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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Crochet Butterfly Tutorial from King Soleil

Yesterday we introduced you to King Soleil and all the cute things they make and sell on Etsy. Well today King Soleil is sharing a lovely tutorial on how to make little corchet butterflies!!

I use these crochet butterflies on many different items in my shop, and are my favorite little applique to add some whimsy and fun to just about anything. Whether a nursery crochet rug, baby blanket, winter hat, or wall art, you can alter the size and texture with various yarns and colors to match your decor. I wanted to share how i make them, so we can all decorate and make our lives just a little bit prettier.

For this tutorial, I use Stitch Nation Peruvian Wool in the Ivory Color and a size J crochet hook. The only other tools you will need are a tapestry needle and scissors. This makes a chunky textural butterfly, and after I crocheted her (I dub this one a girl) I actually thought she looked a bit like a moth and was inspired by a silk moth to make her antennae a bit thicker at the top (more on that later).

To make a more delicate butterfly, you can use crochet thread, as I did with this applique on the amigurumi tea pot handle. Or use a medium weight yarn as I did on this baby blanket and rug.

For this pattern, you will need to know how to slip stitch (sl st), Chain (ch), Single Crochet (sc) and Double Crochet (dc). Easy peasy, right?! Right.

Sl st and then ch 6.

Insert your hook back through the first ch, yarn over hook and sl st to form a circle.

Round 1: Ch 3 (this will count as your first dc). 2Dc into the circle. [To dc into the circle, yarn over hook, insert your hook into the circle, yarn over hook, pull back through the circle and complete your dc.] Ch1. *3dc, Ch1* repeat this set 6 more times so you have a total of 8 sets of 3dc's grouped together.

Sl st in the third ch of the first ch 3 to close the round. At the end of Round 1, you will have 8 ch1 spaces that will eventually be the butterfly wings.

Round 2: Insert your hook into the ch1 space, yarn over hook, sl st, ch 2 (this will count as the first dc). 2dc into the same ch 1 space, ch 1, 3dc into the same ch1 space. *3dc, ch 1, 3dc* into each ch 1 space. Sl st into the second chain of the ch 2 to close the round.

At the end of Round 2 you will have 8 sets of 6dc’s separated by a ch 1 space.

Your piece will be quite ruffled at this point, but don’t worry! You will be folding this in half and the ruffles magically disappear.

Round 3: Insert hook into the ch 1 space, yarn over hook, sl st, ch 2. (This will count as your first dc). 7dc into the same ch 1 space. Sc in the stitch in between the two ch 1 spaces. This will anchor your wing so it is nice and rounded. *8dc into each ch 1 space, sc in between* Sl st into the 2 ch of your first ch 2 to close the round.

When you are finished, you will have 8 sets of 8dc’s in each ch 1 space.

Sl st to knot and tie off your yarn with an extra long tail. You will use this to sew your butterfly together. Fold your round ruffled circle in half, aligning each set of four wings with the tail at the bottom.

Sew up the center until you reach the inner circle of Round 1.

Ch 25. Sc in the second ch from the hook and in the next 4 stitches. sl st in the next 14 stitches and sc in the last 5 stitches. Tie off. This creates the thicker ‘silk moth’ antennae. If you would like the straight antennae you see on my other butterflies, simply chain your desired length, super tightly.

Fold the antennae in half and place on the top of the butterfly. Take your tapestry needle and sew to secure.

Weave your thread into the inner wing and Voila! A three dimensional, perfectly pretty crochet butterfly!

With wings that can move up and down…flutter flutter!

This butterfly found her home on a Crochet Children’s Wool Bamboo Hat.

And this one (crocheted in an eggplant shade of Peruvian Wool) is now a part of this Crochet Baby Hat in Wool Bamboo. Where will you place yours?


This tutorial AND all pictures are the property of King Soleil. Want to share how to crochet a butterfly? Please do! But make sure to link back to www.kingsoleil.com ! This tutorial and butterflies made are great for personal use, decoration, and gifts and are not intented for selling/profit. Thank you and enjoy!

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Introducing King Soleil

Today We Introduce You To EtsyKids Team Member Morgan from King Soleil!

Q:  What motivated you to start your shop?
I taught myself how to crochet as a way to wind down from my day as a stay at home mommy. A cup of tea, some super soft yarn, and a hook is all I needed to sooth my soul. I started making clothing and accesories for myself and my children, and rugs for my house, and realized that I went to bed at night thinking about my next pattern and woke up the next morning rearing to go! King Soleil is a way for me to share what I love to do, and continue being a stay at home mommy to my babies. I couldn't feel more lucky!

Q:  What is the story behind your shop name?
My shop name, King Soleil, is named after the loves of my life and ultimate inspirations; my children, King (Kingston) 16 months, and Soleil, 3 years. Soleil gets a kick out of seeing her name on all my tags and site!

Q:  Do you have a favorite Etsy Shop (non-child related)?
Ouma. I am in LOVE with Ouma. One day I will save up to buy one of her amazingly gorgeous dresses. LOVE.

Q:  What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
I think I was most surprised at how much I would love every aspect of running the shop. Before King Soleil, I didn't even know what a tweet was, or how to write a blog. I didn't know how to set up a facebook page. Now I have all those things and more and even designed my own website! I love promoting, editing my pictures, researching, and above all, creating. I never thought this business could compete with my previous job, as a family and adolescent at-risk counselor. But I honestly feel happier...like this is what I was meant to do. ::smile::

Q:  What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?
I have so many ideas, books and books filled with patterns and sketches, and baskets of products, but i just don't have the time to put them all online. Making a product is one thing, photographing, editing, writing up a description, and promoting them all, is quite another. Maybe one day, I will post them all, but then again, by that time I will most likely have twice as many baskets and books filled with ideas. C'est la vie.

Q:  What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
It is all about balance. It is so important to have a sense of balance in one's life, and I use this as an esthetic when designing, above anything else. For instance, when making my rugs, if I want to add a detailed cherry branch with flowers, the rest of the rug is super simple. A rug with no appliques? Uber bright. Same idea as my accessories, keep it modern and simple, but fun and unexpected. Old school embroidery hoop art? Let's add a big mustache. Mix it up, but keep it classic. Balance.

Q:  How would someone (other then you) describe you?
An old soul. At 27, with my 2 babies, curled up on my couch in my little cottage with my crochet hooks and yarn balls scattered around, a steaming cup of tea, and Norah Jones playing in the background, I am in heaven. At age 10, my mother would constantly remind me that she is, in fact, the parent. In high school, I met my now husband. During college at Tulane University in New Orleans, I chose board games, jazz clubs and cajun restaurants over Mardis Gras craziness, well, MOST of the time :)

Q:  What music do you have on while you are creating?
It's either Norah Jones calmess that brings back days of living in Manhattan, or Dirty Heads reggae / rap that reminds me of my beach days living in Hawaii and Miami. Both make me super happy and each set of memories helps inspire different products. Cherry Tree rug? Flower Cowl? Dirty Heads. Modern Dandelion Rug? Snow Bunny Skirt and Cowl? Norah Jones.

Q:  What do you do when you aren't working?
This is kind of a trick question because my two jobs, running King Soleil, and being a mommy never really end. I suppose if I am not crocheting, promoting, or chasing babies, I like to think of my next travel destination, hike, look through house listings (my 5 year goal is to buy a house), and get a foot rub from my super cute husband ::wink wink::

Q:  Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?
Thank you for sharing this little bit of insite into the world of King Soleil and my family. EtsyKids is peachy keen!

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February 2012 EtsyKids Desktop Background

Here is the desktop calendar for February 2012! This month it is all about the love with feature items in red and pink and full of hearts! You can see a treasury of all these items here.

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Homemade Spice Blends

Today we have a guest post from Sweet Child of Mine.

I love cooking and trying new flavors, so I have an extensive variety of spices. As a way to save money and avoid MSG and sugar, I decided to put together my own spice blends. Having my own spice blends on hand is definitely a time-saver too. I just make enough to fill an old seasoning container, then when I need it for a recipe, I just shake the spices in. Here are my recipes for taco, ranch and poultry seasoning.

Taco Seasoning:

• 6T chili powder
• 5T paprika
• 4.5T cumin
• 2.5T onion powder
• .5t cayenne pepper
• 1T oregano
• 1T coarse salt
• 1T garlic powder

Mix all of these into an empty spice shaker, ziplock bag or airtight container. Use in any recipe that you'd normally use a pre-packaged taco seasoning.








Ranch Seasoning:

• 4T parsley
• 3T pepper
• 4T season salt
• 2T garlic powder
• 1T onion powder
• .5T thyme
• 3T chives
• 3T dill

Mix all of these into an empty spice shaker, ziplock bag or airtight container. Use in any recipe that you'd normally use a pre-packaged ranch seasoning. Mix into sour cream for a delicious dip without all of the additives of store-bought dip.






Poultry Seasoning:

• 4T salt
• 2T paprika
• 1T cayenne pepper
• 1T onion powder
• 1T thyme
• 1T white pepper
• 1T garlic powder
• 1T black pepper
• 1T curry powder

Mix all of these into an empty spice shaker, ziplock bag or airtight container. I use this on all of the poultry that I cook. It makes a nice rub for chicken and turkey, and I also shake some over boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

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EtsyKids Design Challenge: We have a Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of our January's challenge, Valentine's Day Bow - Kisses for Sale - Layered Boutique Bow by LittleTrendsBoutique!

This lovely Etsy boutique features the latest styles and trends for children in headbands, pacifier clips, hats, and a large variety of bows.  All are handmade to order just for you.  You can visit LittleTrendsBoutique right here.

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Introducing Melon Dot

Today we introduce you to Sarah from Melon Dot!

Q: What motivated you to start your shop?
I started my shop after inheriting my gramma's sewing machine. She was a master crafter of all kinds. I wish I would have learned my from her.

Q:  What is the story behind your shop name?
My shop name came from brainstorming. I listed lots of different things/words that I like and tested out combos. Melon also represents some of my favorite colors: pink and green.

Q:  Do you have a favorite Etsy Shop (non-child related)?
I do not have one particular etsy shop that I am a fan of. I have been doing a lot of looking in shops that feature wall art recently looking for items to add to the walls in our new home! A shop called rookies also has some seriously scrumptious looking desserts.

Q:  What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
I really enjoy having an etsy shop. My favorite thing about running my etsy shop is meeting so many people and crafting something unique just for them or the little one in their life.

Q:  What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?
The most challenging obstacle in being an etsy seller is staying on top of everything. I create extra work for myself when I am not organized because I double and triple check myself. Now that I have my own workspace and am not constantly clearing projects from a family space it is much easier.

Q:  What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
My personal philosophy behind my shop and products is to be open and honest. I love providing options and being confronted with new ideas from buyers.

Q:  How would someone (other then you) describe you?
Someone else would describe me as caring, positive, and strong.

Q:  What music do you have on while you are creating?
 My kids provide all the music in our house! Usually my sewing time is calm time.

Q:  What do you do when you aren't working?
When I am not working, I am with my kids helping them create. They have projects galore to do! They go through a lot of glue and felt and string.

Q:  Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?
I am in awe of all things etsy.

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