The Handmadeology Top Ten Contest

Posted Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Etsykids Team is participating in the Handmade Top 10 Etsy Team Challenge. The contest will select the top ten handmade items from a variety of Etsy teams. It is designed to give Etsy Teams more exposure and give them an opportunity to win an advertising package worth $450. The winning team will also be able to purchase our Social Media Bundle worth $24 for a deep discounted price of $5.

If you are one of our Etsykids shoppers, you can support your favorite shops by clicking HERE to vote in the pole. If you are an Etsykids Team member, you can promote your shop, and help the team win.

To list your items, click HERE to go the the HandMadeology site. Be sure to hit the "Back to Lists" link right under the "handmadeology" logo, then look for the EtsyKids List link. You can enter two items from your shop. Those items must be tagged exactly with'etsykids team'. You will need the listing number for those items, found in the information box on the right side of your item screen.

Team members and shoppers, don't forget to promote the list, using the easy to use links on the Handmadeology website.

Voting closes July 6th! Get Listing! Get Voting!



EtsyKids Design Challenge: We have a Winner!

Posted Wednesday, June 29, 2011


Congratulations to the winner of this month's challenge 82. Sweet Treat Cupcake Shirt ... size 12 months by SquishyBee!
"Sweet Treat Cupcake Shirt is perfect for a Birthday or just for fun! The Satin frosting is adorned with a sweet heart pink cherry on top and The stem is hand embroidered. What little girl wouldn't look cute in this!"


Squishy Bee is a store full of handmade cuteness for babies and moms. Playful soft toys, hand printed bodysuits and accessories all hand made by a creative mother of four. Pop by HERE to visit Squishy Bee!

Pen Pals with Cousin

Posted Monday, June 27, 2011

Every other year or so my parents siblings get together for a family reunion - three generations all together. Have you found that the more you know the people at a family reunion the more fun it is? I remember attending a reunion when I was 11 or so … hundreds of people were there. I was connected with all of them through one great great grandparent, but my siblings and I were bored to tears because we didn’t know a single soul there other than our parents and grandparents.

In an effort to help the 3rd generation, (aka, 1st cousins once removed) get to know each other better and strengthen family ties before the family reunion, bridging thousands of miles, multiple states and in one case, an ocean separating these kids … we paired them up as pen pals.

It’s been great fun. The kids get to practice their handwriting, spelling and composition, and I can’t tell you how excited they get when there is a letter in the mail just for them! They are also getting to know their extended family, strengthening family relationships which will hopefully bring strength and comfort to them as the years go on. I wish I could say that they write weekly or that they are always chomping at the bit to write a letter to their cousins … they don’t and they aren’t. But it’s never diminished the excitement they get when a letter arrives in the mailbox addressed to them in 4th grade pencil.

Our first pen pal letters turned into mini care packages. We made our own bubble wrap envelopes, covering them in scrapbook paper. We filled them with light, inexpensive trinkets we thought they might like and in some cases told a little bit about the child sending the letter … seed packets, stickers, drink pouches, and pictures of the activities talked about in the letter. Since then the kids have tried to include a little something or other that won’t mess with the postage to make their letters a little more interesting to send and receive … sudoku puzzles, bookmarks, temporary tatoos, favorite recipes, coloring pages, etc.

If you have family reunions in your future, or you want your children to build relationships with cousins and 1st cousins-once-removed they don’t see often, consider starting up a little pen pal ring and see what happens. It might be slow going a first, but don’t give up, you just might find that the whole thing takes off and continues well past the family gathering.

Reposted with permission from tinystitches.wordpress.com.

Tutorial:: Photo Pocket Birthday Bunting

Posted Saturday, June 25, 2011

Free tutorial courtesy of Tie Dye Diva PDF Sewing Patterns.

The Tie Dye Diva family loves to celebrate! So much so that with 3 kids, our paper Happy Birthday banner from the store was held together with tape in a few places and not looking so festive. I made this reusable fabric bunting for my youngest's second birthday and put a photo on it so he would know exactly whose special day it was without having to read a thing. The photo is in a clear vinyl pouch so it can be removed and replaced with another birthday boy or girl’s photo, name, or other greeting for non-birthday occasions.

Here’s how to make your own Photo Pocket Flag Bunting:

Makes one banner about 84" long.

You’ll need:
• 1 package (3 yards) Double Fold Bias Quilt Binding (7/8” wide)
• fabric scraps at least 6.5" x 7.5”
• 2 pieces clear vinyl 7.5” x 5.5” - I used 4 mm thickness.You can find this at any regular fabric store.
• 4" x 6" Photo of your loved one, birthday greeting or other personalized message

First, make a template out of cardboard to make cutting your flags easy. Make it 6.5” across the top, then measure down from the center point (hint: the 3.25” mark) 7.5" and mark this spot. Connect the lines to form a triangle and cut it out.

Next, raid your scrap bin (you can see mine under the template, yikes!)! I made a “boy side” and a “girl side” to the banner. You could also make a ‘fourth of july' side and a 'valentines day’ side, or whatever you like. Cut 12 triangles for each side of the bunting, 24 in all.


If your scrap bin looks like mine, you’ll need to press the triangles before you sew. Of course, it’s a much better idea to press before you cut but this was a nap-time project for me so I pressed later. Then I piled them into my ‘girl’ and ‘boy’ piles and just like a little fabric-flag promenade, matched one from each pile, right sides together.


You only need to sew the two longer edges of the triangle - use a 1/4” seam allowance. For a nice point, stop a little before the tip, take 2 or 3 stitches across, then continue down the other side.


Clip the tip and then turn, poking the tip out nicely. Press again, and don’t skip it this time. It would be a nice touch to topstitch those two edges if you had the time. Repeat for all 12 flags.

Now, looking only at your ‘girl’ or ‘boy’ side, arrange them in an order you like, remembering that there will be 6 to the left of the photo and 6 to the right, so balance the two sides nicely. Then flip the whole pile over and look at the other side to make sure it looks nice too. Set your flags aside, keeping them in order.



Cut 3 pieces of your quilt binding 5.5” long and one piece 7.5” long*.
*read ahead, you may want to cut it a little longer. Keep the big piece too, that's what all your flags will hang from.


To form the photo pocket, enclose a short edge of each vinyl piece in one of your short pieces (5.5") of bias binding and sew along the edge. Here’s the great thing – no need to fear sewing on vinyl, don’t get out your Teflon walking foot or tissue paper or anything else. Your presser foot will never touch the vinyl.


See? Here’s a picture of my presser foot, not touching the vinyl at all.


Now lay these pieces with the bound edges together, this will be the opening on the side where you slide the photos in and out. Then bind BOTH of the opposite short edges together in the remaining short piece of bias binding and sew. To be clear, you're enclosing two vinyl edges in one bias tape piece.


Lastly, enclose both bottom edges and sew.

I left raw edges; I don’t intend to ever wash the bunting, and the bias would not fray much anyway. If you don’t like this look, you can cut it a little longer than 7.5” and turn each raw edge inside before you sew it.

Now find the center of your long piece of bias binding and the center of your photo pocket. Enclose the top edge of both pieces of vinyl in the bias binding and sew it down.


You can stop here and pin all your flags in place if you want to. I didn’t. I just stopped as I approached the edge of the photo pocket with my needle down, opened up the binding, and tucked the next flag in place, then stopped again near the end of the flag and tucked in another. Because we are starting in the middle, begin with flag #7 in your pile and work to the end.



Then turn the bunting around and again, begin in the middle with flag #6 and work out to the other end. If you have enough binding, you can tuck the ends inside to finish them.

I added a grommet to each end for durability.


And slid in a picture of the birthday boy.





I liked it so much, I made another for my Mom and Dad the very next day. Mom on one side ...


Dad on the other, along with wine grape, fancy car and tools fabrics!



Feel free to link to this free tutorial but do not copy the text or images or claim the tutorial as your own. You’re welcome to use buntings made from this tutorial for personal use or for sale.

Treasury Thursdays!

Posted Thursday, June 23, 2011

'NOTHING BUT THE BEST FOR KIDS! ' by reetmomma

This treasury is rooted in all the wonderully unique handmade items designed by a very talented group of artists from the ETSY Kids Team. . Check out these artists when NOTHING BUT THE BEST will do for your little (and big) ones!





Treasury Thursday will be a new addition to the Etsy Kids Blog. Every Thursday a new randomly picked treasury will be selected to be featured.



We will be featuring reported treasuries curated by our members who are not participating in the EtsyKids Treasury Team

EtsyKids Design Challenge: It's time to Vote!

Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2011

It's time to vote for your favorite item! Voting will be open through midnight EST, June 27th. This month, EtsyKids members were challenged to create an exciting new item based on a theme "Party!". We received a bunch 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. Crochet Amigurumi Magician by AllSoCute
2. Baby/Toddler/Child Crochet Birthday Hat with Pom Pom by crocheting4baby
3. FLY ME-Wood Ring Hand Kite by applenamos
4. Felt Burgundy With Sprinkles Cupcake Clippie by dragonflybowtique
5. Cupcake Rattle - Rainbow Sprinkles by littlepearlquilts
6. The Lovely Petals: Custom Birthday or Flower Girl Top by PetalPetal
7. Bright banners from wool by greenjellohome
8. Pink Pom Pom Cupcake Dress Size 2 or 3 by PlumedeNikola
9. Atutudes Pretty Peacock Tutu Dress - Display Piece for the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Gifting Suite and as seen on Etsylush by atutudes
10. Child & Tween Pool Party Personalized Grosgrain Ribbon Bow Head Party Favor by kindlivingdesigns
11. SALE - Sock Monkey Birthday Party Banner - IN STOCK ready to ship - High Chair Banner - Eco-friendly felt by feltplayground
12. Crochet Tea Cup Birthday, Wedding, Baby Shower Party Favor/ Toy by babybysam
13. Cupcake Shirt by monster in the closet on etsy by monsterinthecloset
14. Hand Painted Personalized Birthday Boy T Shirt by CorinnasCreations
15. Kidkins for Girls - Set of 5 Cloth Napkins by lilybloom
16. Custom Birthday Multi Cupcake Onesie or T-Shirt by hounddogdesigns
17. Custom Outfit Matching pants and applique top Great for Birthdays by sweetchildofmine7
18. Tea Party Cloth Napkins by fireflyblankets
19. Custom Invitation - Cupcake Theme by ALittleLollipopTree
20. Birthday Shirt Personalized Shabby Chic Ruched Crown Shirt with Crystals Toddler Baby Custom Boutique Monogram Tshirt Personalized Gift by SugarPlumFairyBows
21. Cupcake Baby Hat with Clip-on Curly Pin Size 6-12 months by marykaren
22. Polka Dot Party Frock 1,2,3,4 years by downwiththekids
23. Hot Pink Chunky Monkey Hat Free Shipping by SadieBearAccessories
24. Birthday Boy - Birthday Girl - Photo Keepsake Sign - 8x10 Mat by memoreasykeepsakes
25. CREATE YOUR OWN 1st Birthday Ruffle Cupcake Onesie Free Shipping by BabyChicCreations
26. Happy Birthday Cupcake Hat by KnittyMomma
27. CUSTOM 24 x 32 Hawaiian print PATCHWORK RECEIVING blanket with a scrumptious plush back and satin ribbon made with aloha on Maui by tikitales
28. ZEBRA BOw and Black headband by jjkgirlythings
29. Cupcake Birthday Double Layer Twirl Skirt Applique Tshirt Custom Size 12mo to 6 SewSoNancy Boutique by SewSoNancy
30. YUMMY CUPCAKES, handmade, hand embroidered girl shoes. by FiestaKidsBoutique
31. Pirate Crayon Roll Up in Debbie Mumms Designer Pirate Cotton Print by SnazzySnugglies
32. Rainbow Garland by amberliddle
33. Play in the sun mini by stitchmistress1
34. Princess crown Thistle Embroidered Play Tiara by BBsForBabies
35. b is for banner - vintage book pages - custom/personalized by ohbuckets
36. Pink and White Silk Flower Bloomers by stewey75
37. Tiny Tiger JUNGLE Themed Cupcake Toppers, In your choice of color, Set of 12 For Use With Standard Sized Cupcakes, By Your Little Cupcake. by YourlittleCupcake
38. Peasant Top and Capri Set Custom Order 2T 3T 4T 5T by BellaShade
39. Cupcake the Long Eared Owlet by tzburps
40. fabric flower cupcake topper. set of 6. custom by leilasflowergarden
41. Movie Popcorn Box Cupcake Wrappers Digital Printable PDF File by partypapercreations
42. my birthday party jester hat child 3T by ohbabydotcom
43. COW and BANDANA Red Black COWGIRL Western Custom Boutique Pillowcase Dress by lilsweetieboutique
44. CUPCAKES newborn gift set - diaper cover, bib, embellished burp cloth by Zookies
45. Rainbow Ring - A Rainbow of a Crayon - This Product Was Featured on the Etsy Front Page by MamaMayI
46. SO SWEET Mini Cupcake Clippie Pair - Polka Dot Sprinkles - can also be placed on Mini Clippies or Mini Baby Snap Clips by AllThingsGirly
47. Cupcake Party Custom Printable Invitation by smallfrynotables by smallfrynotables
48. Fabric Organizer Basket Bin Reversible birthday cupcakes by ladesigns2
49. Freezie Sleeve - Animal lover - leopard print - brown cream by thecrazyelephant
50. Janie Dress and Top Boutique doll Pattern Avery Lane Designs 18 inch PDF Pattern email delivery by AveryLane
51. Lily Halter Dress (Sizes 9/12 mos to Size 6) Sewing E-Pattern and Tutorial by sewsweetpatterns
52. Baby Couture Large Hot Pink White Black Handmade Flower Headband Baby Kids Women by Ana's Baby Couture by anasbabycouture
53. White Halter Style Swimsuit Cover Up by EllesAttic
54. Carnival Bloom Everyday Dress by SaritaBaby
55. My Sweet Cupcake 3rd Birthday Shirt - Short-Sleeved, Size 3T by SweeterThanSweets
56. Luau Hawaiian Tiki Birthday Party Invitation or Thank You Card for a Boy or Girl Personalized Printable Digital DIY by PinkPickleStudios
57. Toddler Girls Vibrant CANDY RAINBOW Tutu, 10 Inch Length Sewn Tutu, Sizes 2T 3T 4T 5/6 7/8, Birthday Tutu, Photo Prop, Costume by TutuGorgeousGirl
58. garden picnic... the sunnydress... custom 2t-8 by sunnybrookfarmdesign
59. Party Favors- Set of 10 by thurzty14
60. Shabby Chic Cupcake Birthday Shirt and tutu - 18 months long sleeved bodysuit/onesie READY TO SHIP by lucymaedesigns
61. Rainbow Nesting Box set of 5 by suespecialtyshop
62. Jason & Junah Magnetic Paper Doll Party Favors Personalized Pdf by luckypennymake
63. Fancy One-Shoulder Ruffle Dress - Sizes 12M, 2T, 3T, 4T and 5T by MaukyJo
64. CUSTOM ORDER Fabric Reusable Goodie/Loot Bags - Set of 6 by snugglymonkeyco
65. Ballet Theme Ballerina Party Favor Gift Hanging Tags Thank you Scrapbooking Cutouts set of 12 by CupcakeDream
66. 1st Birthday Party Hat by ThisNThatBoutique
67. Hot Pink and Turquoise.... Swarovski Crystal....Interchangeable Flower T-shirt...Sz. NB - 5T by Snugglebugkidz
68. Princess the Pony by MichellesZoo
69. Baby girl pink cupcake mary jane ballet flat shoe- Party, Party by allthingsforbaby
70. Memory Game- "All of The Ice Cream, None of The Mess" by MamieCo
71. Fabric Reusable Goodie/Loot Bags - Pink & Brown Butterflies, Set of 8 (LIMITED EDITION) by snugglymonkeyco
72. Busy Little Pin the Tail on the Donkey by busylittlehands
73. Cupcake Eyelet Bloomers/ Diaper Cover by LeighandMichael
74. Boutique Patriotic July 4th Flip Flops for Girls - 12/13 by aunttscloset
75. Birthday Large Layered Animal Print Hair Bow by OriginaliteeToo
76. Cupcake Birthday Party Adjustable Bib by sewbrookstone
77. Fourth of July Bunting - Reusable Fabric Garland for Birthday Party Wedding Holiday Carnival Anniversary Celebration - 9' Long with 10 Flags by harvestmoonbyhand
78. African Inspired 'Alice in Wonderland' Dress - Size 2 years 2T by ogekko
79. Turquoise, Brown and Green Rolled Flower Headband by sugarbumpscreations
80. Cupcake party skirt size 4T by auntierobin by auntierobin
81. Cupcake Bean Bags by LifeIsALarkShop
82. Sweet Treat Cupcake Shirt ... size 12 months by SquishyBee


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