A Toy Garden: Play silks and more Easter fun

You may have noticed that many of my recent posts include brilliantly colored play silks in the background. You may also have noticed that I keep mentioning that play silks are a safe, eco-friendly alternative to Easter grass. This is because Santa Claus was very nice this year and he replaced our tattered homemade playsilks with brand new, beautiful play silks from A Toy Garden.

Since Santa had several stockings to fill, he selected the set of 12 silks for $60, but the silks come in all sorts of combinations. I love the colors in the spring set, so I'll say it again - perfect for Easter :0)



These are nice, thick, smooth and silky play silks that are woven in China, but dyed in the USA using low impact silk dyes. Play silks make great backgrounds for block cities, table cloths for doll picnics, decorations and nature tables, capes for Super Linnea, hiding places, and Arielle says, "sometimes you can bug your sister with them." Thank you, Arielle.

Here are a few pictures:

Arielle playing "nest" in a laudry basket.


Hiding from Dad. I bet you can't find Linnea.



Arielle builds a zoo.


Cassie drinks tea.



We are very happy with our new play silks. If you are buying play silks, then check out A Toy Garden for other Easter treasures. Some suggestions:

Bunny Push Toy ($18.95)




Wood Duck Family ($9.95)




Wooden Eggs ($3.95-$13.95)

The eggs come in various sizes. Arielle loves to wrap them in a play silk and pretend it is a nest. They are also great for do-it-myself decorating.




What's Hiding In There? ($15.95)


Easter is coming soon, so order soon to leave time for shipping.

Wild Apples for Easter

It's a pleasure for me to be able to feature a local artist. Gunther Keil has been creating folk art and wooden toys for more than 30 year in his Wild Apples workshop. He creates wooden animal toys, push and pull toys, rolling toys, Noah's arks, puzzles and play sets out of local hardwoods including cherry, oak and walnut. Everything is smooth and natural and so beautiful; really, the pictures don't do the toys justice.



We reviewed Roley Poley Animals, a Bunny Bank, a Rabbit Pull Toy, and the Bunny Garden Play Set.





Linnea proclaimed them all "Booeeful." She immediately claimed the Rabbit Pull Toy ($13.95) for her own. (And, please focus on the toy and not the mess; we had popcorn for snack.)




Linnea is watching me type. She says she likes the wheels, but says the string is like a tag. I'm not sure what that means. It must be a three-year-old thing, but she's been having a good time walking the bunny. I think it would make an even better gift for a toddler.

The bunny bank bank was very popular. You could put the bunny bank ($18.00) with a few dollars and a play silk in a basket. My kids love banks.

Arielle has a piggy that I received at my baby shower before she was born. Linnea is jealous. She loves putting my coins in the bank. What I love is that the bottom unscrews. Too many piggy banks have the plug that comes out when they get full - or they don't come out and you break your fingernails (and perhaps the bank) trying to get to the money inside. The girls are putting my pennies in the bank.



And, feeding it carrots. Cute!


Linnea had fun making the bunny bank play with the similarly-sized case of the Bunny Garden Play Set ($67.00).



The Bunny garden Play Set is just beautiful. I love the little details: pumpkin, carrot, lettuce, little red cardinal, sun flower, squirrel, bunny... and they all store in the bunny box. Again, just put this and a play silk in a basket and you are set!

Arielle and Linnea had such a great time with this. When it is not being played with, it makes a nice spring decoration for a nature table.








We like bunnies, but if your child prefers Easter Dinosaurs, check out the Brontosaurus Habitat. And, browse the Wild Apples site for plenty of other dinosaur options.

Finally, we reviewed the Roley Poley Animals ($4.75 each). Linnea liked the chimpanzee best.




She had lots of fun with all the "animal cars". These make a nice little addition to an Easter basket and are the perfect size to carry in a purse or diaper bag.

I can't emphasize this enough, it is all even prettier in real life.

(Pssst.... If you look at the picture on his website, you will see that Gunther Keil looks an awful lot like a very famous toy maker.... hmmm... and this is pretty far north.... The toys look like he might have elvish helpers.... What do you think?) Kidding aside, thank you very much Gunther Keil and thank you Wild Apples.

Hippity, Hoppity...Easter's on its way! Beautiful dolls from Magic Cabin...

....AND A GIVEAWAY!!!!

After months of gloomy weather, March has brought sunny skies, temperatures above freezing and muddy shoes. It's a nice change for me to review Easter gifts and to think of spring.

Magic Cabin goes all out for holidays. I look forward to their spring catalog. They always have the cutest dolls, neat egg decorating kits, and even made in the USA treats. I like the sets of German nesting eggs ($19.98) for hiding small treasures.

Arielle and Linnea got to review a Spring Flower Fairy and an Easter Doll ($34.98 each).

These are wonderful Easter gifts for the little girls in your life.


These 7 inch dolls are made by Kathe Kruse of Germany. They come in a pretty pouch...



...and would look adorable tucked into an Easter basket. What a nice alternative to the traditional stuffed bunny! After all, if you give your child an Easter bunny every year, they'll multiply like rabbits :0)

Here's the Daffodil doll tucked into Arielle's purse. (We'll be reviewing the purses later this week.)



Lucky us, the dolls are pink (Arielle's favorite color) and yellow (Linnea's favorite). Linnea was very excited, but said the doll was "not quite bootiful."


Then she proceeded to undress the doll. The fact that the clothing (and the flower) is removable is a big plus for Linnea.


After she dressed the doll by herself, the doll named "Lila" was pronounced perfect.


Arielle is more grown-up. She told me, "I love the pretty pink dress and she has princess hair. Her name is Daisy and she is the Easter Bunny's helper. She gives the eggs out and makes the baskets when the Easter Bunny needs a break."


A close up of Daisy without the removable basket of felt Easter Eggs.


Daisy and Lila have been very busy picnicking and attending tea parties with the other dolls and the stuffed bunnies from three Easters ago. Daisy is especially fond of strawberry tea.

Seven inches is also the perfect size to tuck in a backpack.

And, like all Kathe Kruse dolls, these dolls are beautifully made and will stand up to lots of love. In future years, they will look adorable on a seasonal or nature table. I can just picture the doll, a jar of daffodils, and some decorated eggs on a pink play silk.

But even better, one lucky reader will win an Easter Doll or Spring Flower Fairy of their choice. All you have to do is go to Magic Cabin and tell me what you'd like to put in an Easter basket. You can post a comment with a link here or on Facebook - just make sure I can contact you if you win. I will randomly choose a winner on March 15th.

Thank you, Magic Cabin. Check them out for more Easter treats and don't forget to sign up for the mailing list so you can find out about free shipping deals and coupon codes.

And, thank you readers. Stay tuned for more Easter reviews.

Healthy, hoppy, eco-friendly Easter Baskets

It's the Bunny time of year, and I wanted to suggest a few ways to make Easter eco-friendly by reducing waste in your Easter baskets and to offer some alternatives to sugary candy and stuffed rabbits.

First, the basket; make it something reusable, something that the kids can play with, or something that can be used for storage long after the holiday is over.

Stubby Pencil has some super cute, handmade, felt Easter baskets ($13.95). Not only are they bright and springy, but ours looks really nice on the playroom shelf.





Another option is the Bolga Basket from A Toy Garden. These fair trade, handmade baskets are available in small ($15.95), medium ($29.95) and large ($35.95). The girls tote their pretend groceries and store play vegetables in the small ones they received last year. I've been thinking about getting a large one to hold all the dolls and stuffed animals that I'm always picking up.



A fun option is a child-sized laundry basket ($7.50). If you add a clothes pin set ($7.99) and some spring-colored play silks, you've got hours of inexpensive playtime. Arielle still loves playing laundry.



Themed Easter baskets don't even have to be baskets; try a pail or tote with child-size gardening tools ($17.95) or a bucket of sand toys ($19.99).

A reusable bag can also be used as either an alternative to a basket or as a gift inside a basket. Envirosax for Kids have cheerful, child-friendly designs and are great for hauling stuff to preschool or daycare. There's even a bunny design. Ours are holding Arielle's mountain of library books.



Art supplies, of course, are wonderful gift for any occasion: eco-friendly water colors, colored pencils, or markers are always fun. Choose one and add the appropriate accessories: a cute pencil sharpener and sketch book, recycled coloring cards, or paint brushes and water color paper. This year, I'll be including Beeswax Crayons (12 for $14.95) in our baskets.

This set of animal stamps (5 for $19.95) could be split among several children. It is made in Thailand of rubberwood. Make sure to use washable ink as Arielle and Linnea tend to get ink all over and these animals are just to cute to be all inky.



As for treats, a sweet alternative to traditional candy is a Yummy Earth organic fruit lollipop (15 for $3.50 or 20 cents each). I actually used these during potty training as a bribe to keep Arielle on the potty while potty training **blush**. They are delicious and all natural, so I didn't feel too bad about it. Instead of chemical dyes, they are colored with organic ingredients such as such as red cabbage, orange pumpkins, turmeric and purple carrots. The lollipops are casein, dairy, egg, gluten, nut, soy and wheat-free. There are no refined sugars or corn syrup, instead the sweetness comes from organic evaporated cane juice and organic tapioca syrup. I am particularly partial to pomegranate. Homemade treats are another option.

Stuffed bunnies are cute, but there is a limit. You just can't have a stuffed bunny every Easter - they reproduce faster than real bunnies! They become Dust Bunnies! Instead of stuffed bunnies, try a play set or a puppet that can be played with for several years. I've written a lot about Arielle and her puppet love. I encourage it because puppets are a wonderful, open-ended toy that she can play with until her teen years. She has a lot, but more characters means more stories. They can only inspire imagination and creativity. I especially like Folkmanis puppets (yes, they are Made in China, but there is really nothing comparable), which I buy at Puppet-World. Puppet-World ships quickly, and they have a great selection and awesome customer service. Arielle loves birds, especially cockatoos, and I was so excited to see that Folkmanis came out with a cockatoo puppet ($23.95) this year. Guess what Arielle's getting... There's also a cute little chick ($4.25) that is perfect for a more traditional-looking basket.

So... my list: a puppet, some crayons, a sketch book and a few organic lollipops in a reusable basket - not crazy expensive, everything will be used again and again (except the lollipops), and no waste. I guess the main thing is rather than filling up with easy to find Easter themed junk, think about your child's interests. A child who received a play kitchen for Christmas might appreciate a basket of play veggies, a child who enjoys animals, might like a few new Holztiger animals with a play silk to line the basket, a toddler would be happy with homemade play dough, Easter-themed cookie cutters and a rolling pin.

Happy Spring.

Bunnies for spring

Well, our snow hasn't quite melted and the flowers certainly aren't blooming, but the smell of spring is in the air and the Magic Cabin website is featuring their Easter Collection. This springy bunch of bunnies, baskets, crafts and gifts is just right for filling Easter baskets, celebrating the Spring Equinox, or just for anticipating that winter is almost over.

But, Arielle has been talking about Magic Cabin's rabbit hutch since she first saw it in the catalog in November. Fortunately, Magic Cabin was very kind and she got to do a pre-Easter review.

The Rabbit Hutch ($69 for hutch and three bunnies, also sold separately)



The hutch itself is beautifully handcrafted of solid pine with hardwood doors and a roof. The unfinished wood is nice and smooth - no worries about splinters. The hutch has two little rooms for bunny nests. Each room has its own door that opens and closes and "locks" to keep the bunnies safe and warm.

"What are the bunnies safe from, Arielle?"
" The wind and wild tigers and lions and dinosaurs."

It's good to know that these sweet little bunnies are safe. Each little felt bunny is about three inches long. They are made in Germany from 100% wool felt and have embroidered features and the cutest poofy cotton tails.



They especially like to eat wooden carrots and green beans and lettuce. Yum!



Arielle can spend hours playing with the bunnies. She used a green play silk to make a meadow for the bunnies to play in.



The bunnies are also available individually in dark brown, light brown and white ($12.98). They are suggested for ages three and up. The hutch is also available individually ($39.98), and can be used as a chicken coop or bird house for Holztiger figures or other small animals.



I've got more Easter suggestions coming up, but if you are looking for an easy, safe, non-junky Easter basket, Magic Cabin has a prefilled Easter Gift Basket ($24.98). This is a basket lined with paper grass and filled with five chocolate coins, a soft velour bunny, a natural lollipop, a rubber ball and sticker book - a nice Bunny surprise for any child.