Another batch of Etsy treasures, where one of a kind holiday gift options abound.
If you missed it, check out our Etsy Round Up Part 1 and get inspired about finding some amazing Christmas presents from your couch. The hits just keep coming!
For the under 3 crowd:
Teething Toy Moustache
If you got a kick out of Mini Movember, keep the fun going all year with this wooden wonder by teethME.
Screen Printed Sushi Bib and Hat
They might not be skilled with chopsticks yet, (or even their fingers), but this bib and hat set will keep your little dynamite roll clean. By LEFTright.
For the 3 – 6 crowd:
Felt Campfire Playset
Bring the best part of camping inside, all year round. This set comes with 8-inch flames, logs, rocks, a roasting stick with Velcro on the end with stickable hotdog and s’mores set. By kidnaroundcreations. Read more...
Break out the craft supplies and personalize your presents this year!
Making gifts can be fun and easy and it looks way more thoughtful than buying a random candle present. Plus, it’s always priceless seeing the kids’ faces beam with pride when they deliver something homemade. Here are 5 totally doable and kid-help friendly DIY gift ideas.
Stenciled napkins and tea towels
You can cut your own stencil designs out of cardstock with an exacto knife, or buy some plastic stencils from a craft store. Pre-wash some blank tea towels and napkins and iron out creases. Now, place your stencil overtop of the towel and secure with masking tape. Dip a stencil brush into it some fabric paint and dab the paint on the towel – don’t smear like you’re using a regular paintbrush. After applying a few coats, peel off the stencil and allow to dry. Fold and tie your tea towels and napkins together with kitchen twine and attach a gift tag to label your one of a kind threads!Read more...
Before Hillary Clinton said it, there was an African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. I definitely believe to be a happy functional family that one needs a community around them. I was reminded again of the importance of this when we recently had our baby shower with close friends and family. My parents made five lasagnas, my sister a cake and my girlfriends brought nibbles, salads, drinks and cupcakes. And a lovely afternoon party was had.
We didn’t spend hours opening presents in front of people and also men and children were invited. This isn’t the first or last shower that I’ve been to that is more inclusive. Men are taking a more active role as dads, as it should be. According to Christine Langlois, author of Raising Great Kids, children whose fathers are involved in their everyday lives have better social development, self-esteem and chances of academic success. Read more...
The end of the school year is quickly approaching. What’cha gonna do?
It’s safe to say that here at Bunch, we love teachers. We really, really love them. We also know sometimes they have some tough stuff to deal with, like 28 5-year-olds running around and pinching each other, so at the end of the school year, we really want to show our appreciation for all their hard work. This week we polled our readers for some great gift ideas for all the teachers out there.
@charmdone17, Sonya and Michelle go with gift cards from Tim Horton’s, the teacher’s favourite store or a group gift card to a popular mall
Kelly said: My kids donate a signed book to the library and contribute to a group gift, as well as take a photo of themselves holding a personal message Read more...
This craft comes to us from and DIYFashion and is a great idea for dads who are into music. It also happens to be incredibly easy, quick, and cheap. Once it’s finished, your vinyl bowl can be used to hold all kinds of stuff, from candy to the remote or other small gadgets.
You’ll need:
A vinyl record (preferably one that Dad still isn’t listening to)
Oven
Oven mitts
Cookie sheet
Oven-safe bowl or pot
Steps:
1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. It’s important the temperature is low and even. The idea is to soften the record, not melt it.
2. Open a window and put a fan on. These records are made of a plastic material, so it can get kinda smelly. Read more...
You may have one of those kids who doesn’t like chocolate, or you may just want to limit the amount of egg and bunny-shaped sugary treats they’re receiving this year. Either way, here are five Easter treats that lack both chocolate and high fructose corn syrup.
1. Egg sidewalk chalk: This treat comes closest to looking like what you might dip into a bowl of coloured water. Best part: A chalk egg lasts way longer than its chocolatey counterpart. Downside: Since we’ve been having such a grey/wet/snowy/crummy April, Sunday’s not looking like an optimal “get out and colour” day. Monday does though!
2. Bunny egg cups: The incredible, edible egg! Like, the real kind. Once you’ve boiled your free-run chicken eggs just enough so that the white is solid and the yolk is toast-dippingly perfect, a sweet little egg cup is the perfect way to serve breakfast on Easter morning. Read more...
What do you do when you’re Yahweh and the Egyptian Pharaoh won’t let the Israelite slaves go? Obviously, you send out a plague or 10 to show Pharaoh you mean business. How then do we teach the young ones about what went down between Moses and the Israelites and Pharaoh? Turning the water of the Nile into blood doesn’t exactly scream fun and games… and yet here are seven fun and silly plague-themed gifts:
1. Bag ‘O Plagues – all your favourite plagues in a handy carrying bag
Introducing a new weekly blog from Meri Perra, a talented journalist interested in social justice issues. Meri writes about the challenges she and her partner face in trying to raise their girls with feminist values.
I’m not the first feminist-turned-mother to talk about this. And absolutely for sure, I will not be the last. But this Christmas, the two most popular presents our little girls received were a baby doll that does the drink and pee thing (in my opinion, ick) and a mostly pink, plastic dollhouse. And our little girls are going nuts over both of them. Those girly gifts did not come from us mommies. Instead they came from two people who didn’t think so much about our daughters’ personalities when they were shopping, as they did their gender. And lo and behold, gender rules. Read more...
Previously, we got all of you Bunchlanders to reveal stories of gift fails: those horrible, awful, what-were-they-thinking presents you received as kids that were totally age-inappropriate, really boring or just plain weird. Tales of gigantic underpants, tampons and Don Ho records abounded.
In an effort to end the year on a more positive note, we recently shouted out on our Facebook and Twitter for your most treasured Christmas gift memories. As usual, you guys gave us a huge response. Here are the childhood Christmas gifts you remember the most.
“Theatre tickets from my grandma — it became a tradition. Also, when my nana bought matching pajamas for me and my Cabbage Patch doll. Amazing.” -Meghan, online editor
“Commodore 64.” -Natasha
“Probably a pair of Doc Marten boots. They were the super cool thing to have when I was about 15.” @JosiahsMommy123
Make great looking gifts from recycled materials and things you find around the house.
Wrapping Paper
For the paper itself, use old newspapers, tissue paper (from your recent purchases perhaps) or blue prints. You can acquire old blue prints by calling up a local contractor. Pro tip: Make sure you use the Arts & Life or Style section of the newspaper — a murder-suicide headline really saps the Christmas spirit. All these techniques can also be applied to paper shopping bags.
Potato Prints:
Cut potato in half and cut out holiday shapes in relief. (This part is for the grownups) We suggest pine trees, holly berries and leaves, stars, ornaments, snowflakes, snowmen and standard geometric shapes.
Paint stamps with a brush, or dip into a paint-filled plate. Pro tip: Make a “stamp pad” by soaking a piece of felt in the paint plate — this gives a crisper potato print. Read more...
This holiday season, give your kid something that can’t fit in a box
Before you hit the malls this weekend to contend with a shortage of parking spots, crowds of grumpy shoppers and crazy prices for this season’s must-have toy, consider that maybe your kids don’t need another toy this year. Maybe what they could really use is something that can’t be wrapped up and slapped with a big bow. We’re talking about gifts that aren’t actual things, but experiences that lead to lots of fun with friends and family. The gift of experience, if you will. While some of these ideas do involve digging into your wallet a little, the message is that sometimes lifelong memories are more valuable than Silly Bandz. Read more...
