Celebrating handmade, day 2!

In case you missed yesterday's post, I'm doing 3 days of celebrating handmade and featuring some of the Etsy shops we've been buying from for our wedding! This is day 2. Make sure to check back tomorrow for the third, and final post! You won't want to miss it!

It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to give as gifts for our ring bearers. Since we have 5 (Yes, FIVE! We have a lot of little boys in my family and I didn't want to exclude anyone!) I knew I had to find something that would work for several age groups and also be budget friendly. I wanted to give them something useful too, so I started thinking about what they were going to wear on our wedding day and bowties came to mind. I couldn't get Mando to wear one, so why not my ring bearers? I thought they would be a fun and unique gift and the parents could re-use them after the wedding as well! Once I had the outfit planned out I started my search for the perfect bowties. My sister found Dana Eckert on Etsy for me and I contacted her to see if she was up for the project. Not only was she excited to work with me, but she was very knowledgeable and quick to respond (if you've ever planned a wedding, you know how important that is!).

The ages of our ring bearers will be 15 months, 22 months, 2.5 years, and two 9 year olds. Those are huge age differences so I was excited to learn that Dana's bowties range from sizes 6 months - 9 years. I sent her a photo of the color I was looking for and she found a fabric that matches perfectly and shipped out the bowties in no time! I was so excited when I got them because not only are they adorable, but super well made! I'm pretty sure they'll last a long time even with toddlers wearing them! Here's a picture of how they turned out... I'm obsessed and can't wait to see all my favorite boys rocking these on our wedding day!

Here's a little bit of background info about Dana and how she got started on Etsy:

Growing up in a family with my mother as an artist, it seemed only natural that creativity would be an essential on the daily activity list in our house! I started sewing at a super young age of 9 years old, and have always kept it up. Sewing was a way that I could create and make items that are “just me” and pattern making is a craft that I learned to do through the years. My grandmother and mother were super experienced sewers and taught me the skills needed to make anything as professional and beautiful as your imagine would let you!

How did start up my Etsy Shop? After years of making handcrafted gifts for friends and family, a woman in the grocery store suggested that I start selling my dresses….so I did! It has given me the freedom to work from home, and jump on any new inspiration that may appear!

I reside in a small little town in Ontario, and am so pleased to able to do what I honestly enjoy doing! Having so many wonder and loyal customers has enabled me to continue doing what I love- and be inspired by all requests and feedback that everyone brings to me! I am for sure a lucky girl!

Don't you just love the personal stories behind each Etsy shop? It makes me even more happy to support these small businesses! Now one of you lucky readers will have the opportunity to win one of these adorable Dana Eckert polka dot bowties! The winner can chose whichever of the colors they like below and the size they need! These would be perfect one-of-a-kind gifts or keep them and use them to dress up your little one on Valentines Day! To enter, just make sure you are a follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect and leave a comment telling me which color is your favorite!

Follow Dana Eckert Designs on Twitter @DanaEckertDesigns or on like her on Facebook here. The giveaway is open to everyone worldwide and will be open until Friday, January 13th. Good luck everyone! I know you will fall in love with these sweet handmade bowties like I did! XOXO

The best bubble recipe!

Although the weather has finally gotten cold in California, my little man always wants to be outside. Rain or shine, we bundle him up and spend some time outdoors each day. One of his favorite activities (like all toddlers) is blowing bubbles. I think we went through about 5 of those 99cent plastic bubble containers in just a few weeks! I experimented with making my own bubbles, but it wasn't until I stumbled upon this recipe via Pinterest that I learned the secret ingredient to amazing bubbles... corn syrup! A trip to Target for a $1 bubble wand and we were ready to start!

You will need:

• 6 cups of water
• 1 cup dish soap
• 1/2 cup corn syrup

Mix the water and corn syrup until completely dissolved. Slowly stir in dish soap. Store in airtight container.

These bubbles did not disappoint... The corn syrup holds everything together and really does make the best bubbles ever! We keep ours in a big Tupperware bowl with a lid out on the back porch and every day Cayden asks to play with his bubbles. And that big bubble wand from Target? Best dollar I've ever spent! He is entertained for at least a half an hour at a time, which in toddler time is pretty huge! We've been playing with them every day for a few weeks now and still have over half left so they do last awhile!

Next time your little one is bored, try making a batch of the best bubbles! Once you discover them, you'll never go back to store bought! Happy Monday everyone! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Best iPad Apps for toddlers!

Thank you Alana from Life on the Mom List for guest posting for me while we get unpacked! XOXO

In keeping with Johnna’s Friday Favorites, I thought I would write a post about my toddler’s Favorite iPad Apps! Everyone these days has an iPhone or iPad so I thought this might be a beneficial post to some who are looking for some new apps for their kids.

It’s no secret I have a love affair with my iPad. OBSESSION!! It’s an amazing little piece of technology that I take with me everywhere. It’s my calendar, my address book, and my computer all in one. But it’s also my kid’s choice of toy whenever he sees it out! I have to spell out I-P-A-D to my husband when we are out or this kid goes ballistic! He is obsessed but for good reason.

A few months ago when I got my I-P-A-D…. ummm….iPad, we were going on a trip, just my little guy and me. On a plane to Texas for FIVE HOURS! Imagine a 16 month old (at the time) on a plane for that long. It is torturous! I witnessed it first hand when D was younger and we were flying and I thought the mother of the fit throwing toddler was going to jump out of the plane! Seeing as how I value my life and would like to stick around awhile, I decided I needed to curb this tantrum throwing flight that I might encounter and what better way to do it then with the Ipad!

We’re weird in this house about movies and TV, as in D doesn’t watch much at all. That is our parenting philosophy and works for us. I am not judging! I swear! Everyone does things differently. I don’t have an iPhone so I am not in the know about all these amazing apps, so I did a little research, searching, etc and found a ton! Immediately, the paypal was put to use and we downloaded a ton! We were set for the flight!

Instantly I fell in love with Peekaboo Barn. It’s a super cute, interactive game that helps kids learn their animals and sounds. D loves this game so much and gets really upset when the animals go to sleep at the end! We’re talking MAD! You would think he would get it after playing it a million times over!

The next game he loves is Zoo Train. He, like most toddler boys, is obsessed with trains so this game is perfect. It has various games to play within the app but most are a bit too over his head so we stick with the “build your own train” game. It is cute, has fun music, and is full of animals, and makes the train sound, which is always a hit! Plus he can grow with this app. The harder games he will be able to play, as he gets older.

Also an obsession in this house is Fire Trucks and all things fire related. KidsFireman is a fun app that teaches kids to dial 911, become a firefighter, drive a truck, and put out a fire. Super fun and super entertaining! Huge hit in this house!

    

Last on the must have app list for us is Interactive Alphabet. This is by far my favorite app! Lots of fun sounds, colors and pronunciation of the letter, this app makes learning the alphabet fun. The F for fan is fun because you can switch the fan on and off. Therefore you learn the letter, a word that starts with the letter, as well as on and off. See, I told you it was fun!

So there you have it, my favorite iPad apps for toddlers. There are so many out there. Honestly, you can spend a ton of time searching for stuff. And a lot of them are free and compatible with the iPhone, as well!

Neither Apple nor Steve Jobs paid me for this review. This is only for Johnna’s blog! I spent my husband’s hard earned money for these apps and the saving of my sanity on a plane!