Easter Traditions Around the World

Many countries celebrate Easter with church services chocolate eggs, Easter bunny visits and Easter egg hunts. But I thought it would be fun to see  some Easter traditions from different countries. And what better country to start with than my own!

Australia:
In Australia rabbits are considered a pest.  While there are still plenty of chocolate rabbits given out at Easter there is a lovely tradition of giving a chocolate Bilbie instead of a rabbit.  Bilbies are a cute but endangered Australian animal. 

Greece: Our family also celebrates some Greek traditions at Easter as my husband is Greek.  The celebrations are all about the food with a traditional Easter bread called tsoueki and eggs dyed red. The red dyed eggs are tapped against another persons to try and crack it.  It is said that the person left with their red egg uncracked will have good luck for the remainder of the year.  Special candles called labatha are made and given as gifts and the traditional Easter greeting is used "Christos Anesti".

Poland: Pouring water on one another is a Polish Easter tradition called Smingus-Dyngus. It originates from when a Polish Prince back in 966AD was baptised on Easter Monday.

Italy: Thousands of visitors flock to St. Peters square to await the popes blessing form the church's balcony.

Bermuda: Bermudians fly homemade kites, eat codfish cakes and hot cross buns.

Haiti: Holy week is marked by playing traditional rara music and colourful parades.

Norway: In Norway a tradition known as Easter crime or Raskekrim is practiced.  This is where people read mystery books or watch crime shows or movies.

How do you celebrate Easter and what special traditions are special to your part of the world?

Guest blog post by Mel
Mel's Etsy shop Creative Wishes, Handmade Toys For Creative Play.
Mel Blogs at Melinda's Creative Wishes.

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March Design Challenge Winner!

March's Design Challenge had the theme "Geometrics".
We had lots of lovely entries from our team member but the winning entry with the most votes was..

Equilateral Triangle Quilt by myteaandbrie

This quilt is incredibly special. These equilateral triangles in bright and happy colors gives the quilt a fresh feel with modern flare. Flip this reversible quilt over and display the colorful bricks alternating with neutral spacing. Great for a little girl's room or as a photo prop.

This quilt is perfect for a new baby or toddler - at 46" x 59" it can start as a tummy time mat in the living room or something to throw down in the backyard to enjoy the fresh air. It will keep your sweet babe warm on a cool spring night or a breezy day at the beach. It will be perfect in a toddler bed as your baby grows, and your pre-schooler will drag this along as they shuffle through your home in slippered feet.

This quilt is perfect for adults as well. I great accent to throw over the back of a couch! Sit with quilt in lap holding your favorite mug of tea and a good book. Perfect for catching stray popcorn on movie night! Drape it over your shoulders as you enjoy your outdoor fire pit with a glass of wine.

Here are some more lovely items from myteaandbrie

You Are Loved hand embroidered hoop display PINK and TEAL myteaandbrie $18.00	Personalized Pillow Cover - Made to Order for baby shower, hostess gift, housewarming, wedding, christening, birthday myteaandbrie $45.00	Equilateral Triangle Quilt Bright Happy Colors Bubble Gum Pink Charcoal Gray Steel Grey for Baby Toddler Teen Lap Quilt Throw Photo Prop myteaandbrie $245.00	Coordinating Pillow and Hoop BUNDLE: 14" pillow cover and 6" You Are Loved Hoop myteaandbrie $65.00
Personalized Hand Embroidered Quilted Pillow Cover 14x14 - Made to Order with RED embroidery myteaandbrie $45.00	Tiered Clutch in a Linen Cotton Blend Perfect for Spring || Rustic Bridesmaid Wristlet || Valentine's Day myteaandbrie $30.00	Personalize Heart Hoop 6 inch hand embroidered hoop display myteaandbrie $18.00	Personalized Hand Embroidered Quilted Pillow Cover 12x16 - Made to Order myteaandbrie $45.00

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Meet Etsy Seller RainbowsLollipopsArt

Today we would like to introduce you to

Etsy shop RainbowsLollipopsArt

RainbowsLollipopsArt has been selling on Etsy since December 2012, they sell playroom, kids bedroom and nursery art prints! Today they are going to give us a little peak behind the scenes of their Etsy shop.


What motivated you to start your shop?
As a mom, I know how exciting it can be to decorate a children's bedroom or a nursery. I wanted to help mothers get personalized and colorful prints. I started to design some and discovered Etsy afterwards. It seemed like the perfect place to sell my creations!

What is the story behind your shop name?
Well, as you can see, my shop is pretty colorful. This name just popped into my mind and seemed to fit. You could say I was inspired, or that this name is like the soul of my shop.

What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
The amount of time I would consecrate to my shop. I changed my pictures 3 times before I was really satisfied of my shop's look. Marketing can be quite time consuming too. But overall, I really enjoy it. I guessed that surprised me too. I LOVE having an Etsy shop.

What is your favourite creations from your shop?My favorite items to create are my bathroom rules prints. I really enjoy creating them, finding new characters, new animals, new styles for them. I have more than 30 sets of bathroom prints in my shop. I'm constantly working on creating more, and they sell very well! I also enjoy customizing them to match my customer's shower curtains!

What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
I want to make my products perfect for my customers. I want them to really LOVE their prints. I send as many previews as they need, and if they want anything changed, I'll do it.

What do you do when you aren't working?
I am a stay at home mom, so basically, I'm taking care of my kids. My kids are 3 and almost 2, so it can be pretty challenging sometimes, but still so worth it!

RainbowsLollipopsArt is offering a 10% discount in their shop. To use the coupon visit her etsy store and enter code "10FORYOU" at checkout. Valid until March 31 2014.

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Easy Kid Friendly Vegetarian Taco Dinner

This is one of our family's favorite easy dinners. What I love about this meal is that it does not contain meat.  My daughters love the fact that they can "design" their own tacos.  We are not vegetarians in our home but we do try to minimize our meat intake each week and the beans are a great protein substitute.

What you need:

• your favorite taco toppings: lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, tomatoes, salsa etc.
• can of vegetarian fat free refried beans
• bag of frozen corn
• mild taco seasoning
• hard taco shells or soft tortilla shells

What you need to do:

• chop up all of your toppings
• warm up the refried beans and frozen corn in a pan
• add taco seasoning to pan
• fill the shells with the beans/corn mixture
• have your children add whichever toppings they like

Dorinda's shop, Raising Green Kids, offers eco-friendly products for your family such as wool dryer balls, Unpaper towels, and fabric decorations. Follow her on Facebook and twitter and at her blog.

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Treasury Challenge #30 - Luck of the Irish

The theme for the EtsyKids Team treasury challenge #30 was "Luck of the Irish".
Our team members created lots of beautiful treasuries featuring some amazing items, but the winner with 68 views is...

Felt Food Popsicle FiddledeeDeeCraft $15.00	The Classic WOOD TOY TRIO- Wooden Game Set applenamos $15.00	Rainbow Ruffle Polka-dot Dress- sizes 18mo to 5T aBcChildren $48.00	Rainbow Heart Garland - made with wool blend felt in colourful and bright shades, perfect for kids room or birthday HandmadeCuddlesShop €12.00
Rainbow Star Ponytail Hair Binder Snugglebugkidz $2.75	Wooden Rainbow Sorting Bowls-Montessori inspired eLeMeNOPkids $18.00	Puzzle Crayons 6 crayon set by Scribblers Crayons ScribblersCrayons $6.00	Girls Hair Clip - Rainbow Clippie Avabowtiquee $3.75
Solid Grosgrain Extra Large Pinwheel Bows - Lot of three hair bows - 28 Color Choices - Etsykids Team KatiebugBows $16.00	Set of 6 Eco-Friendly Soy/Bees Wax Things That Go Crayons- Great First Crayon childhoodstore $9.00	INSTANT DOWNLOAD - Rainbow - Digital Bottle Cap Images-Bottlecap Jewelry-Stickers-Tags-Labels-Cupcake Toppers-Magnets-Bottlecap Crafts BardDesigns $1.75	Rainbow Birthday Food Label Tent Cards Polka Dot Birthday Party - Set of 12 CupcakeDream $10.00
Patchwork Twirl Skirt and Personalized Tshirt Girls Rainbow Frog 12m 18m 2 3 4 5 6 2T 3T 4T 5T FroggyGirlDesigns $76.00	Educational Childrens Alphabet Snake Wooden 3d Puzzle Waldorf Puzzle ThePuzzledOne $35.00	St. Patrick's Day Pot of Gold appliqué Boy or Girl Twin Set Bodysuits 0-3M/6M/12M/2T/3T/4T MADE TO ORDER JustJoshinKids $40.00	Rainbow Birthday Invitation - boy-girl- Digital Printable Birthday 5x7 Invite SwishPrintables $15.00

Thank you tickledpeachstudio for creating such a lovely treasury!

tickledpeachstudio sells personalized kids gifts, invitations and stationery. We love this rainbow lunch pack that is available in her shop. Visit her shop to see more of her wonderful creations.

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March Design Challenge. It's time to Vote!

For March our Design Challenge theme was "Geometric!"
We have lots of lovely entries from our team members, browse down and vote for your favourite item!
Voting is open until 27th March.

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Meet Etsy Shop: Simply Swanky by Ashley

Today we would like to introduce you to

Etsy shop Simply Swanky by Ashley

Simply Swanky by Ashley has been selling on Etsy since September 2011, they sell lovely clothing for babies and kids, as well as beatiful fabrics for those who want to make their own items! Today they are going to give us a little peak behind the scenes of their Etsy shop.


What motivated you to start your shop?
I started sewing 7 years ago after purchasing a machine to monogram for my 1 year old son and expected niece. I had always enjoyed puzzles, and after using my machine for monogramming I thought maybe sewing would be like putting together a puzzle. I was currently a resident just out of medical school and was looking for a fun creative outlet. I initially would sew for friends and family. My sister-in-law would host home shows for me to display items and take custom orders from her friends. I enjoyed making custom items so much that I decided to open up my Etsy shop.

What is the story behind your shop name?
When I was thinking of the name for my shop I chose Simply Swanky because the items are swanky yet seem very simple.

What surprised you most about having your own craft / online shop?
I never thought I would sell this much or that having an online store could be so much fun. I have really enjoyed all of the new people that I have been able to meet through the shop.

What is your favourite creations from your shop?
I really enjoy baby gift items. The baby layette sets have actually been my most popular items as well.

What do you find most challenging about being an Etsy seller?
The most challenging has been the influx of business that is unpredictable. I have a full time job as a physician and continue to sew in my spare creative time. It is difficult to predict how many orders I will have at one given time. With time constraints, the custom orders are the most difficult. I have extended the shop to sell fabric as well. The fabric orders are of course not difficult to fill and it still helps feed my creative needs.

What's your personal philosophy behind your shop / products?
I really enjoy sewing and love the creative outlet. i strive to make each item a little unique and finish it off with a professional look. I double check over each item to ensure the quality is top notch. I have young children so I can understand what it means to have clothes that will hold up to several washes. I work hard to get items out to customers as quickly as possible.

What do you do when you aren't working?
When I am not working in my Etsy shop, I am a mother of two little ones and a wife to a great husband. I am also a Family Medicine physician full time in a local clinic from 7-3. If there's spare time left, I play in a local tennis league.

Simply Swanky by Ashley is offering a 10% discount in their shop. To use the coupon visit her etsy store and enter code "SPRING10" at checkout. Valid until March 30 2014.

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