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

Tweet

Tutorial:: Faux Frosted Glass

From Kayce of WorldofWhimm and On a Whimm.  

It's hard to tell that it's Spring here in the Northwest. The sun is finally out, but the wind whipping through makes it feel like it's still below freezing. So I need to do things to bring Spring indoors. I need something that would make me smile and help me hold on to hope that warmer weather is just around the corner. So I decided to do a little spring version of a mirror decal that I came up with for my daughter's birthday party. Her party was Alice in Wonderland so I made the decal to go with the theme. It was so much fun that I've decided keep one up in the bathroom for special occasions and holidays.

Here's how to do it:

Materials:

• Contact paper (also called shelf paper - I used white)
• Scissors
• Exacto knife
• Cutting Mat
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Clip art, printed and cut around edges (optional)

Step 1: Plan your design. I did this on a separate piece of paper. Just a quick sketch of what I wanted.

Step 2: Measure your mirror and cut the contact paper to fit (for the Alice in Wonderland piece, I used two vertical pieces).

Step 3: Turn it over and on the back draw your design (in reverse). I recommend pencil for this step... I used pen so that you could see what I was doing. Either way, it won't show since the back piece of paper will be removed. I also drew my design freehand. If you aren't this confident, you can print some clip art on your printer, cut around the outside of them and trace the silhouette onto the back of the contact paper (I did this for some of the Alice in Wonderland design).

Step 4: Cut out your design. If you have pieces that are islands, be sure to keep track of them when you cut them out, or don't completely cut them out - leaving it attached to the larger piece with a thin strip (see my letter "A" and "R"). I used scissors for the larger parts and an exact knife for the details and inside pieces. I also used a hole punch for the bird eyes.

Step 5: Clean your mirror. Then start on the straight edge of your contact paper, if you have one, and fold it back so that only an inch is exposed. This will make it easier for you to line it up and make sure it's straight before you peel it all off.

Step 6: (I recommend having two people for this step - one to peel, one to smooth) Slowly peel away the back as you press the sticky side of the paper against the mirror, doing your best to push out all bubbles. I found it difficult to get rid of all bubbles - but I didn't have a helper. Beware that if you pull the paper off, do it carefully as it will stretch slightly which will only add to the number of bubbles you have.

Step 7: Clean the mirror one more time if you have fingerprints all over - and your done!

The contact paper comes off fairly easily when you are ready to remove it. I did have to pull it off in several pieces and it left some glue in a few spots. However, the glue washed off easily with a mixture of vinegar, lemon, dish soap and water. I'm sure a glass cleaner would work as well.

Happy Spring!

Kayce can be found online on her blog On a Whimm, facebook, and her Etsy Shop: 

Tweet

Introducing Marissa V

Today We Introduce You To Marissa of Marissa V

Q: What motivated you to start your shop?
I started my company, from marissa v., in London in 2005, because I wanted to start my own business, and my hobby was making clothing. Initially it was just women's apparel. I had my own online shop as well as selling to stores. After I moved back to the US in 2008, and had my first daughter, I added a baby line. I subsequently found out about Etsy and created my Etsy shop. My Etsy sales soon surpassed my personal website sales so I closed my online shop. It's great that you don't have to pay a monthly fee on Etsy!

Q: What is the story behind your shop name?
My company's full name is 'from marissa v.' It's a bit awkward to say and write! But I wanted a sort of personal feel to the name - from marissa v. to you.

Q: Do you have a favorite Etsy Shop (non-child related)?
I like looking at the weird, intricate art of Lisel Ashlock http://www.etsy.com/shop/liseljane

Q: What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
It takes a long time to dispatch orders, unless you have a bunch of orders at the same time! I don't have enough room to leave out all my packing/tagging/etc supplies so it takes a while. I don't really build that time into my prices.

Q: What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?
That there is so much stuff on Etsy, I feel like it's hard to get potential customers to notice you. Once they do find me, I get a lot of repeat customers!

Q: What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
The products reflect my modern, often minimalist aesthetic. Many of the baby items are unisex, which reminds me of a more Scandinavian way of dressing children.

Q: How would someone (other then you) describe you?
Motivated but lazy. My husband thinks I'm disorganized, but then he's never cleaned a bathroom.

Q: What music do you have on while you are creating?
Music? I'm so out of touch with what's going on in music! My two girls are listening to an album of Australian kids' songs.

Q: What do you do when you aren't working?
Reading, jogging and crossword puzzles! During holidays, my husband and I torture ourselves by taking our 1 and 3-year-old daughters camping. We also go to England for long periods to visit my husband's family.

Q: Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?
I'm thrilled to appear on the blog!

Tweet

Tutorial:: Bunny & Egg Garland

From Peggy at ComfyCozyKeepsakes.
[This craft makes an excellent after school activity for older children .]

Your crafty decorator is baaaaaaack….. with another fun project to replace those adorable Shamrocks that hung from your windows for St. Patrick’s Day. Today we’re making bunnies and eggs! The concept is the same as the Shamrocks, so go gather up a few simple items and we’ll be hopping down the bunny trail.


Materials needed:

• Bunny and Egg clip art or draw your own to suit your taste.
• 2 sheets of paper or cardstock. Cardstock works better.
• Scissors. For this project I used pinking shears because it looks cuter.
• Hole punch or awl. I have a punch with a very small hole, which is better than your average hole punch.
• Glue
• Fabric marker or permanent marker
• Yarn – white
• Felt or Craft Foam. I like the “natural” look of felt over foam. I chose pastels and ecru. Darker colors don’t show up as well from the street as pastels.
• Craft pompoms, large and small sizes. Coordinating colors for your bunny nose and tail.
• Tape

Now, let’s get started:

1) Copy or trace the Bunny & Egg shape onto the paper/card stock. Cut them out. I have 2 sizes of bunnies on mine.

2) Trace bunnies & egg onto Felt or Foam. If your bunny shape is symmetrical, you can fold the shape in half, fold the felt and place the shape on the fold before cutting it out – see picture on right, below. Don’t cut the fold. 

           

3) Cut them out. Pinking shears give a more festive look to these shapes instead of straight-edge scissors.

4) Glue a pompom on one side for the bunny tail. I used small pompoms for my little bunnies and large ones for the big bunnies.

5) Glue small pompom on the OPPOSITE side for bunny nose.

6) Cut TWO very SMALL holes with hole punch or awl, evenly
spaced about an inch from the top and bottom of shape. I chose
to make them right at the tail and nose of bunny shapes.

7) Cut yarn to desired length for windows or doors. I wrap a piece of tape on the end of the yarn so it doesn't fray and is easier to slip through the holes.

8) Slip yarn thru holes in bunnies & eggs. Tie a knot at the bottom so the bunny doesn’t slip off.

9) Hang with tape on windows or doors. TA DA!

If you are REALLY creative, add glitter or other adornments to your “egg” shapes. You can cut circles or other shapes from the felt and glue onto the eggs. I think I’ll be embellishing mine for next year!

So now you have these for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. I’ll be back with another one soon. I’m considering creating a kit to sell and/or taking orders for completed decorations. Let me know what you think. Would you rather go the craft store to buy all the materials and make this yourself (with your kids), or open up a box with a set for your favorite holiday?

Now I’m going to break into the speckled eggs and celebrate a little early! Happy Easter!!

Keep up with ComfyCozyKeepsakes on facebook and at her Etsy Shop:

Tweet

Book Nook: Inner Perfectionist Beware!

From Cherice of InnerPiecesGallery.

I believe that within each of us lives at least a hint of perfectionism. After all, who among us really WANTS to make a mistake?

Apparently, Barney Saltzberg does. In his delightfully creative book, BEAUTIFUL OOPS!, he shows us how to use our mistakes, mishaps and blunders (yes my friend, we ALL make them) as opportunities to set our imaginations free!

From the very first page you know that you’re in for a special treat. This book is clearly exciting and mature enough for an older child yet feels as sturdy as an infant’s board book. That’s important because you’ll want to explore these artistic pages again and again. Secret fold-always throughout the book show inquisitive minds just how beautiful a smudge, a stain, or a spilled blob of paint can become.

Inner perfectionist beware. Once you read BEAUTIFUL OOPS!, you and the kids may find yourselves searching for excuses to make more oopses!


Find InnerPiecesGallery online at their blog, twitter and Etsy Shop.

InnerPiecesGallery, EtsyKids Team nor Etsy is affiliated with the books author(s), illustrator(s) or publisher.  This review is provided simply for the joy of sharing good books and for supporting the work of inspiring authors.

Tweet

April 2012 EtsyKids Desktop Background

Here is the desktop calendar for April 2012! This month the theme was Easter with lots of bunnies and chicks! You can see a treasury of all these items here.

1024 x 768

1280 x 800

1920 x 1080

Featured shops: fortheloveofzebra, Sweetchildofmine, ToastieStudio, CrochetVilliage, Raegun, LilBDesigns, crocheting4baby, CuddleWumkins, Avabowtiquee, boygirlboygirldesign, PipandOlive, Prettydreamer, stitchinnetka, WoodPondDesigns, jennifernoeldesigns, pieshomecreations, LuckyLuCreations, CakeInTheMorn, TizzyDee, lollipopsandunicorns.

Tweet

EtsyKids Design Challenge: We have a Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of our March's challenge, Gender Neutral Baby Bib, Yellow Bee, Baby Shower Gift, 6 Months by maddywear!

"Gender Neutral Baby Bib, Yellow Bee, Baby Shower Gift, 6 Months

Maddy Wear® bibs are a unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade bib that is made with a soft durable cotton fabric and flannel lining. These bibs will protect your child's clothing and save you money! 

Before using Maddy Wear® bibs, customers stated that they weighed what types of food to feed their child based on what they were wearing, but now their clothes remain virtually stain free!

These bibs are a symmetrical tank style design, which is also reversible, so they are four bibs in one! One shoulder is sewn, while the other has a snap with two additional snaps that run along the torso of the bib. 

With this easy-on, easy-off design children don't realize they are wearing them, so the tug of war with standard bibs is over! They are also a great space saver in the diaper bag by getting you through multiple meals!"

Please be sure to visit Maddy Wear, an innovative Etsy shop that caters to little messy eaters.  It's adds style, function and fun to an important part of child's wardrobe - bibs!  

Tweet

Introducing Tizzy Dee

Today We Introduce You To Courtney of TizzyDee

Q: What motivated you to start your shop?
Three years ago my sister bought me a "teach-yourself-to-crochet" book for my birthday. I got a little addicted/obsessed and after multiple requests from friends, I opened my Etsy shop.

Q: What is the story behind your shop name?

The shop is named after my daughter, Tizita Desta. Tizzy Dee is what we used to call her before she joined our family from Ethiopia.

Q: Do you have a favorite Etsy Shop (non-child related)?

I love Paint4Ethiopia. My friend Gina does amazing work with a portion of her proceeds going back into Ethiopia.

Q: What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?

I'm always surprised when I get international orders. It's amazing that people all over the world find my little shop and like my creations enough to purchase one!

Q: What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?

It is hard for me to find the time to make all the ideas I have in my head actually come to life.

Q: What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?

I try to create everything from my own patterns. I also try to create products that I enjoy making so my customers can see my love and care coming through each item. Almost all my items are custom-created after the order is placed, so each item can be customized by size and color, which makes each item fun and unique for each customer.

Q: How would someone (other then you) describe you?

Outgoing, expressive, fun.

Q: What music do you have on while you are creating?

I usually watch Netflix on my computer. I've burned through all seven seasons of Melrose Place, various wedding and cooking shows, and just started The United States of Tara.

Q: What do you do when you aren't working?

Play with my daughter, hang out with my husband and my family.

Q: Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?

We are an adoptive family and the sales from my shop have significantly helped us with the costs involved in our second adoption. I don't promote my shop as a fundraiser or say that a percentage of my sales are going towards our adoption, but it has been an amazing help! I want people to know that when they purchase from my shop, their money will be well spent. :)

Tweet

Hippity Hoppity Paper Bag Frog Puppets

By Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

Here’s an easy activity perfect for spring days when you’ve got just a little time for an activity: paper bag frog puppets! Even better, chances are pretty good you’ve already got everything you need:

Lunch-size brown paper bag
Green construction paper
Red construction paper
Googly eyes (the bigger the better!)
Glue

My inspiration came from this blog post. We made our frog puppets on Feb. 29 (aka, Leap Day) and paired them with a few of the Froggy books by author Jonathan London and illustrator Frank Remkiewicz. But, I think you’ll find this is great for any spring day or even an “F”-themed day – especially if you’ve got a good place to go looking for frogs!

First, you’ll need some basic shapes:

Two strips of green paper that are rounded on one end for eyes
Two green arms
Two green legs
Several green circles
A long red tongue

Depending on the age of your kids, you can either precut these shapes or trace them onto construction paper and let them do the cutting.

Glue the googly eyes onto the eye strips and fold under the bottom (non-round) end. Glue to the base of your paper bag.

Glue the eyes and legs inside the side folds of your paper bag. Glue the tongue under the bottom of the bag.

Last, glue the green dots all over your frog. Put your hand inside and start hopping!

Tweet

Tutorial:: DIY Diaper Wipes

From Emily of BusyChickadees and Raising Busy Chickadees. 

I started making my own disposable diaper wipes a few years ago. I love them! They are more natural and cheaper than the store-bought version.

Now, I use cloth diapers, so I use cloth wipes, but I wanted to share how to do this with my disposable diaper friends. I am going to use mine as eye make-up disposable wipes. You will be amazed at how easy it
is to do. Are you ready?

Homemade Disposable Diaper Wipes
Ingredients:
Bounty Paper Towels (select-a-size)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons baby wash (natural if possible)
2 tablespoons oil (canola oil, olive oil, and coconut oil work)
container
tea tree oil (optional).

Step 1 
Cut the rolls of paper towels in half with a serrated knife.

Step 2
Pour water into container. Add baby wash and oil. Stir.

Step 3 
Add 2 drops of tea tree oil (used to prevent mold) optional.

Step 4
Drop the half a roll of paper towel into the water. Wait until water has soaked into the paper towels and remove the center cardboard tube.

Step 5
Pull wipes up from the center.

**A note of caution. **If you seal the lid on tightly, you are almost guaranteed for your wipes to mold at some point. I just leave the lid cracked open and have not had a problem with that. How about you, have you used your own wipes before?


Find Emily online at Facebook and Twitter, by visiting her blog - Raising Busy Chickadees and her Etsy Shop - Busy Chickadees:

Tweet

Toddler Sensory Activity: Colored Spaghetti

I was making dinner the other night {spaghetti and meat sauce} and though how fun it would be to play with the spaghetti! I knew coloring it would make it even more fun so I did some browsing and found this video on how to color spaghetti. It's really easy...just take a look.

I didn't have any watercolors so I used food coloring. It worked just fine but didn't distribute the color all that evenly.

If you don't have a sensory table {I don't} then you can use a bowl, tupperware, one of those disposable lasagna pans {which we used}...pretty much anything your little heart desires. There are also tons of sensory table DIYs around the internet if you are handy enough to make one yourself. We also have a water table that we like to use.

Bug had so much fun playing in the spaghetti. In fact, it was an all day project! Here are all the things we did with it:

First we played with it using our hands.

 Then I broke out the toddler scissors.

 She had some trouble with them so I showed her to lay it over a cup and use 2 hands to cut.

 Then I held it and she used 2 hands to cut.

Bug served me some scoop-fulls using kitchen tongs {great for motor skill development}!

I even dared to let her take it out by the carpet to cook in her kitchen.

She stepped in the tub and wiggled her toes. {I think she liked this best - be careful though, it's slippery}

We took the spaghetti to the kitchen floor and made some shapes with them too!

It was so much fun! How will you play with spaghetti?

If you like this post and want to see more toddler activities please visit my blog, Tutus and Tea Parties. You can also follow me here: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest.

Tweet

Introducing All Wild Co.

Today We Introduce You To Nadia of All Wild Co.

Q: What motivated you to start your shop?
I’ve always lived a creative lifestyle. I worked as a fashion designer for some years before starting a family. While staying at home with my children, I felt inspired and encouraged to create something that would try and capture their full of life personalities, innocence and love for nature.

Q: What is the story behind your shop name?

For the shop’s name I took my inspiration from nature - organic, wild. Also I felt it reflected children's' infinite originality and their creative and playful spirit.

Q: Do you have a favorite Etsy Shop (non-child related)?
I love textiles, art and photography. These are some of my favorites:

twostringjane

wireanimals

lindamonfort

EyePoetryPhotography

laferrera

tushtush

SamanthaFrench

rinnshop

silverridgestudio

PeggyWolfDesign

unitedthread

tastesorangey

kikiandpolly

scoutandcatalogue

Q: What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?

I found it to be a very rewarding experience having your own online shop. It feels wonderful to see other folks enjoying your designs and workmanship. I’ve also picked up a lot of new skills and met some wonderful people along the way.

Q: What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?

Not enough hours in a day!

Q: What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?

I pledge to develop fresh, fun, functional items, and to try my best to make them as eco friendly and safe as possible. All my items are made of either 100% organic cotton, hemp or other unique eco friendly blends. I hand dye with non-toxic dyes and screen print with water-based inks. Always trying to support local business, I strive to source fabrics that have been grown and milled right here in the USA.

Q: How would someone (other then you) describe you?

A little shy, friendly...

Q: What music do you have on while you are creating?

Right now I enjoy music by Of Monsters and Men, Adele, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, and Fleetwood Mac.

Q: What do you do when you aren't working?

I have two children and when not working I devote most of my time to them. However, when ever I get a moment, I like to play piano, try new recipes, and skim through design magazines and blogs.

Q: Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?

I would like to mention how much I’ve enjoyed being a design challenge coordinator for this team. Every month I’m astonished by our members’ creativity and craftsmanship.

Tweet

EtsyKids Design Challenge: It's time to Vote!

It's time to vote for your favorite item! Voting will be open until March 27th. This month, EtsyKids members were challenged to create an exciting new item based on a theme "Bumblebees, Bugs, and Butterflies". We received a bunch of fantastic entries from some talented people. Please vote for your favorite item from the list below.

Tweet

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: 

Tweet