Pretty Easter purses from Warm Biscuit Bedding Company

I love the idea of being creative with Easter Baskets. Seriously, do you really need lots of pastel baskets around? The Easter Bunny and I have decided that we'll look for more practical options at our house.

Arielle will be starting school soon, so instead of a basket, this year the Easter Bunny will be bringing a new backpack instead of a basket. A purse is another great suggestion. And, we got to review these cute little personalized purses from Warm Biscuit Bedding Company.



The purses ($24.00 each) are handmade in the USA and can be monogrammed with a name or initial.

As you can see, Arielle was very happy. The purse is 7"x8" - just the right size for a doll, a bunch of Easter eggs, or a few small books.





And, Linnea loved seeing her name. "R...Q...A... it says Linnea". (shhh...Linnea is not doing very well with letter recognition, but she thinks she knows everything) She loves to carry small toys around in a bag.





Both Linnea and Arielle were pleased with these very girly purses. They come in six different colors: red, pink, yellow, purple, brown and peanut butter - something to match every Easter outfit or your child's favorite creative clothing combination.



They are very well made. I love the printed lining. I had concerns about the ribbon handle, but the girls say it is beautiful. They know.

They like them best for play shopping.

Check out Warm Biscuit for a variety of personalized gifts and toys for girls and boys. Thank you for letting us review these great purses.

Rambling about the grandparent question...

I am often asked, "I love natural toys, but my parents shower the kids with made-in-China junk. How can I encourage grandparents, friend, aunts and uncles to buy safe, open-ended, natural toys?"

That's a tough one. Despite the fact that they read my blog, I have a few relatives who insist on buying the glittery books with made-in-China jewelry that they find on clearance racks. I subtly say. "Oh how pretty. Do you know jewelry included with books often contains deadly amounts of lead?" (barely an exaggeration there) and, guess what - the next holiday we get more.

I know a gift is a gift, not an obligation. I do appreciate the thought; however, it is not so much fun to tell the kids, "We can look at the book with mommy, but that pretty necklace needs to stay inside". I know that the little locket will end up in someone's mouth.

Gifts should bring smiles, not tears.

So I tried a new tactic. I decided the girls wanted a Plan City collection. And, when people asked what they are into I said "Oh, they really love Plan City right now. They can play all day and there's so many pieces they'd like to have." And then I send a link to KangarooBoo with our discount code. And, some relatives really liked that. I will be posting a review of Plan City if I can ever get a picture without extra clutter. As soon as they build their city, they fill it with finger puppets and blocks and other toys....

But, I got off the subject. I was planning to tell you about Aunt Linda and Whimsmoore.

Aunt Linda is a member of the Handmade Toy Alliance. I have a button on my blog that says "Help save handmade". This is the group that is working to modify the CPSIA. And, they are continuing to do a great job of making sure that handmade toys are available.

Aunt Linda's answer to the grandparent question is "The Elf Toy of the Month" Club from Whimsmoore. Grandparents can buy 12 month subscriptions for $29.95 a month, or they can buy months individually. Each month contains an original book about the elves of Glimmer Glen and a toy or an activity. I haven't seen these and I know nothing about quality, but I do know that Aunt Linda looks for the safest options for these toys. April includes a beautiful sugar Easter Egg. (ETA check out aunt Linda's comment for more info.)



I have other friends who create Amazon wish lists for each child.

If you have a great suggestion, post a comment. I'm sure everyone wants to know.

Mudpuppy Puzzle Giveaway

Mudpuppy are the makers of beautiful products for children, including puzzles, games, stationery, diaries, cards, building sets, stickers and a whole lot of other fun products - all beautifully illustrated.

We like the puzzles!

There are several categories of puzzles which range in difficulty from very easy to challenging.

First Puzzles won the iParenting Best Products Award 2006. Each box contains 16 pieces which are color coded and form four 4-piece puzzles. They are appropriate for ages 2+

Construction First Puzzle ($10.00)



Nine-piece Two-sided puzzles teach about opposites. The Day/Night puzzle is a 2003 Parent's Choice Approved Award Winner, a 2003 Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Product, and has received a 2003 Creative Child Magazine - Seal of Excellence Award.

Day/Night Puzzle ($10.00)



The Mudpuppy Block Puzzles contain nine 2-inch cubes that form 6 pictures. These are great for children over three who can also build with the colorful blocks.

Garden Bugs Block Puzzle ($14.00)



Arielle has recently mastered floor puzzles with 24 jumbo pieces. She reviewed the Map of the U.S.A. Floor Puzzle.

Map of the U.S.A. Floor Puzzle ($17.00)



Arielle loves geography. She is fascinated with maps and locations. So, this puzzle was perfect for her. She was muttering about how Hawaii was in the wrong location and "Where's Texas? I need Texas." She is rapidly beginning to recognize the states and know their locations.

She started...



And in no time...



She was done! Linnea (who dressed herself today) admires Arielle's work.



These puzzles are challenging for early threes, but I bet by the time she is four, Linnea will have mastered this one.

The Color Me Puzzles are two-sided. Children four and older can color within the lines on one side with the crayons that are included in the set. The other side is printed in color. What a great snow day project!

Enchanted Kingdom Color Me Puzzle ($14.00)



Arielle is ready to try the 36-piece Mini Cube puzzles.

Eric Carle Santa Puzzle ($10.00)



Soon, she can try the 63 Piece Puzzles that come in round canisters with a colorful rope handle.


Monsters 63 Piece Puzzle ($14.00)




Finally, Mudpuppy's 100-piece jigsaw puzzles in collectible tins will challenge those serious puzzle masters. These are for ages 6 and up.

They won iParenting Greatest Products of 2005 Award.

Fairy Tales Puzzle ($14.00)



All the puzzles have nice sturdy pieces. The greyboard used to make Mudpuppy puzzles is from 90-100% recycled paper, and the colors are printed with nontoxic, soy-based ink. All puzzles are CE and ASTM tested to ensure safety.

Puzzles make great educational gifts. They help with cognitive skills, fine motor skills,hand-eye coordination, geometric and spatial relationships, and even teach children to deal with frustration. And, they are so easy to wrap.

You can win a Map of the U.S.A. Floor Puzzle just like the one Arielle reviewed. To enter the giveaway go to the Mudpuppy website and pick a favorite product. Post a comment, and make sure that I can contact you if you win.

In a recent giveaway, I had a winner named Anonymous with no details or contact information. I had no way of knowing who that was.

The winner will be announced on December 15th.

Playforever at Moolka

Playforever is a British company and the toys are made in Britain. These plastic toys are made to withstand real play and to last forever.



There are three models, the Bruno Roadster (a car), the Enzo Speedster (a motorcycle with side car), and the Mimmo Buster (an adorable airplane). They each retail for $59.99. We reviewed the Bruno Roadster in orange.

Playforever Bruno Roadster ($59.99)



I didn't say anything to the kids about this review, but I think a race car must have been Linnea's birthday wish. When we got back from our Thanksgiving trip which included Linnea's birthday party, Linnea started talking about her race car that was coming in a package. When we went to the post office, she asked our postmaster if her race car came yet. And when the UPS man brought a package to the door, she started yelling "It's my race car! It's my race car!" And when we opened the box from Moolka, it really was.

Linnea was in love. There was one rough moment because the little figure does not have eyes, so she wanted to draw them. I explained that his eyes are behind his goggles. Disaster averted, but we found out that Playforever toys stand up well to toddler tantrums (as well as rough love).

In the afternoon, she made her daddy play with her. This is definitely a toy for daddies. He said, "Whoa that looks fast!" and they went racing around the play room.


Yeah, racing when one is three can involve climbing... or crashing...




She even tried riding it.



While little girls enjoy racing, they also have unique girly way of playing with cars that daddies don't understand. Linnea and her race car watched Sesame Street together.



And at bedtime, after a quick drive and a snuggle....





the race car was given a kiss and tucked in under Linnea's bed where it wouldn't get lonely and would be available first thing in the morning for more fun and rides.


This is a most wonderful gift for any car-loving boy or girl. The ten inch vehicles are made of tough and shiny ABS plastic (like Lego) with rubber wheels. It weighs two pounds, so it's a sturdy vehicle. So tough!

And, also very cute :) The retro-modern styling is the design of Julian Meagher, an industrial designer, and they truly are works of art.

Thank you, Moolka, for making wishes come true and for making a little girl very happy!

Five under $5 - All made in the USA or Canada

1. Stainless Steel Strainer ($4.99)



This perfectly-sized strainer is a versatile toy indoors and out. It's fun with water and sand, or it can be used to help in the real kitchen. It has a nice solid feel to it. Ours often seems to be filled with acorns. Eggs $7.99.

2. Eco-friendly Mini-Notebook ($4.50)



I have one for lists. Arielle and Linnea got them in their stockings last year. Linnea takes little scribbly "notes" and pretends hers is a checkbook. Arielle's is filled with bird drawings. Fifty pages means lots of space and I can see how their style has changed over the year.



Notebook are 3x4" and are madewith 100% FSC certified post-consumer waste recycled, acid free and processed chlorine free paper and fully biodegradable glue and vegetable based inks. Combine it with a cue, spring-topped pencil ($2.00).



3. Wooden Dice and Game Booklet ($4.95)



It's a boy thing. Boys just love carrying around little bits of useful things - and especially, dice. I don't know how many dice I've pulled out of Merlin's pockets, and I'm betting that he still carries them around. This set of three wooden dice is made in the USA and comes with a booklet with rules for seven easy-to-play games.

4. Fairy Wand ($2.95)



Who doesn't need a magic wand? These 12" wands are made in the USA and are finished with non-toxic colors. Just wave one, and "poof!" those little monsters jumping on your couch will turn into perfectly well-behaved children. LOL - only if you get the magic words right. Otherwise, the children can use them to turn each other into frogs. Linnea's favorite "Wubba wubba poof! You are in a tower with no doors!" Yes, I'm so proud, my daughter has a great future as Rapunzel's wicked witch.


5. Made by Me! kits ($3.99)



I've reviewed these before, and we still love them. I think the girls love using tools and feeling like grow-ups and of course, the result is a toy that they can play with.



Kate of Stubby Pencil Studio said that her kids make them every year resulting in a collection that grows and changes as they do. It seems we are doing the same thing. Can't you imagine saving them for your grandchildren?

Since many of us are on a budget this year, I'm going to try to do more posts about inexpensive gifts without resorting to the Big Box stores. That's just a few fabulous gift ideas under $5. Browse around the sites, there's a lot more. Next week, I'll try for 10 under $10 :o)

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.

Dream A Little

If I were selecting the cutest toy ever, Juicy Bugs from the Dream A Little store on Etsy would be a serious contender. Just look at the packaging...


.... and when you open them up - Juicy Bugs!


Juicy Bugs are just one of many toys available on Etsy that are handmade by individual artisans who work out of their homes or have small companies. I am especially featuring handmade toys this month because the sale of these toys is threatened by the CPSIA. I decided I would spend Arielle and Linnea's Christmas money on handmade toys -- while they are still available.

Purple Grapes on the Vine Juicy Bug ($14.00)


I'd been admiring these itty bitty (just over 1 1/2 inches tall) beauties for some time, and I just knew that the girls would love them. They do. All week, I've been finding little Juicy Bugs carefully tucked into doll house cradles and little pots. They also seem to make excellent babies for our doll house fairies.


The tiny "bugs" are very sturdy, yet bendable, and definitely meant to be played with (by children that don't put toys in their mouths). The big mystery is how does Dana make those tiny stitches? I'm seriously wondering if she's really an elf :o) because every detail is so meticulous.

These are perfect little gifts for any child and even for a teenager -- and they come already all wrapped up. They'd be great in an Easter basket, as a Valentine's love bug, as a special gift from the tooth fairy, or even as a lucky charm before a big event like a spelling bee or college interview.


Oh, and they are even cuter in real life :o)