, 2010

a page from "animal life" 1894, cori kindred
clip art, Vintage Collective

Each month EtsyKids Team members are challenged to create a unique item within a chosen theme. Our new challenge for October "Woodland" was picked by our last month's winner Green Goat. Designs featuring forest animals: wolfs, foxes, bears, and owls. Also feathers, acorns, pine-cones, nuts, wood-grain, branches, logs, and leaves.

EtsyKids members will have until October 19th to submit their entries, and voting will be open to everybody from Thursday, October 21st to Wednesday, October 27th. So, be sure to come back to the EtsyKids blog for a new post on the 21st to see all of the entries and VOTE! In the meantime, please click here to get a sneak peek at some exciting entries so far!

1492

Posted Monday, October 11, 2010


Treasury curated by FruitsOFtheBLooM

...To be Alive

Posted Saturday, October 09, 2010


To be alive: not just the carcass
But the spark.

That's crudely put, but…
If we're not supposed to dance,
Why all this music?

From Concerning the Book That Is the Body Of the Beloved
(Copper Canyon Press, 2005).
Copyright by Gregory Orr.

Ooooo Scary... Read it Again!

Posted Monday, October 04, 2010


Since the first hint of pumpkins, goulies and witches hit the stores weeks ago, my girls have been begging me to break out the Halloween goodness. I have a hard time doing anything before October 1st, so now that we're officially past that, I could no longer procrastinate and Jim and I were forced to venture under the house and dust off the Halloween bin.

After a fun filled evening of spooky inspirational music and candy corn treats, we've put everything out and the girls are super excited. I dug out all the Halloween/scary movies (Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, Corpse Bride, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown) and pulled all the Halloween books from the shelf so we have a month of spooky reads. Yup, we're all set!

Alyssa's book post got me thinking about all the Halloween books we like to read around here. They've become even more special since we only read them this time of year. So I thought I'd share our faves and hopefully, you'll share yours because we're always looking for more! Plus, it's early enough in the month, that there's still time to check them out!


Big Pumpkin
by Erica Silverman

This is probably my favorite one. The girls and I just read it tonight. It's about a witch who grows a pumpkin so large, she can't manage to pull it off the vine and she's got quite the hankering for pumpkin pie!
Lots of fun to read and cute repetition for the kiddos.

I give it 5 out of 5 pumpkins



Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

The story of a witch out for a nice leisurely flight. She meets some friends along the way, each one hoping that there's "room on the broom" so they can come too. Super fun rhyming tale (I love cute rhyming stories) and there's definitely room on the broom so don't miss out!

I give it 4.5 out of 5 pumpkins



In the Haunted House
by Eve Bunting

Not a whole lot of story to this one, but the girls love it, so I have to include it in the list. Cute story about a little girl and her dad who venture into a haunted house, but who's the one who's really scared? Like I said, not the most fun to read, but the kids enjoy it.

I give it 3 out of 5 pumpkins




Spooky Hour by Tony Mitton

Another fun rhyming tale as the "midnight spooks" countdown to their Halloween party. Cute story with lots of different ghoulies and fun to say sound words like "clickety clack."

I give it 4 out of 5 pumpkins





Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long

Technically not a Halloween book, but with the pirates, I'm sneaking it in here. I was reluctant to read this originally, but found out that it's a really cute story and it's made even better if you use your best piratey voice when you read it. Argh, matey, don't pass this one up!

I give it 5 out of 5 pumpkins



Happy spooktacular reading! :o)








Originally written for The Mama Dramalogues.

What a Treasure!

Posted Friday, October 01, 2010

How fitting for the first day of October.


Treasury created by PreschoolDoll Design, a member of the EtsyKids Treasury Team.

Pop over to Etsy and leave a comment on this treasury and the many other great treasuries created by and featuring EtsyKids team members.
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