Category : Girls Favorite Things
I was inspired to write this post from the awesome ideas in the Cool Mom Picks holiday gift guide – they did such a great job in choosing original ideas for Superhero fans, without adding the usual plastic toy options. I’ve got some beautiful little nephews to buy for this Christmas who are very into Superheros so I wanted to highlight the CMP ideas plus a few of my own.
From the CMP guide….for the kid obsessed with super heroes
Personalized Cape
For the child that already has everything superhero – this personalized cape with their initial is awesome!
Personalized Adventure Story
I love the idea of personalizing an adventure story with your very own superhero. I walked through the steps of setting up your superhero and their appearance…you can really get close with how the superhero looks by changing eye color, hair styles, etc. So much fun and again, great gift idea for the little super hero fan that already has everything.
Superhero Mask and Cuffs
Green Planet Parties carries superhero themed lightening bolt arm cuffs and masks that are made 100% with felt and have large eye holes so the superheroes can see where they are flying! These would compliment any capes or dress-up costumes and make the perfect stocking stuffer (size and price point). I love these so much because there isn’t any vinyl used to make them which make them a safe and fun alternative around the eyes and face.
Custom Reversible Superhero Capes
Yes I’m back to capes because we all know that kids love them. For the die hard Superman, Spiderman, Batman/girl child – The Cosmic Banana shop will nail it because kids will visually love them, but what’s great is they are hand-made in the US. I like them so much because the appliques are hand-stitched…not glued which means they will last a very long time. Check out the girlie superhero designs too!
Shutterfly Photo Books
Have you ever used the Shutterfly site to create family Photo Books? I used to make one every year for my in-laws and parents each year as a Christmas gift….they loved them! A very special idea for your superhero fan would be to take a bunch of pictures with him/her dressed in their favourite ‘saving the world’ outfit and made a little story using Shutterfly. You can make your own story or talk about how much you love your superhero…any child would love this. My kids look through our Shutterfly photo books regularly and love the special captions that were personalized especially for them. Shutterfly is always good about having discounts and/or free shipping on their Christmas cards, calendars and photo books so always check out the home page for updates.
From having two boys I know there is magic to be found in believing in Superheroes. Great job to CMP and other talented artists for thinking out side the box and encouraging this wonderful world using earth friendlier Christmas ideas.
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A personal delight with having twin girls has been finding outfits that keep them feeling and looking uniquely special. In my search I discovered Baby Beenos and wanted to share their newly emerging Fall fashion and wonderful fabric combinations used in their dress designs. The regular prices at this shop are affordable – cheaper than shopping at high-end children’s shops in a Mall (which would be imported from overseas). I’m so proud to support this North American, mama powered shop that is churning out adorable, wearable, quality, and locally made designs. Check out these adorable Fall fashions from Baby Beenos:
If the hint of apple on the above romper wasn’t enough to make us swoon – check out the fashion forward dark jeans for little girls with crochet florets. These jeans will provide comfort and get great wear for back-to-school ‘must-haves’!
The aspect of the Baby Beenos clothing line that prompted me to comb through their site was the way Marni (founder of Baby Beenos) puts different fabrics together. The sash ties that perfectly compliment the blouse or dress is wonderful. I needed to experience some of this design magic with my girls so I ordered them two dresses in their favorite colors (one loves pink and the other blue) and these were the fabric combinations that arrived – aren’t they fab?
Nothing better than being able to support a mama operated and powered Canadian business. If you need something special for your little girl – skip the rat race at the Mall and enjoy the online shopping experience of purchasing beautiful clothing. Make sure you check out the great deals on summer dresses – beautiful clearance designs available for $21 – wow!
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More back-to-school articles will be coming here in the next few weeks. Stay tuned by joining my Fan page on Facebook.
I love to discover a more Eco or local product that replaces something plastic and Baby Wisp certainly has a great story. This online store has created headbands for little girls that are crocheted without needing any plastic in the design. All moms love a product that actually works and these handy little head bands are great at keeping fly-away hair in place and they are comfortable…not to mention adorable!
Baby Wisp sent me a blossom headband and blossom ponytail holders and I love them. I will even back up the Baby Wisp claim that these products are a must have for little girls. The headband is very special – so soft and will stretch to fit (and stay) on any size head. Unlike most other headbands, it actually stays in place and the crocheted flowers that are sewn to the headband are an adorable accent.
The ponytail holders are very sweet and great for partial hair-up, low ponytails or braids. They are not strong enough for a single ponytail for my girls – but ohh do I love doing two low ponytails while accenting their hair with these hand-sewn blossoms. And yes, the crochet blossoms are my very favourite part of the Baby Wisp collections and it’s nice to not have to stop and worry about cadmium, lead, or any other nasties when purchasing these obviously safe and metal free hair accessories.
I didn’t review any of the hair clips from the Baby Wisp site, but with all small pieces, they are not recommended for children under the age of three unless supervised. Maybe I’m just too rushed in the morning or lazy doing girlie hair, I just think the hairbands are easy and I’ve loved putting them in my twins hair.
Prices are also reasonable with at $4 for a set of ponytails with the blossoms and $13 for a blossom band that is 3 inches across of crocheted cuteness.
Article correction: The headbands are machine made and both headbands and blossoms are made overseas. The hair clips are cut, heated, and sealed by 4 local mamas to Baby Wisp headquarters. The clips are CPSC certified which means the lead content meets strict US rules.
If business owners or consumers doubt that today’s economy cannot support the local handmade movement – they haven’t heard of Bamboletta. Made with love, proud founder Christina began hand-crafting Waldorf dolls in 2002 and 8 years later, there aren’t words to explain the growth and popularity of her magical little ‘Bambos’. Because of Christina and husband’s John desire to keep these dolls made locally by her team of mama doll makers, there isn’t a way to meet the growing demand for these dolls, but the intimate working environment of supporting many moms and paying them well is worth the growing pains to Christina and John. The 15 hours of dedicated work that goes into each Bamboletta doll – hand stuffed, sewed, knitted by 8 Bambo team members is what parents around the world are opening their arms to embrace. Christina is very modest, but her hand-made movement has inspired and enlightened thousands of people and it’s the dedication to her business model of supporting a local, handmade dedication that just might be the Bamboletta legacy.
The beauty of a Bamboletta doll is instant – the moment you see one you will fall in love. Not only is the quality of a Bamboletta doll difficult to find, but the special details of a Bambo’s face and hair is almost impossible to match. Bamboletta doll faces have the detail of a plastic doll – but they are handstitched and made with natural cotton. The finest materials have been sourced and it’s why Bambos stand out so easily compared to mainstream dolls. Bamboletta dolls are filled with top quality wool that naturally repels water or mold, a mixture of hand dyed wool and yarns that are mixed for incredible hair results, and the sweet little faces embroidered by Christina are my favorite part of Bambos – especially when those faces have a smattering of little freckles. I’ve included some pictures of my favorite Bambolettas – here is a taste of Christina’s magic.
Yes – there will be lots of doll pictures in this post – honestly it’s hard to stop once you start looking through the wonderful galleries of photos. The infectious beauty of the dolls is already prevalent – my desire to cover the Bamboletta Story is my awe of the mama power that has changed the way tens of thousands of parents have decided to support and stalk (for lack of a better word) the phenom known as Bamboletta. Does it make sense that in today’s shaky economy that a doll selling for $140 would be something that thousands of moms are trying to purchase every week? In financially challenging times – why is this business experiencing high waves of consumers that would do practically anything to have the opportunity to purchase a Bambo? If you follow The Bamboletta fan page on Facebook – you will find your answer. It is understanding the love that is put into the creation of each one-of-a-kind dolls that passes through this network of special people. It becomes immediately apparent that each Bambo is loved before it’s shipped out for orders, complete with an individual hair style, outfit, and name that somehow completely suits each doll. It is also the story behind the business. It is this doll maker sharing her experience of personal angst and turmoil with the fact she is not able to meet the demand of producing enough dolls to satisfy the thousands of people trying to purchase one. Then it is the quiet confidence you also feel from Christina and John knowing that if the option is to mass produce these special dolls, some of the Bambo magic would be lost. It is actually a wonderful thing to realize that so many parents are supportive of this business concept and you can feel the deep satisfaction and joy from Christina and John knowing the commitment to quality is more important. There are so many examples to list of this business model but my favorite is that so many of the new dolls still come with little sweaters that are made by Christina’s Nonna who has supported her from the beginning.
When you are new to the process of trying to purchase a Bamboletta doll – frustration can become a familiar emotion. We as consumers are not used to waiting months for something we REALLY want to purchase. Usually we go on-line or to the store, pay our money and have instant gratification. Well acquiring a Bambo takes a bit more patience. I personally spent 7 months trying to purchase a Bambo for my girls. I started in the Fall thinking I could purchase 2 ( I have twin girls) in time for Christmas, but it was just not to be. I would read Christina’s words to other mamas on her Facebook wall explaining that Bambolettas just seem to go to those when the time is right. At the time, this explanation didn’t sooth my feelings of frustration. Then a month ago I was successful and have two very special Bambolettas hidden away to give my daughters. Of course I will not be waiting until Christmas to give them these dolls – that would take away too many months of special play time. I’ve been planning to give them to my girls after the Mother’s Day tea at the preschool where I’ve been able to celebrate with my children for the past 4 years. This year, I will have my twins both sitting with me during this special time and I’ve been searching for a way to explain to them how much I adore them. This Friday I hope my girls know that I cannot think of a more magical, special, unique, quality friend for them than a Bamboletta. The idea of sitting in the preschool forest and giving my girls their Bambo boxes puts a smile on my face every night before I fall asleep. There aren’t many presents since becoming a parent I’ve been this excited to give.
I’ve been writing this article in my head for almost a year and I hope it doesn’t just bring more excited parents to the Bamboletta site, but encourages business owners to wake up and realize that success is measured in many different ways. Supporting handmade, supporting local craftsman, supporting a local economy is key to North America’s financial success and if you need any proof – take a peek over to a magical little house on Vancouver Island where the measure of success shines brightly from a craftswoman sewing dolls and fulfilling best friend wishes for children all over the world. How wonderful for Christina to know that her sons will always remember their mom carrying around a purse filled with a doll partially embroidered – what an incredible role model of following your heart and sticking to a clear vision filled with integrity and determination.
Riding bicycles hasn’t come easily for any of my children. Tricycles seem to be a waste of time with teaching my kids to pedal and even I would start feeling frustrated. It’s really only after seeing a ‘run bike’ that you understand that tricycles are designed in a way that makes pedalling very difficult. It’s tough watching your child feel unsafe with the tippy motion on a 2 wheeler with training wheels, and I always wished my kids could find confidence and embrace the great past time of bike riding without fear. Once you see a run bike in action, traditional bikes geared for younger children will seem quite primitive.
What is a run bike? They are two wheeled bikes that don’t have pedals and they are made by a range of companies using metal frames or wood. This is a great gift for a two year old since the only requirement is the child can walk and is coordinated enough to hold onto the handles and ‘walk’ the bike. As the child’s confidence grows, they learn to lift their feet and coast, while balanced on two wheels. The result of this is voila – they are actually balancing a bike and the fear of balancing without training wheels or an extra wheel on the bike is removed. Don’t rule these bikes out for older children (ages 4 – 6) that are very timid or fearful on traditional two wheeler bikes. These bikes give children confidence because they’ll always feel their feet on the ground – my first son has never felt confident on a bike and I wish run bikes were around when he was younger because he’s discovering the joy of feeling balanced on a bike now at 7 years old.
I needed to write this article today, because we had a milestone in my household this week. With having 4 kids very close in age, it’s always been tough to balance all of the needs and ages so certain activities like taking them all on a bike ride myself was impossible. Well – not anymore! I can put my oldest boy (7 years old) on his regular bike, my next son (6 years old) on a run bike and my twin daughters (3 years old) on their pink run bikes and everyone is okay. I’m not running back and forth checking on everyone like a mad woman because they are all balanced and walking/running/riding at their own pace and speed. We could never do this with tricycles or bikes with tippy training wheels. Kids really have the confidence to feel safe and learn to just stand up and abandon the bike if they are going to wipe out or crash. Watching my tentative little girls become what we now call ‘red baron’ on these bikes is amazing. They have been the best investment to date as far as bikes or outdoor products for my younger kids. When I purchased my bikes from Monkey Business Kids Boutique, they were nice enough to offer me a discount since I was purchasing them in bulk. If you are in the market to purchase a run bike, I’d recommend you canvas your friends and try to get a group discount from a local store. They are approx. $115 and up, but also remember the re-sale value is probably quite high because little kids will outgrow them (although don’t tell my 7 year old that rides his younger siblings bikes with absolute glee!). The fun factor is huge with these bikes.
I write this article ecstatic that my girls get the freedom to enjoy their bikes, but wished I had known about them earlier for my boys. They missed out on many years of enjoying bike riding, but it just means we’ve got lots of biking journeys to make up for and discover this year. I can’t wait! If you want to view videos of kids riding run bikes, click on this link from runbikes.com – there are some great videos that parents have uploaded via YouTube.
These pictures are of the Norco models that my children ride and love.
