{Lovely Clusters}

Lovely Clusters is gathering a list of bloggers who also create lovely things ~ brilliant! So I thought I'd give you the link to her blog, and also answer some questions that she has for the bloggers/creators.... And for those of you new to my little blog here, this will be a nice introduction for you to meet and learn a bit more about me!

*Intro to myself...
I am married to a wonderful husband of 7 years, and have a 3yo son and almost-here (as in, DUE TOMORROW!) baby girl on the way! I love the Lord with all my heart and am a type-A {perfectionist, "to-do" lister and non-stop action} personality all the way!

*What I create...
I come from a background in political science, finances and interior design {I know, I know...such a combo}, but have comfortably landed myself into the world of creating {designing and sewing} kids' clothing, baby accessories and children's toys. How did this happen? After having my son and receiving too many baby blue and "charactered" items, I knew I wanted more modern, "couture" baby accessories and clothing, and so began my business, Adam's Blankie {couture baby gifts & bedding}, Haute Tot Couture {couture children's clothing} and Gourmet Play {natural felt play toys, shaped crayons and more}.

*Images of what I create...

double minky, watermelon dots ruffled edge cuddlie blankie

spotted owl bib

"rockstar" crib bedding

"amped up" doodle diddie crayon roll

black and white damask bib and burp set

knottie sensory ribbon lovie blankie in "morning glory"

boys buttoned shirt in "zoology"

girls ruffled dress/shirt in "tweet tweet"

heart-shaped frosted felt sugar cookies

chunky star crayons

Have a product you'd like reviewed?
Contact me at adamsblankie@gmail.com
www.adamsblankie.etsy.com
www.gourmetplay.etsy.com

Thank you to all who entered our giveaway!
The winners are listed below! Merry Christmas!

Bib and Burp Set - erin, maker of chimes
Tea Bag Set - Hailey

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Tis the season to be jolly...especially since we have 2 festive {giveaways} for you to enter!

Win this decadently divine Ironwork bib and burp set from {Adam's Blankie}. The fabric is a designer print from Joel Dewberry and is backed with plush, absorbant cream chenille.

Win a cute, creative tea bag set (2 flavors) for your little one's play kitchen from
{Gourmet Play}.

{To enter}:
Become a follower of this blog, and then submit a comment on this post/thread for your entry.
The drawings will close December 16th, and the winners will be chosen and posted December 17th.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

{Holiday GiveAways}!

{Holiday Giveaways}. You gotta love them. So I thought I'd bring you one...it is the season of giving, afterall. It will be happening some time in the next week or two, so be sure to stop back to see what's on the goodie list! The {giveaways} will include one item from my Adam's Blankie shop
and one from my Gourmet Play shop!
Can't wait!

Here is a sneak peek at one of the {giveaways}...can you guess what it is??


Also, we are donating one of our {sushi bib & burp sets} to Fabulous K for her own {holiday giveaway}, which starts TODAY! Just click the "fab k's giveaway" button on the right
to find some lovelies to win!
Enjoy!

Cyber Monday!

So...you've been out and about all weekend, striving to find those perfect gifts at the perfect prices, right? And now that you're completely exhausted from the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving AND Black Friday, you {and your feet} should heartily welcome "Cyber Monday." What's that mean for you, you ask? Ways to score FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS and DISCOUNTS at Adam's Blankie and Gourmet Play! You better head over now, though - these deals will only last 24 hours starting...NOW!

(Check shop announcements at the tops of the shops for details on how to score these deals!)

By the way, if you'd like to purchase the beautiful swag (or other similars) shown above, just head on over to www.twoinspireyou.etsy.com. They have some absolute holiday lovelies there!

You Ask, You Shall Receive...PATTERNS!

A lovely Wednesday morning to you all, I hope!

I can't remember the last time I was this excited about something (other than my pregnancy, of course!)... I wanted to share with you our EXCITING news that both our Gourmet Play and Adam's Blankie stores will now be offering our in very high demand {and very economical!) PATTERNS! That's right, now YOU can have the same couture & toys but at a fraction of the cost (most will be a mere $5 per pattern!) by making them yourselves and without the cost of shipping, as well! And once you have the pattern (emailed to you within 48 hours of purchase), you can use them to make the items over and over again...sweet. And we'll also have a Fabric Kit option available for most patterns just in case you want to save even more time by not having to go to a store for fabric, not to mention having access to our fabulous designer fabrics! Of course, you'll still have the option to purchase the goodies already made by me, but this gives you some options...which are always good to have.

We have a few items listed already and will be adding more and more every week! My goal is to have at least half our items available as patterns, so I'll be a busy gal! This will, of course, allow me to have some "rest" once baby girl arrives in March (because YOU'LL be doing the sewing instead of me!), which was a huge part of the inspiration, along with my desire to share my creativity with you!

These are absolutely FABULOUS for the upcoming (or maybe it's officially already here?! that's up for debate, I guess...) holiday season, by the way, and also for birthday parties and baby showers naturally!

Our first ones that are already up and ready to be purchased include our Paper Bloom Balls (a folkcraft I learned from my Mom who used to make them when she was a little girl!), Owie-All-Gone bags, bean bags & shaped crayons! They are beginner level sewing (no sewing involved for the crayons, of course!), so, YES, you can DO IT! :) Up next? Tooth Fairy Pillows & Sachet Kits!!

paper bloom balls

shaped {snowflake} crayons

owie-all-gone bags

bean bag set

NOW...HERE'S YOUR INCENTIVE!
To aid in our progression over to a pattern-friendly store, I'd like to know a few things...now just hang with me a second...because if you participate in my little questionnaire, I'll offer THREE LUCKY WINNERS ONE FREE PDF PATTERN EACH (You MUST enter your name/email at the end of the survey to be entered)! Click here for our survey! And THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support and time!

Adorable Gifts for Every Kid

Believe it or not, it's time to start shopping for Christmas gifts...I know, I know...it doesn't seem possible. But trust me. It is!

For those fantastic kiddos in your life, why not spread the love to some beloved small businesses by buying handmade? Parents.com has featured several different Etsy shops (if you're not familiar with Etsy, it's a site centered around all things handmade, and the talent there is quite amazing, if I do say so myself!) that are worth your checking out. They have a list for baby gifts, and also one for kids.

Our own Gourmet Play's (www.gourmetplay.etsy.com) "green eggs & ham" have been featured, and we couldn't be more excited! Here's what Parents.com had to say about them:

For the Petite Foodie
"Prove that green eggs and ham do exist with this clever felt meal. Each item is made with felt and stuffed with fiberfill for a puffy, lifelike look. Our favorite feature? Each set comes packaged in a cellophane bag with designer fabric and tag so there's no gift wrap needed."
So stop by today and let us know what you think! But hurry - we can only guarantee delivery by Christmas for all orders placed by December 10th!

Happy shopping!

Trick or Treat (Candy Alternative)

So all kids love candy on Halloween, of course, but not all parents (or dentists, for that matter!) do, and rightly so. With everyone becoming more health-conscious lately, we certainly should not overlook that of our littlest inhabitants here on earth. So here is a fantastic alternative to giving out sweets that will not only not rot the kids' teeth but will also last longer than the week past Halloween! I myself plan to give these out to the younger kids, say ages 5 and under...and I think parents will appreciate my gesture, and won't have to feel bad about throwing out their child's hard-earned loot (a.k.a, candy), as I know some parents end up doing.

Gourmet Play makes these adorable little Halloween swirly fun crayons that are the perfect size for handing out to the little trick-or-treaters who will be ever-so-sweetly ringing your doorbell nonstop in the coming weeks! They have everything from jack-o-lanterns and fall leaves to witches, ghosts, pumpkins and haunted houses! At just $5.25 for 6, this is a great deal, especially since they come pre-packaged individually in a clear cellophane bag with a label! Other great suggestions are using them for any upcoming Halloween parties you have, or for favors for your pre-schooler's class!

last minute deal for blog followers ONLY: 20% off your order of any Halloween/Fall themed crayons, when at least 35 crayons are ordered by October 24th!! (Remember, you MUST be a blog follower to get this deal!). Refunds to be sent via PayPal once the order has been received.



halloween assortment - choose any 6 for $5.25

autumn leaves - 3 for $3.25


jack-o-lanterns - 3 for $3.50

Waldorf-Inspired Toys for Kids: Construction or Tot Town Play Mats

Gourmet Play offers two different play mats for your children: one that resembles more of a construction site and one that resembles a town within the pattern of the fabric, with parks, playgrounds, roads and more!


The construction site playmat is a great option for boys, of course, and is a more "natural" playmat with hand-crafted roads, bushes and water made out of a variety of different fabrics and textures (the main road is made out of herringbone fabric with some shimmer, er "shiny rocks" within it!). It measures a whopping 31"x38" and fits nicely on most train tables (a great alternative for the table when not being used by the trains!). It is constructed in felt and backed with a khaki-colored cotton fabric. The mat also includes a set of straps sewn into the side to easily roll up and stow away in a closet or under a bed when not in use.


The tot town playmat is a smaller mat (18"x20") and is perfect for on-the-go outings - use it on restaurant tabletops, waiting at the airport or in doctor's offices. It too can be rolled up for easy storage in your diaper bag or (large) purse. Ribbons are sewn into its seams for a more "fancy" closure. The mat is backed with hearty denim for maximum life and a "stiffness" for the roads.

Either play mat would make a fantastic birthday gift, and you can feel good about supporting a small business that hand-crafts all their items right here in the USA. Visit Gourmet Play for more birthday party favor & gift options, along with other natura, waldorf-inspired toys!

Children's Birthday Parties

I don't know about you, but whenever my child's birthday comes around, I think, "Whatever am I going to do THIS year?!" Well, I've got a couple fantastic ideas for you, and the birthday will certainly be a big hit, if you choose one of these!

One of my girlfriends had a "Safari Party" for her 2-year old last year, and it was so cute, and yet so fun for the kids! The kids were given toy binoculars and safari hats to use for the "safari hunt,"which consisted of the children finding the peanuts (in shells) around the backyard. They put the peanuts into their own paper bag painted (or you could use stamps) with their name and a safari animal. Once they were all found, they took the peanuts over to feed the "elephant." The elephant was so craftily done: it was a big gray plastic tub as the body, a box painted gray for the head, with painted black eyes, and the trunk was made out of some coiled tubing (see image below). The kids got to keep their hats and binocular as party favors - too cute (and my son still plays with the binoculars!)

For food, you can do animal cookies of course and jello jigglers shaped like wild animals. For a beverage, serve up some "jungle juice." Just pour lemon-lime soda into a punch bowl, then right before serving, add lime sherbet, which will turn it into a green, swampy "jungle juice!"



Another idea, especially for that girly girl in your life, is to host a garden birthday party. You can use green tablecloths to represent the grass, set out your child's tea set/s as the dishes, and fill little terracotta pots with dirt as the table centerpieces. The children can plant seeds in the pots, and then take them home as party favors. This will not only be a great hands-on activity, but it will be such a learning experience for them, to not only see how plants are started, but how they grow later when cared for with sunlight and water! Decorating pet rocks with glue and glitter (used to make flowers on them, of course!) would also be fantastic! And yet another activity would be for them to draw garden scenes on a big sheet of brown kraft paper; you could use the blooms crayons from Gourmet Play to really play up the theme, which would again double as fantastic party favors! Make sure your invitation tells all the little girls to come dressed in their best sundresses and sun hats - how fantastic do you think those birthday pictures will look?!

For food, little cupcakes decorated with ice flowers, and finger sandwiches will delight! Don't forget the fruit and veggie sides with dips! For a fabulous and very easy fruit dip, just mix a jar of marshmallow creme with 8 ounces of (softened) cream cheese and whip until smooth. For the veggies, classic ranch dressing is always a hit with little ones!