Showing posts with label Etsykids Team. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Etsykids Team. Show all posts
Well, Hello 2014!
Posted Friday, January 03, 2014
it's time to celebrate the new year. and what better way to do it than with a cute little outfit, some party decorations and declarations for the new year. 2014, we're ready for you!etsykids team challenge, "ready for the new year."
Involving Children in Service:: Operation Christmas Child
Posted Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Contributed by Kate of kaetoo.
Christmas is fast approaching and Operation Christmas Child is in full swing.
Have you come across Operation Christmas Child before? It’s a global operation run since 1993 by Samaritan’s Purse where families, churches, schools and businesses put together gift-filled shoe boxes to be distributed to children in need. From 1993 through 2012, some 100 million gift boxes have been handed out in more than 130 countries.
To pack a box for a child, all you need is a shoe box and a selection of presents. Different countries have different specific guidelines about what presents to include, but in general you want to pack:
You select whether you want to pack for a boy or a girl and the age (2–4, 5–9 or 10–14 years old) of the child. The presents don’t have to be expensive. For example, there is a great range of handmade creations under $15USD that could be used to pack a box right here on Etsy from EtsyKids Members.
Every child deserves to feel special and getting a present at Christmas time brings a boy or girl a lot of joy. In addition, learning to give is an important lesson for kids. In my house, the toddlers really loved selecting and wrapping a present for someone else and they were so proud to carry them into the drop off centre and add them to the pile.
The drop off dates are fast approaching. Start packing now!
Australia (operationchristmaschild.org.au/) – October is national collection month, finishing 25 October
Canada (www.samaritanspurse.ca/operation-christmas-child), collection week is 18 – 24 November
United Kingdom (www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/), collection is 1 – 18 November
United States (www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/), collection week is 18 – 24 November
Kate is from Melbourne, VIC, Australia, and is the creator/owner of 'kaetoo' Canvas Photo Boards on Etsy. She sells a wide variety of personalized, handmade embossed bulletin boards in all sizes, colors and themes. Follow Kate's work on facebook and at her blog.
Have you come across Operation Christmas Child before? It’s a global operation run since 1993 by Samaritan’s Purse where families, churches, schools and businesses put together gift-filled shoe boxes to be distributed to children in need. From 1993 through 2012, some 100 million gift boxes have been handed out in more than 130 countries.
To pack a box for a child, all you need is a shoe box and a selection of presents. Different countries have different specific guidelines about what presents to include, but in general you want to pack:
Something to love
Something for school
Something to wear
Something to play with
Something for personal hygiene
Something special
Take care to look into the restrictions on what shouldn't be included.
You select whether you want to pack for a boy or a girl and the age (2–4, 5–9 or 10–14 years old) of the child. The presents don’t have to be expensive. For example, there is a great range of handmade creations under $15USD that could be used to pack a box right here on Etsy from EtsyKids Members.
Something to love (top left) - Monster Plush from ‘Bright Life Toys’
Something for school (top middle) - Crayon Roll Up from ‘Happy Babee and Beeyond’
Something to wear (top right) - Horse Brass Tee from ‘From Marissa V.’
Something to play with (bottom left) - Wooden Flipping Spinning Top from ‘apple n amos’
Something for personal hygiene (bottom middle) - Pinwheel Hair Clip from ‘Magnificence’
Something special (bottom right) - Reusable Sandwich Bag from ‘the Greener Route’
The drop off dates are fast approaching. Start packing now!
Australia (operationchristmaschild.org.au/) – October is national collection month, finishing 25 October
Canada (www.samaritanspurse.ca/operation-christmas-child), collection week is 18 – 24 November
United Kingdom (www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/), collection is 1 – 18 November
United States (www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/), collection week is 18 – 24 November
Kate is from Melbourne, VIC, Australia, and is the creator/owner of 'kaetoo' Canvas Photo Boards on Etsy. She sells a wide variety of personalized, handmade embossed bulletin boards in all sizes, colors and themes. Follow Kate's work on facebook and at her blog.
Mom to Mom:: A febrile convulsion changed our view on everything...
Posted Friday, October 18, 2013
Previously Posted by, Sarah of MeysMadeCoolCrochet, on her blog Meys Made Cool Crochet
As our beautiful princess lay on the ground fitting with blood streaked foam coming out of her mouth all I could think was, "this is it." This was that moment every parent fears. I thought our happy little girl was dying.
I felt so helpless. I could not do anything other than put her in the recovery position. I couldn't make her better. I thought our princess was dying and there was no way to stop it.
Between my cries out for help, desperately hoping they would make the ambulance arrive faster, all I could think of were all the regrets. All the times I put something else that wasn't even important before her. All times times I had become frustrated with her for silly reasons. All these stupid things that I regretted immensely.
After what seemed like hours but was less than a minute she stopped shaking. Her beautiful porcelain skin had turned a horrible white blotchy colour, her mouth was blue and her poor wee heart was racing.
When the ambulance arrived they instantly calmed us down. How they managed to achieve that I'll never know. Maybe it was the thought that it had to be OK now they had arrived. I remember thinking that nothing bad could happen now as they knew how to save her. I went from desperately clutching on to my daughter hoping she would be OK to watching her open her eyes in response to her name with relief. It was the exact same feeling you get when you hear your baby cry for the first time when they are born. Relief, pure and simple.
Ella then started crying. Really crying. The paramedics told us that was a really good sign. Then they gave Ella a beautiful penguin soft toy. How they knew penguins were her favourite I'll never know. Penguin calmed her down quite quickly. By the time we arrived at hospital Ella had stopped crying. I was desperate for her to say something, anything, so I knew she was OK. I didn't want her amazing cheeky personality to have been affected in any way. And then it came... "cuddle daddy". I burst into tears of happiness. Our little girl was in there still. Before we knew it she was playing with toys in the ED room, asking for a drink and telling her pop that he was silly.
We were told she had most likely had a febrile convulsion and that we had done the right thing calling the ambulance. It was caused by a spike in her temperature due to a virus (that we didn't know she had) and these are really quite common in children under 5. 1 in 25 kids will have one and we were told they can run in families. I put my parents through this three times as a child, as did my younger brother. She might have many more, this might be her only one. No one can say. Very rarely do they cause long term problems so most likely our little girl is going to be just fine.
As for my husband and myself though, this was a very traumatizing experience. One that we will never forget and one that has taught us a lot about what is really important in life. Everything can be taken away in a flash so you need to make the most of it when you can. Don't put things off until tomorrow. Try to make the most of every single moment you have with your kids. Most importantly tell them you love them. The thought of "Ella! Stop climbing on me!" possibly being the last thing she ever heard me say to her broke my heart. Toddlers are hard work and nobody is perfect, but this has really made us want to make that extra effort to be more patient at the end of a long, hard day.
After what seemed like hours but was less than a minute she stopped shaking. Her beautiful porcelain skin had turned a horrible white blotchy colour, her mouth was blue and her poor wee heart was racing.
When the ambulance arrived they instantly calmed us down. How they managed to achieve that I'll never know. Maybe it was the thought that it had to be OK now they had arrived. I remember thinking that nothing bad could happen now as they knew how to save her. I went from desperately clutching on to my daughter hoping she would be OK to watching her open her eyes in response to her name with relief. It was the exact same feeling you get when you hear your baby cry for the first time when they are born. Relief, pure and simple.
Ella then started crying. Really crying. The paramedics told us that was a really good sign. Then they gave Ella a beautiful penguin soft toy. How they knew penguins were her favourite I'll never know. Penguin calmed her down quite quickly. By the time we arrived at hospital Ella had stopped crying. I was desperate for her to say something, anything, so I knew she was OK. I didn't want her amazing cheeky personality to have been affected in any way. And then it came... "cuddle daddy". I burst into tears of happiness. Our little girl was in there still. Before we knew it she was playing with toys in the ED room, asking for a drink and telling her pop that he was silly.
We were told she had most likely had a febrile convulsion and that we had done the right thing calling the ambulance. It was caused by a spike in her temperature due to a virus (that we didn't know she had) and these are really quite common in children under 5. 1 in 25 kids will have one and we were told they can run in families. I put my parents through this three times as a child, as did my younger brother. She might have many more, this might be her only one. No one can say. Very rarely do they cause long term problems so most likely our little girl is going to be just fine.
As for my husband and myself though, this was a very traumatizing experience. One that we will never forget and one that has taught us a lot about what is really important in life. Everything can be taken away in a flash so you need to make the most of it when you can. Don't put things off until tomorrow. Try to make the most of every single moment you have with your kids. Most importantly tell them you love them. The thought of "Ella! Stop climbing on me!" possibly being the last thing she ever heard me say to her broke my heart. Toddlers are hard work and nobody is perfect, but this has really made us want to make that extra effort to be more patient at the end of a long, hard day.
Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 BC – 8 BC)
Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the next (day)[/future]
Hang It Up! Displaying Children's Art
Posted Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Contributed by Cindy, of coopercreations
School is in full swing which means lots and lots of creative works coming home each day.
If you are anything like me, you give loads of praise to the construction paper, painted and glued masterpieces and then place them in a pile for a few weeks until they start to cascade onto the floor – you then move them into a sacred file or box never to be seen again.
Now, while giving praise to any and all artwork your child creates is VERY important you can’t look past the importance of placing those “most favorite” works of art on display. This doesn't mean setting it on the mantle for a week or two then moving it aside as a new piece replaces it. It also doesn't mean hanging it on the revolving refrigerator door. What it does mean is elevating the work of art to a level your child perceives as “important”. Yes, it means placing it in an actual frame and hanging it on your wall with an actual nail!
.JPG)
You will not believe the complete and totally aw that comes from your child’s face as they gaze upon their very own artwork being displayed next to art and photos of the utmost importance in your home. I would not have believed this if I hadn't seen it for myself.
Despite my praise and encouragement, my son had always lacked confidence in his artwork. He wasn't terribly interested in painting and drawing. Being an artist myself, I was sad for him. Creating art is a wonderful process I wanted him to share in it. So I did something so simple that changed his art world - while he was out playing one afternoon, I took 5 pieces of his artwork, framed and hung them. I specifically took down works of art and vacation photos that hung in key spots in the house and replaced them with his.
.JPG)
I can’t describe the look on his face when he saw his framed creations hanging in their place. It was a look of pride, delight and complete accomplishment all at once. It was so heartwarming.
Now my son proudly points out all of his masterpieces to our guests and has been sketching and painting with zeal ever since.
.JPG)
Who would have thought!? Something so simple could make such a big difference. Here are a few tips I found to be helpful when hanging artwork.
- Buy frames on sale and keep a stash handy. (Ikea has very inexpensive frames)
- Set up a collage wall of frames. It is easy to add more frames without having to search for fresh wall space.
- Look for discounted, tacky artwork that has been matted and framed in bargain bins. Pop out the outdated prints and pop yours in. It will look like you spent big bucks for it.
- Place scrapbook paper behind artwork that is too small to fill a standard frame. It gives the illusion of a mat and is most often of archival quality so it won’t fade.
- You can’t possibly hang all of their artwork so choose their favorites and place the others in a hope chest specifically for artwork. Don’t hide it in a closet never to be seen again – flip the lid open on rainy days and peruse through the masterpieces. You can have a custom box painted to match your décor. I keep mine in the family room.
.jpg)
Tots 'N Tails: Big Fat Positive
Posted Sunday, August 18, 2013
And we're back for our second post! Lucca, the two legged babe, is in time out so we, Stella and Bodhi, the four-legged children, are in charge. We're thinking that we'll start at the beginning and, each month, tackle a new phase in our blossoming tot and tail relationship. So...the beginning. Well, that would probably be in the glory days, when it was just the two of us, Stella and Bodhi. Actually, Stella would say the true glory days were when she was an only child and enjoyed undivided attention. But, even when Bodhi, the simple dog, was added to the mix, the days were still filled with frozen Kong treats and long romps at the dog beach. Excuse us...we're getting a little nostalgic...
Back to that fateful morning. EARLY morning. When Mom shot out of bed at 4 am and ran to the bathroom to pee on a stick. (Probably one of her more dog-like moments.) She came out, woke up Dad. They talked. We could sense excitement and trepidation. Dad went back to sleep; Mom tossed and turned.
Turns out, that was the beginning of the end. An expiration date was now set on us being at the top of the attention loving hierarchy. Mom and Dad were taking it very seriously. They wondered if they could love a two-legged puppy as much as they adored us. We wondered if we could love a two-legged puppy, too! And so, we all launched into baby boot camp to try and get ready for the special delivery expected in nine months.
Here are our top three recommendations on what you should do as soon as you see your lady human pee on a stick:
Send Mom and Dad to a 'Dogs and Babies' class. Those have great information on how they can make us dogs as happy and comfortable as possible when the two-legged puppy becomes the priority. Here are a few links to get you started:
Create Sacred Spaces. Mom and Dad started "nesting" during the pregnancy. Which is weird because they aren't birds. All of the sudden, all of this new baby stuff was going in the spare bedroom where we liked to watch the trucks go by and they began calling it the nursery instead of the guest bedroom. They also stopped letting us go in there because it was the "baby's room" and they didn't want us shedding all over the new stuff and laying on the glider. Gliders are soooo soft! But they made it up to us by creating a "safe zone" in the house that they promised was just for us. No babies allowed! When we go in our safe zone there are fun toys to play with, soft places to sit and yummy treats. We love our safe place now. So whenever there are a lot of people visiting the bambino or we're a little frazzled from all the crying or tail pulling, we can go to our sacred space with its big NO LUCCA sign and have some peaceful dog time.
And speaking of sacred spaces! Check out this month's treasury because it has some of our favorite EtsyKids items to personalize your baby's sacred space. And why don't dogs get nurseries? Who says we don't want monogrammed blankets and our names spelled out with zoo animals on the walls?? Maybe that can be a future blog post!
Wait, wait, wait! It's Lucca! Time out is over! I promised Mom I wouldn't pull Bodhi's tail anymore. (She's so gullible!) Don't you want to hear my tip once you find out someone like me is on the way? My favorite thing to do with the dogs while I was an inside baby was long walks with Mom. Mom's midwife said it was good for her to get lots of exercise and I found the gentle rocking of her gait to be very soothing. So lace up and get out there!
Up next month: Put Your Pups in Your Birth Plan! Our Treasury theme will be birthdays and birth announcements. Leave us a comment if you have the perfect item to be included.
 |
| Stella & Her Ball at Dog Beach |
Back to that fateful morning. EARLY morning. When Mom shot out of bed at 4 am and ran to the bathroom to pee on a stick. (Probably one of her more dog-like moments.) She came out, woke up Dad. They talked. We could sense excitement and trepidation. Dad went back to sleep; Mom tossed and turned.
 |
| Dad - Equal Parts Excitement and Fear |
Turns out, that was the beginning of the end. An expiration date was now set on us being at the top of the attention loving hierarchy. Mom and Dad were taking it very seriously. They wondered if they could love a two-legged puppy as much as they adored us. We wondered if we could love a two-legged puppy, too! And so, we all launched into baby boot camp to try and get ready for the special delivery expected in nine months.
Here are our top three recommendations on what you should do as soon as you see your lady human pee on a stick:
Send Mom and Dad to a 'Dogs and Babies' class. Those have great information on how they can make us dogs as happy and comfortable as possible when the two-legged puppy becomes the priority. Here are a few links to get you started:
- This is the class Mom and Dad took in San Diego.
- The ASPCA's recommendations on baby prep.
- In case you like to watch TV like us, here's a quick video.
- And here's a book to put on the shelf next to "What to Expect When You're Expecting."
- Loose leash walking. We like to take the lead when we walk. We like to lunge at squirrels, bunnies, cats. We like to tell other dogs to get off our sidewalk. In other words, we like to be fairly unpredictable and, therefore, very difficult to handle now that Lucca's stroller is in the mix. Mom has basically given up on loose leash walking so she did find a number of stroller friendly off-leash places for us all to play. This is fantastic because we get to go bananas all over the place and Mom can get some exercise taking the baby for a long walk.
- No going on the furniture. Babies are small! Like really small. Like we couldn't tell from the ground if there was a baby lying on the couch or the bed. Mom and Dad didn't want us accidentally jumping on top of the baby so we have to have all four paws on the ground these days. They did make up for it with some new extra soft dog beds around the house.
- Be friendly to visitors! We like to give visitors a vigorous barking welcome. Particularly the mailman and the UPS guy. Mom says it scares them. And sometimes it wakes the baby. Waking the baby is bad news. Our particular baby isn't a big sleeper so when he does finally sleep...well, you better not mess it up. You think our barking is scary? You see our Mom when she realizes that a baby nap has just slipped through her fingers. Yikes!
 |
| A special treat to help take the edge off when baby is too much! |
 | |
| Our 'Nesting' Treasury |
Wait, wait, wait! It's Lucca! Time out is over! I promised Mom I wouldn't pull Bodhi's tail anymore. (She's so gullible!) Don't you want to hear my tip once you find out someone like me is on the way? My favorite thing to do with the dogs while I was an inside baby was long walks with Mom. Mom's midwife said it was good for her to get lots of exercise and I found the gentle rocking of her gait to be very soothing. So lace up and get out there!
Up next month: Put Your Pups in Your Birth Plan! Our Treasury theme will be birthdays and birth announcements. Leave us a comment if you have the perfect item to be included.
April Argyle
Posted Saturday, April 27, 2013
'Argyle in April!' by YoureInspired
Argyle items for kids made by members of the EtsyKids team.
Treasury tool supported by the dog house
Only for Kids
Posted Friday, April 19, 2013
Currated by robedellarobi.
Treasury tool supported by the dog house
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
