My favourite Etsy stores

There are so many treasures to be found on Etsy, and I must say every person I have dealt with on the handmade website dealership have been so exceptionally lovely! Whenever I see something I like I flag for later - here is my current favourites list:

1) notTuesday necklaces

I saw one of these chunky bead necklaces in a store, went back for it and it was gone! So I tracked them down to an Etsy store and managed to have Rachel make a custom colour design for me - don't you just love Etsy?!

notTuesday is an Australia brand by Rachel Wightman.  Each piece is handmade from polymer clay so no two items are the same (and small imperfections likely).

These necklaces cost $45 and postage is $5 within Australia.  Visit notTuesday at http://www.etsy.com/shop/notTuesday?ref=top_trail.

2) Cinnamonink nursery art for kids

I purchased this cute picture for my daughter for her 2nd birthday - isn't it sweet?!

I also bought one for my little niece and customised to have her name on it which turned out beautifully.

Not only is this artwork very cute but it is reasonably priced, even with postage from the States.  It is able to be customised with colour, titles, or sayings. The artworks are between US$12-30, customisation is US$5 and postage is around US$7 and US$1 extra for additional purchases. Visit Kate at Cinnamonink at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CinnamonInk?ref=top_trail.

3) Trafalgar Square

Another print store for Kids Art with some cute nursery prints.  The prints range from US$10-$20 with US$5 postage cost.

The store also sells book plates (US$8 for 15) and greeting cards (US$10 for 4 with envelopes).

4) One Black Sheep

There are many lovely things in this store, mainly homemade stamps and nice artworks.  It is an Australian store so postage is reasonable.

This cute stamp is $25, and postage is $10 within Australia.

I love water colour and ink prints too.  This one is called the corner store which is from a series commissioned by SBS Foodie Guide.  It is $15 for a print, and $3 postage.

Visit the store here. http://www.etsy.com/shop/oneblacksheep

5) Trinkets by Dana

I love all things paper, and especially these little origami stars. I bought some from this store (although must admit I havent actually used them for anything major as yet!)

The buttons are cute too!  If only I were creative enough to do something inventive with them!

Prices are small at US$12 for 100 origami stars plus US$5.50 postage to Australia.  Visit Dana at http://www.etsy.com/shop/trinketsbydana.

6) Yellow Bird, Yellow Beard

I haven't purchased from this store but saw some interesting things.  The paper garlands are very cool (I'm such a sucker for paper products!) and pretty cheap at US$7 plus US$3.50 postage to Australia.

I really like these letters too, although they are quite expensive at around US$50.

Visit this store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/JaneeLookerse?ref=top_trail

7) In the Clear

I haven't purchased from this store but love the "all things packaging" products!

I like these traditional sweet shop bags - 25 for US$3.95.  The size is 5 x 7 inch.

 Here are some mini shipping tags (1.3 x 2.75 inch).  They cost US$9.95 for 80 mini tags.

Shipping is around US$5 with additional purchases at cheaper rates.  Visit the store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/InTheClear?ref=top_trail.

8)  Tailorbirds

This is a great idea from a Belgium site.  You send your child's artwork and they turn it into fabric!  Cool as!  Pricing starts from A$25 for a simple design, plus postage which is A$6.50. 

The turnaround time is 1-2 weeks and then of course shipping from Belgium is likely to take a bit of time.

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/110063453/your-childs-drawing-appliqued-on-to?ref=shop_home_active_13

Brows by Benefit

This is my new favourite product! Brow Zings has 2 products in the kit - the dark brown wax which you apply to your eyebrows with the angled brush then the lighter powder with the other brush. They also supply you with a blending brush which magically blends all your mistakes away... its brilliant! And stays put for hours!

It does cost around $55 but it lasts for ages so money well spent in you have sparse brows like mine!

Bath thermometer

This cute little crab is more than just a floating bath toy, it is a thermometer also. Many a times my husband and I had much discussion about the temperature of the bath - I love a nice warm bath, he is more into lukewarm. Anyway now our crab tells us exactly what temperature the bath should be via the digital display! It beeps when over or under the limit so you know to adjust the temperature. A great idea and keeps the littlies safe from scalds.

It retails for $29.95. I bought ours at half price from http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Home/. It is also available from http://www.urbanbaby.com.au.

Gifts for 2 year olds!

Two year olds love puzzles and books and are still not at the point of wanting particular toys. They are starting t0 become interested in imaginative play. Here are a few things we received or bought for our two year old that were a big success!

Tea Sets

Ah, the instant joy of water play! Fill a teapot with water and let the little ones go crazy overfilling their tea cups... outside of course! The china, porcelain or ceramic tea sets are just gorgeous but just not so practical to play with for this age group. Wooden sets are good but obviously can't be used with water. Although they don't look as sweet, plastic is best or tin.

This little placcy number is made by Fisher Price, costs around $24 and available from major department stores, such as Kmart and Target. It plays music when you tip it! Perfect! Toysrus also do a similar one for around $20.

This tin one looks nice. It is around $22 and available from PeeDee Toys.

Wooden Fruit Set

This little pack has a knife and cutting board included to "chop" the fruit & veggies! This one is available from Unique Kids.

Picture for bedroom

Before you get into the age of "I wants" a picture is a nice idea, particularly one they can keep forever. I found these really sweet prints on Etsy at Cinnamon Ink. They range from $10-$30 for the print, plus $5-$8 in postage.

We bought this one for my older daughter from the Keep Calm gallery. It is a bit more expensive at GBP48, plus the cost of postage and framing. Hopefully she will like to keep it for many years as its not too childish, and has a nice message.

Sunhat

My husband went to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup and returned with these cute hats for our daughters - they loved them and get lots of comments wearing them around and about! You can purchase from Filiokus for NZ$35.

Online gifts

I started strongly with this post then ran out of ideas, so hopefully I will come back to it and add more when the inspiration this! Here are a few things I like to send for online gifts.

1) Alternatives to sending flowers

Aren't these gorgeous gifts? I haven't actually sent to anyone yet as they deliver to Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide and I typically need gifts delivered to Perth, Hobart or overseas... but I am dying to! Order from http://www.growinggifts.com.au/

These are really cute and the chocolates are good quality too! Available fromhttp://www.edibleblooms.com.au/

2) Books and magazines

I love books - any type, reading, cooking, resource, lifestyle, any type! Locally, Fishpond sell discounted books and will post free of charge. Better still they will gift wrap for $6.

Another one of my favourite gifts are magazine subscriptions, and these are also available at Fishpond for discounted prices.

The Book Depository in UK sell heavily discounted book and will post worldwide free of charge. The only issue is that they don't gift wrap. Typically I resort to Amazon for overseas gift purchasing for the gift wrapping solution.


3)  Address Stamp
How cool is this?  A personalised address stamp from Lindsay Letters Shop!

There are different versions to choose made by an illustrator who specialises in custom lettering.  She also has a blog at lindsayletters.com.  The stamps are US$55, and would make a great house warming gift... or Christmas gift... well, I would love one!!

Great baby gift ideas!

I love giving gifts, especially good ones! Here are some great ideas for baby gifts that we received or have given:

1) Sophie Giraffe - Natural teething toy by Vulli

This toy is for babies in the "scene"; every baby whose anyone has one!! They are made in France from natural rubber and non toxic paint. What's more Sophie stimulates many of babies senses - contrasting spots for sight, a little squeaker for sounds, good body parts to chew (ears, legs, horns), and nice and soft to touch. Oh, and she is bliss for soothing sore teething gums. She retail for around $35 from baby stores and various online boutiques.

2) Personalised towel or blanket:

We received 2 beautiful hampers from Baby Stitch and I use the towels and blankets the most. The 2 hampers shown are reasonably pricey at $75 (towel and frog) and $100 (blanket and giraffe) but they are very good quality. Postage is an additional $10 flat. They are available from http://babystitch.com.au/

I have also purchased the towels from Identity Direct, which are cheaper and still great quality.
http://www.identitydirect.com.au/personalised-towels.html. The baby pink or baby blue colours are lovely for baby gifts!

3) Wooden name puzzles

I have purchased these as gifts in the past and have been very happy with their quality. They are a nice gift to display as well as being a puzzle to enjoy. Pricing is determined by number of letters for both the puzzle and the optional wooden box, so best think of something else for someone with a long name! They are available at Moooo http://www.mooo.com.au/personalised-wooden-name-puzzle.html?cid=puzzlehome2

4) Flutter Bug change table mobile by Infantino

This very handsome bug attaches to babies change table to keep them occupied during changing time, which is typically babies least favourite time of day! They love the wings that spin and the music that it plays. It is in the $40-50 range, available from most of the big baby stores and a great gift idea. From personal experience, when the little ones are old enough to rip the wings off its time to take it down and save for the next bubba!

5) Music for dreaming


What new parent wouldn't want the gift of sleep?!! This is the most beautiful music - it is so soothing and peaceful to hear. Based only on the experience in our house, music seems to send little babies into a deeper sleep. Using music at bedtime helps enormously with establishing routine, and trying to settling little ones in the middle of the night!

There are so many amazing testimonials on this CD's website, including that it is widely used in neonatal wards, it will sell itself to you! I received the CD for Mothers as part of a package, and I couldn't recommend that more highly either. It is beautiful! Read more, hear a free trial or purchase from http://www.musicfordreaming.com/. CD's are around $30 excluding postage. I also found them at the ABC Shop for a cheaper price and much cheaper postage.

6) Lil Fraser wraps

Wraps are a must for any new mum, and these are the best around. They are 100% cotton, soft and super stretchy so keep the littlie nice and snug! They come nicely presented in a cotton bag, so make an extra nice gift.

7) Useful hampers

Don't send flowers, send babybuds! We received a couple of these for baby no 1 and all the bits and pieces were still in great condition and have come in very useful for baby no 2! They look fantastic too and are available direct from Baby buds http://www.babybuds.com.au/

Dri eyes hair washing visor

My 3 year old is blessed with an amazing head of hair but brushing it each morning causes fights, so you can imagine what happens on hair wash days! I'm told no kid likes having their hair washed so when I found this invention on the net I thought it definitely worth a try.

Let me say it definitely works - it acts like a visor and creates a seal to ensure no water falls onto the child's face. It is a great Aussie invention and is reasonably priced at $25 including postage. It suits kids from around 3 years up. The only downside I found is that sometimes my little one decides she doesn't want to use it, who knows why.... kids!

Read more, or purchase from http://www.drieyes.com.au

Brolly Sheets save on washing... say no more!

Brolly Sheets are unique because they have a soft cotton top and do not contain pvc or vinyl so are soft and not crinkly to sleep on. They are supposed to hold up to 2 litres, however we have not tested this as yet! They go on top of the top sheet and tuck in at the sides so if there is a bed wetting incident in the night you only need take off the Brolly Sheet and replace it, rather than remake the whole bed. Saves the washing as well.

They are available from http://http//www.brollysheets.com/shop/Brolly+Sheets.html but surf the net for offers before purchasing direct.

Gumption is the beez kneez!

I love GUMPTION! This product is the best! It is the answer to removing crayon (and texta too apparently) from walls, any job involving the removal of grease & grime as well as scuff marks and bathroom scum. I used this to clean the exhaust fan over our cooktop and it removed all trace of stickiness, which so many other products I tried could not even make a dent. It has removed any mark that has appeared on our caesarstone benchtop - pen, texta, beetroot, can rings, amongst other things. So far there is nothing it hasn't removed, and with minimal elbow grease too I might add!