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.

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.

Holiday Books

At our house, Santa always brings books. A few people have asked for book suggestions, and here are a few of our favorites.

Disclosure: The links go to Amazon. Sara's Toy Box is an Amazon affiliate and when you buy these books, 4% of your purchase goes to support the blog.


My Friend Rabbit ($12.21)


This is Arielle's absolute favorite. She calls it "Rabbit and Mouse". In the story, Rabbit causes Mouse's plane to get stuck in a tree. Rabbit then comes up with a silly idea to rescue the plane. Arielle loves to make up stories about what happens next. The book is a 2003 Caldecott Award winner.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt: A Celebratory Pop-up Edition ($17.99)

And this classic story is Linnea's favorite book. She asks for this story every night. It's about a family that goes looking for a bear (why?) and finds one (uh oh!). The words are catchy, and she has most of the memorized so she reads along. When we go for walks, we make up our own extra verses like "Uh oh! an ocean. A deep blue ocean. Can't go over it. Can't go under it. Got to go through it. Glub Glub Glub Glub..."

The Princess and the Pea ($11.55)



Arielle loves princess books and another favorite of Arielle's, this is a beautifully illustrated and fun (slightly silly) retelling of the classic fairy tale. The story is illustrated with color photographs of 3-D collage. It proves what fans of Charlie and Lola (another big favorite in my house) know, Lauren Childs is a genius. This book should be an award winner!

Arielle says to also mention Go Away, Big Green Monster! ($7.91)


This was the very first book that Arielle read all by herself. It's suitable for two year olds, but still fun for older children. The book is illustrated with bright-colored pages with cut out illustrations. First the scary monster appers, and then he slowly disappears. Great for kids who are worried about scary things in the dark.

More favorites!

Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy ($13.57)



Russell the Sheep ($12.95)



Princess Baby, Night-Night ($10.19)



The Three Pigs ($10.88)



And absolutely anything by Mo Willems especially Knuffle Bunny and the Elephant and Piggie books.

I hope these suggestions help and that you enjoy them as much as we do. Happy reading!

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!

Congratulations to our winners!

Thank you, Blueberry Forest Toys, for sponsoring such great giveaways.

Donna won an advent calendar. Donna is all about Christmas and chose the Bavarian Nativity Advent Calendar ($4.95) because it reflects the true meaning of Christmas. She has four girls who will enjoy counting down the days till the holiday.



Katie won the Mini Bambina Crumpet Doll. Katie was so excited because this was the first time she has won something, and she has a daughter who will love getting the doll for Christmas.

So many of you entered, and I appreciate the support. We currently have two more giveaways going on, so enter those. You might win next time.

If you didn't win, the Advent calendars are on sale (enter VTC25 at checkout) and we have a coupon code for 15% off Kathe Kruse, "STB2" is good until 12/15/2009.

Happy Holidays.

Maukilo Gift Card Giveaway

On November 20th, one lucky blog reader will win a Maukilo giftcard worth $25. To enter, go to the Maukilo website and answer the question, "if you won a $25 gift card to Maukilo, what would you buy?" Then let me know. You can enter by comment, Facebook, or email.

You can have a double entry by becoming a fan of Maukilo on facebook or by following Maukilo on Twitter. Just let me know.

I can't enter, but what would I choose?

I would spend it all on Haba play food. Maukilo is the largest online Haba retailer with over 1500 Haba toys in stock. The wooden food is so cute and it lasts to be passed down. I'd put in a shopping bag ($2.42) and give as a gift. In fact, I'm doing that next week :o)

Carrot ($2.42)

A Toy Garden - You've been asking, and...

Yes!!! Here's a coupon code for A Toy Garden. "STB809" is good for 8% off any order over $40 through 11/30/09. Use it on cool toys that are handmade, fair trade, or made in the USA.

Thinking of the holidays?


Holiday Star Elf and Snowflake Fairy ($19.95 each)




Perfect for play, decoration or a season's table, they are made in Germany by Kathe Kruse.

Rabbits' Den Advent Calendar ($7.95)



I bought one of these last year and the girls enjoyed it so much! Every night, we opened a door and counted the nights until Christmas. My husband was recovering from his heart attack, and the kids felt the stress. It helped us to get refocused on the holiday. We're going to use it again this year.

Evergreen Tree Puzzle ($19.95)



Handmade in the U.S.A. exclusively for A Toy Garden.

Happy Holiday Shopping! Thanks so much, Sonya. :0)