{ Spout }

I just love this little whale clip. The shade of blue goes so well with {m}' s complexion. The little thread spout is the perfect touch! Cute, cute cute!
{M} is forever brushing her hair out of her eyes. I'm always on the lookout for cute, original designs.

Want your own clip. Visit PammyDawn on Etsy.
Lots of other fun little creatures to be had-adorable & affordable.

{ Little Animals }

LOVE LOVE LOVE theses fun winter hats. {L} is the black sheep of the family(not really) and {M} is in a little piggie cap. I saw these last month, yes in the middle of summer, and had to have them! We are all stocked up for the winter now.
{M} has been wearing hers' since it arrived. She adores it. The only problem is it's been 90 degrees outside-lol. I keep trying to put in aside for the cold weather, but she keeps convincing me to keep it out. She likes to walk around with it pulled over her eyes saying "I can't see, I can't see".
{L} isn't sure how much he likes his yet. It's a little big, so that it will fit this winter. It slips over his eyes and he freaks out. {D} thinks it's hilarious!



I ordered these from a great shop on Etsy-LuLu's Woobies. I am thrilled with the quality and design! She offers a variety of knit designs including a bear, fox and panda. Great customer service too! I highly recommend checking out LuLu's. Get your own hat here:
http://luluswoobies.etsy.com/.
The shop is running a sale for the rest of the month too.

Enjoy!

{ ZadyBall }

I do a lot of shopping for the kids on Etsy. I love supporting handmade-and local if possible.

I came across these fun Zadyballs while searching in one of my groups. Zadyball creator, Alayna, is also in my Etsybaby group.

My original intention was to keep the larger, blue one and give my sister's baby the smaller white one, but "L" had a different idea. He loves the white one, which also houses a bell inside. So...we now own two Zadyballs and love them both-sorry little sister.

It's a wonderful toy without plastic and a million blinking lights and sounds. I am really trying to get back to basics with the toys we purchase now.

Simple, non-plastic, no flashing lights or swirling parts. I think kids should go back to using their imaginations and being creative. Many of the "toys" on the market "play" themselves while the children sit and watch them. No more!

I hope the trend goes in the other direction and people start thinking about the lead paint, plastic leeching and get back to some of the basics.

If you want your own special Zadyball, please visit: http://zadyball.etsy.com/. The owner is super friendly and has perfected this toy from her own design. Not only are they fun, but you can't beat the prices at $10-$15.

{Customer Appreciation Sale}

Don't miss the Best Sale of the Summer!
Want to save gas and stay cool while leisurely shopping for bargains?The EtsyBABY© Street Team is having a SUPER SUMMER SALE!

Stock up on those baby essentials now, while you have the chance! Be sure to visit, http://ShopEtsyBABY.com/customer to see the 32 participating EtsyBABY© boutique's and the specials each shop is offering!

Ride the EtsyBABY© wave and surf through the Summer Sail-A-Thon, during July 14th to the 31st!

{Craftin Outlaws 08}

Kunklebaby will be at the 2008 Craftin Oulaws show. Yay! We had a wonderful time last year and are really looking forward to the new, larger location. So. any locals, come out and show your support. That said, I better get outta here and start sewing my butt off.

August 16th

BOMA-Bar of Modern Art

12-7pm

First 10o visitors get FREE swag bags full of goodies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am also putting together FREE Etsy sample bags. Stop by my booth and pick one up. They will include samples, coupons and cool, little goodies from artisans all over the country.

{ Best Daddy }

I just love this picture. The kids are so in love with their Dad-especially "M". We were just leaving the zoo after a long, hot day when I took this shot f the two of them. She' s such a sweet little girl and can't get enough hugs from her him. At the same time, she's super tough and love wrestling and playing with the boys.

He is truly a great father! He is always around for the kids to talk to. Every night he hurries home from work so he can spend as much time with us as possible before bedtime. He has pushed aside many of his hobbies and free time to help out. He is the most doting dad you'll ever meet. He takes the time to explain things at a child's level and never makes them feel like it's a trouble, or they are wasting his time.

Growing up, I had a wonderful father who was always supportive of me and my art. All I ever wanted was to give my children as great of a dad as I had growing up. We are truly lucky, because we have one.

{ El Diablito }

My own person little devil...well really he's angel, but he's still got time! Look at that smile.
I'm currently working on my new line of t-shirts. Little "L" is modeling my favorite one. I have a big, new batch of black and red shirts and bodysuits. I'm always annoyed when the only color choices are white or blue for little boys-or white and pink for girls. I love the black and it's not readily available in stores!
There will be a division of Loteria shirts as well as some vintage letter patches (from Autralia) and dancing princess'. The letter patch shirts are all one of a kind, as I only have one patch in each design. They are all really fun and I have to be careful or I'll keep them all.
We had a lovely week relaxing and visiting family for the 4th of July. Our week included the zoo, relaxing, swimming, relaxing, farmers market, relaxing-lol.
"L" sprouted a FEW more teeth, so he was a bit grumpy at times. "D" and "M" were amazed by the fireworks this year. "M" is a little scared of the loud noise, so she cuddled up tight with her daddy. The baby slepy through most of the fireworks, leading me to believe this child can sleep through anything!

{ Lil Bunny Announcements }

My little sister is expecting her first baby. So, I've once again starting looking at newborn stuff. I came across these adorable lil Bunny birth announcements in Earmarks shop.

Based in San Diego and run my a husband and wife team. You can also find cards, journals and fun paper goodies in this shop. The shop feature a great simplicity in design, but add a fun, quirky element in humor. Find them here: http://earmark.etsy.com/

{ Teeth Already! }

At two months old, "L" has two teeth. I can't believe it! We noticed the first one at 7 weeks. Poor little thing is cranky and in pain. He's usually such a calm, mellow baby-it's sad to see him hurting.
He has a third tooth just under his gums ready to join the other two any minute now. Since he is so young, he can't even self soothe himself. He's just old enough now to chew his hands, when he can get them in his mouth.

In the spirit of teething, here's some fun Etsy teeth stuff...

Snarf Monster from MintConspiracy.

My son looks like this at 4am when his little mouth is hurting. If your looking for unique little creatures, or oddities check out this fun shop! Be careful though,little monsters do not like being chewed on!
http://mintconspiracy.etsy.com/

Teeth Cards

Check out Two Sarahs for some interesting, graphic art pieces. Run by, you guessed it, two sarah's it's a wonderful shop based in Portland. Interesting note: Many of their pieces are mounted on red wooden blocks.

http://twosarahs.etsy.com/

Happy Tooth Charm
Wish my baby could be as smiley as these charms from Komodokat-an Etsy artisan from Texas. Check out the shop for a great selection of creative charms and accessories.
http://www.komodokat.etsy.com/

Meant for babe:

This great wooden, teether from Stumppondtoy. Coated with a non-toxic finish, perfect for all the green babies out there. Check out the shop for wonderful wooden toys too! No paint, stains, or breakable plastics found in any of the items.

http://stumppondtoy.etsy.com/

{ Baby Love }

I love watching my three children interact with each other. "L" is so in love with his older sister and brother! He just giggles and smiles away at them. "M" is a little mama herself. As soon as the baby starts to cry she comforts him and yells "Mama, the baby is hungry. HURRY!" It's so sweet. No matter how soon it's been after a feeding, she is sure he is starving. He smiled at her one day and melted her heart. Ever since, she is devoted to him.

"D" spends his time entertaining "L". He sing, dances and tells stories. He likes to sing the Wheels on the Bus, but add in members of our family and the funny things we say. When it's time for the baby, he says "Burp, burp, burp."

"D" is also suddenly interested in Venom, from Spiderman. He walks around the house chanting "We are Venom". So far this summer it's gone from a Vampire, to David Bowie, now to Venom. His characters are always evolving. For the past month he has been reciting, David Bowie's lines from The Labyrinth-with great accuracy for someone his age. He wants to grow up and BE David Bowie now. He took a photo to his last haircut so he could have "David Bowie hair".

I snapped these shots the other day while trying to get a photo showing how my bibs can go from newborn size through toddler+. The baby was less than thrilled, but the other two thought it was fabulous fun.

One little fish

1 little, 2 little, 3 little fishies.

I received this adorable outfit, and a matching bib on Saturday. I couldn't wait to get it on L! This was a gift from the Etsy Baby Shower. Shops sign up and donate handmade gifts to the mama's to be. It's really fun. I have donated to other mom's in the past showers, but this was the first time I was on the receiving side.

Darcy from Chew Chews Closet made this beautiful creation for us. It's sewn perfectly and the fabric is adorable. I just love it!! She has an entire shop filled with wonderful childrens clothing and accesories. My favorite are her sets(this fish one being my absolute fav). The pirate tee and short sets for both boys and girls, are extra fun too.

Many thanks to Darcy! Please check out her wonderful shop:

http://chewchewscloset.etsy.com/

Sleepy, Sleepy Boy

Third time's the charm, must be true! The baby is sleeping 5-6 hours at night at only 6 weeks-yay! He wakes up about 4 am for a feeding and then goes right back to sleep for another 3-4 hours. I can't believe I am actually feeling rested so soon.
The other day I laid the baby down to nap and my eldest son came to tell me he gave the baby his doll. As soon as I took a peek, I ran for the camera. What a sweet sight! My other two children picked out the doll while I was still pregnant and the baby was "Eggy"-gender unknown. It was a great way for them to bond with their new sibling before he arrived. They felt a part of the pregnancy and in return closer to the baby, at birth.

I LOVE this doll! I cannot wiat until Lucian makes it one of his cherished lovey's. It's from Cara at Green Bean Boutique on Etsy. It's so well made and promotes natural toys and learning. Something I think is important. She's super sweet to work with and just talk to. If you want your own Waldorf doll, or are in the market for cloth diapers check out her shop:

http://greenbeanboutique.etsy.com or check out her blog which is located under my blog links section. I think she may be currently on break growing her new bean, but check back. She has a wonderful shop and is a delightful person.

All in a smile

The baby just this week, started smiling at us. It's so awesome to realize he see's me and is happy to see me. I remembered why babies laugh at their parents so much-we are willing to do "anything" to get them to smile. Most often we look and sound ridiculous. All the oooohs and ahhhh-smiley baby, and the kids are bound to think we are insane. I think they wait to smile, just to see what they can get us to do next.

As much as seeing the baby smile warms my heart, seeing the older kids smile is just as fulfilling. It's sucha great feeling to know they are happy and life is good for them. A simple thing like a push on the swings, or a butterfly are magic.

They bring a little magic back into my life everyday. They remind me about what's actually important vs. perceived.

How I love my babies-all 3!

Day to Day!

Yesterday was the longest day EVER! It started at 5am when the baby started crying...it ended at 11pm with the baby crying.


My husband had a late meeting, so it was the kids and me-solo. After dinner, when I finally started getting restless, my son suggested we take some pictures. The boys are wearing matching shirts I made for them.

The end result was some super cute shots and a lot of fun. It really brightened the evening and made the rest of the night with a cranky newborn, much easier.





Sometimes all you need to do is ask a toddler for advice, they know how to have fun-lol.

Sleepless Nights

I've never been a person who does well on little sleep. As a child, I would stay in bed until the very last minute and rush around to get to school on time. I love sleeping. That said, it's suprising how much I like watching my babies, either asleep or wide eyes, in the middle of the night. It's such a special moment-like time stands still. There are no ringing phones, siblings bickering, chores to tend to, no worries about the sleep I am missing.

The only thing that seems to exist is me and my special bundle of joy. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the alone time, with my first two. How quickly they have grown into independ little toddlers and beyond. I can still look at them and remember their own special, little, twinkling newborn eyes in the middle of the night.

Newest Kunkebaby Addition! It's a boy

Welcome Baby Lucian!

He was 9lbs and 22" long. A nice big, healthy baby boy.

We are so thrilled with the newest member of our family.

Shop Feature: Cherry Blossoms Design

Cherry Blossoms Design offer a fantastic assortment of hair accessories for the special girl in your life. The shop owner, Kiley is super friendly and wonderful to work with.


* Tell us about your shop:
I established Cherry Blossoms in 2006 when my baby girl was born. I sought high quality unique hair accessories that were both beautiful, functional, and affordable, with no success.

* How did you get started?
Well I am an actress, I love to act and share my talents with others. After I graduated college I worked for a year and then was blessed with a beautiful little girl. I started going stir-crazy at home with all my built up creativeness so...I began fabricating my own designs with distribution amongst friends and family. Compliments and inquiries from others soon followed, as well as numerous requests for customized work. I decided it was time to make the big jump and began selling my creations.

* Where does your shop name come from?
I LOVE gardens, flowers, elegance, anything beautiful! My husband and I were going through names we thought were elegant, yet beautiful to name the shop...and what could be more elegant and beautiful than Cherry Blossoms? I can't take the credit for that though, my husband thought of the name!

* Advice for other artist?
Promote! Be unique and make things you would be proud of! I am proud to put any of my creations on my daughter! I love what I do!

* Favorite or best selling product?
I love my reversible headbands (you get 3 looks for the price of one!), and I love my hats, and my adjustable headbands (they grow with your little one...no more wearing a headband for a week or two!) My best selling product would have to be Thumbelina (aka the Pink Stretch Headband ), and the Snow Queen Headband.

* Any additional info you find interesting or relevant:
A BIG THANK YOU to all my customers over this past year...its been great fun working with you and getting to know you!

You can visit her Etsy shop here: http://cherryblossomsdesign.etsy.com

Spring Pinafores!

Get ready for Spring with the new Kunklebaby reversible Pinafore Collection.

Nice and cool for the warm weather and 100% cotton, so they will breathe well. If one side gets dirty, just switch to the other-it's like getting two shirts for the price of one. The beauty of this style dress is it’s capability to move through sizes with your child. So much more use than most other clothes that your child seems to grow out of weekly!In the cooler months just pair it will a long sleeve shirt underneath. Great way to carry it through a few seasons.

Bumbleberry Baking

Looking for some yummy treats? Look no further than Bumbleberry Baking. Delicious, rich goodies to satisfy any sweet tooth!

* Tell us about your shop:
Bumbleberry Baking Co. is an organic baked goods company which produces delicious muffins and cookies. We bake in small batches, using the finest organic ingredients and never including additives or preservatives. We always bake and ship same day so our customers can receive the freshest possible baked goods. We focus on the importance of baking something from scratch, and we like to say that our products are always made by hand, from the heart.

* How did you get started?
I started Bumbleberry after being a graphic designer for 3 years and wanting a change in my career path. It was important for me to still maintain my creativity, so I focused on what I loved to do and what experience I had learned working at a small business, and decided to pursue organic baking. After being a “buyer-only” on Etsy.com for an entire year, I was ready to become a seller and join the amazing and talented community of craftsmen and artisans and be a part of Etsyʼs edible section.

* Where does your shop name come from?
I first started brainstorming about adjectives that I thought this company should have, as well as how those terms should be shown in the logo, packaging, and overall brand. Basically, how would I appear in the marketplace. I thought the company should appear to be playful, lighthearted, fresh, warm and inviting. Then I started flipping through cookbooks, looking for descriptive words or baking terminology. I had a lot of the obvious, “sugar” and “sweet stuff”, but then came across the name of a mixed berry pie: Bumbleberry. I really loved the sound of it, the word itself is very whimsical. It definitely could represent the sweetness of a baking company, and encompassed all of the adjectives that I knew I wanted my brand to have, without being so literal.

* Advice for other artist?
Definitely the best piece of advice I can give is be true to yourself. Love what you do and have
confidence in it. It can be disheartening when there is so much youʼre up against to really succeed, but kept persevering because it will pay off. Focus on your product and learn how to make it different from the rest. Donʼt forget the little things, like a handwritten note included in your package. And always have great customer service!

* Favorite or best selling product?
My favorite product is the Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins, they have such great texture and really stay moist from the pumpkin. I love them in the fall, when the air is turning crisp and the flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg really are satisfying. I also love the Chocolate Chunk Cookies, which are extremely rich. Itʼs a great cookie to share with someone special because theyʼre so decadent and are so large!

* Any additional info you find interesting or relevant :
A great book that I would recommend to any creative person that is interested in starting their own company or selling their own products is Craft, Inc: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco. I found it much more interesting than other small business books I read because itʼs written by a designer so she was able to speak about very serious business topics in a refreshing way. Itʼs also a wealth of info, from the basics of applying for licenses, to creating your brand, to marketing yourself, to selling wholesale. It was very inspiring for me, besides being very informative.

For these goodies and more visit: http://bumbleberrybaking.etsy.com

Creating and Motherhood.

Kunklebaby has helped me continue to create and be a mother. Before having children I spent my busy days attending college, working and painting. Little time was spent at home and I was always on the trying to get to the next thing in time. I loved my job and I was enjoying college.

I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I wanted to stay home and raise my children myself. Daycare was not something I ever considered. I looked at the time when your kids are young as so short, I didn't want to miss a thing!

What I did not plan for was how isolating it was being a stay at home mama. With no family nearby, I found much of my time at home, alone-with the kids. While I loved being a mom, I longed for the creative life I used to have-and talking to an actual adult. I was still painting, but at a greatly reduced pace. I decided to learn how to sew. It was something I had always wanted to learn, but never did. I could also do it while my son was with me, which was a big plus!

After my second child, I decided to kick the sewing into overdrive. I made blanket upon blanket. My daughter had an entire closet filled with dresses I had designed and made. Our bib collection was busting at the seams. My husband started to worry about my overflowing fabric stash and the multiplying creations at our home. It was at this point that Kunklebaby came to be. If both my family & friends were enjoying my creations, so could others.

Kunklebaby has allowed me to remain sane, and be the best mother I can. I get to stay home with my beautiful family, contribute financially, and create. Etsy is also a great community where I have met wonderful artists and crafters. I love getting to chat with people who share my desire to create. People I would never have had the chance to meet in life-all walks off life and spread across the country. I feel I have a new network of friends for support and help-wonderfully creative people. I have met more mothers on Etsy than in my daily life. It's great to realize others are going through the same daily struggles-naptime, potty training, activities.

I no longer feel the isolation and resentment that started creeping into my life. I was resenting my new home bound, very structured, uncreative days. I am now able to encompass everything I find important. It's wonderful!! I'm looking forward to painting again. The kids are now old enough where I can paint with them, but with the arrival of baby #3, this goal may be put off for a bit longer. Keeping the goal is what is important to me. I am an artist and will always be. It took some time to get my current life accustomed to the fact, but now I'm so HAPPY!