January Design Challenge Winner!

Posted Friday, January 30, 2015

January's Design Challenge had the theme "Surprise Party!".
We had lots of lovely entries from our team member but the winning entry with the most votes was...



The first birthday is a super special one! Be sure to add some uniqueness with our very hungry caterpillar high chair banner! Or, don't forget...this can also be used as a super cute prop for first birthday or cake smash photos! (**first birthday photo credit: sara jennings photography)

Here are some more lovely items from reneststudio

glitter snowflake princess wand - perfect for frozen birthday parties!personalized special delivery wall arttwinkle, twinkle children's wall artdot matrix inspired childrens wall art
little miss sunshine first birthday high chair banner/ photo propmini you are my sunshine customized canvas wall artthe script stripe monogram canvassometimes being a sister is even better than being a princess custom canvas wall art
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Meet Etsy Seller Design Girl Studio

Posted Wednesday, January 28, 2015


Today we would like to introduce you to
Etsy shop Design Girl Studio

Design Girl Studio has been selling on Etsy since June 2009, they sell custom party decorations & invites for any occasion. Today they are going to give us a little peak behind the scenes of their Etsy shop.

Mustache Valentine's Day Tags / Mustache Gift Tag / Striped gift tag /  Set of 12 Tags, 12 Stickers or PDF FileSchool bus Themed Cupcake Picks - You Choose The ColorsWagon Themed Birth to 12 months Circles- You choose the colorsMagic Theme Cupcake Picks- You Choose The Colors

What motivated you to start your shop?
After working in corporate America for 10 years, I felt my creativity wasn’t being used to the fullest.  It did pay the bills, but I was miserable.  I have always had a passion for design and needed an outlet to showcase that.  In 2009 I took a leap of faith and started design girl studio. The rest is history.

What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
How much fun I have every single day.  It's amazing how your life changes when you love what you do for a living!  I've also been surprised by the number of friendships I have gained through the years.  So many families have worked with me from the very beginning and I have become a part of their home.  These friendships make working a home so much more fun.  It's like having co-workers but you can stay in your PJ's all day!

What is your favourite creations from your shop?
That's a tough one.  Our vintage cowboy baby shower banner is probably my favorite design right now.  Or maybe our chevron ladybug theme.  I love them all so I'll stop there.  :)

What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?
Being a work at home mom.  It really is a dream come true but is a struggle finding the right balance.  We have a schedule that we work to follow on a daily basis but my days never seem to go as planned.  I think it will probably always be a struggle that I deal with.

What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
Our goal is to make your celebration planning a breeze and make you look like a natural party planner.

What do you do when you aren't working?
We live on a farm so there are always lots of chores to do!  And spending time with the family.  My resolution last year was that at 5:00 pm every night I would walk away from my office until my daughter was in bed.  I am a workaholic so some days this is a struggle but it has allowed us so much more family time.

Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?
A little bit about me. I studied Interior Design at Oklahoma University.  After working in corporate America for 10 years, I felt my creativity wasn’t being used to the fullest.  It did pay the bills, but I was miserable.  I have always had a passion for design and needed an outlet to showcase that.  In 2009 I took a leap of faith and started design girl studio. The rest is history.
I am married to my best friend. I am the mom to a baby girl who is quickly becoming a toddler, 2 step children (age 21 and 25) and 1 granddaughter.  That’s right I’m a new mom and Grandmom.  Life is never dull around here!
After living all over the United States I now call Kansas home.  That big white barn you see behind most of our pictures is in the field across the street from my studio window.  It’s close to 100 years old and was the main dairy barn for my husband’s family farm at one point in its life.  That’s right I said field.  We live in no-where land Kansas, right in the middle of farm fields.
Miss Jessica is the other part of our team.  For the last three years she has worked tirelessly with me.  A new KU graduate, with an eye for details! She works from home most days and in the studio 3-4 days a week.  She is involved in just about every aspect of our products.
This year we are celebrating our 7th year of creating party decorations on Etsy and serving over 20,000 customers.  We are so thankful so many customers have trusted us with their decoration needs!

Design Girl Studio is offering a 15% discount in her shop on orders over $25. To use the coupon visit her etsy store and enter code "ETSYKIDS" at checkout. Valid until February 28th 2015.

Sugar Skull Theme Happy Birthday Banner - You choose the colorsMonkey Theme Table Top Centerpiece Sign - You Choose The ColorsPool Theme Happy Birthday Bunting Banner - You Choose The ColorsAmericana Themed Embellished Birthday Invitation - You choose the colors
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Treasury Challenge #52 - Smell the Roses

Posted Saturday, January 24, 2015

The theme for the EtsyKids Team treasury challenge #52 was "Smell the Roses".
Our team members created lots of beautiful treasuries featuring some amazing items, but the winner with a whooping 356 views is...

Mauve Love ~ Smell the Roses

A little mauve love, while smelling the roses ......... Creations by EtsyKids Team Members...... Enjoy
Eau So French, Dusty Rose Baby Girl Flower Headband, Headbands, Couture Headband, Wedding, Christmas Headband
$29.95
Rosebud Barbie Doll Quilt
$14.99
Woodland Fox mobile - baby crib mobile - roses - sleeping foxes - crystal mobile - nursery decor - MADE TO ORDER
$187.00
Seahorse Plush Minky Rag Doll - Roses - Ready To Ship - Tanya Whelen
$20.00
Angelina Ballerina Inspired Ribbon Sculpture Hair Clip
$6.00
Simple Pink Satin Flower Skinny Headband- Perfect Newborn Headband
$8.00
Pink Freshwater Pearl and Rose Quartz Monogram Bracelet for Girl, Toddler, Baby
$34.25
Tiniest Rose Garden Tutu - by Cuddlehugs With Free Coordinating Flower Clip - Newborns Infants Toddlers Girls
$19.99
Lattice Cupcake Wrappers In your choice of color Qty 12
$10.00
Woven Headband Set of Three:  you choose half inch wide coral coral rose fantasy rose
$7.00
Country Rose - Snap Clippie
$4.50
Dusty Rose  Pansy Cabochon Resin  Flower Stud Earrings with SWAROVSKI rhinestone
$7.50
Baby Bib- PINK ROSE Minky Bib
$8.00
White Bouquet Chunky Necklace
$20.00
Rose Pink Felt Carnation Flower Hair Clip - soft pink - LARGE scallop carnation style - felt hair clip - felt flower hair bows
$4.00
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Thank you Allie Maes Place for creating such a lovely treasury!

AllieMaesPlace sells boutique dresses and accessories. This girls dress is a perfect match for this treasury! Visit her shop to see more of her wonderful creations.


Creative Kids with Creative Wishes Doll House Tutorial

Posted Thursday, January 22, 2015

Making a Dolls House from shoe boxes

Here in Australia my children are about to start back to school and that has meant new shoes.  So since I have lots of empty shoe boxes I have been making some shoe box doll house rooms with the kids. 
Each shoe box can be a different room and the boxes can be stacked alongside one another or on top of one another if you want a multi story doll house.  
I have made a living room opening out to a garden in this tutorial.

1. Gather supplies including shoe box, patterned papers, cardboard frames, glue and sticky tapes.
2. Cover inside of the shoe box with patterned paper of your choice. I chose a pretty patterned pink for the feature wall and white walls for the sides.  I have made a mirror from one of the cardboard frames by gluing foil behind it and then attaching it to the back wall.
3. Use the lid of the shoe box as the garden.  Add green paper as grass and some flower embellishments. I have added material for carpet, another frame with blue paper behind as a window and a black box as a seat.

4. Now its time to get creative. Add a garden path made from brick shaped pieces of paper, a garden pond from blue cellophane, a picket fence from some twigs or cut a door into the side of the shoe box. As you get more shoe boxes extend the doll house to include different room of the house - bedroom, kitchen, garage, bathroom etc.

When not in use the shoe box doll house can be packed away and stored easily without taking up too much space.

By Mel from Creative Wishes
Please come by and say hello on my Blog or facebook page.

January Design Challenge. It's time to Vote!

Posted Wednesday, January 21, 2015

For January our Design Challenge theme was "Surprise Party!"
We have lots of lovely entries from our team members, browse down and vote for your favourite item!
Voting is open until 27th January.

Meet Etsy Seller Fuzzlemania


Today we would like to introduce you to
Etsy shop fuzzlemania

fuzzlemania has been selling on Etsy since March 2012, they sell beautiful felt toys and felt toy patterns! Today they are going to give us a little peak behind the scenes of their Etsy shop.

Fuzzle Family Felt -- Felt Family pattern set -- pattern PDFfelt dog magnet with embroiderykids toys -- red-haired felt doll family -- small dolls3 colorful finger puppets -- pink rabbit, blue dog, green cat

What motivated you to start your shop?
I had a set of patterns for making a felt family, house, trees, etc. that I wanted to sell.  It is something I made when my children were young (many years ago) and then turned into an ebook in recent years.  One pattern to sell wasn't much to look at in a shop, so I started making felt toys to sell, using the pattern set, and some new ones that weren't from the patterns.  Last year I added some felt brooches and felt magnets, too.  The ideas keep coming, and I'm enjoying making all the felt items; it is a fun hobby.

What is the story behind your shop name?
"Fuzzle" comes from the name of the pattern set that is for sale in the shop, "Fuzzle Family Felt."  I added the -mania ending so it would sound more exciting and just generally snazzier.

What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
Sometimes I have been surprised by certain orders.  For example, I had a set of felt shapes-- and someone ordered two of them, though only one was available at the time.  So that was a surprise, but a pleasant one-- I did have time to quickly make up another set, so completing the order was OK.

What is your favourite creations from your shop?
I really like making the small felt dolls-- it's interesting to design their clothing and bead necklaces, etc . . . and grouping them together in families or smaller sets is something that is fun to do.

What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?
Figuring out how to get customers (!)

What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
Hmm . . . how about "keep it warm and fuzzy"?
I like to make toys that kids will enjoy playing with and parents will also like.  And I want to provide more patterns for crafters who would like to make their own felt toys.  That part (more pattern sets) is coming up in the future.

What do you do when you aren't working?
I usually only work on the felt toys in spare time, such as when riding in the car, waiting for an appointment, attending a listening type meeting, etc.  But I have many interests and pursuits besides hand-sewing with felt.  I'm a visual artist, and volunteer in two schools to bring art lessons to classes of kids, and I'm also a songwriter (www.dianehurstmusic.com).  I'm a wife, and a mom to two teens (the other kids are all grown and living on their own).

Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?
I'm glad for the opportunity to set up shops with Etsy (I have another shop called "All the Time Learning," with educational materials -- www.etsy.com/shop/allthetimelearning); it is an easy way to offer for sale the craft or other handmade items you make, and I'm always encouraging friends who like making things to visit Etsy, or set up their own Etsy shop.

fuzzlemaniais offering a 20% discount in her shop. To use the coupon visit her etsy store and enter code "JANUARY2015" at checkout. Valid until January 31st 2015.

felt toys-- two mermaid felt dollskids toys-- Felt Doll Family -- felt toysFlower Princess and pony -- felt toysFelt Rainbow Magnet
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Meet Etsy Seller DorisSardelisDesigns

Posted Wednesday, January 14, 2015


Today we would like to introduce you to

DorisSardelisDesigns has been selling on Etsy since March 2012, they sell beautiful clothing for boys and girls such as dresses, sunsuits, shorts and more! Today they are going to give us a little peak behind the scenes of their Etsy shop.

Light Blue Seersucker Girls Sailor Dress in 4T - 5 - 7MADE TO ORDER: Boys White and Dark Charcoal Stripe Seersucker Short with SuspendersCLEARANCE Infant Boys Two - Piece Sailor Suit in Crème with Navy Suspender Shorts - size 18 monthsBoys Sailor Sunsuit with Navy and White Pindots sizes 12 month, 18 months and  2T

What motivated you to start your shop?
I previously owned a boutique in Manhattan, NY where I sold my handmade children's clothing. It was about 35+ years ago, in the age before internet/social media/computers, so everything was done either by word of mouth or by me going out to buyers and department stores promoting my items. I had an extensive amount of roles being the only employee in my business from designing, pattern-making, cutting, sewing, tailoring, embroidering, detailing, advertising, maintaining my boutique and inventory, bookkeeping, buying fabric and trims, customer service, and creating business deals and contracts with department stores just to name some of my responsibilities. I burned myself out since it was only me! After closing my boutique in 1994, I took a long hiatus until 2012 when my daughter mentioned about her friends selling items on etsy. Since I had a large inventory of my pre-made items that I previously created for my boutique that were not moving out of my design studio, I decided to try it out and it's been great ever since!

What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
I was surprised that I get to have a direct interaction with my customers and direct feedback. I thought online shopping was a more "anti-social" way of buying items, but that is not the case! I really like that I get to interact with my customer to ensure a perfect fit of the garment, and it gives me insight on my clientele. I would never go back to my old business ways, that's for sure!! It is a lot easier and less stressful, plus I do not have to pay to rent business space in NYC!

What is your favourite creations from your shop?
My sspecialities include sailor outfits, sundresses, sun-suits, shortalls, rompers, dresses, pantaloons, bow ties, sunhats, pants, woven blouses and special occasion clothes for boys and girls. My favorite item to make is suspender pants/shorts for boys or ring bearers, however I am most known for my sailor suits. I like to make anything that makes my customer happy that fits within my design aesthetic.

What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?
The most challenging aspect is trying to list my inventory on Etsy. I am very overwhelmed since I have approximately 1,000+ items that I previously made for my boutique and it takes a lot of time to list since I am very detail-oriented and a bit of a perfectionist.

What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
All of my designs, fabric, trims, buttons, thread---(you name it!) are made in the USA. I make ALL of my items in my home studio in New Jersey. I do have some liberty print fabric and rare Viyella fabric from England, however it is impeccably high quality.
I do not support sweatshops or cheaply, flimsy-made fabric from overseas.
Although my pre-made designs are vintage, (made 20+ years ago), they are new since they have not been worn before.

What do you do when you aren't working?
When I'm not working I like to spend time with my family. I am a workaholic and being a children's clothing designer has always been my only profession.

Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?
I have a large inventory, so if you have any requests on size, design, color, etc. please convo me! I will search through everything to find something that you would love! : ) I do some custom orders on occasion. If interested in a size or fabric not listed, contact me on etsy and I will determine if I have the materials. I love to dress children and babies in my classic, high quality-made clothing!


Girls Pantaloon in Pink and White Check With Unique Print for Infants and ToddlersGirls Knit Romper / Pantaloon with Red Plaid Floral Print in 3T and 5Girls Blue Holiday Plaid Dress  - sizes 6 months and 4TGirls Pantaloon in Red Twill with Bear and Heart Blouse - Size 6 months and 24 months
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