The Shopping Mama

Great for Girls Easter {Basket Gift Guide}

by Kate on March 13th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping

Our final Easter Basket Gift Guide is for the girls. (And, frankly, we think they’re all perfect for boys, too. It’s rather silly to separate into a Boy’s Easter Gift Guide and a Girl’s Easter Gift Guide, but it was an easy way to group our favorite picks for baskets.) From handmade to artistic to stylish accessories, we have a sweet collection of gift ideas that will create lots of squeals and no cavities.

1. Hand Knit Doll (Sophie & Lili, $45)

2. Slide Whistle (The Land of Nod, $4)

3. Necklace (Juniorbeads, $22.50)

4. Sunglasses (Old Navy, $6)

5. Bookplates (The Fox and the Teacup, 18 or $12)

6. Watercolor Palette (Kiwi Crate, $8)

7. Personalized Magic Easter Box Book (Frecklebox, $20 save 20% with code EASTER)

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Filling more than one Easter basket? Check out all of our Easter basket gift shopping guides:

Baby’s First Easter
Easter Basket Ideas for Boys

Once Upon a Treehouse: Handmade Dollhouses & Dolls

by Kate on February 8th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Reviews

Once Upon a TreeHouse is a company dedicated to creating a world of imaginative play using safe, handcrafted non-plastic toys. Started by two sisters (and moms), the company specializes in heirloom-quality dollhouses and dollhouse toys. All the dolls and dollhouses are handmade by family-owned businesses in the United States and Germany, ensuring the toys will stand the test of time and play. The company puts a real emphasis on creating heirloom quality pieces that your child can pass on to her children.

Once Upon a TreeHouse Dollhouses

Once Upon a TreeHouse offers a selection of gorgeous handmade dollhouses designed to evoke traditional dollhouses but with modern flair. The dollhouses allow access on two or four sides so your child can easily play with friends (or parents).

Raspberry Road Manor is a gorgeous three-story dollhouse with swinging front door and spiral staircase. Fit for a princess, the dollhouse is handcrafted for dolls measuring 4 to 5 inches in size.

The sweet Treehouse Dollhouse is a two-story playhouse with detachable slide, swing, rope ladder and a swinging door. The most affordable dollhouse in the line-up, this is a great first dollhouse for your little one.

We love the Custom Dollhouse because you can pick the roof and dollhouse side wall colors. There are 6 different rooms, 1 set of stairs and access to play from all four sides of the house.

Handmade Dollhouse Dolls

We received a sweet little dollhouse doll, which is a great indication of the quality of Once Upon a TreeHouse toys. The doll has great detail, well beyond typical dollhouse dolls – from the braided hair to detailed smiling face to three-piece outfit and shoes. Once Upon a TreeHouse offers girl dolls, boy dolls, mom dolls, boy dolls and even animal dolls individually so you can create your own dollhouse family.

Shop! Visit Once Upon a TreeHouse to see the complete collection of dollhouse dolls and toys. Single dollhouse dolls start at $16.50 and the handcrafted dollhouses range in price from $120 to $275.

$10 Tuesday: Kia Klips

by Kate on January 15th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping, Ten Dollar Tuesday

Yesterday we dished about the best accessories for mom. Today? We’ve got the little ladies covered with darling handmade felt barrettes. Kia Klips are super cute hair clips made from wool felt over nickel plated snap barrettes. The 2 and 2.5 inch clips are perfectly proportioned for girls.

Sometimes doing my daughter’s hair can be a challenge because, well, she’s opinionated. But, clips this cute? She’d agree to wear in a heartbeat, and probably even sit still long enough for me to brush her hair. That = a mom win.

The Cherries are my favorite! What’s your favorite?

Shop! Kia Klips are $4 for single clips and $5 for a pair. We love the multiple discount option – 2 large Kia Klips for $7 or 3 large Kia Klips for $10.

Sophie & Lili Dolls

by Kate on January 11th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping

We are absolutely swooning over Sophie & Lili dolls. Created by Jennifer Vellez, the dolls are “Made with love. Made for hugs.”

The adorable Custom (Design Your Own) Dolls ($37) measure 12 inches tall and are digitally printed on 100% quilters quality cotton. What makes the dolls so unique is the degree to which you can customize your doll, right down to the shoes. You indicate skin color, hair color and style, accessories and outfit. For girls, pick among tunics and dresses or jeans and for boys pick the color of striped tee, sneakers and superhero cape. It is hard to find dolls appropriate for baby boys, and these are perfect: soft, custom and easy to cuddle.

The doll is backed with a coordinating fabric and your child’s name. For $2 you can add a Personalized Message Label to your name tag, such as “Max Happy First Birthday” or “Ellie Valentine’s Day 2013″.

Hand Knit Dolls ($45) are available in three girl styles. They’re knit by hand in Bolivia and made of 100% baby alpaca with pima cotton details.

Shop! Visit Sophie & Lili to see all the darling doll options. There’s also a cool DIY kit and a range of sketches and prints.

Ten Dollar Tuesday: Tooth Fairy Pillows

by Kate on January 8th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping, Ten Dollar Tuesday

Two weeks ago when we were in Sicily my son lost his first tooth. He’s getting so big!

I was totally caught off-guard and unprepared. I had nothing. Aside from the lack of cuteness, the biggest issue was a practical one: How did we put the tooth under his pillow without losing it in the sheets? We improvised with a plastic baggie and the Tooth Fairy’s first visit was a success. But, when we got home I was on a mission to get a cute Tooth Fairy Pillow to make sure we’re ready when #2 falls out. (And it could be soon as he has another loose tooth!)

Great Tooth Fairy Pillows Under $10

Personalized Owl Tooth Fairy Pillow in Pink/Green or Blue/Green from My Creative Frenzy, $10.

Personalized Owl Tooth Fairy Pillow for Boy

Felterrific has a few options for their simple square pillow: Plain ($5), with Monogrammed Initial ($6) or an Embroidered Name ($7).

felteriffic monogrammed tooth fairy

You pick the button color for the sweet cheeks on Baby Toothy from The Tooth Fairy Helper ($7.99).

The Paisley Moon offers a more mature look with chenille and fabric pillows ($8).

We have to share the Ninja Tooth Fairy Pillow ($6.50) because it may be felt, but it’s made of win.

Does your child have a tooth fairy pillow?

30 Days of Toys: Colorful Cars

by Kate on November 28th, 2012 | 5 Comments | 30 Days of Toys, Shopping

Toy: Bannor Toys Set of 6 Organic Colorful Cars

Get It For: Because these cars are built to fit a little child’s grip, sanded for safety and use non-toxic and safe paints, there’s no need to worry about a wee one putting a car in his mouth. Of course, older preschoolers will enjoy the set, too.

Why We Like It: Bannor Toys has a fantastic selection of Waldorf-inspired and thoughtfully crafted wood toys. These cars stand out because of the bright colors and affordable price tag. The cars about about 4 inches long, and the simple design leaves the true play up to the imagination of the child. No need for batteries or loud noises when you have an active toddler, amIright?

Shop! The set of 6 colorful cars is $32. If you haven’t yet, make sure you check out everything Bannor Toys has to offer. The toys are gorgeous!

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To see the best toys for the holidays, check out our Toy Shopping Guide.
You can also browse our picks in the third annual 30 Days of Toys.

Amazing Personalized & Handmade Holiday Giveaway

by Kate on November 14th, 2012 | 5 Comments | Giveaways

We love personalized gifts and goodies and are smitten with handmade finds. This amazing Sparkling Holiday Gift Guide includes fabulous personalized and handmade options for everyone in your family. Read on to learn about the great items in this Sparkling Holiday Gifts Galore prize package worth more than $300.

1. Alphabet Photography Custom Artwork in Floating Frame ($99). Alphabet Photography features the photographs of Jennifer Blakely who traveled the world for four years taking photos of architecture and scenery that resembles letters. She gathered more than 1000 gorgeous images and now Alphabet Photography has a new program so you can pick and choose how to personalize your very own alphabet artwork. The process is simple and fun: enter a word you want printed, browse the options for each letter to pick your favorites and pick from the affordable framing options. The possibilities are endless: last name in the family room, “Welcome” in the entryway, a child’s name in the nursery or “Bon Appetit” in the kitchen – have fun and be creative, just like Alphabet Photography.

2. Le Papier Studio Holiday Cheer Christmas Stocking ($75). Nobody does silhouette art like Vana Chupp of Le Papier Studio – seriously, she literally wrote the book on the subject - and the Holiday Collection is the perfect balance of classic silhouettes in modern form. We adore the custom Silhouette Ornaments, Gift Labels and Personalized Plates that you can order to reflect your family. New this year, we are thrilled to be giving away an exquisite Christmas Stocking. The canvas stocking features Le Papier Studio’s signature silhouette fabric and is sure to be an heirloom piece a family will enjoy year after year.

3. Paper Hat Press Personalized Children’s Book ($40). Paper Hat Press creates high-quality, one of a kind books created just for your child. Taking the personalization to the next level, the books feature a main character that can be customized to resemble a child as well as the child’s name, favorite things, and family members. The brand new Christmas Mouse book and ornament set is the perfect book for your little reader. With delightful details that seamlessly weave your family throughout the story of a Mouse preparing for Christmas, it’s a great gift currently on sale for only $31.95.

4. tiny giraffe shop Christmas 2012 Jumbo Blocks ($15). Every year we look forward to tiny giraffe shop’s original Christmas design and every year we are tickled with the result. This year’s Christmas blocks feature modern graphic images of festive holiday characters such as Santa, a snowman, and an elf on jumbo 2 inch blocks for $15. Like all tiny giraffe sets, the blocks come in a sweet package ready for gift-giving.

5. That’s The Cutest Thing $50 Gift Certificate. That’s The Cutest Thing offers handmade knit and crochet accessories, photo props, and clothing for babies and children. The shop’s owner, Vicky Suter, was taught to crochet and knit at a young age by her grandmother. Years later, Vicky passed the tradition on to her nieces and nephews, which later expanded to a loyal group of customers that encouraged her to open her Etsy shop. The shop offers an assortment of hats, sweaters, and hair accessories, including headbands and clippies. New additions this season to That’s The Cutest Thing’s creations include knit earflap hats, photo prop bonnets, and animal motif hats. Christmas photo prop hats and cat, puppy, and monkey earflap hats are in the works – we are sure they, too, will be the cutest things. Prices range from $5-$60.

6. The Funky Bee $25 Gift Certificate. Our go-to source for darling personalized tees for our little ones, The Funky Bee has a great selection of holiday shirts for kids and gifts for their moms. In addition to embroidered designs, we love the more formal outfit options like the corduroy dresses, jon jons and there’s even monogrammed holiday pajamas. And for the moms? We love the personalized jewelry. Fab!

Shop! Due to the highly customized and personal nature of all these gifts, we recommend shopping early! Make sure to check holiday order deadlines to receive your orders in time for holiday gifting.

Win! A Personalized & Handmade Holiday Prize Package worth over $300!

Prize Package Includes: Alphabet Photography Custom Artwork in Floating Frame, Holiday Stocking from Le Papier Studio, Choice of Paper Hat Press Personalized Children’s Book, tiny giraffe shop Christmas Blocks, $50 Gift Card to That’s the Sweetest Thing and $25 Gift Card to The Funky Bee.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends December 5. Open to US mailing addresses.

Thanks to the generous sponsors for providing prizes and samples.

30 Days of Toys: Modular Castle Building Kit

by Kate on November 13th, 2012 | 5 Comments | 30 Days of Toys, Shopping

Toy: Manzanita Kids Modular Castle Building Kit

Get It For: One of the most versatile toys in the 30 Days of Toys, this Castle Building Kit aims to please kids from ages 2 to 12. The Castle can be home to princesses and knights to action figures.

Why We Like It: We are smitten with Manzanita Toys and this is the second year we’re featuring one of their gorgeous and versatile handmade toys in the toy gift guide. (Check out the Modular Vehicle here.) The Castle Building Kit is 28 wood pieces of different shapes and sizes that fit together to build the castle of your child’s dream. There’s no right or wrong – the only limit is imagination. Made of birch wood, this set is an investment that will entertain kids for years and happily be a hand-me-down from kid to kid.

Shop! Visit Manzanita Toys on Etsy and check out the innovative toys. The Modular Castle Building Kit is $110.

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To see the best toys for the holidays, check out our Toy Shopping Guide.
You can also browse our picks in the third annual 30 Days of Toys.