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.

Snuggle Bunnies for your snuggle bunny

A pretty box! What can it be?



It's Linnea's turn to see. "Hmm.... what is it?"



It's a bunny!



A very soft blue bunny. From Auntie Jill.



Auntie Jill makes Snuggle Bunnies in two sizes - small (6.5") and big (12"). This bunny is small. It is made of super soft blue minky fabric and has silky satin ears. A small minky bunny is $15.00. A large one is $30.00.



The ears are so much fun to play with and the bunny feels soft on Linnea's skin.



Bunny close-up. Linnea asked "Where's his legs?"



A great excuse to read The Velveteen Rabbit. Silly Linnea, stuffed rabbits need lots of love before they grow legs.



Linnea gets started on the lots of love, but first she takes a break to play with those silky ears.



She loves those ears.



"No Arielle, the bunny is mine!"



Arielle gets her turn.



The Snuggle Bunnies are handmade in Wisconsin. The bunnies make a beautiful Easter gift. Bunny, play silk, egg and a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit - perfect. '

The bunnies are available in a variety of colors and fabrics (fleece, minky and organic jersey). I'm cuddling the blue minky snuggle bunny as I write (Linnea has a play date at our neighbor's house) - so soft, and very inspiring :0) Minky just makes you want to keep petting.

The ears can be embroidered with the child's name for an additional $10. A very nice new baby gift.




Auntie Jill also makes custom stuffed animals. So, if you have been looking everywhere for a soft purple zebra... well Auntie Jill is the one to ask. There is also a page "For a Good Cause" that features animals that help raise money for good causes such as breast cancer and Parkinson's disease.

Thank you Auntie Jill. I am definitely cuddling this bunny until Linnea gets home from her play date.

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.