Flowers for Mom

By Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

Mother’s Day is just a few days away, and if the kids aren’t sure what they want to make for Mom or Grandma, this quick craft might be just the thing. She's sure to love it!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Cardboard egg cartons, cut into individual cups
Paint, markers, and/or crayons
Green pipe cleaners
White paper
Tape

I started with this adorable May Day bouquet idea from Alphamom but made egg carton flowers instead. I thought it would be more fun to get messy with paint than markers. My son had a great time mixing colors, and eventually he abandoned the paint brushes and just used his hands.

Once your flowers are dry, poke a hole in the bottom with scissors and thread the pipe cleaner through. I wound up a bit of the end inside the flower to keep it from sliding out.

To make the basket, print out and cut the printable sheet from the Alphamom craft. Decorate the basket and handle. My son opted to create stories on the baskets with crayons and garden stickers.

Tape the cone together and add the handle. Fill with your flowers, and watch Mom and Grandma smile!

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Twirling Umbrellas

Hand Stitched Appliqued Onesie - Customized Umbrella from eleanorestreasures

Baby / Toddler Sweetheart Sun Hat from nanabrowns

Key Chain Wristlet, Beach Umbrella from brooksboutique

Blue Umbrella embroidered baby bib from MorningTempest

Beach Babes, Folk Art Signed Matted Digital Print from RisingStarArt

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Chic Chicks

Spring Baby Girls Dress from wildthingsdresses

Eco-friendly Knitted Pair of Chicks from woolies

Not Rubber Ducky Amigurumi Toy from principessasweetpea

Cute Chick Hair Clippie from CravingCuteness

Turquoise Chicks Rule Pullover Bib from boygirlboygirldesigns

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Tutorial: Spring Chick

From Steph of NewMillie of This Homemade Life.


Has your weather been as crazy as it has been in Texas? Last week we had a few days of high 70's, low 80's with humidity and now for the last 3 days it has been pouring rain and 50 degrees. It's confusing, and I decided we needed a bit of Spring in our lives, and I want to share with you this little Spring Chick tutorial!!

Here's what you need:

1.  Yarn. I used yellow, pink, black and orange, but you could make your little chick whatever color your little heart desires.
2.  Hook. I used a 4.25 mm, but once again it's whatever you want.
3.  Felt.
4.  Hot glue
5.  Hair clip or headband

Stitches used:
ch- chain
sl st- slip stitch
sc- single crochet-
hdc- half double crochet
dc- double stitch
tr- treble- Yarn over hook twice, then insert hook into next stitch. Yarn over hook, then draw yarn through the stitch (there will be four loops on your hook) *Yarn over and pull through two loops (three loop remaining), yarn over and pull through two loop,(two loops remaining) yarn over and pull through last two loops.
dbl tr- double treble- Same process as the treble, except yarn over hook three times to start the stitch
trp tr- triple treble- Same process as the double treble, except yarn over hook four times to start the stitch

Are you thoroughly confused informed? Okay! Then we are ready!

Chick Body

Chain 4, sl st to form ring

Round 1- 10 sc into the ring

Round 2- 2 sc in first st, sc in 2nd st, 1 hdc and 1 dc in 3rd st, 2 dc in the 4th st,
2 dc in 5th st, 2 sc in 6th st, 1 sc and 1 dc in 7th st, 2 tr in 8th st, 2 dbl tr in 9th st,
2 dbl tr in 10th st.

Round 3- starting in the first stitch of the previous round, 2 dbl tr and 1 trp tr in st,
ch1 and sl st in same st (this is your tail). I also pulled my starting string to close up the hole.

Wing

Chain 4, sl st to form ring

Round 1- (crocheting into the ring)- sc, hdc, dc, 2 tr, dc, hdc, 2 sc, hdc, dc,
2 tr, dc, hdc, sc, sl sp into next stitch.

Finishing

1. Sew wing onto chick

2. Use black yarn to make a little eye

3. Use orange yarn to make a little beak. (I just found the stitch I wanted to be the beak and attached yarn, sc, ch 1, sc, ch1, sl st all in the same stitch.)

4. Finish and weave in all your ends

Now, cut a piece of felt in a similar shape to your chick. Get out your hot glue and glue it to the back of your chick, hiding all your ends. Then get your clip or headband and hot glue it to your chick. I like to put one last piece of felt over the clip or headband just to ensure it is going to stay.

Now go make some chicks! And as always, if you have any questions, please let me know!  You can find me on Facebook, at my Blog, or in my Etsy Shop: 

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St. Patty's Picks

Happy St. Patrick's Day from all of us a the EtsyKids Team!

Baby Boy, Diaper Cover Onesie Set, with Green Frog from RaeGun

AHOY Matey, Boys Green Pirate Shirt from SweetThreadsClothing

Needle Felted Green Apple with Happy Worm from ThingsByV

Elephant Plush Toy from LittleSidekick

Words of Inspiration 11x14 Typography Poster from AsYouWishPrinting

Double Minky Baby Lovey from notybaby

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A Pinch of Green

Baby Swaddle Blanket in Chartreuse by LeytonSmiles

Green & White Stripe Leg Warmers by PoppinDotsBoutique

St. Patrick's Day Child's Reversible Headband by ThELaUgHyGiRaFfY

Boutique Boys Sham ROCK Appliqued Tee by christinamcdaniel

Shamrock Initial Baby Dots Onesie or T-shirt by thenook

St. Patrick's Day Green Crocheted Sheep by LoopySheep

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Do-It-Yourself Kits

We all value giving, receiving and using handmade.  These EtsyKids Team Members recognize that some customers want to be able to make it themselves, but don't want the added expense and hassle of collecting the supplies.  The beauty of the DIY Kit is the seller collects all the needed supplies taking advantage of wholesale prices, bulk discounts, things you could never do when only making one or two.  They then ship you the supplies and instructions for assembling the product.  

Here are some great examples of DIY Kits available from EtsyKids Team Members.  

PUT&PULL Pencil Case, DIY Kit from elenushka

DIY CandyTuft Custom Boutique Tutu Kit from secondstardesigns

Waldorf Doll Kit from LaFiabaRussa

Ready to Fill, Large I Spy Bags from EmmiesDesigns

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A Nod to Headbands

I love the variety found within the EtsyKids Team.  Any possible handmade product you'd want for the children in your life can be found within the shops of our talented members.  Fun hair accessories use to be exclusively for young girls.  But now, tweens, teens and even the mama's and the aunties are getting into the fun of headbands and floral hair clips. So when looking for hair accessories to round out your [wink] daughters wardrobe, make your first stop the shops of the EtsyKids Team.  You can find them via our Shopping Guide, or by searching "etsykids team hair accessories" on Etsy.     

Fabric Rosette Headband from NikkiInStitches

Flower Headband from StitchinNetka

Shabby Chic Flower Headband from TheTrendyTotShop

Ruffled Silk and Lace Flower Clip & Headband from thebitsybeau

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Make Your Own Fabric Labels

Giving handmade is an important aspect of the Holidays for many EtsyKids Team members.  We are making gifts, purchasing from local stores and purchasing from many of our EtsyKids Team friends in order to have a handmade holiday.  


Recently, EtsyKids Team member, SnugglyMonkeyCo, shared a tutorial on how to make fabric labels.  How perfect the holiday season!  Her simple instructions will make it easy to create custom labels to put on your handmade gifts ... like a scarf for dad, tea towels for grandma, skirt for sister, blanket for baby.    

Ouchie Pouch Hot / Cold Therapy Pouch

Here are Claudia's instructions:  Whether you are making something as a gift or a new item for your shop, I think these labels are the perfect finishing touch for a handcrafted item. Enjoy and please let me know if you have any questions!

What you need:

• Sew-on Printable Cotton Fabric Sheets
• Printer
• Heat-n-Bond Iron On Adhesive (see notes below for which kind to get)
• Ruler, Cutting Mat, Rotary Cutter (Or Fabric Scissors)
• Iron

Step 1: Design
Start off by designing your labels with your favorite word processor/photo editing software. If you haven't checked out Picnik yet, you should! It is a fantastic photo editing site with lots of cool features, and the best part is that the free part of the site can often times be all that you need.

Once you have your design, decide how big you want your labels to be and then lay out the labels using your word processor onto an 8.5"x11" standard page.  For example, my labels are about 2" wide by 0.5" tall. I set my page up in the Landscape orientation and have 4 columns with 14 labels in each column, so I get a total of 56 labels per page. 

Step 2: Print 
Grab your Printable Cotton Fabric Sheets. You can buy these at your local fabric store (look in the "Quilting Notions" area). Typically, they cost about $10 for 5 sheets. There are lots of different brands available. You can usually find them in either white or beige, sew-on or iron-on. Pick whichever color you think would work best with your design.  For this tutorial I use the "Sew-On" kind, but you could use the iron-on sheets and skip steps 3 & 4. I will say that from my own experience, the iron-on sheets do not have as strong of a bond as the Heat-n-Bond will give you. That is why I iron on my own adhesive instead. 

Follow the directions on the package for printing out your labels and heat setting the ink. If you are going to be putting your labels on something that can be washed (such as a quilt or clothes), I recommend following the instructions for colorfasting the fabric sheets as well. 

Step Three: Iron-on Adhesive
I find it difficult to keep my labels exactly where I want them on my items when I try to stitch them on at this point. So, I like to put some iron-on adhesive on the backs of my labels first. Then, I iron the label in place and topstitch. I find that this helps me get a nicer, cleaner look in the end.

Once your fabric sheet is ready to use, grab your Iron-on Adhesive. You have two options with Heat-n-Bond: Sewable (Purple package) or Ultra-Hold (Red package). If you only want to Iron On your labels with no stitching, then go with the Ultra-Hold.

If you want to topstitch your labels in place, go with the Sewable. Do not sew through the Ultra-hold - trust me - I learned this the hard way. You will get adhesive inside your sewing machine, and it will screw up your bobbin tension or worse. (And the money you are saving by making your own labels will go to getting your machine repaired!)

Cut an 8.5"x11" piece of the Heat-n-Bond and following the instructions on the packaging iron it onto the back of your labels.

{Tip: Put an old t-shirt down on the top of your ironing board before you iron on the adhesive. That way if your label sheet and the adhesive sheet do not exactly line up, the excess adhesive will get on the old-shirt instead of our ironing board cover. And, your husband won't get upset when he goes to iron his work shirts and ends up with an ugly, sticky glue mark on his shirt....}

Step Four: Cutting Your Labels
The final step is cutting out your labels. I find it easiest to do this with a rotary cutter and ruler, but it is also possible to do it with regular fabric scissors as well. I am just a bit challenged at cutting nice, neat straight lines with a scissor, so I use the rotary cutter. 

Once you have your labels cut out, all you need to do is iron them on to your item and stitch them in place.

Eye pillows with removable covers. 

A big thanks to Claudia for sharing her tutorial with us.  Whether you are looking for a new ID Badge Reel or Lanyard to dress up your work wardrobe, an Eye Pillow to help you relax after a long day or an eco-friendly Ouchie Pouch (Hot Cold Therapy Pack) for your little one, you will find all of these and much more at SnugglyMonkeyCo!  You can see more of Claudia's tutorials and see examples of her work on her blog.

   

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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.

* * * * * 

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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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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Tutorial:: Blow Your Nose

This is a super easy project that anyone can do! With allergy season hanging on for dear life, and cold and flu season right on our heels, we thought we'd help you cut some money out of your budget and some extra paper from the landfill, and share TheCrazyElephant's tutorial for making your own fabric facial tissues.

Michelle (TheCrazyElephant) says, my favorite fabrics to use for facial tissues are flannel, which can be 1 layer, or t-shirt material. This is a great way to use old shirts or other clothing items.

Once selecting your fabric, decide how large you would like them to be. I either use an actual kleenex as a pattern or work with the size of my fabric. Next you sew 1/4" from the edge and then cut around the square using pinking sheers.  And you are ready to use your fabric tissue. I like to use 1 layer of fabric for heavier materials like flannel, but do 2 layers for lighter materials.

We just switched to fabric last year and I am very happy! None of us got the crusty, red, dried out noses that we always got with paper. It was a very comfortable winter.


TheCrazyElephant blog.
TheCrazyElephant on Etsy.

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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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School Days with AveryLane

Guest post from AveryLane.

For parents, the start of a new school year usually prompts shopping trips for crayons, pencils, and notebook paper. For many it stirs memories of their own feelings of anticipation and excitement: first day of school outfits, lunchboxes, and backpacks. For me, one family tradition was our special trip for new school shoes. Every year the kids would scramble into our VW Microbus and head out to the Stride Rite shoe store, a thirty minute car ride. It was usually hot, but this was a trip no one ever seemed to fuss about.

Red shoes, so unpractical, but for our special new school shoes, we were given much liberty in our choice. The signature oblong shaped balloon completed the transaction and mesmerized me all the way home. Exultantly, I would save my shoes for the anticipated day, for when the group of neighborhood kids gathered on the sidewalk and walked in groups of twos, threes, or more toward the school building 3 blocks away. Ecstatic was I to discover no one else had shoes like mine. The feeling of bounding in new school shoes has never been forgotten or too distant in my long term memory.

Traditions are a big deal to my kids today. Among the many traditions we have, we do the new school shoes thing, but I fear it does not hold the same special distinction that it once held. We usually go to Nordstom, where my little one is treated as though the multitude of other shoppers do not exist (once our number is called). Waited on by a courteous attendant, she tries on anything her heart desires and chooses her shoes according to her fancy. The balloon may or may not come at the conclusion of the event, but she does wait eagerly until the first day of school to feel the shoes on her feet again.

Things have indeed changed. Bargains supersede quality. No longer does a parent need to physically go to a store to shop. Online shopping has taken away the burden, or merriment, depending on how you look at things. Adaptation is invention’s twin sister.

Since hand-me-downs are the bulk of our new school clothes wardrobe, a tradition I have created with my little girl is to pick one or two special outfits. She is my biggest fan and helps design a dress or outfit for me to sew for her. She chooses the fabric and style. She watches as my hands cut and stitch together her mind’s creation. As the clothing comes together, I can feel a part of her going into it. I think about her as I work the seams and topstitch the details. Trying on the partially completed new designs to personally fit them to her unique shape, I can see these are special to her. She asks questions and remarks about her excitement for the first day of school; she wonders who will be in her class, or who her teacher will be. It’s clear we are both personally and emotionally invested in her new garb, making it more special. You can’t buy that and it’s not possible to mass produce this.

We've carried this ideal into other traditions, like buying handmade school supplies. I feel strongly that thoughtfulness and caring goes into the product from those hands that personally create the product, something worth supporting. As a little part of the creator goes into the creation, the creator shares herself with others. Here are some thoughtful choices for ethical back to school shopping from some talented and caring Etsykids members:

A sweet pink backpack (right) from ChildishThoughts is sure to help build fond memories this fall season that will last. Or if monsters are the thing that drives them wild, this backpack (left) from TheSewingLoft will have them doing flips.

Accessories for little girls are plentiful on Etsy and EtsyKids sellers have some of the best quality and styles available, from bows to jewelry. I allow my daughters to browse the EtsyKids shops and select their own. We sit together and enjoy reading about the designers and artisans. We love it when we find a seller in our home state of Oregon, so we can do our part to boost the local economy. Help teach your kids about the ethical and helpful choice of shopping local the EtsyKids way, by using the shop local feature on etsy and then use the key words: “EtsyKids Team.”

Here are some of our favorite shops for bows and hats:

 VillaPernilla 

TizzyDee

jjkgirlythings

PerkyBeanies

Sustainable choices are a must for our family. When you do the math, those disposable baggies and juice boxes add up in unnecessary waste to the environment and exuberant cost to the family budget. Here are some lunchtime alternatives that make sense and that the whole family can feel good about. Even teens and parents can get into the Etsykids act, after all they eat lunch, too.

I have learned many EtsyKids Team members will happily take special requests for modifications and specific fabrics.

BrooksBoutique offers a beautiful collection of reusable sandwich bags and snack bags from which to choose. Love this baseball print reusable snack bag from GrannyZann, or a Yogi Bear print. MamaMade has an enormous selection of eco-friendly products, including large and sandwich sized reusable bags. And NanaBrowns offers a custom design listing for a zipper topped lunch tote.

The coolest thing in the modern lunch box has got to be the crochet apple sack. Perfect for the teacher on the first day of school! IrishHooksAndYarn has one listed that she can ship out in about a week.

Brooks Boutique, snack bags

GrannyZann, snack bags

IrishHooksAndYarn, fruit sacks

MamaMade large & sandwich size bags

nanabrowns insulated lunch sack

If you are like me and create handmade wardrobe or supplies for your young ones, there are many supplies to be had on Etsy. From fabric to patterns, DIY can be a snap with the help of Etsykids sellers. MonkeyAndFriends offers fabric and patterns at great prices, and you'll find a wonderful hat patterns at palomiux.

With a little planning, back to school shopping can be fun and memorable for the child. Your choices can be ethical and your selections can be as unique as the child you are shopping for. Don't be in hurry for the next stage of childhood, take the time to enjoy your child today, who she or he is right now. Don't forget to just quietly watch as they walk through the wonder years.

AveryLane the Blog.

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