Natural Wood Toys - An Etsy Shop (Amazing!)

     In my quest to replace as many plastic items as I could, I began searching for quality wooden horses. My daughter loves horses, so this was a *must* replace item. We had accumulated many plastic horses with plastic hair that now made me cringe. There are a lot of great wooden products out there, but we really wanted decently big horses that we could customize a bit, and all non-toxic. We finally found what we were looking for: Natural Wooden Toys! They are an AMAZING shop on Etsy with beautiful and unique wooden toys. We were able to customize the colors on our horses, and we ordered 5 of them. My daughter was SO excited to be able to order them! When they arrived we were super busy so I didn't get to open the box until long after she had been asleep. I have to tell you - when I saw them, I almost started crying. They are beautiful, absolutely wonderful and I am sure they will be treasured for a very long time!

     I was blown away by the craftsmanship and the lovely detail on them. They were exactly as my daughter asked. Not only that, but the sellers themselves were so wonderful to work with! They were extremely patient and answered all of my (numerous) questions, kindly and with as much info as they could. The entire experience has been great, which is not something you always get to say when purchasing online. Natural Wood Toys displays kindness and professionalism, which makes the whole purchase a very pleasant experience!

     I love the unique quality in hand crafted, hand painted items. Each is a bit unique and special in it's own way. You don't get that "same as everything else" type mold used in mass produced plastic toys, so each toy has a bit of unique character to it. And no one has two exactly alike.

     There are tons of customization options with the horses, which is great if you have a horse lover like my daughter who wants one in each color and type! :0P We sat down together and looked at the horses listed, as well as the color/design options sent to me, and picked out her 5 top picks. I can honestly say neither of us was disappointed! My daughter adores them!

     Last night I set them up in her room near her bed so when she awoke she would see them. I woke her up and sat with her, usual morning routine as she wakes up and gets up, waiting for her to notice them. I saw her eyes glance over them and then go back - "Horsies!" she said happily, with a huge smile on her face. :0) She got up and started looking over them, counting them, and exclaiming over them all.

    And we cannot forget the two smaller friends who came to live with us as well. My daughter held up the rabbit, telling me, "I love rabbits! I have been trying to catch one like this outside!" We have wild rabbits that run around this area looking for food daily, and she's always chasing them haha. The chipmunk is so cute as well, with it's adorable detail! So welcome home to our new adorable friends!

     So if you are looking for a beautiful and long lasting gift for your child or for someone else, please stop by Natural Wood Toys and see what they have to offer. You will not be disappointed! :0) The toys are all beautiful and wood is so much more long lasting than plastic!

Awesome Recycled Hair Clips! - Created by RECYCLEDLOVESA

     As I've been on the lookout for organic items to replace the non-organic ones that touch our skin, I've also been looking for recycled items that have been given a second life for us to take home. :0) It's been great how many I've seen! My daughter has lovely hair and she's outgrown the baby/toddler type hair clips and bows, usually because they are just to small. She also like unique things, just like her mom, so we went on a hunt (online) for cute recycled hair clips. Boy did we hit the jackpot! On Etsy we discovered a plethora of wonderful recycled items - including hair clips. Our favorites are from ReceycledLoveSA - these clips are totally unique, and absolutely adorable!

     Above is a pink bunny clip my daughter loves. We tried to get the best pictures possible to do these clips justice, but they look much better on the site!....hint, hint - go check the site ;0) I tried to buy clips to match my daughter's organic dresses, so that way we could not only simplify the mess of hair accessories in the hair clip box, but also have color coordinating clips.

     I think the flower shapes are my favorite, but I did see some other really cute designs on her site that we haven't tried yet. This one is perfect for any outfit with white in it!

     My daughter calls this her strawberry clip. :0) What a creative idea! These clips are made from felt and have an alligator clip, I believe, under it.

     This is our other color bunny clip. The very nice shop owner created this one for us by request - something I really appreciated! My daughter really liked the bunny clips so I was happy we could get them in multiple colors.

     This one is another of my daughter's favorites, mainly because her favorite color is green. I think the flower clips are very pretty and sweet.

     Ok this one is just awesome, I love it! I am a sucker for cute little animal items and this owl was no exception. It's so unique and super cute. :0)

     Yet another lovely little flower that was made by request. The shop owner was very easy to work with and very friendly. This is important because I buy and sell online a lot, so I'm always picking up on the attitude and communication of those I have transactions with. These clips were all just $1, and she has even more lovely clips for a couple extra bucks - so worth it! We received them quickly and my daughter asks to wear one of the every day. It's not very fun when I purchase something and my daughter dislikes it, so it has been great how much she enjoys these clips. The trick I've learned is to have her sit next to me and look over the items with me, so that way I know she will like what we pick out. I learned this after purchasing 3 sets of sheets she did not like, of course! That little experience taught me the need for discussing purchases with her, especially when they are for her. Oh and on that note, let's all say a big thanks to my lovely hair model, my daughter, who sat mostly very patiently while I repeatedly photographed her head. :0)

     RecycledLoveSA has detailed pictures and info on the listings, so you know exactly what you are getting and you can make your decisions with all the necessary info. She makes other great items as well: wine glasses, wine charms, picture frames, pendants, chalkboard labels, hats and more. So please go check out her store! Not only will you have a very unique item, but you are supporting reusing and re-purposing of things, which is extremely important to our planet. Even making a few "green" choices here and there has a big impact! So stop by and see what you can buy that has been made with Recycled Love. :0)