droolicious : etsy alert

Etsy Alert: A Captive Caterpillar

SunnyChanel — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:30:00 GMT

Bug out with this new pet, the captive caterpillar. Fortunately no feeding and care is needed. This colorful caterpillar is made handmade from felt and lives in a happy habitat made of wood twigs, leaves created from recycled wood sweaters and of course a mesh top for adequate air circulation. The caterpillar, by Etsy crafter Sharlet, will live forever so there no fear of any insect funerals in your future. The little critter comes in a classic Mason jar and you can adopt one here for $18. You can also pick up a ladybug or butterfly too.

Etsy Alert: Customized Munny by Rosie O'Donnell

SunnyChanel — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Did you know that Rosie O’Donnell has an Etsy account? Yeah, me neither. Rosie get’s her craft on and sells a variety of handmade/Rosie embellished items on the popular crafting marketplace. And it’s not to raise money to pay her rent. All the proceeds goes to her charity Rosie’s Broadway Kids. Here you can buy a Rosie customized Munny doll (by KidRobot) which she names Blue4u. The piece is signed and costs $200, but since the money is going to charity, it’s hard to scoff. Check it out here.

Etsy Alert: Strawberry Milk

SunnyChanel — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:44:00 GMT

Looking at the Strawberry Milk plush doll by SugarElf makes my teeth hurt. It’s just that sweet. This strawberry cow undoubtedly has a much sweeter milk that your normal everyday Elsie, and she’s way cuter too. This festive, soft and adorable plush animal is available from Etsy seller Sugar Elf here for $40. A brown hued heifer is available as well, if you’re more in the mood for some chocolate milk.

Simple, Soft and Stylish - The Babushka Doll

SunnyChanel — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

I’m not sure what it is, but something about the simple charm of this Babushka Softie Doll just makes me smile. These dolls are handmade in Australia and are extra soft, cuddly and safe - the face has been screen printed so there aren’t any little add ons that could be a hazard to the youngest of doll lovers. This plushie comes in a variety of fabrics, this one is the Flower Pop Pink version which just adds for extra cheerfulness. You can adopt one from Etsy here for $14.

Needle Noodles Crocheted Curiosities: Heed the Call of Cthulhu!

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Betcha never thought H.P. Lovecraft's gargantuan cosmic horror could make such a cute kids' toy, huh? Well, in the hands of Etsy crochet-master Needle Noodles, Cthulhu ($15) is just one of the bizarro-world entities that've translated to real-world playthings.

Made with a cotton/acrylic blend yarn and filled with polyester fiberfill, the thing-that-cannot-be-described measures around 3.5" tall and comes complete with glow-in-the-dark polymer-clay eyes. As with most of Needle Noodles' goodies, it's not recommended for kids under 3 due to small or breakable parts, but the seller says you can get in touch to inquire about other items that might be better suited to littler ones.

Speaking of which, Needles Noodles' creations don't begin and end with the ghastly: From snuggly manatees to play sushi, there's a whole range of crocheted cuteness available at the seller's Etsy shop.

Win Dainty Necklaces for EVERY Kind of Mom

JeanneSager — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:31:00 GMT

Mother's Day is about her, so get her a mom necklace that doesn't scream "mom" to anyone but her.

Homespun City's Dainty initial necklaces let her carry her baby 'round her neck, and no one has to be the wiser. Hand made, these delicate necklaces are feminine and flirty, so she'll feel sexy with them sitting in the nape of her neck . . . and still feel like Mom.

Have one kid? Get the Dainty with just one simple disc and hand embossed letter for $32. Have two (or maybe want her to be thinking about you too)? Get the Double Dainty with two initials for $40.

Have three? Get the triple dainty for $47, with three initial charms of your choice.

Or win a Homespun City necklace - click here for details.

Mother's Day Treat: Mommy Into Cupcakes?

Cathy Hale — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:30:00 GMT

If your wife is a fan of petite cakes, this is a great gift idea. Whether she enjoys whipping up a batch for school or creating cute cupcakes for fun, she will love these whimsical handmade earrings. Brought to you by Etsy seller, MissCrochet, these little goodies are topped with vibrant pink icing and roses. If the Cupcake Earrings aren't mom's thing, check out other delicious gift ideas from this seller here.

Etsy Alert: Duck and Cover with Clips

JeanneSager — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Bye bye jumble of hair clips in the old diaper wipes container! Waddle on over to Little Bow Peep on Etsy, and she'll help you duck the mess of mothering a little girl.

Created by Emily McMinn, a mom who started making bows (also available at Little Bow Peep) for her twin girls, the hair clip holders sport a long ribbon for covering in clips. With an extra ribbon on top for hanging here, there and everywhere, and holders topped with monkeys, flip flops, flowers and more, get one to hang in your bathroom, one for her room and an extra to stash extra clippies in one place in your purse.

And did we mention the cute little duckies?

Get the holders ($7.99) and the clips to go with them at Little Bow Peep.

Hop to It: Hares for Her Hair

The New Way to Wear a Tutu

Etsy Alert: The Hand Knitted Vespa!

SunnyChanel — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Vroom, Vroom! Does your child’s doll need a Vespa? A hand knitted gorgeous and soft Vespa? Really, what doll doesn’t. Etsy knitter extraordinaire Leah Sutton has created a series of hand knitted scooters out of cotton yarn.

If you aren’t feeling the steel gray hue above, you can request custom colors. Each scooter costs $36 but if you happen to be a knitter, a pattern will be available soon so you can knit and purl your way to your own mini Vespa. Check it out here.

Custom-Painted Peg Dolls: The New Family Portrait?

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Etsy shop Naked Peggies offers custom-painted wooden peg dolls in just about any style you can imagine (including unpainted for you crafties out there), but especially cool are the UnNaked Peggie families, which can be hand-painted to represent you and your brood.

Send in pics of the family (pets included if you have 'em), and Naked Peggies will send back a set of peg dolls to match -- check out this one, where the details extend all the way down to the Paul Frank tee on the little guy and the three-day stubble on Dad.

Sure, they can get a little pricey -- this particular set ran its family $55 -- but most of us probably won't use these as playthings. As a clever alternative to the typical family portrait, though, they look great.

Prices vary -- check out Naked Peggies' Etsy shop for details. [Bambino Goodies]

How to Call on Your Trusty Sidekick

JeanneSager — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:02:00 GMT

If we could follow our kids everywhere, we just might. But when your kids go out and about, wouldn’t it be nice to know they have a Trusty Sidekick on their side?

Thanks to Becky Smith and her superhero store, every kid can wear their special powers on their shirt sleeves. A mom of two, Smith started sewing superheros when her son William begged to go super for his fifth birthday. She’s been selling them at her Etsy shop since early 2008, sending out super-soft tees with Kapow power.

"There is something about superhero play that I love, the working together to protect the world and conquer evil part,” Smith says. “The image of a kid in a makeshift cape bounding to save their little brother from aliens really tickles me.”

Is that the super tickler? The KAPOW shirts sell for $26. Get your kids jumping skyscrapers in a single bound over at Trusty Sidekick on Etsy.

Saw Logs on the Tree Stump Floor Pillow

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Complete your indoor woodland theme with this awesome-looking, realistically accented Tree Stump Floor Pillow from Etsy seller bebemoon. At 14" tall by 12" wide, it offers plenty of room for kicking back during storytime, or if you've got an upright sleeper in the house, the pillow looks perfect for sawing logs.

$75 from bebemoon's Etsy shop -- if you order from outside the U.S., the pillow ships without stuffing to help lower shipping costs, but as bebemoon notes, you can easily load it up with pillow filler or repurpose old clothing and scrap fabrics for some DIY green stuffing.

Hop to it: Hares for Her Hair

JeanneSager — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:44:00 GMT

The pressure steps up this time of year for a new pet - preferrably one of those cute little bunnies or chicks. I'm deftly sidestepping it all this year with bunnies . . . for her hair.

AmBarrettes owner Amber Tiner has two boys - no girls - but the ideas she gets from her little boys translate perfectly into funky little critters for the girls who have the hair to hold them. The complicated ribbon work topped with googly eyes are teeny tiny recreations that could do double for a pet store.

Her bunnies will make them hop to it when it's time to get their hair brushed in the morning - at Easter or anytime of the year. Or if your little squeaker would prefer a mouse for a pet, she's got those too . . .along with the rest of the zoo. Want to keep the critters out of your house? Check out AmBarrettes at Etsy.

The New Way to Wear a Tutu

Zooguu Fugu: 100% Toxin-Free Cuddliness

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:30:00 GMT

You don't need a specially trained chef or a death wish to enjoy this delightful little fugu from Etsy seller Zooguu (formerly Sweetestpea), and though we don't recommend nibbling on it, you're also not likely to get a tingling sensation when you do.

Being your happy little snuggle buddy, on the other hand, is totally doable where Zooguu's fugu is concerned: at 9" tall, with a generous 31.5" waistline, the little puffer even has soft fabric eyes for added cuddliness.

$90 from Zooguu's Etsy shop -- a little steep, yeah, but hey, you can have it custom-made in any color.

Agatha Von Vanderbeetle: Welcome Anytime in Our Backyard

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:30:00 GMT

This time of year, the only beetles I care to see are the ones sitting calmly in the toy aisle -- or, in the case of Ms. Agatha Von Vanderbeetle here, the ones batting their eyelashes at me from an Etsy store.

Agatha actually has quite the back-story, having made the journey (as an orphan, no less) from the harsh Australian wild to her present home with Etsy seller chunkychooky. No wonder, then, that she's such a rugged little critter, machine-stitched from denim, suede and various other hardy fabrics, and finished off with strongly attached (and really cute) eyes.

Learn more about Agatha's journey, and pick up a Von Vanderbeetle of your own for $28 at chunkychooky's Etsy store.

The New Way to Wear a Tutu

JeanneSager — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:58:00 GMT

Who knew you could make a tutu anymore girly?

Isn't frothy toile (or is it tulle?) and bubblegum pink enough? No? OK, then your ballerina needs a Tutu Hair Clippie stat.

With alligator clips dripping in pink ribbon, an intricately crocheted ballerina oufit and net skirt adorned with little beads, the tutu clips from BowChic are for little girls who still dance like nobody's watching - even though no one can keep their eyes off her sweet little cheeks.

They're also a total steal at $6.75. So dance on over to BowChic at Etsy.

Etsy Alert: On Top of Spaghetti, All Covered with Felt

JeanneSager — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:02:00 GMT

What's better than a picture of your kid covered in spaghetti sauce to pull out when they bring home their first date? Spaghetti and sauce they can play with . . . that won't leave the teeniest drop behind.

Bug Bites promises little food for big imaginations, and their Spaghetti and Meatballs with Red Sauce has me imagining hiring a sitter so the husband and I can head out for a nice night at the local Italian joint. Or, you know, a night in with the kid, staring at each other over a plate of ecospun polyester noodles (they used to be plastic bottles!) with a swatch of red polyester on top. To each his own.

Where ever you're eating, you can guarantee your kid will be begging to leave the table and hit their play kitchen to boil up a pot of Bug Bites' thick spaghetti. The tightly woven meatballs stand up well to being smushed into a plastic pot and covered in real water - I can attest - because it's all made to be machine-washable for easy kitchen clean-up.

Easter Dress-Up: Mellow Yellow Little Guy Tie

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:00:00 GMT

We've been devoting plenty of space to Easter dresses this week, but what about Easter finery for the little dudes in our life? Since neckties are the biggest piece of flair in the guy's arsenal, our money's on these handmade ties from Etsy seller Buttered Toast.

Available in three styles -- pre-tied, bowtie, and true Daddy-style necktie -- the They Call Me Mellow Yellow Little Guy Tie ($12.00) blends a modern design with a spring-friendly color palette. Check out the whole line of Little Guy Ties at Buttered Toast's Etsy store. If there's a design you don't see, you can also special-order ties made from your choice of fabrics.

Etsy Alert: Monsters - Cute or Not? You Decide

JeanneSager — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:32:00 GMT

Move over Ugly Doll, you've got monsterous competition from Etsy shopowner Diane Koss and her one-eyed wonders.

Want to get your kids in the mood for their first trip to Monsters and Aliens? Check out Koss' Cutesy but Not Cutesy, hand made creepy things that are so ugly you want to take care of them.

Every creature's got a story, and they're made with Koss' quirky eye for detail (check for little birds nestled in antlers, on heads and perched on the arms of her monster hydrant) in cuddly felts and plush cottons. Koss throws in recycled fabrics where she can, making these monsters a little green and that much cuter.

Sorry Diane, they are sooooo cutesy, and we love them.

Get Ben (above) who loves taking long drives through the mountains and occasionally hopping out to run around and take in the scenery and his buddies at Cutesy But Not Cutesy.

Heirloom U.S. Map Puzzle from Pangaea

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Pangaea Puzzles, that is: Laser-cut from Baltic birch, this heirloom U.S. map puzzle is at the higher end of the Etsy seller's wares, but it's also built to last multiple generations. Each piece features a solid brass knob, and the board can be customized to show your place of birth or whatever other message you'd like to add.

$399 from Pangaea's Etsy shop -- and if that seems a little steep, don't let it dissuade you: Pangaea also has a large selection of durable, handmade puzzles in the $25 range.

Odelia Makes Dolls, and We Love 'Em

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Tel Aviv-based designer Odelia Lavie has won our heart with her collection of handmade animal plush dolls, each a unique creation made from old clothes and textile scraps and stuffed with raw wool provided by small-scale farmers. If there's a drawback, it's that such quality and attention to detail don't come cheap -- but we'll happily pay more for a unique, well-made heirloom, especially one that's durable enough to take all the TLC our kids can give it.

The owl shown here is $52 -- others in the series range from $42-$49. Check out the whole collection at the Odelia Makes Dolls Etsy shop, or if you find yourself in downtown Tel Aviv, drop by Liliana to see the dolls in person.

Etsy Alert: Sweet Assorted Cupcakes of the Felt Variety

SunnyChanel — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:17:00 GMT

My daughter is going through a stage. The cupcake stage. Everyday, without fail, she requests a cupcake of some sort. I’ve tried to pass off bran muffins, low-sugar carrot cake as the coveted cupcakes, but she’s too smart to fall for my replacements. Now I think it could be time to try a cupcake of the inedible but yet still deliciously cute variety.

Etsy crafter Mommy24cs has created this set of You Pick Four- Felt Assorted Cupcakes. When you order this set you can pick between the following frostings white, brown, pastel orange, pink, baby blue, yellow, light purple, or mint green. Perfect for tea parties, play kitchens or just as a substitute for the real, sugary, thing. You can pick up a set here for $20.

Dinosaur Shadow Puppet

AmandaHill — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT

In my house, we are huge shadow puppet fans. The dinosaur shadow puppet seen above is one of many from an amazing collection. It's a huge step up from the shadow puppet bats and butterflies that I attempt to make with my hands.

Check these shadow puppets out at Owly Shadow Puppets.

Drink in the Cuteness of The Juice Box

SunnyChanel — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:07:00 GMT

For those of you who live in a land filled with scores of empty juice boxes and discarded plastic straws, these plushies, my friends, are for you. These delicious juice boxes won’t be guzzled and thrown away, no, no, each one will be cherished and loved.

Etsy creator Triciachin has made plush incarnations of the juice box in a variety of flavors like strawberry, orange, grape, apple or pink lemonade. They’re actually smaller than the regulation sized juice box with these figures clocking in a 3 x 2 x 1.25 inches. Due to the tiny embellishments on the plush, it should be sipped by only those who are 3 or older. You can get your own sip of the cuteness here for $20.

Etsy Alert – Take a Taste of This Sweet Cupcake Plush

SunnyChanel — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:46:00 GMT

I love a delicious piece of plushness. Here Etsy crafter Jelene has created the Cute Cupcake Plush Doll. This 8” x 8” inch sweet stuffed cutie has been handmade and features Julene’s artwork on one side and random fabric stock on the other. You can pick one of these up for you or your loved one with a cupcake fetish here via Etsy for $20.