EtsyKids Treasury:: A Very Batty Halloween

A Very Batty Halloween!

EtsyKids team batty-ful picks from blackdogcircus.

Spooky halloween headband, purple, orange, green and black for fall, inspired with pearls, lace and feathers, newborn girl verosjoy $17.00	Halloween Bat Party Favor Boxes - Halloween Goodie Box DIY Digital PDF QuirkyParties $3.95	Halloween Black and Orange hand-felted PomPom Garland on Bakers Twine, Party decoration, Home Decor AtelierSpatz £5.00	Tooth Fairy Pillow, cushion, handmade gifts for children, nursery decor, kids halloween decor, felt pillows, HALLOWEEN WITCH HouseOfLaylayt $26.65
Knitted sweater.Baby set for the Halloween. 100% wool. READY TO SHIP size Newborn tenderblue $80.00	Girls Halloween Dress Baby Toddler Fall Dress Orange Black Boutique Clothing By Lucky Lizzy's LuckyLizzys $49.00	Pumpkin Print on Wood - Day of the Dead Wall Plaque - Halloween Decoration - Fall Foliage WalterSilva $8.00	Batman halloween birthday photo tutu costume LittleLocaTutus $35.00
Stuffed toy animal - Bat Maminognijezdo €14.50	B for Batman / Dark Knight : ABC Block Bamboo Wall Art Series // Alphabet Kids Wall Art Room Decor Superhero Sci-fi TofufuStudio $29.90	Hero, Super kids boxer briefs for boys, boys boxer briefs SillySeaTurtle $12.00	Halloween Invitation Download - Halloween Party Invitation - Kids Halloween Invitation - Halloween Editable Invitation (Instant Download) PixieBearParty $15.00
Bat Door Hanger MoodieArt $9.50	Boo to you Halloween ghost top hat, ghostly mad hat, white and black ghost top hat, boo-tiful white and black detail promp hat Bloombowlicious $17.00	Vampire Doll - Halloween Toy Dracula Doll JoellesDolls $30.00	Crayon roll - Personalized Halloween mini crayon roll holds 4 crayons with either elastic or ribbon closure Perfect party favor itsthesmallthings $3.00

Powered By Toastie Studio - Etsy Tools

Tweet

Involving Children in Service:: Operation Christmas Child

Contributed by Kate of kaetoo.

Christmas is fast approaching and Operation Christmas Child is in full swing.

Have you come across Operation Christmas Child before? It’s a global operation run since 1993 by Samaritan’s Purse where families, churches, schools and businesses put together gift-filled shoe boxes to be distributed to children in need. From 1993 through 2012, some 100 million gift boxes have been handed out in more than 130 countries.

To pack a box for a child, all you need is a shoe box and a selection of presents. Different countries have different specific guidelines about what presents to include, but in general you want to pack:

Something to love

Something for school

Something to wear

Something to play with

Something for personal hygiene

Something special

Take care to look into the restrictions on what shouldn't be included.

You select whether you want to pack for a boy or a girl and the age (2–4, 5–9 or 10–14 years old) of the child. The presents don’t have to be expensive. For example, there is a great range of handmade creations under $15USD that could be used to pack a box right here on Etsy from EtsyKids Members.

Something to love (top left) - Monster Plush from ‘Bright Life Toys’

Something for school (top middle) - Crayon Roll Up from ‘Happy Babee and Beeyond’

Something to wear (top right) - Horse Brass Tee from ‘From Marissa V.’

Something to play with (bottom left) - Wooden Flipping Spinning Top from ‘apple n amos’

Something for personal hygiene (bottom middle) - Pinwheel Hair Clip from ‘Magnificence’

Something special (bottom right) - Reusable Sandwich Bag from ‘the Greener Route’

Every child deserves to feel special and getting a present at Christmas time brings a boy or girl a lot of joy. In addition, learning to give is an important lesson for kids. In my house, the toddlers really loved selecting and wrapping a present for someone else and they were so proud to carry them into the drop off centre and add them to the pile.

The drop off dates are fast approaching. Start packing now!

Australia (operationchristmaschild.org.au/) – October is national collection month, finishing 25 October

Canada (www.samaritanspurse.ca/operation-christmas-child), collection week is 18 – 24 November

United Kingdom (www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/), collection is 1 – 18 November

United States (www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/), collection week is 18 – 24 November

Kate is from Melbourne, VIC, Australia, and is the creator/owner of 'kaetoo' Canvas Photo Boards on Etsy.  She sells a wide variety of personalized, handmade embossed bulletin boards in all sizes, colors and themes.  Follow Kate's work on facebook and at her blog. 

Tweet

EtsyKids Supports Autism Awareness Day

Today, April 2nd, is the 6th Annual Autism Awareness Day.  Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development, characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. According to statistics from the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) approximately 1 in 88 American children fall on the autism spectrum.  An estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls is diagnosed with autism in the United States. Thanks to growing awareness and increasing interest and funding of research, we no longer have to answer "What causes Autism?" with "We have no idea." Research is now delivering answers.  You can read more about what researchers are discovering at AutismSpeaks.org.

Colored puzzle pieces, as you see below have become the symbol of Autism.  Autism is a puzzle we are trying to understand and hopefully one day solve, made up of many different disorders.   We challenge you to take some time today to learn something new about Autism.  By increasing awareness we increase understanding.

EtsyKids team members have been staunch supporters of Autism awareness and research since our early beginnings on Etsy and the EtsyKids team.  Some of the sellers featured in this collection, will donate a small portion of the sale to Autism Research. See their item description on Etsy for more information.  

The Hope Tree for Autism, 3-D Wooden Puzzle by PuzzledOne

Autism Awareness Hair Clips by SamdipityBowtique

Autism Awareness Owl by tzburps

Autism Awareness Chalkboard Mat by bamcraftymommas

Crayon Roll, Autism Awareness (on Sale!) by LilBDesigns

Tweet

Little Bunny FuFu

Knit Bunny Nugget Children's Plush Toy by MargauxMakes

Wooden Waldorf Bunny Rabbit by LittleWoodlanders

Chocolate Bunny Felt Easter Hair Clip by MyLittlePixies

Waldorf Stuffed Animal, Bunny Rabbit by woolies

Bamboo Teething Toy with Velour Bunny Ears by BrightLifeToys

Tweet

Don't Be Blue, It's the EtsyKids Spring Sale

In New England, I am still waiting for the snow to melt.  I may be waiting a little longer, there were flurries this morning.  The daffodils, however, have had enough of waiting.  Their happy green spikes make me think of blue skies and warm days.

This collection of EtsyKids items features shops participating in our Spring Sale.

Large Dachshund Crochet Plush Toy - Blue - Ready To Ship

ShopLittleKitten

30.00 USD

Light Blue Denim Jeans

GirliePearlie3

25.00 USD

Easter Set from Sheree's Atelier MACY Custom Swing Top and Capri Pant Set in Blue European Blossoms...Made to Order Size 2T-8yrs

ShereesAtelier

72.00 USD

Handmade Upcycled Plush Elephant OOAK Sock Toy Stuffed Animal - Ernest

Fuffalumps

70.00 USD

2 Elephant Felt Design Barrette Clips

rockabyebabystore

8.00 USD

TWIN "You are my SUNSHINE" & "My Only SUNSHINE" Onesies Set , Great Shower gift for Twins or siblings

klzart

48.00 USD

SALE. fabric wall flower. 3d wall art. stripes

leilasflowergarden

6.30 USD

Love you Always - 8x8 print of Mother and Son

MossyRockDesigns

15.00 USD

Snow white doll, rag doll, snow white made of fabric, fairytale doll - Fairytale themed party - felt apple inclyded - Made to ORDER

Craftaholicgr

40.00 EUR

Crayon Wallet / Chalk Mat Art Folio: Giddy Up Cowboy - arts & crafts travel toy / travel game - Sale take 20% off

LilBDesigns

11.00 USD

SALE Belt for Preschooler - Elastic Snap Belt

LittleTadpoleDesigns

6.00 CAD

Baby Bib - Light Blue and Brown Polka Dot Bib - Ready to Ship

ClaresClothesline

8.50 USD

Owl Art Print children Nursery baby animal 8x10 kids decor

LaurieShanholtzer

18.00 USD

Boys Green, Blue and Brown Striped Vest

SweetChildofMineKids

19.99 USD

Handpop grijs met stippen en sterren, schattig babypopje

MijnPopje

11.95 EUR

Personalized Keepsake Story Book,The Silver Swan, Made to order, Magical Adventure, Flying in the blue starry sky

wehive

20.00 CAD

Tweet

An Elephant's Faithful, 100 Percent!

Elephant Trunks Onesie, by LeighandMichael

Elephant Children's Decor Wall Plaque, by WalterSilva

Birthday Circus: Cake Toppers, personalized, by sugarandsparkparties

Powder blue & Chocolate Minky Dot Elephant, by lindakraftykreation

Minky Baby Boy Blanket - Urban Circus, by DancingKat

Elephant Wooden Toy, by ArmadilloDreams

Tweet

Aarghhhh, Me Mateys!!

Pirates vs Ninjas Wooden Peg Dolls from BrightLifeToys

Pirate Boy Costume from RaeGun

Pirate's Bounty Personalized Print for Boys from Chichiboulie

Pirate Bunting from WeThreeBees

Initial Pirate Shirt from cortsthings

Wool Skull and Crossbone Jolly Roger Shorties from JillyBeanJar

Tweet

Happy Father's Day

Daddy's use to be little once too!  Here are some fun finds for the future daddy's in your life.

Balloon Buddy (fabric balloon cover) by kidsloveletters

Dinosaur T-Rex T-shirt by Westmama

Fire Truck Personalized Wall Art by babychickdesigns

Custom Boys Knight Costume by VintageDuck

Boutique Burp Cloth set of 3 by MomNMiaQuilts

Toddler Boy Bow Ties by kdpdesigns

Tweet

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

Tweet

Tutorial: Shake an Egg

From Lauren at crocheting4baby.


Have you heard of Laurie Berkner?

She sings songs for kids that we just love here in our home. She makes kids music enjoyable, instead of annoying. I must say I can listen to her music non stop while playing with Bug and not get sick of it. She has 5 CDs {i believe} plus a The Best Of CD and I can't tell you which is my fave. I love them all!

On her CD "Whaddaya Think of That?" there is a song called I Know A Chicken, it's also on The Best Of CD.

The song is so much fun and she tells you different ways to shake an egg. If you don't have a shaky egg you can just shake your body, but we made some shaky eggs from old plastic eggs we had in our play food cart since Easter.

What you will need:

• Plastic Eggs {one per kid, or as many as you'd like}
• Small items to put inside the egg to make noise. We used yeast, rice & small noodles. We wanted to make ours soft and loud shakers. Other ideas are oatmeal, cornmeal, sprinkles, beads...
• Crazy glue
• Tape

First you are going to want to tape the inside where the holes are {if any} so there are no leaks.

Then fill half an egg about 3/4 of the way. Place glue around the edges and let it dry. {don't glue your fingers to the egg} If you are lazy and impatient like I am you can just wrap some packing tape around the egg so it doesn't open easily. You might not want to do that meathod with younger ones who will try to open it. Bug was a good listener and didn't even attempt it.

Give it to your little one, turn on some Laurie Berkner and shake an egg!

See more of Lauren's toddler friendly activities on her blog, Tutus & Tea Parties, follow her on facebook and see her crocheted offerings in her Etsy shop:  

Tweet

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.

Tweet

Crafting for a Cure

Breast Cancer touches the lives of so many. My grandmothers were survivors, my mother is a survivor, many good friends are survivors. 

October is a month filled with pink ... pink to remind us of the devastation that Breast Cancer brings to each man and woman whose body it attacks and the importance of supporting amazing charities that provide essential research funds, moving us closer and closer to finding a cure. 

Three amazing EtsyKids team members are Crafting for a Cure, donating 25-50% the sale of their item to a well deserving Cancer Charity.  Make your dollar do double duty and purchase one of these items.  You will not only receive an amazing handcrafted tooth fairy pillow, blanket or print, but you will help researchers find better drugs and treatments, better methods of detection, better preventative practices with the portion of your purchase going to worthy charities.  

Tooth Fairy Pillow, Miss Petunia Pretty Pants by kookycritters

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, $5 from the sale of this Critter will go to nationalbreastcancer.org.

No Monkey Business - Find a Cure Activity Blanket & Plush Toy Set by myminimocs

50% of the proceeds from the sale of this limited edition blanket & plush toy set will go to a Breast Cancer Awareness Charity. 

Believe in Yourself, 5x7" Print, Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by ZavalickDesigns

During October, $5 of the sale of these prints (pink design only) will be donated to the American Cancer Society

Tweet