EcoTots Table/Stool Set: We want one!

This eco-friendly birch wood table and chair set from EcoTots has really caught my eye, enough so that I am designing a Kids Stuff World Playroom around it. It’s built to last and just the right height to encourage imaginative play and all sorts of fun activities. The best part is, from now till Nov. 30 the whole set is on sale for $249.99 

Get yours from here, Red or Green

The perfect handmade children’s gift

I don’t know why women are so instantly drawn to beautiful stationary and paper gifts, I have to contain myself each time I enter a shop or book store where journals are sold. Perhaps that is part of the reason I am so drawn to this fantastic idea posted at JCasa Handmade. I found the post a few days ago but find myself going back to it again and again. I truly believe these are the perfect gifts. For children, for parents, and if modified a bit for adults, for myself

The link to this tutorial is a bit different than our other posts, you’ll have to buy it from the seller’s etsy store. The bargain is the seller doesn’t care how many you create, give, or sell. So if you wanted to you could go into your own traveling art studio business. How fun would that be?

Purchase the tutorial here

Looks like it’s time to start compiling the Christmas Gift list, look back soon for tons more holiday gift idea posts …

A Jannypie Exclusive!

A Kids Stuff World First – an exclusive interview:

Many readers may remember the ever talented Jannypie from our Nie Nie Auction back in August or perhaps you are still coveting our custom blog banner she created. Either way, it’s time everyone got to know Janny just a little bit better. 

Janny is the kind of girl you would have been friends with in school. She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s super talented, and she’s always willing to lend a hand. Coincidentally, I didn’t know Janny in school… in fact, I have never met her face to face but I feel as if I have known her for years. She just gives off that sort of vibe when you meet her (online or offline). Don’t believe me? Take a few minutes and see for yourself.

KSW: Hi Janny, let’s start by stating what a great admirer we are of you creativity. You can really do it all and thanks again for creating our gorgeous web banner, we’ve gotten tons of compliments on it already. Also, congratulations on being the first ever interviewee for Kids Stuff World!

Janny: Thank you so much for featuring me, I love what you are doing with your blog and am honored to be interviewed by you!

KSW: We first met through TheNest, it’s kind of like being in high school all over again. As a Nestie, I was always drawn to you because you were nice to the “new kids” and even responded to posts not by the resident “in” crowd. We both know how cliquish The Nest can be sometimes. I really appreciate that quality in a blogger, sometimes the forums can be a scary place. You never know who you’re really chatting with. Can you write a few lines that will give us an impression of the real you.

Janny: Aw, thank you for that. I like making people feel welcome and thought of, no matter who it is. I am in real life as I am online- friendly, nerdy, crafty, very caring, and a little scatterbrained! 

KSW: You are a terrific graphics designer (see our banner for proof), How did you get into designing blog banners/buttons?

Janny: I’ve actually been designing websites for friends and groups since 2000 or so- with the explosion of personal blogging and my new love of digital scrapbook elements, its a natural progression.

KSW: You also run your own blog, Jannypie.com, and a craft blog called Martha Daily, make tons of crafts, plan events in your off-time, remodel your home and you have your very own Etsy store, Hoo Made it. That’s quite  a lot of extra activities for a lady who works all day. Where do you find the time to do all these things?

Janny: Sadly I don’t really have time for all of it. I had to close my first etsy store, NestingDesigns, in the spring of this year to focus my energy on renovating the house and hosting several celebrations for my closest friends. Everything was a complete success though and now that those events are done, I am once again driven to craft. When you truly love what you’re doing and the impulse is coming from inside you to create, you just find the time when you can, you fit it into the little moments of the day. They become the most enjoyed moments. 

KSW: Your crafts are ingenious, but we don’t want to spoil the build-up for you. Why don’t you tell us about some of your favorite crafts (that you’ve completed) and which ones are you the most proud of?

Janny: Definitely my proudest project was building my craft desk, because it has been the largest and most challenging to date. I was told that I couldn’t do it, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could. I use it every day, and I am so happy with it.

My favorite crafts are ones that either please some inner child in me, such as my kitty iPod cozies, or challenge me, such as my glicee paintings that I made on commission. My most enjoyable to make crafts are the digital scrapbook pages, I just have so much fun with those. 

KSW: Is there any blogger or blog that you really admire?  Name a few bogs you cannot go a day without reading?

Janny: Oh absolutely. I love bloggers that get involved with their readers, like you, and Robyn of Happy House of Haas. I really admire Jenn of Hostess with the Mostess, who responds to readers and has the most fabulous things featured in her blog. She really inspires me to be more modern with my own creations. Crafts don’t have to be grandma-at-the-country-fair, they can be fun and bright and modern too. It’s all in how you approach them.

Other blogs I heart are Cuteable, Nesting Place, and Poppytalk. Those would be my top 3 favorite blogs and recommended reading!

KSW: Do you have set any personal goals in regards to your party planning, blogging or crafting? If so, what’s your next step towards reaching those goals?

Janny: Actually, I created a New Years Resolution scrapbook for my crafting goals this year! So yes, I do set my own goals- always to challenge myself, and to do something better next time. Maybe it is to try a new type of craft, like plushies, or to serve a new recipe at the next party. I consider myself still a beginner in most things, there are always new things to learn and to ask myself “Can I do that?”

KSW: Finally, can you give KidsStuffWorld readers a “sneak peek” into what’s coming up next for Jannypie? More home renovation projects, new items for the etsy store? Tell us we’d love to know.

Janny: Oh my goodness, I am so excited to start in my new direction. I have two major projects lined up for the rest of this year. A line of “Scented Science” plushies- nerdy science things like bacteria and cells stuffed with aromatherapy beads. They are so much fun, and will be in my Etsy store soon! And… (my biggest secret so far)… a business to design and create digital scrapbooks for clients!! I have gotten a lot of interest and encouragement from older moms, grandparents, aunts, etc who would love a scrapbook of their photos but don’t have the time or talent to create their own. I’ve been working on designs and details since March and am close to announcing my website soon. 

Thank you again Stacy! I have really enjoyed this!!

Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse, be sure to keep tabs on her on her site Jannypie, you never know what she’ll come up with next.

I believe she’ll have a line of Christmas cards coming up this year to purchase, maybe on her Etsy store? She has a few previews posted on her site

Adorable Sock Monkey Costume

There’s still enough time for you to make this adorable sock monkey costume for your child. All you need is a well fitting sleeper, a package of mens work socks, and some basic sewing skills. I found this tutorial on Instructables. Jessica, the mom who created this one, did a really awesome job putting her creativity to use.

Something a little different

So when I stumbled across this super crafty owl tote bag, I just knew it had to be shared with Kids Stuff World readers. In fact, this may just be the item we were looking for to round up all the goodies we have planned for our first giveaway. On an entirely separate note, Ellen from The Long Thread fashioned this bag to hold goodies for little ones on Halloween. This bag would no doubt be perfect for trick or treating but we see so many other uses for this terrific project too. Take a look at the original post here, and find the link to the instructions here. If you choose to make your very own Scrappy Owl Tote bag shoot as a photo, we’d love to see how it turns out.

Make Your Own Peanut Butter Cups

Photo from Have Cake Will Travel

I honestly would have never thought to try makng my own heavenly peanut butter cups until I stumbled onto a tasty little site called, Have Cake Will Travel. Now that we’ve found it, we never want to leave. The photos on this site alone will add about 5 pounds to your midsection, but it doesn’t matter – it’s too late. We’re hooked.

The actual recipe is surprisingly enough…simple. Can you believe there are only 5 ingredients? Me neither, click here for the recipe. In fact I think these would be a great treat to serve at baby showers or even an intimate dinner party. How surprised will my husband be next Valentine’s Day when he receives his homemade valentine filled with homemade peanut butter cups. Hooray! What a great find, if I do say so myself. Hope you like it too.

Stacy

Matryoshkas for everyone

SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW NIE NIE AUCTION POSTS!!!!

What better way to celebrate our auction success than by bringing our readers the link to this amazing FREE DOWNLOAD from Yasmine over at A Print A Day. Yes, I said FREE. We could hardly believe it ourselves. We suggest you run on over there and download this one, we promise you won’t be sorry.

The note pad is perfect for as your shopping list or to do reminder.

a print a day: Weekend Downloads-Matrioshka

Use the labels as gift tags, address labels, just about anything you can think of. Yasmine does ask for a few photos of people using her downloads so if you could, go on and help her out. We are certainly getting the better end of this deal.

Kids Stuff World Style

There we were playing around a little to long last night on one of our all-time favorite sites, ShopStyle, when it occurred to us we had created a look that for the moment captured the essence of Kids Stuff World. It’s bright and cherry, creative, for the most part affordable ($182 for everything you see), young at heart, wash and wear, and slightly whimsical. Not a bad way to describe yourself if you ask me. Click on the image for details on each piece.

Sunday Afternoon

Here’s a cute project for you and your little ones to try this weekend. Downloadable DIY paper airplanes, how cute are these!

This one comes to us via Creative Park , be sure to check out their other great projects too.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Adopt an Olive Tree : Nudo

So another fantastic blogger, Laura from If it’s Hip It’s Here  really caught our eye with this one. Nudo is an authentic Italian Oil Grove owned by Cathy, Jason, and Roise. I love how they made me feel like I know them already. The beautiful graphics (I’m betting Cathy designed them, don’t know for sure but she looks so darn creative) sucked me right in and before I knew what I was doing I had purchased four trees. Well, Ok not really but I was definitely researching my possibilities.

Cathy, Jason, and Rosie sure do appear to be an amazing little family. They also have one amazing marketing campaign that I see really going places. Just think what they can do with each tree sponsored and those cute little tin packages the products come in. Go on admit it, you want some already too

Well, I’m off to do some more research on this one. They even offer you an opportunity to stop by and visit your little olive tree and provide a guarantee that if your tree doesn’t produce to its estimated quota they’ll throw in some of their own oil to make up the difference.

Homemade oil, made fresh from Italy, from my own personal olive tree…. SOLD!