Felt Play Food

I have a wonderful new product range I want to share with you all.

I am really excited about these because they turned out just as I had imagined they would and that doesn't always happen!

Fruit Felt Play Sets - something to drink, something healthy and a treat.

 At the moment I have them in the four sets above - banana, apple, orange and strawberry.
The apple and orange ones come with juice and a sraw and the strawberry and banana sets come with a milkshake.

And then there is the really wickedly delicious set!
Chocolate!

Any suggestions of what fruit set to make next?

MadeIt Designer In The Spotlight

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50 Tips For Selling Your Handmade Crafts Online

I am very excited to be the Designer in The Spotlight for this month over at Made It.

Be sure to pop on over and read all about my love of handmade, Creative Wishes and me.

Here are a few other things about me you may or most likely don't know.

I am left handed   I have four sisters   I have three sons   This year I celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary I have had melanoma  Green is my favourite colour   I was born in Tasmania  I am a midwife and nurse  Introverted   Green eyes   short   Fifth generation Australian  My kids are half Greek   My youngest child is named after a convict relative  I would like to live in Italy for a year  I don't exercise enough  I like good food   I strive for a simpler life  Gardening is fun   House cleaning isn't fun   I have lymphoedema in my leg  I am creative  I'm a home body  I grow herbs   I'm not a girly girl  I love reading lots  My first job was working in a department store in the haberdashery section  We own a white dog called Casper  I find it hard to walk by a book shop without going in   I have a collection of vintage cameras  I used to scrapbook  I can knit  I can't sing  I like live shows and the theatre   

Adventure Time Toys

I often get emails asking if I can make up a special custom order for a customer.  Usually they have seen one of my toys or games and want one but in their own colour scheme or with some unique feature.

Last week I had a very special request for a custom order.  The request came from a young boy who's favourite show on tv is Adventure Time.

He looks forward to Monday at 5.30 when the new Adventure time show is on tv and he goes around the house singing the theme song.  He watches repeats over and over and knows all the many characters names and powers and personalities.  He may even be a little obsessed!

This young boy is my son.  He came to me and asked if he could give me a challenge to sew him some of the characters from the show.  He helped me find the picture of the character from the show he wanted, draft a paper pattern, select felt colours and to cut them out.

We have completed Jake, Finn and BMO (Beemo).  Little did I know that there are about 50 characters in this show.  I have a feeling I will be sewing these little characters for some time to come!

Setting Up a Play Corner

Kids Play Corner

When my boys were small we had a spare room and we thought that it would make a great toy room.  I had images of the kids going in there and happily playing away for hours at a time.  I thought having the toys and games all in the one dedicated room would mean the rest of the house stayed relatively tidy.  But guess what?  That didn't happen! 

The kids had a great time in the toy room sometimes but really they wanted to be where we were.  If we were in the kitchen then they would bring their toys with them and be there with us.  If we were in the lounge room then that is where they wanted to be too and they would bring armful off toys with them.
So at the end of the day not only was the toy room a mess but also toys were still scattered randomly around the house.

Kids want the security of being physically close to mum or dad.  They want to be able to have parents within eyesight. They also want to share their discoveries and play time with their parents.

So setting up a play corner in the most used room makes perfect sense.  This room is most often a family room attached to the kitchen.  It will also mean the kids will play independently for longer knowing that there parents are with in sight.

Setting up a dedicated play area is really simple and easy to do by utilising furniture you most likely already have.

What You Will Need
- Soft floor covering.  A mat or rug to define the toy area and to provide  a soft play area.  Soft cushions to sit on are a great addition and will make it much more comfortable when you are sittingthere playing with the kids.

- Shelving. A short bookshelf allows children to see their toys immediately and to be able to select whichones they want to play with.  Avoid having a toy box as the toys will get tossed in their and parts jumbled up.  You will find the kids will up end the toy box completely trying to find the toy they are after.

- Child Sized Furniture.  A small table and chairs are ideal.  So too are kids sized play kitchens, tool benches, lego tables etc.

- Selection Of Toys.  Don't have all the toys in the toy play area.  Sometimes too much choice can be confusing and will lead to a huge mess as kids will go from one to another.  Choose a selction of toys from my list of 8 essential toys for the play area. Rotate the toys in the play area weekly or fortnightly to keep it fresh and interesting.
Do you already have a toy area set up?  I would love to hear about it and any hints and tips that have worked well for you.

Childrens Tool Belts

Kids love to be just like mum and dad and they can be with my new tool belts, gardening belt and doll care belts.

The each have a hoop to hand a hammer or spade, a couple of clips to hang tools land equipment off and pockets for storage.  The belts are adjustable and study and come in a range of colours including green, red, orange, yellow and white.
The tool belts encourage kids to use their imagination and they will learn from mimicing adults  too.
Too Cute!