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May 2012 EtsyKids Desktop Background
Posted Monday, April 30, 2012
Here is the desktop calendar for May 2012! This month the theme was red, yellow, green and purple, just like a rainbow!! You can see a treasury of all these items here.
Featured shops: weandthebean, tinystitches, ToastieStudio, boygirlboygirldesign, Sweetchildofmine, KangarooCare, OliveAndVince, LoopySheep, allthingsforbaby, ThELaUgHyGiRaFfY, oKIDDo, myminimocs, LizzSather, CottontailKids, BabyDobbins, Grannyzann, CuckooBoo, LilikinsBaby, ClareBears, TheTrendyTotShop.
Toddler Sensory Activity: Planting Flowers
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2012
What you need:
- dried black beans {I used 2 bags}
- fake flowers
- small flower pots
- any other gardening tools you have around the house {we used shovels and a small watering can}
- sensory table {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.}
What to do:
- empty out your beans into the sensory table
- trim flowers so they aren't too large for the kiddos {make sure no metal is sticking out - you may want to tape the bottom just in case}
- have the children "plant" their flowers by filling a planter with beans and sticking in the flower{s}
- we also have a small watering can to pretend to water the flowers
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 on: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest.
Introducing Stewey75 / Sweet Princess Bowtiqu
Posted Thursday, April 26, 2012
Today We Introduce You To Tammy
Q: What motivated you to start your shop?
In 2007, my daughter Lilli was born and I had the wonderful opportunity to be a stay at home mom. The challenge for me being a stay at home mom was to find an outlet to release my inner creative gene. I became very interested in photography and the photography props similar to the amazing Anne Geddes. I decided to make a silk flower hat and Lilli was my model and from that moment in creating, I haven't looked back and Lil' Flower Hats by Lilli was born! I then started making silk flower mats, silk flower clippies and silk flower bloomers but as Lilli got older, I expanded and Lil' Flower hats by Lilli became Sweet Princess Bowtique.
Q: What is the story behind your shop name?
Lil' Flower hats by Lilli was named after my daughter who was my test model for my first silk flower hat and mat! {Attached is a pictue of Lilli modeling the silk flower mat}
I would have to say "LoveJoyCreations". I contacted Brenda, the shop owner of http://www.etsy.com/shop/LovejoyCreations, to hand draw a photograph of Lilli for my Mom as a special gift and she created this beautiful hand drawn picture. I can't thank her enough for the gorgeous picture and my mom has it hanging over the fireplace. It was a great pleasure to work with such a talented woman! http://www.etsy.com/listing/40503027/custom-childrens-or-babys-portrait-in
Q: What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
I think the biggest surprise was how fast the silk flower hat demand became about a month after I started selling them on etsy. I never thought it would be such a big part of my online shop and from that has helped me expand to hair clips and headbands.
Q: What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?
Definitely, the competition. There are so many talented and unique children's accessory shops that as an owner, you have to always be unique and creative with your listings so the customer will notice your product. You also have to constantly come up with new and creative ideas and sometimes that can be tough.
Q: What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
I would have to say my personal philosphy behind my products would be that all my products are for those little ones that love feeling like a princess, who love to have fun, and love to have unique and quality hand made products!
Q: How would someone (other then you) describe you?
They probably would say quite, kind, generous, hard worker, and perfectionist.
Q: What music do you have on while you are creating?
I LOVE music so usually is pop and R&B. My favorites are Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Katy Perry, Usher, FloRida
Q: What do you do when you aren't working?
I'm spending lots of time with Lilli. Luckily, she loves to do crafty things like me! :) I also love to do family genealogy, I find it very rewarding to find out history of your family.
Q: Anything else you'd like to tell us or share?
As a child I was diagnosed and conquered a cruel illness called Leukemia. I grew strong and realized that if I was determined, nothing could stop me. Fast forward through college, work, and marriage, I'm a strong woman living a normal life and with Lillianna being born my world was changed forever. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to start out as stewey75/ Lil' Flower Hats by Lilli and now we have grown to become Sweet Princess Bowtique. Selling products to over 10 different countries, featured on zulilly and now being able to offer our customers a MyRewards program. Seeing my visions become finsihed products makes it all worthwhile. If you put your mind to something, you CAN accomplish it!
Mural, Mural on the Wall ...
Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2012
From Cindy of CooperCreations.
Here are a few things to think about when deciding on a mural...
When having a mural painted in your child’s room, the first thing you should consider is how long you want to keep the mural. That will help determine your theme. Most people like to paint their nursery theme and then repaint when they transition their child into a big kid bed. If that is the case then your theme can be very specific to your bedding which will give you a very custom feel. A great thing about painting a mural is that it can match your décor exactly. You don’t have to settle for something that is “close enough”. When it comes to nurseries, if you know that you will be repainting in a two or three years then take this time to make the nursery your own sanctuary – heaven knows you will spend a lot of time in there. The nursery stage is a good time to decorate with characters. If you always loved Peter Rabbit as a child now is your chance to paint it before your child has their own likes and dislikes. Some people opt not to paint their nurseries the traditional pink and blue because they know there will be a lot of that stereotypical color down the line. Lavender or lime are fresh alternatives.
If you are on the other side of things and you know that you want your mural to last through a big bed transition or from big kid room to tween-dom, then you want to go with a more general theme. For nurseries, you can not go wrong with flowers for a girl’s room or a nature theme for a boy’s. Be sure to note where in the nursery you may be placing the big kid bed so that you keep the room balanced even after transition. If you don’t plan to re-paint, then stay away from too much of one color or characters that they will outgrow. Some themes that last a long time in older children’s rooms are butterflies, flowers, space and sports. Use a bold accent wall and repaint that one wall every now and again to spruce things up.
Placement of the mural is also very important. I always tell people to position the bulk of the mural the first place your eye goes to when you walk in the room. This anchors the room and gives you a nice full feeling without painting every wall. Use small coordinating murals to fill space that would be too awkward to place furniture or hanging pictures. For example, paint a baseball bat leaning behind a door or a butterfly above a light switch. Another place that is always a big hit for a mural is above a changing table. Not only are babies fascinated with that area while being changed, but it is also a safer way to decorate than hanging something they can grab. Place your mural at eye level and wrap it around the room if you don’t have a lot of things to hang. This will fill the space for you and will alleviate having to find misc things to hang just because the space is there. On the other hand, if you have a lot of hanging items, then incorporate them into the mural. Paint a frog jumping from picture to picture or a butterfly resting on a frame. Avoid positioning murals at the bottom of your wall in a play room. Most toys get pushed up against the wall which ends up covering your mural. I know a lot of people love picket fences but unfortunately most rooms are not conducive for it. The best place to paint a picket fence mural is to find an awkward place in the room - a wall that cannot be utilized works well. Flower that area up with a little fence and a tall blossoming tree.
A popular alternative to painted murals these days are the vinyl stick ons. These work well in small areas or accents but to get that wow factor, only a mural will do the trick. With a hand painted mural, you can match your décor exactly and target a specific need in the room. The stick ons work well as accents or later additions to a childs room. If your son is into Buzz Lightyear, stick the character on his muraled space wall, then next year when he outgrows Buzz take him off and add a realistic looking astronaut. Just remember, less is best with stick ons.
Whether your budget is $100 or $1000 a mural is always a perfect addition to your child’s room. It is amazing how much life the smallest painting adds to your room.
You can find Cindy and her CooperCreations online at facebook and Etsy:
When having a mural painted in your child’s room, the first thing you should consider is how long you want to keep the mural. That will help determine your theme. Most people like to paint their nursery theme and then repaint when they transition their child into a big kid bed. If that is the case then your theme can be very specific to your bedding which will give you a very custom feel. A great thing about painting a mural is that it can match your décor exactly. You don’t have to settle for something that is “close enough”. When it comes to nurseries, if you know that you will be repainting in a two or three years then take this time to make the nursery your own sanctuary – heaven knows you will spend a lot of time in there. The nursery stage is a good time to decorate with characters. If you always loved Peter Rabbit as a child now is your chance to paint it before your child has their own likes and dislikes. Some people opt not to paint their nurseries the traditional pink and blue because they know there will be a lot of that stereotypical color down the line. Lavender or lime are fresh alternatives.
If you are on the other side of things and you know that you want your mural to last through a big bed transition or from big kid room to tween-dom, then you want to go with a more general theme. For nurseries, you can not go wrong with flowers for a girl’s room or a nature theme for a boy’s. Be sure to note where in the nursery you may be placing the big kid bed so that you keep the room balanced even after transition. If you don’t plan to re-paint, then stay away from too much of one color or characters that they will outgrow. Some themes that last a long time in older children’s rooms are butterflies, flowers, space and sports. Use a bold accent wall and repaint that one wall every now and again to spruce things up.
A popular alternative to painted murals these days are the vinyl stick ons. These work well in small areas or accents but to get that wow factor, only a mural will do the trick. With a hand painted mural, you can match your décor exactly and target a specific need in the room. The stick ons work well as accents or later additions to a childs room. If your son is into Buzz Lightyear, stick the character on his muraled space wall, then next year when he outgrows Buzz take him off and add a realistic looking astronaut. Just remember, less is best with stick ons.
Whether your budget is $100 or $1000 a mural is always a perfect addition to your child’s room. It is amazing how much life the smallest painting adds to your room.
Ice Cube Painting
Posted Tuesday, April 24, 2012
By Cori of Peace,
Baby! Batiks
My son really likes to paint, so I’m always looking for different methods of painting. I don’t always want to get into the messiness of finger painting – especially indoors -- and water colors aren’t always as much fun as the bright colors of poster paint.
I saw ice painting demonstrated one day while we were watching Sprout, and I was intrigued. I modified our activity a bit from the directions posted online, using watercolor paper instead of paper towels and cardstock. I like the heaviness of watercolor paper; it can take a lot of paint!
The night before you want to paint, prepare your ice cubes. Put a little poster paint in the bottom of the cubes of an ice cube tray. Fill with water and mix well. Add half of a craft stick to make a handle. Pop into the freezer and let them set overnight. We’ve had success with solid colors as well as glitter paints.
When you’re ready to paint, take the ice cube tray out of the freezer and let them sit for a few minutes before trying to get them out of the tray.
Pull the cubes out, give each kid a piece of watercolor paper, and let them go! First, the kids rubbed the cubes on the paper.
When they were fresh from the freezer the colors were lighter.
Then, as the cubes thawed, the color went on thicker and darker.
Then, the boys discovered pieces of the ice cubes fell off if you hit them on the paper or pressed them like a stamp. By the end, we had soaking wet, colorful pieces of art!
Variation: In honor of Earth day, I made green, blue, white, and silver glitter (just for fun!) paint cubes and cut our watercolor paper into circles.
My son discovered it was fun to paint his hand and then stamp it onto the paper.
My son told me his painting shows Earth right after it was formed. (He’s a bit of a space and planet nut.) Mine shows Earth later in its developmen, or so he tells me. J
My son really likes to paint, so I’m always looking for different methods of painting. I don’t always want to get into the messiness of finger painting – especially indoors -- and water colors aren’t always as much fun as the bright colors of poster paint.
I saw ice painting demonstrated one day while we were watching Sprout, and I was intrigued. I modified our activity a bit from the directions posted online, using watercolor paper instead of paper towels and cardstock. I like the heaviness of watercolor paper; it can take a lot of paint!
The night before you want to paint, prepare your ice cubes. Put a little poster paint in the bottom of the cubes of an ice cube tray. Fill with water and mix well. Add half of a craft stick to make a handle. Pop into the freezer and let them set overnight. We’ve had success with solid colors as well as glitter paints.
When you’re ready to paint, take the ice cube tray out of the freezer and let them sit for a few minutes before trying to get them out of the tray.
Pull the cubes out, give each kid a piece of watercolor paper, and let them go! First, the kids rubbed the cubes on the paper.
When they were fresh from the freezer the colors were lighter.
Then, as the cubes thawed, the color went on thicker and darker.
Then, the boys discovered pieces of the ice cubes fell off if you hit them on the paper or pressed them like a stamp. By the end, we had soaking wet, colorful pieces of art!
Variation: In honor of Earth day, I made green, blue, white, and silver glitter (just for fun!) paint cubes and cut our watercolor paper into circles.
My son discovered it was fun to paint his hand and then stamp it onto the paper.
My son told me his painting shows Earth right after it was formed. (He’s a bit of a space and planet nut.) Mine shows Earth later in its developmen, or so he tells me. J
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