We dropped the ball!

I know, I know this Friday we miss our top 5 post! I am very sad about that. Things just got a little out of control around here and the day got away from me. I will try and do better at some time management. In the meantime I am continuing to stay busy. We have new items going into the store and I have been starting my spring/summer sewing adventure!!

So please take a look at some of the pics of items we have been checking out and stay tuned to next week!!

Carrier by babybisou , stitch markers by spindlecatstudio

earrings by
nicholasandfelice

Mini Sets are In!

Our Mini Sets were a hit, so we brought them back revamped and better than before! Check out the newest two:

Tropical Sprout Baby Gift Set with a soft and silky bamboo blend newborn hat and two fun burp cloths.Rainbow Sprout Baby Gift Set with an adorable hat which is machine washable and two burp cloths!
More to come soon!

April Fools & Family

We have never been big on pranks on April Fools in our family. This year may prove to be a little different! Now that the kids are getting older, I think it might be fun to invoke the spirit of being an April Fool. We are a family who LOVES to laugh. Of course the kids have me laughing everyday. This year I am trying to come up with a couple of ideas that the boys will enjoy and maybe something for dad as well.......

I think it might be fun to "color the kids milk this year. Just add a little food coloring to the milk and see their faces. A cute idea for a 3 yr. old.

My hubby is very helpful in the kitchen. I have an idea for a little kitchen prank. This only works if you have a sprayer with you kitchen sink. Put a piece of tape over the spray nozzle and color it the same color as the spray. When someone goes to use it, nothing will come out. Pretty sneaky!!!

I hope that this year we have a laugh or two! Stay tuned to see what happens!!! Pics are to follow after the deed is done!!

Pandora and I Are Friends!

I am having soooo much fun with a new discovery in my world. There is this fun website called Pandora. Pandora is a music site that will recommend music to you based on an artist or song that you type in. From there you can create your own listening playlist or station. So I started off by typing in Matin Sexton, from there I got Jack Johnson, Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Coldplay, Ray LaMontagne and more. You then can say Yes or No to what they pick for you. If you are in the mood to listen to something different you can start a new station.

I understand why the name Pandora. You can get lost in this treasure chest of music goodness. My kiddos even have fun trying to figure out what is going to come next. So the next time you are jonesing for some new tunes give this site a try. Let them do the work for you. Sit back and let the good tunes roll!!!!

Top 5 Friday - Outdoor Fun!

This week marks the beginning of spring and we have the fever!!! We are going to take a look at some products that will inspire you to go and enjoy the outdoors. While creating the list my thoughts turned to spring flowers, fresh food on the grill, the kiddos playing outdoor all day, and an afternoon hike without having to bundle up! What are you thinking for spring????

1. How amazing is this!! The Waves O Fire Recycled Steel Fire pit made by John T Unger.

This beautiful handmade fire pit truly inspires outdoor living. It is made of 100% recycled materials. To see all the specs please visit John's Etsy site. When not in use, it makes a beautiful piece of art in your own backyard. Perfect for hanging with friends, family, good food, good drink, and great stories!!

2.From the large to the small. Take a look at these coasters from Isadorra.

When sitting and enjoying the outdoors, one needs a place to set their tasty beverage of choice. These coasters have a wonderful Terra Cotta look, simple and yet sophisticated!

3. I love candles. This cute and functional patio candle from WittsWicksAndKnits is perfect to keep the pesky pests away!

The soy wax candle has a eucalyptus lemon scent that has been approved by the FDA as a natural insect repellent. Not only will it keep the bugs away and look pretty on your patio, but it okay for the kids/pets to smell! I love a product that this FUNtional!

4. There is nothing like flowers in the spring, but alas I lack a green thumb. I am a low maintenance kind of girl when it comes to gardening. These flowers are as low maintenance as it gets!! Perfect for a little display on the pack patio or front porch!! Made by the talent folks at Bacon Square Farm.

These beautiful hand cut metal flower pokes are a perfect art piece to spruce up for spring! I love that you can pick your colors (choose 3) from red, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and orange. The center is made from iridescent opaque glass.

5. Sometimes the spring rains come and you need a little something to catch the suns rays when the sun finally come out. This sun catcher is so fun. The Bike Cog Sun Catcher by CyclonaDesigns is perfect for the bike lover in your life (or you!)

I have some cycle buddy's who I think would love this! A swiveling metallic red bead centers this well worn bike cog rescued from a worn out drive chain. I love how unique it is and of course I love an upcycled project!!!

That is it for this week. I hope that this post gets you ready for the warm weather and outdoor living! Have a great week!!

Cheers

A Mid Week Hunt!

Today the ladies in our Hyena Cart Congo, the Crunchy Congo are having a Easter Egg Hunt. I think it is going to be lots of fun. When you find the egg in someones shop you win some goodies and/or discount from the talented lades in the Congo! It starts at noon today. So please feel free to check it out!

Thanks and good luck to anyone who participates!

Some New Knits

We have a couple of new knits for this week. I think we were feeling a little girlie this time around. The newest addition to our little venture is made of soft organic cotton. We added 3 little buttons that really help to add some interest and really lend an Eco-friendly feel! Hat is sized for ages 12+mo.

Our next hat is made from corn fiber and holds lots of bright color! This hat really adds lots of punch and will be great for spring and cool summer nights. This hat is also sized for 12+mo.

This hat has such a light and airy feel to it. It was great to knit up such a colorful hat and really feel like warm weather, flowers, and sunny days are on the way!

Of course there is always more in the works. Today was also a very fun day. Anna finally got her feet wet in front of the sewing machine. She has had one for months now, but has never used it. Well, today she finally set it up and she is practicing on some scraps!! How exciting. A whole new world has opened up to her! I am thrilled to see what fun adventures she can begin.

I have some personal sewing I would like to get started on within the coming weeks. With March half over I think it is time to get working on that warm weather wardrobe! I went to my local fabric store and found a couple of things that just might work. Stay tuned.........

A Different Kind Of Friday!!

On Friday's we always have our top 5 fav. finds of the week. This week things are going to go a little different. I know the shock of going outside the box!! But we want to highlight some shops that are making a difference. These shops are making some great charity donations with the help of a purchase. So we are highlighting more than five shops. We wanted to cover different types of Charity's and offer some variety. In particular order here is what we have found!

1. Etsy for Animals has some great listings on Etsy! I really like their grab bags. All proceeds go to their charity of the month. I love the idea of a paper grab bag! A great way to get variety by some fantastic artists.

2. Etsy Friends Charity Shop picks a different charity each month. When you shop at the Etsy Friends store all proceeds go to that particular charity. This month it is the March Of Dimes!

3. I am a sucker for a quilt. I found this cute little cute from AtaWhisper on Etsy. This caring grandmother of 4 donates a quilt to a drawing for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. This particular quilt is made from the scraps of her donated quilt. Half the proceeds from this quilt will go to St. Jude's! That is even more for a great cause!

4. From RonanJames comes this very cute necklace. Ronan James is a 5 yr. old boy who has Autism. 20% of your purchase goes to support Autism research. Read his profile on Etsy to get the story.

5. I love this little shop! My Right 2 Write makes super cool notebook covers and when you purchase one of their books, they are donating one composition book to an underserved school. It sounds like a small donation, but those books could add up and out some kiddos!

6. From stinkytoesdesign comes these wonderful note cards. Amy has designed her cards to honor her friend who lost her fight to breast cancer. All the proceeds go to the cancer walk in Indiana. Help support a good cause.

7. Hey knitters make your mark has these funky camo stitch markers! $5 of this order will go to support the charity knitting group Socks for Soldiers Inc. This group makes knit socks for soldiers fighting overseas, as well as sending other goodies to help boost morale. The markers retail for $6.



8. Coming from Aunt Mary's Legacy are cancer awareness bracelets. After loosing their Aunt Mary her family has decided to proactively support the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. There are lots of bracelets to choose from.

We hope that we have introduced you to some good folks who are doing good things!! Have a great weekend everyone!

A Historical Knit

This week I finally finished up a new knit!! I knit a Voyageur hat for a friend of mine. This hat has a French-Canadian history. I had no idea what I was getting into, but it seemed easy enough and it was a chance to learn a little history.


For this particular knit I learned a great deal about hearty life of a voyageur. These men were part of the fur trade in Canada. Their first leg of the route was from Montreal, up the Ottawa River and across to Georgian Bay. This required thirty-six portages, ranging from a few hundred yards to several miles. Most voyageurs preferred to avoid portaging and chose to run rapids if at all possible. Amazing, makes my past canoe trips seem so wimpy.



This hat was traditionally made in red wool (or they wore fur caps) and looks like a long Santa hat. In my pursuit of some yarn worthy of this particular knit, I found a wonderful heather red from cascade 220. A heather look to the yarn keeps the red from being to bright. It also gives the hat a more authentic look. In those days the yarns would still have some of the natural fibers shinning through the dyes. Here is my work in progress with a picture of the yarn.


I have to admit that I really enjoyed knitting this hat. It was a great experience to try to recreate something from history. This piece served to keep some very hardy men warm while they lived a most dangerous and adventurous life. Now you can take tours that follow the Voyageurs travels. For those of us in the States, the Boundary Waters would be one of the best routes to try.


Here is the final product!!

Now I am off to put this in the mail and hope that my friend enjoys his hat and that it keeps him warm for a long time to come!!!

Cheers!

Way to Play Calla!

We were off for a night to Central Michigan University for soccer tournament. Our family along with my husband's parents to watch Calla our oldest play.
My daughter is a soccer player for West Michigan Fire Juniors, she's the red team #10. She plays competitively on an u10 team. She plays forward and goalie. Having her in the goal can be quite stressful. She is good and is getting better.
They played some great teams. They won their first game! Tied their second, and played a tough team for their last game. Our girls were ahead by two, but the ref made some bad calls (I know, but he really did) and the opposing team was given three penalty shots right in front of our goal. There was nothing Calla could do, she wasn't able to jump high enough for the shots(the goals were regulation size for college players!). Our girls lost momentum and the game. But they played well and had some great passes. Calla scored a goal and assisted some too.

I am ready for the spring season to begin - fresh air, sunny mornings (I hope), warm coffee in hand, and lots of cheering! Go FIRE!

International Women's Day!!!

Just want to bring about a little awareness to International Women's Day!

Please visit the site http://www.internationalwomensday.com/link.asp

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. This is a global day and a day to be aware of women around the world who still need to fight for a brighter future. Let's encourage one another to be the best we can be and to support all that we do. Let us also help one another out and to bring awareness to those who are still fighting!

Thanks!!

Top 5 - Clothing For Babies/Toddlers!

In all honesty there is way to much fun and cute items out there to make a top 5 list. So I think we will HAVE to make another one. This particular list is all about the outfits that are out there. A mom could go crazy shopping with all the cute items out there. Here is just the tip of the iceberg as to what we have found!


1. We are starting with Boutique Mia on Etsy. Anna just recently purchased an outfit for spring.
This is her daughter Joely wearing her new pillowcase dress! She also has matching samurai pants! Made from Amy Butler Fabric (of course). Her shop is so fun, there is lots to pick from, and you can mix and match.



2.We have one rockin' outfit from UnePetiteEtoile. How cute is this for your little music man?!!

This outfit comes with an appliqued onesie or T and yoga pant - Infant to Kids Size 10. Just to tempt you even more there is a matching hoodie!! This outfit looks so soft, cozy, and cool!!

3. I love this outfit from Squared Design found on Hyena Cart! I just love this little hedgehog set!

his set includes a pair of long shorts and a short sleeve light blue tee with a hedgie embroidery on the chest. The tee will be made from a very soft cotton lycra. How cute is this for spring/summer?!

4. If I had a little girl I would sooooooo get this! It is perfect for warm weather. The colors are amazing. The is the Extrovert Jumper from Little Girl Pearl. This shop is full of wonderful fabrics and designs.

The Extrovert Jumper is just that. With the bold colors and fun print, it will make any little girl stand out with cuteness!

5. Okay, here is are a pair of longies that were hand knit by smartypants on Hyena Cart. While this is not an outfit, these longies are an amazing and creative knit that you have to see!!! How cute are these diaper cover pants!!!!

These just blew me away with how cute they are. Please check out the link to see them close up. Her work is incredible! With pirates being such a cool thing for the little guys, these fit the bill without looking super cheesy. LOVE THIS!



Thanks so much everyone. We would also like to add a couple of other shops that we really love as well. Mountain Aven Baby , Joey and Aleethea , HarmonyWear, Blue Skye Designs (in the Crunchy Congo), and many more. We will have another toddler/baby clothing top 5, there is too much handmade goodness out there!!

Have a great weekend!!!

A Busy Girl

What a crazy week so far!! Well to kick things off Anna and I are trying to spread ourselves out a little when it comes to our Doodlesprouts work. In addition to Etsy, we are now also on Hyena Cart. There we have our own shop and we have also joined a "Congo". A congo is a group of fellow artists who show off their items in a more "store" like environment. Our congo is the Crunchy Congo. The ladies are soooooo nice and I really like their work! Check them out!
http://hyenacart.com/CrunchyCongo/

Also, yesterday I got to take Anna to the ENT dr. She looked so sick and I put my foot down. To add more misery to her life the power went out in her neighborhood. So she came by the house to stay warm and we wound up taking her to the doc. She had a MAJOR case of tonsillitis. Thankfully she is on a nice antibiotic, but the doc wants those nasty tonsils out! I hope that she is on the road to recovery soon!!

I have a project that I have been working on for someone that I hopefully finish up today and get it in the blog! It has been a very easy and I think fun knit for me.

There you have it, a week of ups and downs and everything in between. The week is not even over yet!!!

Cheers-
Katie

Celebrate Reading!!!

One of my favorite books given to Calla, my oldest daughter (now 10), when she was little, is Piggies by Audrey and Don Wood. The book was gift from my friend who worked in the children's section at a bookstore. She knew this book was a gem. It isn't a long book, pretty short and sweet, but the pictures are beautiful. It is illustrated by Don Wood and I can look at them time and time again and still see new things.

When I saw that another book The Napping House written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood was available, it quickly became a favorite of Calla's and mine. When Carter was little, Calla and I "read" it to him. We both had the words to Piggies memorized. Now that we have Joely (18 months) all three kids will come and sit with me and we read the books and laugh at the pictures and they get to enjoy a favorite book from their past with their little sister.

~Anna

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I am loving this little post on our favorite books! Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!

To celebrate the Read Across America Event we are sharing some our most treasured books. In our house my 2 little guys definitely have some favorites!! My 3 yr. old (J.D.) LOVES Richard Scarry books. His all time personal favorite is Cars and Trucks and Things That GO! It is a bit of a read, but wow is it fun! There is so much going on with pictures, words, silly cars (a carrot car, a donut car, a bananamobile) and of course you HAVE to find gold bug. If you have a little guy who loves things that go, this is the book for you!!!!

My 20 month old loves a classic. His all time favorite book to read is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. He will reach for this one at bedtime and point to the 3 little bears sitting on chairs. Such a classic tale of a little bunny saying goodnight to everything and everyone around him! Of course, I love the old lady whispering hush (gotta love a lady who knits!)

As for me (and the hubby) there are so many wonderful books to read out there. It is much to hard for me to pick a favorite! My reading is all over the place, from trying to catch up on those classics to what is hot on the best seller list. I must say that with having my 2 children I have rekindled my love of going to the library. We love going there and picking out new treasures (not just books, but music and movies as well). You can try out new reads and find new authors (without any buyers remorse) you also don't have to figure out what to do with your book after you are done reading it. I will say if I find an author that I really like I will purchase other books from them! My kids love it there and they can meet new friends for the day in the children's area. J.D. enjoys picking out his books to take home and Rory will run to the kids area to see what is going on! I think it is the best thing in the world when we get the car and J.D. says " I love the library mom, it's my favorite!"

Cheers,

Katie