Etsy Inspiration - Vintage Textiles

If you are like me, you love roaming around yard sales looking for a special find. Sometimes it's an old fashioned broach or other times its a vintage textile, whether it's fabric or some other different material. Finding a really interesting material can inspire a really special craft project. Here a few example of artists on etsy that use vintage textile finds as a starting point to creativity.

This artist takes vintage floral handkerchiefs and buttons she finds at flea markets and then recycles them to make sachets. I really like this one with purple pansies embroidered on it. It's filled with lavender. The artist also has some adorable pillows made with vintage textiles too.

What a chic vintage fabric bracelet! The artist found this fabric at a yard sale and this is what she did with it. The fabric wraps around a brass cuff bracelet. Each cuff is painted with acrylic. The inside of the cuff is lined with a soft brown leather. Cuff easily adjusts to fit snugly or loosely around any wrist.

How adorable are these little change purses! What a great idea, and what a great gift idea for any little girl about to go on a trip. Each purse is the size of a vintage postcard, with gingham ribbon, button embellishments, candy stripe lining and backed with mohair. Lined with colorful red and white stripes.

Fabric Sale - Pretty In Plaid

And gingham too! Plaid and gingham fabrics make great coordinates, and seersucker gingham and plaid fabrics are great for making clothes for the warmer weather. Over at the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. we have plaid fabrics that are great for making boys bedding or girls bedding, or an apron for mom!

To save 20% off your plaid or gingham fabric order, just call in anytime 9am-6pm EST toll free 1-800-231-4231 until next Friday and just mention this blog.

Going clockwise from the upper left: pastel seersucker plaid fabric, navy plaid fabric, lavender plaid, delicate aqua plaid fabric, pink gingham fabric, and green seersucker gingham.

Etsy Inspiration - Food

I saw the pillows below, and was so impressed that I decided to look what other culinary inspired crafts were on Etsy. Some of these crafts look good enough to eat!

How great are these pillows! I especially love the egg--I can imagine laying my head against that yolk. I know my kids would just go nuts of them. Plus they are made out of Eco Felt, which is 100% recycled plastic bottles. All three can be machined washed. The artist has some other whimsical pillows in her store, so check her out!

How adorable is this crocheted scarf. I love grapefruit, so this design really hits home to me. I like the addition of green leaf -- it's a nice touch. The artist has some other cute scarves, especially some really adorable cupcake scarves.

What a fun idea! If you know a sushi lover, these novelty soaps would make a great gift. And how cute is the pickled ginger and wasabi on the side? All the soaps are handmade by the artisan. I think the sushi rolls are my favorite.

Fabric Sale - Go Green!

In celebration of Spring and new growth, this week I've decided to put all of the green fabrics over at the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. on sale.

To save 20% off on your order of any of our green fabrics, just call in anytime 9am-6pm EST toll free 1-800-231-4231 until next Friday and just mention this blog.

Going clockwise starting in the upper left corner: vintage green damask, green leaf fabric, sweet pea green ribbon floral, annabelle damask, vintage green ticking stripe, pink ladybugs mint fabric.

Etsy Inspiration - Music

Okay, I know people who don't like music do technically exist, but I think it's safe to say practically everyone likes some type of music. I recently saw a really darling music inspired item on etsy, and decided to see what else I could find. Here are a few of the best:

Zippered Felt Cassette Tape:
How cute is this! This felt cassette tape won't play any tunes, but it will keep change and other loose items all together. I love the blue polka dot lining. I think I might have to get one as a gift for my friend who is a music fiend. The artist who makes these offers other color combinations too.

Musical Notes Wall Decals:
A perfect way to add some decorative flair to a room, especially if you have a kid in the school band or choir. The designer of these music decals offers them in eight colors other than black. And if music notes are not your style, still check out her store! She has lots of other whimsical designs, so you are sure to find something that is up your alley.

Record Handbag
What a clever idea! This artist takes a record case, and uses it to make a sturdy and chic handbag. She covers them with a clear matte cover so they are waterproof and easy to keep clean. She uses a double stitch to keep it strong and durable, but it's still a lightweight bag. If The Beatles are not your favorite, she has other record bags available.

Monday Giveaway

Hope you all had a great weekend and a happy Easter! I got a little chilly in New York for Easter, but we still had a fun Easter egg scavenger hunt, and a delicious big dinner with family.

I really liked reading about all your best gifts to your moms as kids. I liked how it seemed that in most cases, the best gifts are those where you do something totally selfless. Like Casey who talked about getting her brothers together to go to a portrait studio to surprise her mom . Or gifts that are sentimental and show that you are thinking of them, like Audra who found an old out of print book that her family used to love or malleycc who mentioned that she made a quilt with some her and her moms old clothes. I love that!

Congratulations to Xenia to winning the personalized red polka dot apron!

This week for the giveaway we are continuing on the theme of gifts for mom with a really special item that is perfect for Mother's Day! Handmade by a mom, this personalized gold charm bracelet that comes with one charm is a special way to treasure your children. Either use the initial of your child's first name, or use multiple charms to spell out their name.

This gold bracelet comes with one charm, but can feature up to 5 hand stamped charms. The charms are 3/4 in diameter and are very delicate to wear. The letters are antiqued to stand out, then undergo a special polishing process. Each piece is made by hand. Letters are applied individually. Variations in text and spacing are to be expected and add to the hand-made, organic feel!

Here's how to win one of these personalized gold charm bracelets with one charm.

1. Leave a comment about how you keep reminders/mementos of your children close to you.
2. Mention how you found this site
3. Check out the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. to see what other personalized jewelry they carry.
4. Make sure I can contact you! Either leave an email address in your comment, or make sure that you have contact information on your blog profile.

You can receive an extra entry towards this giveaway if you link to this give-away in your blog and put that link in your comment. Or Twitter this giveaway and follow me on Twitter.

The give-away is open for entries until Sunday, April 19th, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be chosen at random, and announced Monday afternoon. Good luck!

Note: At this time, the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. cannot ship give-away items internationally. They apologize for the inconvenience to all of you great people living outside of the U.S.

Fabric Sale - All Oilcloth Fabric

This week the fabric sale will follow along the lines of theme of April showers. Waterproof oilcloth fabrics that make easy clean up a reality! Oilcloth fabric is ideal for covering tables, chairs and gliders for children's rooms. All of our oilcloth fabrics will be 20% for the next week, so start a home project that includes tablecloths, kids splat mats or baby bibs.

To save 20% off your oilcloth order, just call in anytime 9am-6pm EST toll free 1-800-231-4231 until next Friday and just mention this blog.

Going counterclockwise from left to right: red with white polka dots oilcloth, aqua cherries oilcloth, hibiscus floral oilcloth, green cafe check oilcloth, green damask oilcloth, yellow figs oilcloth.

What's New at The Warm Biscuit Bedding Co.

We've got some fun new products over at the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. Here are some highlights I hope you enjoy:

Poof Pillows:
Perfect for naps, Saturday morning cartoons, or curling up for a good book. Made by a crafty Mom in Oklahoma, these poof pillows are made with vintage fabrics that she designs based on material she finds at flea markets. Practical and cute, these poof pillows are great for decorating boys and girls bedrooms, or creating a cozy corner in their playroom. Carefully sewn to last and give you a strong value. So pick from our space, western, baseball, yellow rose, pin dot floral, hula girl, or camping themes. Matches our products in any of these themes, from kids lunch boxes to nap mats.

Girls Suitcase Set:
This delightfully illustrated girls suitcase set is as multipurpose as it is pretty. Your little girl can use these suitcases to store her favorite keepsakes from grandmas letters, to pictures from camp. You can use them as lunch boxes, an overnight sleep over bag, or simply to organize all of her art supplies. Whatever she uses them for one things for sure, these pretty pastel suitcases brighten up any decor.

Car and Plane Top:
Colorful cars spin round and round, and soaring planes take off the ground, as your delighted toddler pushes down the handle on this old fashioned car & plane spinning top. If your toddler loves planes and cars, they will love the vehicles in this entertaining toy.

Etsy Inspiration - April Showers

Don't let the rainy weather get you down! As some our friends over at Etsy proves, rain showers can be the sources of inspiration rather than the blues!

The blue hand knit toddler sweater is a cute addition to any kids spring wardrobe. I love how on the front their is a storm cloud, and on the back their is an umbrella--how great is that! If you like you this sweater, this artist has lot of other toddler clothes that are also cute.

This rain cloud necklace just makes me happy. I love the texture of the felted wool cloud, mixed with the sparkle of the blue crystals. What a great idea!

This one of a kind tote bag was made of all recycled materials! The umbrella and raindrops have been hand sewn on to a lightweight denim fabric. It is lined it with a green floral cotton and it has a large yellow pocket inside. I like how the bright red just pops off the blue background.

Lastly, this rain hat is just so chic and cool. It's made with 100% cotton fabric laminated with vinyl coating. I love the bright colors--perfect for repelling rain clouds. The little bow is cute touch, and according to the artist this is light weight enough to fold up and fit into a purse, so you'll always be prepared.

Easter Crafts for Moms and Kids!

Less than a week left, but there is still time for a couple of simple last minute Easter crafts. Here's a couple of fun and easy ideas I've come across lately.

Fabric Eggs
From Retro Mama, we have these adorable stuffed Easter eggs. These are great, especially if you have a bunch of leftover scrap fabric from a recent sewing project. Her tutorial shows just how simple this craft is. I can see these be a great decoration, maybe even as a garland if attached to a thick ribbon or something...

Felt Bunny Finger puppets
One Crafty Momma recently posted a couple of pictures of these cute felt bunny finger puppets. She does not provide instructions, but these look so simple and easy to figure out. I love how she mix and matches the bright colors, and uses some scrap ribbon as added decoration. I know my kids would love to play around with these.

Pompom Chicks
A craft that is perfect for kids! If you are looking for something to do after school or this coming weekend, these pompom chicks from Fioana Carter is a good place to start. These little chicks are just two pompoms glued together. If you can't find wool pompoms, I'm sure any type would still work, though these are exceptionally adorable. I love the idea of placing them in an egg carton--a perfect centerpiece for the kids table on Easter!

Monday Giveaway

Hope you all had a good weekend. Yesterday really felt like a true spring day in New York-- all I needed was a field of tulips to run through, and my day would have been complete.

I enjoyed reading through your tips on how you calm your upset babies. I hope some of you were able to find some helpful tips from one another.

And now for the winner...congratulations to Megan and Brad McGinty! I hope you and your little bundle of joy on the way enjoy our organic sheep teething toy!

This week we make the transition for Easter gifts and clothes to start thinking about Mother's Day. I can hardly wait for some breakfast in bed!

To kick off the Mothers Day giveaway this month, we will offer a personalized red polka dot apron for all those moms who just love to bake. And if you love this one, you might also like our matching girls polka dot apron! What could be a better way to celebrate Mothers Day than by spending the day doing something fun (and tasty) together. Oh, and that's me in the photo by the way :)

1. Leave a comment about the best gift you ever gave your mom for Mothers Day.
2. Mention how you found this site
3. Check out the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. to see what other gifts for moms they carry.
4. Make sure I can contact you! Either leave an email address in your comment, or make sure that you have contact information on your blog profile.

You can receive an extra entry towards this giveaway if you link to this give-away in your blog and put that link in your comment. Or Twitter this giveaway and follow me on Twitter.

The give-away is open for entries until Sunday, April 12th, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be chosen at random, and announced Monday afternoon. Good luck!

Note: At this time, the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. cannot ship give-away items internationally. They apologize for the inconvenience to all of you great people living outside of the U.S.

Fabric Sale - Baby Fabrics

Going along with the mobile theme from my post about Etsy, this week The Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. will have all of our baby fabrics at 20% off the normal price.

To get the 20% discount just call in anytime 9am-6pm EST toll free 1-800-231-4231 until next Friday and just mention this blog.

Going clockwise starting with the top left corner: vintage nursery rhymes fabric, aqua floral stripe, whimsical robots fabric, pink pagoda toile, pink pastel jungle flannel, large melon polka dot fabric.

Computer Games - Educational or Time Drain?

My kids love computer games-- I mean seriously love them. If they had their way, they would live in front of the computer screen. I always see articles now and then about how school are trying to use computer and video games as educational tools, and while I don't doubt it could be possible, I am definitely very skeptical about the whole idea.

Fischer, my oldest (10) is totally hooked on that "War of Warcraft" game. When I brought this up at work, one of my employees remarked that addicted fans of the game have actually died from playing too much! I hard a time believing this, but it's actually true--a few gamers simply didn't sleep, eat, or get enough fluids--ie. they could not tear themselves away from the computer screen. Crazy!

But let's not get hysterical. I don't actually believe any of my kids is in any danger. I monitor their time in front of the computer. Fischer gets 1 hour on Thursdays, and 6 hours over the weekend, and that's it for the week. I'd like him to spend less time ideally, but I remember how forbbiden things were all the more appealing when I was a kid.

So what do you all think? Do you have an tricks to make computer games seem less cool, than say...riding a bike or starting their own kids garden? I've always figured if I can't make computer games seem less fun, maybe I can at least try to make other activities seem fun. What do you all do? Or do you see a real potential for computer games to be instructive and positive?

Etsy Inspiration - Whimsical Mobiles

Last week for the giveaway, I asked all of you what your most useful or favorite baby shower present was. I enjoyed reading your answers! It's been awhile since my first baby shower, but I still know what my favorite gift was - a mobile handcrafted by one of my dear friends. Not only was it an adorable decoration for my nursery, but it kept all three of my kids entertained when they were babies for hours.

As I was looking over Etsy this week, I saw one mobile that just knocked my socks off, and inspired me to do a whole post on a selection of some of the most adorable ones I found.

This grey cat mobile is just amazing! Each kitty is made by hand with cotton, wool felt, and free motion sewing. The four different shades of black and white make this perfect for all you fans of classic movies.

Okay, so like I confessed last week, I love owls. So this owl mobile was an easy pick for a favorite. I like the simplicity of different tones of just green and yellow on the face, with fun bright multicolored prints on the back. Plus, owls represent wisdom-- what could be better to be floating over your baby as they grow up!

Those who enjoy more minimalist and modern design make like this kinetic mobile. I like how delicate this looks.

This is not quite a mobile, but it's close. This sun wind spinner makes me almost wish I had a front yard. I like how there are so many different pieces all spinning in different directions. I bet even my oldest kid would love zoning out watching it!