Introducing Marcie's Caring Hands

My mom is a retired preschool teacher, so there was a soft spot in my heart right away when I saw Marcie Kenny's website, Marcie's Caring Hands. Marcie is also a retired preschool teacher, and she has set up a blog to be a resource for parents of young children.

Her philosophy centers around the value of play for children, and her blog shares a variety of creative ideas that help us create the space and freedom to just be kids. In short, Marcie has taken her lifelong interest in child development and created a useful website with tips for all sorts of issues that come up with parenting, such as diapering, potty training, bedtime, and meals. She has lots of fun ideas for playtime, too, of course!

When I logged onto her site in early December, I found fun winter craft ideas like painting Christmas trees and putting snow in a water/sensory table indoors so that kids could play with it up close. Marcie also has lots of book reviews of books for children of all ages.

I love when someone sets up a website to share their knowledge and interests with the world, and Marcie has done just this. If you're a parent, an early childhood teacher, a daycare provider, or anyone who spends time with a child in your life, check out Marcie's blog for fun ideas.

Meet Mori and Sivan of Baby Steps Book

Mori and Sivan are a brother/sister team who created a business called Baby Steps Book. They create handmade baby books that reflect the diversity of today's families. Sivan is a graphic designer, and Mori is a product designer. Their books are inclusive, creative, and personalized.

1. When did Baby Steps Book first get started, and what inspired you to create this online business?

Baby Steps Book started when the creator, Sivan, needed a baby shower gift for an expecting friend. The friend was a single mom. Sivan wanted to get a baby memory book as a gift, but found that all the books refer to "Parents" and "Mom and Dad,"--and the friend was not interested in having any involvement from the paternal father in the baby's life. She wasn't happy with what was out there. The products she found were outdated in style or too expensive, and very importantly, didn't fit the family type appropriate for her friend. So she decided to create her own book, and called it Baby Steps Book! And this is how it all started.

In a small apartment in Los Angeles, California, Sivan, being a graphic designer by trade and an avid scrapbook crafter, decided to create a unique book for the friend. She removed all mentioning of the paternal father from the book and put an emphasis on the single mom. The mom LOVED the result. Sivan decided that she wanted to try and sell the books and see if other single parent families would be interested. After a few months of working on the content of the book, she contacted her brother, Mori, who is a product designer by trade, and they worked together in creating the binding for the book. Selecting strong and durable materials, 100% cotton fabrics, non bleached paper and other non toxic products, they crafted the first few books and started selling them online and Baby Steps Book was born.

After a while, Mori realized that they could also support a very important issue that they both care about, which is marriage equality and human rights. Sivan and Mori then started crafting and designing books for ALL families: single parent, LGBT (same sex), adopting, and surrogate parents, for example. They felt that this is an important issue to support, and they worked with those communities to evolve the content and cater to that niche that was not being served fairly, they thought. They once said, "We hope to help and support many families that don't fit the 'standard mold,' to find a way to share their dreams, experiences, and love with their friends and family. Our goal is to have a memory book for every family type out there in the world! Not just the ones that some think is the 'standard' family. Family is about loving each other and investing that love. There is no 'standard' when it comes to loving. This comes from our belief that EVERY person that is able and wants to bring a new life to this world should have the opportunity to do so. We are just trying to make it more pleasant and inclusive."

2. Would you tell us more about the handmade aspects of your books?

Every book is made by hand. Every binding is a handcrafted, unique book. Every fabric cover is cut by hand and has two caring hands making it from A to Z. It has recyclable, cardboard based front and back covers that are wrapped with 100% cotton fabrics with different patterns to suit the customers' requests. Every book has the baby's name on the front cover, custom-printed per each customer's request. There are many optional pages you can add to the book, based on your needs: there are pages to add information about the sister, brother of the baby, the pets of the house, the donor if there is one, and many more that create a unique and very personal book for each individual family. If you are interested in a page design that doesn't exist, you can request that they design one JUST for you. Very personal service.

3. What's some of the feedback you've received from your customers so far?

Our customers love the fact that they can create a unique, original, and inclusive book. Many customers love the fact that you can change the names of the parents from Mom/Dad to Mum, Dada, Papi, Mama, and so on. We create every family member page per order. Our Australian and British parents LOVE that feature :)!

4. How do you come up with the different designs for your books?

Between Sivan and Mori, there is so much design experience that we have a lot more ideas in our heads than we can actually execute. We also have different tastes so it serves us greatly. Sivan is into the "cute and cuddly," and Mori has more of a Bauhaus, contemporary taste. Together we make a great and diverse team.

5. Do you have plans to expand to other items in addition to baby books in the future?

We are also creating, based on the same materials, baby shower books, that are great to record the moments before the birth and the great support of friends and family. We plan to continue and create great content for new families. If there is a need, we will discuss how we can help and create a solution for it. We constantly create new designs and new content. It is evolving as fast as the evolution of our society and family structures.

Thanks, Mori and Sivan!

Crochet on Etsy by Michele Whittaker

I posted about California-based Etsy seller Michele Whittaker earlier this summer when she had a special sale on Etsy to celebrate her birthday. I thought I'd follow up with more info about Michele and her creative process--and, of course, her Etsy shop.

Michele makes some really sweet clothing for babies. Not all of us have someone in our lives who can crochet, and having crocheted baby items is always something special. Her baby dresses are charming and unique. She also sells women's tops and purses and a variety of gift items, including pretty designs for Christmas.

What I especially admire about Michele's work is that she creates her own designs rather than working from standard patterns. I asked her about her history with crocheting, and she said that when she was very young, her godmother taught her to crochet. Her godmother also taught her knitting and sewing, but crochet became Michele's clear love. She says, "With just a crochet hook and a some thread, you can create anything, and sometimes I amaze myself when the final product comes out even better that what I expected."

Michele says she likes to just lets the thread guide her as she works. She even does this while choosing colors: "I'll have an idea in my head, and as I keep working, I get inspired to do this or that, and at the end it is completely different from what I had in mind. It goes the same for what color I am going to work on. I'll go in front of my stock of colors, and there will be one that says, 'Pick me.' I know it sounds funny, but this is how it is, and if for some reason I don't pay attention and choose another color, believe it or not whatever I try to do will not work, and I eventually take the color that spoke to me in the first place, and it will work like a charm."

Michele is a master of her craft, and a nice person to work with as well if you have a special project in mind and want to find the perfect crochet artist to create it for you. The video below shows the products Michele makes and sells on Etsy.

Original Crochet Work by Michele Whittaker

Based in Yucca Valley, California, Michele is an artist and craftsperson whose mode of expression is crochet. In her own words, she makes "elegant crochet dresses for elegant ladies." Michele's Etsy shop carries a variety of crocheted items, including dresses, tops, and tanks for girls and adults, plus a really lovely selection of clothing for babies and reborn babies. She also makes bags, bracelets, gloves, and other accessories.

A unique aspect of Michele's work is that she doesn't use a pattern. She takes notes as she works, so you will find similarities among her items, but each one is a one of a kind creation. If you're looking for a custom item, send Michele a message because she is a friendly person who puts a lot of love into her work and will collaborate with you to make just the right piece.

From now through August 15, 2014, Michele is having a special 50% off sale to celebrate her birthday. So celebrate with her and order something special today. I'm always glad to support independent artists and craftspeople on this blog, and if you watch the YouTube video below, you'll see a slideshow of her work and know what I mean when I say that she puts a lot of love into it.

Meet Laurie Cohen, Entrepreneur

Wife, mom, grandma, and entrepreneur, Laurie Cohen is the party-planning expert behind the Celebrationz4U family of websites: Birthday Party Kidz, Halloween Kidz, and For Bride and Baby. For craft ideas, party planning tips, deals on party supplies, recipes, and more, follow Laurie on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

1. Would you describe the Celebrationz4U network of websites and what the sites offer to readers?

In 2007, taking the cue from some of my friends and reaching back to find something I knew and could share, I developed my first website, ForBrideAndBaby.com. Within the pages of the site you will find some of the most unique ideas for weddings and babies that the web has to offer. With the success of For Bride and Baby, I felt the desire to expand my business to include a websites where my current--and hopefully, new!--subscribers can find all the information necessary to throw fabulous children's birthday parties, and I started BirthdayPartyKidz.com. In 2010, after seven grandchildren, I decided to start HalloweenKidz.com as a place to find Halloween costumes to match any theme, as well as fun costumes and accessories for kids to use year-round while playing dress-up.

2. How did you first become interested in the party supplies / party planning business?

I have been an entrepreneur for over 30 years. Twenty years ago, I was the owner of the Northbrook, Illinois-based Kreative Kids and Parties, Inc. where I taught music and imagination classes to local children ages two through five. I also created a music and imagination class that I performed at children’s birthday parties. Kids and their moms still run up to me on the street and tell me I sang at their parties or at their children's parties!

From those parties came a personalized entertainment service selecting and contracting over fifty entertainers for parties. Several years later, I opened a complete party goods store providing the party goods and goody bags for children's parties--and favors and centerpieces for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other parties. Now on its third owner, Kreative Parties is still a prominent business in the Northern Chicago suburbs.

3. What are some of your personal favorite ideas for party themes?

I have three daughters, so I'm partial to princess parties. Little girls love to dress up as princesses and invite their friends to court. The classic princesses like Cinderella are still popular. Princess party supplies are abundant and you'll find everything from tiaras to thank you notes for all the princess parties. Now that I have three grandsons, I get to see some boys birthday party themes like the Avengers, Batman, Spiderman, trucks, and tractors. I'm not sure that I have a favorite!

I also love Halloween parties. They can be made colorful and fun without being scary, and who doesn't like candy?

4. What do you think are the special touches that make a good party into a great party?

That's an easy one! Planning for every detail of the party is vital. I've created a birthday party checklist to eliminate forgetting anything; the checklist is available at BirthdayPartyKidz.com. There's also a bridal shower checklist and Planning a Baby Shower Ebook available on ForBrideandBaby.com.

The best parties have contingency plans and a complete schedule of activities from the time the guests arrive until you hand them a party favor. For kids' birthday parties, I always recommend getting some extra help. For less than you think, you can have your babysitter or a local college student or high schooler come and help with the kids and the serving. It's a lifesaver.

In planning parties with my own kids, we always started with a theme. It was often a decision based on many days of serious discussions between my daughters--who had minds of their own--and me, wanting to make them very happy.

5. Do you have advice for ways to find bargains and keep costs down when it comes to buying party supplies?

My number one tip is that you have an at-home birthday party. It's warm and fuzzy, and even with a professional clown or magician, it costs less than the local "in" place. At-home parties are also perfect for bridal showers, baby showers, and most any celebration. Once again, with the money you save in hosting your party at home, you can always spend just a little extra and hire some outside help.

Thanks, Laurie!