Do you like window shopping? Peering through windows to get a sense of what sort of goods a shop offers? Browsing for inspiration and ideas, always finding something you can’t live without...?

I just discovered a fun way to window shop online: pouncing on Etsy. You click the “Pounce” link on the front page and images of three items appear – all from recently updated shops that have not yet had a sale (“Undiscovered”). Click “Pounce Again” and you get three more. Or, you can click “Just Sold” and view images of three items from stores that have made recent sales.

There’s a good reason(s) why many Undiscovered shops are undiscovered: the photographs of their items are terrible. (Well, a lot of the items are ugly and/or useless and/or way overpriced as well, but...) Since the internet relies only on the sense of sight, your photos must be good or people will look elsewhere. And I’m not going to feature a terrible photo on my blog because it reflects as much on me as it does the seller.

So here are some of my favorite finds (with photos that do their items justice) from recently pouncing Undiscovered stores:

I love this bright and colorful quilt block from Down South Treasures. If you can sew better than me, you could incorporate it into a quilt – maybe with blocks from several different people. But I think I would just frame it and hang it on the wall!

Wooden Horse of Texas' charming alligator push toy is made from wood and left unpainted – instead of worrying about lead-laden paint, just skip the paint altogether!

I love the fabric in this tissue cozy by A Rude Girl – what a great little gift!

A cute flower headband for young girls by A Bug, A Bub, and a Bean – the crocheted band is actually stretchy making it more comfortable to wear:

Two cool photos from KatenLow (the small size below doesn't do them justice):

These brilliant colors created by Wilson Design are printed on note cards, but four framed then hung at different angles would be a cool wall display.

This elephant onesie by Urban Hen is adorable! One thing (and maybe the only thing!) I’ll miss about baby-hood are the cute onesies!

So go and pounce away - just know you have to wade through the muck a bit to find a treasure!

I’m feeling...  much better after starting a round of antibiotics to fight this dreadful sinus infection.

I’m listening...  to Patsy Cline. “The only different, The only thing new….”

I’m giving...  away a copy of the latest MixTape zine! Not only does it feature four tasty sweet bread recipes by yours truly, it also offers an interview of Dudley Redhead (a crafting fanatic), reviews of 10 non-traditional crafty books. and yet another funny cartoon by Shannon. It’s worth reading just for the ads (and I am rather fond of well-designed ads)!

The first article in the zine features several reader responses to the following questions:

Love is...?

I am inspired by...?

My favorite craft resource is...?

So enter your own answers to the above questions in a comment below and I’ll randomly choose the most fortunate MixTape recipient! (I will mail world-wide, so all you readers in Singapore, Budapest, and Nigeria, be sure to enter, too.)

I first stumbled upon D’Andrea’s blog “Monsters In My Kitchen” because she also has two year-old twins. I keep returning because she posts an entertaining mix of delicious looking/tasting recipes, toddler activities, as well as photos of the monsters lurking about her kitchen:

D’Andrea also has an Etsy shop named Pupa where you can browse her cuddly natural doll creations – perfect for babies and toddlers - such as June and George below. (She can custom design a doll to match a child as well!)

And look at these little walnut people:

Miraculously (did I mention she has a three year-old in addition to the twins), she also manages to create cool wallpaper out of maps. I think I’ll fly her in from Toronto to do our bathroom as well. And I’ll offer her soooo much money that her husband won’t balk at watching the kids for a weekend.

On second thought, I’m not sure if I have sufficient funds. Because if it were my husband it would be a least $50K.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been planning the curriculum for a toddler / preschool summer camp. A few books I found were invaluable in helping me plan age-appropriate activities that toddlers can do themselves: The Toddler’s Busy Book by Trish Kuffner, WonderPlay by Reitzes/Teitelman/Mark, and More Things To Do With Toddlers and Twos by Karen Miller. And when we went to the library toddler time yesterday I witnessed first-hand that crafts with liquid glue and brads only cause frustration for both parent and child!

Here are some highlights for 1-2 year-olds that are stimulating, age-appropriate, inexpensive and/or use common materials… and I never would have thought of them myself! And the best part is that the kids can do everything – no waiting for you to cut/fold/fasten/etc.:

1. Box Sculptures:  build a sculpture by gluing/taping/glue-dotting different size boxes together (food/shoe/jewelry) then decorate it with crayons, stickers, fabric, paper, etc.  (from WonderPlay)

2. Paper Painting:  paint a variety of papers with water (Sunday newspaper cartoons – the colors will bleed, tissue paper – see what appears as colors overlap). Let them dry, then remove the paper and see the colors underneath.  (from More Things and WonderPlay)

3. Foam Cube Stamps:  use these easy-to-hold stamps with large inkpads.  You could also cut kitchen sponges into different shapes.  (thanks to August Art Paper for the image to the right)

4. Color Wonder Fingerpaint and Paper:  all of the fun of fingerpainting with minimal mess!  The paints themselves are colorless - the colors appear only when smeared on special paper.  Pricey, but worth it.  (I would show you a photo, but here's the response I got from Crayola:  "To obtain permission to use a Crayola trademark or copyright, please submit your request in writing ... Once submitted, please allow 10 business days for a reply while we research your request.")

5. Friendship Easel:  use yarn to attach a few crayons to the top of an easel so two or more children can “parallel play.” As a Mom of twins, I love this idea!  (from More Things)

6. Snacklaces: create edible necklaces with “o” cereal (for older toddlers) and/or pretzels (younger).   (from WonderPlay)

7. Connect the Dots: for older twos, make a few large dots on a blank piece of paper and show them they can connect them with a line – they may or may not be able to, but it will get them thinking.

8. Crayon Sort/Melt: have your child help you sort broken crayons bits by color, then they can transfer all of one color (or color family) to a lined muffin tin for melting into a large new crayon.  (Recycling Crayons)

9. Glitter Play Dough: a sparkly twist of a traditional favorite. Using either homemade or store-bought play dough, knead in some glitter for extra shine!  (from Melissa Goodsell)

10. Marker Painting/Drawing: dip dried-up markers in water and use them like watercolors on paper. After they turn white, use them as paintbrushes. Recycling!  (Busy Book)

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JOIN THE SWAP!

I’m hosting a Crafts For Young Children Swap!  You prepare and mail a box of fun craft ideas/supplies to your swap partner then receive a box for you and your child! For example: stickers, textured/colorful paper, a wooden object to paint, stamps, craft supplies like popsicle sticks or pipe cleaners and a list of things to do with them, specialty markers/crayons, and anything else you can think of (plan to spend about $10 not including shipping).

If you would like to participate, leave a comment below. (Please leave your email address, the age/gender of your child, and whether or not you’re willing to ship to an international address.)  I’ll send out Swap partner information on May 5!

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