Snowman in a Baggie

By Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

Here in my part of Maryland, we've had more 60-degree days this winter than we’ve had inches of snow, and it’s making me homesick for the winters of my childhood in Northern New York State. My son is missing the snow, too, and he hasn't really had a chance to make a snowman.

So, I was excited to find this cute snowman craft on Pinterest (where all my good ideas come from lately!). Whether you’ve had enough snow or are still waiting for flakes to fall, these are an easy way to pass some time, and they last long enough to be played with for a couple of days.

You’ll need:
Can of shaving cream
Zip-top baggie
Black construction paper or craft foam
Orange craft foam Glitter (optional)

Cut enough “coal” pieces for each snowman’s eyes and mouth or ask the kids to cut them. I used a circle punch to make my coal pieces and then ran them through a Xyron sticker maker, but you can also use sticky-back foam or glue to hold your eyes on. Cut triangle “carrots” from the craft foam, one for each snowman.

Give each kid a baggie. Attach the eyes and mouth pieces onto the front. Inside, put the carrot nose and some glitter, if using. Squirt a generous dollop of shaving cream into the bag and seal, squeezing out some of the air. I taped the bags shut with packing tape.

Now, get to squishing! See if the kids can line up their snowman’s nose in the proper place on the snowman’s face. Little kids and adults will love the way the shaving cream feels as they squish the bag. The shaving cream will break down after several days, but you can expect to get a couple of days of play out of this guy.

Here’s my son’s finished snowman:

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Valentine's in a HURRY!

Still looking for the perfect Valentine's for the kids to take to school or to mail family and friends?  Here are five EtsyKids Team Members who offer custom personalized Valentine's that you print yourself!  They will email you a digital file you can print yourself!  Quick, simple and oh so affordable!  

Retro Pink and Brown 5x7 Printable Photocard from GreenBeansieInk

Valentine Printable, iPhone design for SweetHearts box from MadeByAPrincess

Valentine Printable Cards, Forest Woodland from polkaprints

Owl DIY Printable Sticker or Favor Tags from kidEprints

Personalized Printable Boy's Airplane Valentines from PamperYourParty

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

Looking for more than just a card for Valentine's Day?  Lots of EtsyKids Team Shops have top quality Valentine gifts made up and ready to ship out to you today.  See what we have to offer here. 

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Salt Paintings

By: Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

Winter hasn’t snowed us in yet in Maryland (we’re still waiting!), but we have had several windy, chilly days that have kept my son and I inside and looking for things to do. A couple of days ago, I found directions for salt painting in a science activity book I bought my son (he’s 4) for Christmas.

Man, did they come out cool!

Here’s what you need:

Paint (I used poster paint)
Brushes
Heavy paper (I used cardstock)
Large-grain salt (I used Kosher salt)

First, pick a couple of paint colors. We used purple, yellow, green, and glittery red, but I’d recommend darker colors so the effect of the salt shows up well. (It got lost a little on the yellow.) Then, water down the paint so it’s fairly thin.

The instructions I had showed dragons, so my son decided he wanted to make dinosaurs. We drew our dinosaurs in pencil on the cardstock and painted over them. We didn’t worry about staying inside the lines; I cut them out after they were dry. Put a lot of paint on your drawing. You want lots of liquid for the salt to soak up.

While the paint is still wet, sprinkle lots of salt all over your artwork. Set aside to dry.

When the paint is dry, brush off the salt grains, and you’ll see that wherever there was a salt grain, you’ll see a darker patch of paint. If you’d like, add detail to your drawing with a marker. We cut our drawings out and mounted them on black construction paper.

Here’s the science bit: The salt crystals absorb the water from the paint around it, leaving dark spots where the crystals were because there was more paint there and elsewhere on the paper. Try larger-grain salt for bigger dark spots!

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Kim Siebold Studios steps into the publishing world

As far back as I can remember, I have always been interested in drawing and illustrating. I remember many days of coloring with my crayons, writing stories, illustrating and creating books. I recall wining poster contests in grade school and actually getting in trouble for focusing on “only the art”. So it was only natural that I went to college for a B.F.A. in Graphic Design and also picked up a B.A. in Communications. I always knew that art, drawing and design was my passion. After college, I pursued my career working at many ad agencies, design firms, owning my own businesses and always dabbled in my enterpenurial spirit whether I was working full-time for myself or for a company. As my children grew older and didn’t need as much “parental attention” (code phrase for wanting to hang out with their friends more than their parents), I fulfilled my extra time with illustrating and creating art.

I learned about Etsy in early 2009 and thought this would be a great way to showcase my work and make some extra money is the process. I opened my shop (Kim Siebold Studios) in November 2009 and within a few weeks, I had been contacted by a wonderful woman who is now my literary agent. She was inspired by one polar bear drawing on my Etsy shop. Shortly thereafter, I was offerred a book deal based on this illustration. Over the course of 2010, I learned about the exciting world of publishing and worked on finalizing the illustration for Starry Night, Hold Me Tight. The final book was release in October of 2011. It is so exciting to see my book in stores such as Barnes and Noble and Pottery Barn Kids, as well as many of the .com shops such as Amazon and Target.

Starry Night, Hold Me Tight is a book written for ages 4 and up.

Gather your little cubs and snuggle up for bedtime with Starry Night, Hold Me Tight. It is a story full of humor, love, and motherly wisdom, intermixed with wintry activities such as sledding and making snow angels. In this charming picture book, Baby Bear learns how to share with friends, put away his toys, and that throwing snowballs at Momma Bear is not polite! With warm, lovable verse and simplistic, adorable illustrations, this book will turn nighttime routines into treasured time together.

You can read more about this book and download colorsheets and activies at starrynightbook.com! Follow me as well on Facebook.

So my Etsy success story didn’t just end with one book, but two books! My personalized alphabet animal illustrations resulted in a second book offer. ABC Now You See Me will be release in March/April 2012. ABC, Now You See Me is a padded-cover introduction to the alphabet features a sequence of endearing animals that peek out from beneath interactive flaps and correspond to the letters they accompany, including an Alligator, a Bunny and more. I cannot wait to see the final product! It is available at this time for pre-ordering on many .coms such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. As it comes closer to the release date, I will find out which stores will carry it. You can follow this book for the latest information on Facebook. Wouldn't a personalized print and a copy of this book make the best present ever?

I welcome you to check out my website and see how Etsy has inspired my work, and my successes. You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook. I am now working as a freelancer in the design community while focusing on my illustrations. I have several projects in the works and am open for more opportunities to come my way. Thanks Etsy!

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Football fans come in all shapes and sizes

All-in-Two One-Size Cloth Diaper by mamamade

Boys Hooded Towel by inkydinkdesigns

Football Curtain Holdbacks by LittleElephantCo

Ribbon Ruffle Socks - any team colors by KPCreations

I ♥ Football Comfy Pants by babeagogo

Cheer School Spirit Bow by fortheloveofzebra

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Gobble Gobble - quick Turkey Treat

Reposted with permission from TinyStitches

Sugar cookies (homemade* or store bought), chocolate frosting, candy corns, mini chocolate chips, and mini red M&M’s … simple, cute, and perfect for a little treat for little hands to decorate and share with the neighbors!

SUGAR COOKIES*
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening (Crisco)
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
3 cups flour

Cream sugar and shortening; beat in eggs; add milk and vanilla.
Mix baking powder, soda and salt into 1 cup flour.  Add to sugar/shortening/milk mixture, mix well.  Add remaining flour and mix well (dough may be very stiff)
Chill dough thoroughly. (5 minutes in the freezer if you are in a pinch)
Roll 1/4” thick on well-floured board (or between 2 pieces of waxed paper), and cut with your favorite cookie cutters.  For practically round cookies, use a cookie scoop to dollop dough onto a cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart. Smash balls down with the bottom of a glass and reshape if necessary with fingers.
Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375°F until edges start to turn golden brown… about 8-10 minutes.  Remove promptly from baking sheet.

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Need some cookies with staying power?  Here are some great options that will help yield hours of imaginative play from little ones.

Plain Animal Crackers, wool felt by northwoodstoys

Sugar Cookie and Icing Bag Set by RedDirtKids

Toddler Apron with Cookies by babybysam

Felt Cookie Baking Set by lindaskraftykreations

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Thanksgiving Keepsake

Reprinted with permission from TinyStitches

Years ago when my kindergartner was a a wee babe, we made this Thanksgiving keepsake for the grandma's and great-grandma's as an expression of love and gratitude for each of them.  Each of the children's hands got covered in paint to create these fun Thanksgiving turkeys.  Five years later, they marvel and how much their hands have changed. 

With families gathering across the United States next week.  This little activity is quick and simple and will yield a sweet product that will freeze a little slice of time for all who participate.

You'll need a tea towel, acrylic craft paint, a few paint brushes, ribbons/trims of your choosing. 

Generously, but carefully, paint your child’s hand with the intended paint colors – seriously, cheap acrylic craft paint works wonderfully, and it survives LOTS of washings, honest.   Work quickly as a thin layer of paint dries quickly and you'll be painting the palm and thumb brown, and each finger a different paint color.  Make sure the paint is still wet before you gently, but firmly, press their hand down on the lower third of a white tea towel.  Don’t jostle or wiggle, or the turkey will smudge.  Consider how many turkey’s you’ll do so you space them appropriately across the towel … how cute would it be to do a towel with all the cousins Thanksgiving morning while they wait for the meal?  For little, little ones, stick with a brown turkey and let the older kids add color with their hand print turkey’s.

Using colored permanent markers — Sharpies work wonderfully! — draw the eyes, legs, beak and gobbler on your special turkeys.  Be sure to also label each hand print with the child’s name and along the hem in the corner, add “Happy Thanksgiving” and the year.

Sew coordinating ribbons and trims below the turkeys.  I use white thread in my bobbin and invisible thread in the top so I can quickly and easily sew different colored trims on without having to change threads, and the back stays neat and polished too. [Consider doing this step first if you'll be traveling and gifting this to your hostess.]

Set paint with a hot iron and pressing cloth.  Launder normally.

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Here are some other custom keepsake offerings you might enjoy as well.

Tooth Fairy Pillow, with chart by looploft

Hand and Footprint plaque by handprintlady

Personalized Child's Heirloom Art by ChoochMagooz

5x7 Custom Fabric Silhouette for framing by BabyDobbins

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10 Reasons You Should Buy Handmade this Holiday

Article submitted by StoryBuilderToys

With the holiday shopping season fast approaching (most retailers already have their Christmas items on the shelves) it’s time to start planning your holiday shopping lists. This year why not be adventurous and try buying some handmade products for the ones you love? Why should you buy handmade instead of the usual store bought products you’re used to, well I’m glad you asked. Here are ten reasons why you should shop handmade for the holidays.

Floppy Bunny by StoryBuilderToys

1. Be original. Handmade products are usually one of a kind or produced in small batches so you don’t have to worry about gifting something the person already has or giving the same gift as someone else. Instead you’ll be able to find something just as unique as the person you’re shopping for and nothing brings a smile to someone’s face better than knowing you really cared enough to find them the perfect gift.
2. Support people, not companies. By giving your business to local artists and crafters you’re helping build a better economy without lining the pockets of overpriced corporations who’s only interest is the bottom line. People care about each other, companies care about themselves and getting as much of your hard earned money as possible. A crafter will appreciate your business while a corporation demands it. The choice seems pretty clear.
   

   

   35" Play Silk by TheEnchantedCupboard
   

3. It’s more environmentally friendly. Handmade items are usually made from natural raw materials with much less waste and machine emissions than mass produced items. If your goal is to leave a smaller carbon footprint on the planet that you can’t go wrong with locally produced handmade items.
4. Build a personal connection with the person making your items. Craftspeople love what they do and not only does it show in their work, but also in their attention to customer service. Have a question about how something is made or what inspired it? Ask away and the crafter will be thrilled to tell you all about it. Handmade items have a story and a history that mass produced products will never have.

   

   Magnetic Story Board from sosimplesosweet
   

5. Avoid shopping at the mall. Holiday shopping can be pretty crazy and sometimes even dangerous as the days tick by. Why not save yourself the trouble of finding a parking space and braving the overcrowded big box stores by shopping local boutiques, craft fairs or even online handmade outlets like Etsy. Finding the perfect gift for a loved one should be fun, not frantic.
6. Get it customized. Since the items are made by real people you can often ask for little extras like customization or even fully commissioned work to your exact specifications rather than having to settle for whatever the store has in stock.
   

   

   Wooden Yo-Yo by AmandasAngels

7. Handmade products are made with passion. Crafters pour their time, talent and passion into everything they make. Store bought items might all be the same size and specifications, but they will never have the heart or soul that a good handmade product is made with.
8. Quality counts. Because even the raw materials are individually selected by hand more effort is put into the quality of each individual piece. Crafters want each and every product they make to be of the very best quality as a testament to their work They don’t take mass produced shortcuts or shortchange the customer by using lower quality materials, just the best material carefully crafted into the best possible product.
   

   

   Matching Game by applenamos

9. More unique choices. An individual making a handfull of something is able to be more adventurous than a corporation which must sell ‘x’ amount of a product to be able to turn a profit. This means that handmade products can afford to be more unique and creative than store bought products.
10. More value for your money. Handmade items are made to last. While mass produced items must be made quickly for as little money as possible handmade products are made from only the best materials and techniques. Corporations don’t mind if their products break down over time, then you’ll just have to buy another one. A well cared for handmade product on the other hand can last generations. Perhaps that is the reason people are still crafting by hand today even with all the advancements in technology trying to render them obsolete.

Toy Lamb/Sheep by woolies

Bonus Point! Know where your gifts come from. There is something empowering about taking control and making something yourself, or at least supporting someone who does. It’s making a conscious decision to spend your money on a quality item instead of a mass produced product built by machines and underpaid workers in a distant country. Show support to your local economy and buy from artists and crafters in your area this holiday season.

Are you going to buy any handmade products this year? Share your handmade gift ideas in the comments section.

Find StoryBuilderToys online: Blog, Facebook and Etsy Shop.

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Halloween Personal Pizzas

Looking for a fun snack for a Halloween party or an easy dinner to serve Halloween night?  These personal pizzas are yummy, cute and simple to make.  Here's what you'll need:

1 recipe of quick pizza dough (see below) - makes ~20 - 4" pumpkins pizzas
Pumpkin cookie cutter, we used a soft grip one from Wilton
pizza or tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese
pepperoni
small paring knife

Directions:
Roll out pizza dough to ~1/4" thick.  Cut with cookie cutter, and transfer to prepared cookie sheet.  Leave a little space between each to allow for the dough to rise and spread while baking.  

Spread each pumpkin shaped piece of dough with sauce and sprinkle which cheese.  Cut a few piece of peperoni into smiles and eyes.  The picture below offers one suggestion for how to cut the peperoni.  Place peperoni pieces on each pumpkin pizza and bake for 5-6 minutes at 450 degrees, or until crust is done and cheese is melted.   

If needed you can carefully reposition eyes or mouths right after they come out of the oven.  Cool on a cooling rack and serve.  They can be made a head of time and warmed in the oven before serving.  Refrigerated biscuits or pizza dough from the freezer section, could also be used. 

Quick Pizza Dough Recipe 

1 pkg. quick rise dry yeast (aka 2-1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey
2-1/2 cups flour (1 cup wheat + 1-1/2 cups white)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Mix yeast in water in glass measuring cup or small bowl.  In a medium size mixing bowl, combine other ingredients.  Once yeast is dissolved, pour over other ingredients and mix well by hand.  Let sit in bowl 5-10 minute, or use immediately.  Flatten on greased pan.  For pumpkin pizzas, flatten using finger tips on floured counter for cutting.  Add toppings and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.

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Crafting for a Cure

Breast Cancer touches the lives of so many. My grandmothers were survivors, my mother is a survivor, many good friends are survivors. 

October is a month filled with pink ... pink to remind us of the devastation that Breast Cancer brings to each man and woman whose body it attacks and the importance of supporting amazing charities that provide essential research funds, moving us closer and closer to finding a cure. 

Three amazing EtsyKids team members are Crafting for a Cure, donating 25-50% the sale of their item to a well deserving Cancer Charity.  Make your dollar do double duty and purchase one of these items.  You will not only receive an amazing handcrafted tooth fairy pillow, blanket or print, but you will help researchers find better drugs and treatments, better methods of detection, better preventative practices with the portion of your purchase going to worthy charities.  

Tooth Fairy Pillow, Miss Petunia Pretty Pants by kookycritters

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, $5 from the sale of this Critter will go to nationalbreastcancer.org.

No Monkey Business - Find a Cure Activity Blanket & Plush Toy Set by myminimocs

50% of the proceeds from the sale of this limited edition blanket & plush toy set will go to a Breast Cancer Awareness Charity. 

Believe in Yourself, 5x7" Print, Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by ZavalickDesigns

During October, $5 of the sale of these prints (pink design only) will be donated to the American Cancer Society

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Best Witches

above:: Custom Halloween witches boot applique t-shirt by ThreeCsCustomDesigns

The Witches Pot T-shirt and Ruffled Pants by nwalkercreations

Good Witch T-shirt by jencdesigns

Witch Appliqued T-shirt by ChewChewsCloset

below:: Witch's Shoes w/Tutu Skirt Shirt and Ruffle Pants by gigglebabydesigns

Halloween Witch Boot Shirt by SewSeaminglySassy

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Scramblin' Spiders

These creepy crawlers never looked so cute! Snag one up for your munchkin to enjoy all month long!

Halloween Spider Shirt by AvysSewRight
Halloween Name Shirt by littlepetuniadesigns
Spiderweb creepers & t-shirts by roseprintsonline
Along Came a Spider Initial Applique Custom Shirt by TheRoyalDetails
Personalized Super Hero Bodysuit or Shirt by siblingspecialtees
Boys Halloween Tie Shirt by lucymaedesigns

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Top it Off Right!

Have you come to learn, as I have, that sometimes all you need to make or break a really great costume is a fabulous hat? These sellers certainly have! Check out all of these fun and creative hats that will turn a simple top and bottom from your closet into a full blown well planned out costume!

ABOVE::

Giraffe Hat plus Diaper cover by Bethanys5
Goldilocks Halloween Costume Hat by babygraceprops
Knight Helmet by ThisNThatBoutique
Customize Your Robot Hat by palomiux

ABOVE::

Mary Poppins Nanny Black Hat, kid sized by magicalattic
Pirate Hat, newborn to 2T by guzanito
Personalized Mouse Ears by AddieKatBoutique
Custom Chef's Hat and Coat by Nanny Boutique
Chicken Fleece Hat Pattern by tiedyediva
Robin Hood or Peter Pan Hat by TwoLittleBluebirds

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In The News:: Westmama Designs

Magazine editors have caught on to the treasure trove that is Etsy. When BabyTalk Magazine, contacted Kimberly, owner and designer of EtsyKids Shop, Westmama, for a product sample, she never dreamed it would end up on the cover of the September 2011 issue!! Congratulations Kimberly!!


Love the shirt? See all of Westmama Design's T-Rex shirts here.

Westmama Designs Etsy Shop.
Westmama Designs Blog.
Westmama Designs on Twitter.
Westmama Designs on Facebook.

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Back to School Printable from Creative Mamma

School is starting back up all over the nation and super talented EtsyKids team member Joy Charde, the talented lady behind Creative Mamma, created a fun Kawaii Back-to-School printable to share.

I know you'll find great ways to use this multipurpose pack ... book labels, blank cards - use them as lunch box notes or messages to the teacher, weekly homework planner, and of course bookmarks.

Print off a couple sheets of book labels, blank cards, or bookmarks, cut them up and send them in as a little surprise for your child's teacher. They will appreciated and will quickly be put to good use in the classroom.

You can find more of Joy's sweet printable designs on her website Creative Mamma, and in her shop, TheArtOfJoy.

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Activity:: Birdseed Treats for Feathered Friends

Each winter Michelle, of Hi Mamma, and her family make bird seed ornaments. They've done it for years during the kids winter break, but it really does not need to be a winter craft/project. Their craft room is the sunroom and they enjoy listening to music and watching their feathered friends have a little snack. Depending on the type of birds you have in your area, really depends upon the type of bird seed that you purchase for this project. If your children really get into watching the birds, there are lots of great kid friendly bird watching books and state specific bird field guides you can pick up at the local library, that will help you identify your backyard birds and what they enjoy eating.

Here's how you can make your own::

Ingredients and Supplies

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 tbsp. corn syrup (can be dark or light)

4 cups birdseed

cookie cutters (to form the shape of the bird seed holders)

waxed paper

ribbon/yarn/string

Combine the flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well mixed together.

Add the bird seed and continue mixing until it is well coated. You can tell when the bird seed is coated as you cannot see the flour on the seed, and it starts to clumping.

Spoon your bird seed mixture into each mold (aka the cookie cutters), fill it half way in the mold. Use your fingers to push down on the bird seed so that is packed/dense and will stay in it shape. Then add your “hanger” at the top of the mold. We cut our desired length of yarn and folded it over to form a horseshoe…placed the ends of the string about 1 inch down from the top of the mold, so that the loop would be hung on the tree branch, and then placed more of the bird seed mixture on top of the string and the mold. Once again made sure that we packed the bird seed down tight.

Keep the birdseed mixture in the molds for roughly 2 1/2 hours. Afterwards, gently remove the ornaments from the mold pressing lightly at the edges (not the middle or it might break), and place them back on the wax paper. Allow the shapes to dry for at least 2-3 hours or even overnight before hanging.

Thanks Michelle for sharing one of your families traditions. This makes a fun activity to do with cousins or when it's too cold to play outside.

Michelle's shop, Hi Mamma, is participating in our EtsyKids Christmas in July promotional and offering free shipping when you enter the promotional code, 711CHRISTMASINJULY at checkout!



This post and many more like it can be found on Michelle's blog, Hi Mamma Designs, where she shares her journey through motherhood, crafting, cooking and living.

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Gifting:: Etched Glass Cookie Jar

Special post from Nikki at NikkiInStitches.

You can thank me now … or later … whatever’s easiest for you.

I know … I just gave you the perfect gift for that person that you were thinking “I really should get them something, but I don’t know what…I wish I could make them something…I don’t have a lot of time, so something simple…something cute, that I know they’d like.” (I know you’ve had this conversation in your head at least once this past week!)

Enter … this cookie jar.

And it takes like 10 minutes … now you really need to thank me!

Hint … If you love the star that totally puts this little project over the edge, I would also become a subscriber. You’ll have it just in time to put on your cookie jar…and everyone will think you are the craftiest!

Materials:

• Glass Cookie Jar (I picked mine up at my local chain craft store for just a few dollars.)
• Stencils (I made my own…see directions below.)
• Craft Knife
• Cutting Mat
• Temporary Spray Adhesive
• Glass Etching Cream (Again, I picked up a small bottle of Armour Etch…that will be more than enough.)
• Paint Brush
• Cookies!!

Directions:
1. Make Stencils
If you look closely at the picture, you can see I have two stencils that I used on my jar. The first is the “M,” which I just printed out from my computer (in Brush Script font, size 350), and then carefully cut out with a craft knife on my cutting mat. The second, which is harder to see, is a snowflake. This is simply just a punch that I had in my arsenal of craft supplies.

2. Adhere Stencil and Etch
Using the temporary spray adhesive, adhere your stencils to your jar, being sure to really get them down securely so that no etching cream spreads underneath them. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the actual etching process. For me, it pretty much went: glop it on, then wait for it to dry. (The directions actually said to put on a thick coat, brushing in all directions, then allow to dry for 5 minutes.) When the etching cream was ready, I just took it over to the sink, and with water and a soft cloth, wiped off the stencils (since they are made from just printer weight paper, they almost dissolve in the water), and the dried etching cream, and project complete!
Here’s one more pic to remind you of how cute it is!
Enjoy…(and you’re welcome!),
Nikki, In Stitches
PS…What will you fill these with??
Here are two yummy suggestions:
A recipe for my great-grandmother’s butter cookies … they are the best!
Martha Stewart’s Peppermint Bark … I’ve made this in the past, it’s really easy, and it is one of my faves!
Want the directions to the origami star??
Take a look in this post: Origami Stars!


Nikki, In Stitches is offering 15% off everything in her shop for her EtsyKids Christmas in July Sale, just use coupon code JULY15 at checkout! Her headbands and hair accessories would add a lovely touch to your family picture for the Christmas card photo or complement a special holiday outfit.


Nikki recently launched a beautiful new website. Her blog is a delightful and fun read. A seamstress at heart, Nikki enjoys putting fresh twists on traditional crafts. Her modern methods mashed with old school techniques is a great source for creative ideas in crafting. It's instantly evident when you visit her blog and her shop. Thanks again Nikki for sharing this great holiday project.

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Freebie from Blush Printables:: Little Letter to Santa

Special post courtesy of Jen at Blush Printables.

When I was little, my brother and I used to leave a note out for Santa to read. We always set it out next to his plate and cookies, and we always left a little treat for his reindeer, too!

So here's a set of your very own free 5x7 printable letters to Santa. They come in three sets: Each with a coordinating color scheme, both with and without text.

Each Letter is a finished size of 5x7 and can be printed at home.

To use:
1. Download the Free Santa's Letters. The zip contains 6 files!
2. Print on cardstock (I use 110lb white matte)
3. Trim to size.
4. Have your child sign his or her name OR write their own personalized message to Santa!


A special thanks to Blush Printables for sharing this free printable. You can see more of Jen's beautiful designs in her etsy shop, Blush Printables, where she offers DIY Invitations and accessories for weddings, showers, birthdays and events. Blush is participating in our EtsyKids Christmas in July sale and is offering 15% off photo cards.

Jen has a beautiful blog that you won't want to pass up. She shares lovely pieces of inspiration and designs for brides and more recently babies! as she patiently awaits the arrival of her own little bundle. Jen is also extremely generous to her readers and offers amazing freebies throughout the year. So don't miss out and become a regular reader of Blush Printables.

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Tradition:: St. Nicholas Day

The story of Santa Claus starts with St. Nicholas, a saint who was known for anonymous gift giving to the poor and needy. Although it is mainly a European holiday, many families inside the US celebrate aspects of St. Nicholas Day on December 6th as apart of Advent or as an activity in their Christmas countdown.

The tradition is that on the eve of December 6th, children place their shoes/boots outside their doors for St. Nicholas to fill with chocolates and candies, fruit and nuts and small gifts.

Harvest Moon by Hand, has observed this tradition with her children for a couple of years years now. "It is something that they look forward to each year. It's such a simple tradition, but one that I know they'll remember when they're older." She also uses the opportunity to teach them about who St. Nicholas was - his life, how he lived it and the impact he had on the world.

If you'd like to learn more about St. Nicholas and see what parts of the tradition you might like to enjoy with your family, the St. Nicholas Center website has many resources for individuals and families, religious and non-religious.

Many EtsyKids sellers have little gifts perfect for slipping into a child's shoe to help make the morning fun and exciting. And putting in a couple for sharing with friends and siblings helps to continue the legacy of St. Nicholas and warmth of the season. Here are just a few suggestions:

Set of 6 Saddle-stitched Pinwheel bows by thebitsybeau
Felt Play Black Cherries by pippiclippies
Dragon Fly Wooden Yo-yo by applenamos
Snowmen Pencil Toppers by MFCrafts
Red Rocket Moleskin Cahier Notebook by ClareBears

You can search shops participating in our EtsyKids Christmas in July sale by searching EK christmasinjuly or EK CIJ on Etsy. Each shop promotion is a bit different, so read each shops announcement or see this list of participants for the details.

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