Peanut Tested

There are a few questions that we seem to get asked over and over again.  Some of the most common would likely be:
-Do you girls REALLY sew all this stuff?
-Where do you get your ideas from?
-Where do you find the time to do this with children?
-Do these things really work?

In a nutshell, we'd say: yes, everywhere, we have no idea and we truly believe so - respectively, though I think we could probably write a blog post (or two, or three) on each of these.  For today, though, we want to focus on the last one - do these things really work?

If you've followed our little business venture at all, you know the story.  We were a couple of moms who used to work together (in the radio industry, for those of you that are interested).  Our daughters are about 6 weeks apart, born in the early/mid part of 2008.  Amanda had absolutley no sewing experience, but an awesome napper.  She wanted a hobby, and decided sewing it was.  Kari-Ann was a big-time 4-Her from days gone by and had probably logged more sewing and quilting hours (yes, I said quilting :) than some ladies three times her age.  Like most of you, we seemed to be having babies the same time as all the rest of our friends, so we started making homemade baby gifts for them.  The reception was amazing, and soon we found some of our friends asking us to make the same things for them to give to other friends.  Before we knew it, we had a name (in honour of our little peanuts), an etsy shop and a really great excuse to buy fabric.  A year and a half later, here we are.

In the beginning, we started out making the things that we wanted to have, but didn't want to pay the big boutique bucks for.  And for the most part, that's still how we operate.  We want to create really great, AFFORDABLE and FUNCTIONAL options for parents and kids. 

Let's put it this way - can you spend upwards of $60 on a nursing cover?  EASY.  Does that make it *better* than ours which retail for $26?  We genuinely don't think so. 

Nothing is foolproof - especially when all our items are handmade in our basements.  But you can bet that if we think something is useless, overpriced or not of the quality we'd use for our own kids, it doesn't leave the basement.  Everything is tested first on our little peanuts, but we all know that the best feedback comes from our customers.  So if you ever have anything you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you: good, bad or indifferent.

Like this one, from a new customer of Playful Peanut.  She'd purchased a couple comfy headbands a while back to try out.  She has an active little old girl, and was impressed with how they stayed on - so impressed she came back for more.  And who can blame her for wanting to dress up her adorable little blondie!  Thanks for sharing your photo with us!

TUTU Pretty!

Okay, so I (Kari-Ann), am not the girliest of the girlie girls.  Now, don't get me wrong...  We're all about hair pretties and dresses and make-up in this house, but if you looked at my daughter's closet you'd have to strain to find pink, and some people would be shocked by the amount of blue, black and grey. 

What can I say?  She's 2 and a half.  I'm still in control.  I fear there will be a day coming when she'll go all girlie-girl on me and I'll have to deal.  Today is not that day.  :)

So I'm sure when I told my sister-in-law I was making a tutu for my niece's first birthday, she probably wondered.  But I believe you should go big, or go home.  So I went big.  And I think I even shocked myself.  Because I think it's seriously cute.  Or maybe it's just the niece.  Or the ridiculously cute pictures from Jodi Lee over at Memories by Me Photography. 

HELP!

They say the first step in solving your addiction is acknowledging it.  Well, we have.  We know we have a problem when it comes to buying fabric.  It's not our fault!  If there weren't so many cute ones on the market we'd be able to hold ourselves back!

But, alas, a new one made its way into a shipment of fabric to my house this week.  And I LOVE it, but I'm not entirely sure as what.  So I'll pose the question to you - what would you like to see this fabric turned into?  Snack-Loc Bags?  Bibs?  Chalk placemats?  Comment below, or drop us a line at yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com!

New Snack-Loc Bags!

We're sewing like crazy women getting ready for the Christmas season, and in doing so I noticed that we're low on some of our favourite Snack-Loc Bag fabrics.

And it turns out some of our favourite fabrics are getting harder and harder to find.  But fortunately they make more cute ones every day...  What do you think of the 2 newest additions?

Animal Party

Dino Dudes

Twist-N-Stay Headbands

As promised!  A blogged "tutorial" on how to use the new Twist-N-Stay Headbands.  First up, you place the headband on your head and then pull the ends in opposite directions.   

 Then, once you done that, you simply give it a twist and then flatten out the ends.  Done!  And it really does stay put.  There's no elastic to slide off, or no plastic ends to dig into your head.  Cute, and comfortable!

 Someone didn't want to put their makeup on this morning, but here's the "model" angle shot that shows the headband in my hair.  And notice that my hair is pretty short right now and I love it -especially for those days that I don't actually feel like doing my hair, but I need to run and grab some milk or mail some parcels.  What do you think??

Happy Hippo

So, a couple of years ago both my sisters-in-law and I were all expecting.  I`m not sure what was in the water at the family gatherings, but I didn`t recommend anyone drink it.  ;)

E was due first, but I`ve never in my life seen a lady get given more due dates than her.  Needless to say, we were expecting a baby sometime between late November and January. 

Which created a big question for Christmas.  Whether or not there would be a new addition by then was anyone`s guess.

As the Crafty Aunty-to-be, I decided to be ready just in case. But what do you make when you have no idea if it`s a boy or a girl (or if it would even be there!). This was what I came up with...

 Basically, it`s a gigantic floor pillow in the shape of a hippopotamus (with an opening mouth!).  Completely machine washable, it`s great if you have carpet you don`t want a little mess on, or if you just need a bit of extra padding on hardwood or laminate flooring.  Since G didn`t arrive in time for Christmas, I made it out of a buttery yellow dimple chenille (quite possible my favourite material ever).  And it turned out to be a pretty welcome addition at the house, because `little messes`didn`t quite describe what he was capable of.  :)

I recently finished up another one to deliver as a baby gift, and as I begin to ponder what all the Crafty Aunty has planned for Christmas 2010, I was just reminiscing a bit...

Chalk Placemats

A while back we'd posted looking for some feedback on our chalk placemats.  The final verdict was that we should bring them back, better than ever.

And so we have.  They debuted in a big way at the Corn and Apple Festival in Morden, and since then we've found a few new patterns that we're pretty excited about.  You know what else is cool?  We've found more cool BOY designs than girl.  How often does that happen?  NEVER.

So what is a chalk placemat?  Just that - on the one side you can doodle with chalk (and then wipe clean with a dampish cloth).  On the other, it's a wipeable material that you can use as a placemat for eating.  You might think, "Who needs a placemat to eat off at a restaurant?"  But here's my thought - what exactly is IN that redish/pink bottle of stuff they spray on the tables and then wipe off with a cloth?  I (Kari-Ann) am not a crazy germ-phobe, but sometimes you have to wonder...  They are also equally as exciting on airplanes, in the Doctor's Office, or anywhere else you need to be entertaining in a hurry!

They are going to hit the website this week.  Here's a peek at my favourite - the airport design!  If I had a boy, I'd also think it would be a great track for little matchbox cars...

Cost is $15.  As always, you can email us at yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com for more details!

Wet/Dry Bags

This were sent off to their new home this morning...  For anyone wanting to see what we came up with for a wet/dry bag, here's some pictures!

The overall size of the bag is 12x18 inches.  The front zippered pouch has a cotton liner (the "dry" part of the bag).  The top zippered pouch has an industrial grade waterproof liner (the "wet" part of the bag).  Then there's a handle with a snap if you want to hang it anywhere. 

We're past the diapers in this house, but I've already got mine picked out for next summer for the pool...  I'm actually liking this idea a lot more than just a regular wet bag - especially for the beach - because you can still toss in your sunscreen, towel, and whatever else you need, hang it on your bike or stroller and head for home!

Power Down!

That's it, folks, I'm officially unplugging the sewing machine for the weekend.  I should take a picture of the stock in my basement...  It's been crazy around this place gearing up for Corn and Apple!

Instead, I'll leave you with a tease...  We love something new, and this will be the next *new* thing to hit the site next week...  Get out your dancing shoes and get ready to TWIRL!

We'll post all the details when the weekend is over, including price, sizes available, etc.  It will work the same as the dresses...  We've got an album for you to use to brainstorm, or if you have something else in mind let us know and we'll do our best to find exactly what you're looking for!  So do some brainstorming, and hopefully we'll see you this weekend in Morden!

Hot Mama Meagan!

Okay, Meagan, I really can't figure out why I can't get a new album created on Facebook, so this is the next best thing...  It went in the mail this morning, so you'll have it before the weekend I think!  I LOVE this fabric, and hope you do too!

I Spy THE ALPHABET Bag on Glimpse Reviews!

I Spy Bags are the coolest kid toy going, in my opinion.  I love that they grow with your kid - first you hold the list and read out things for them to look for, later they can do it on their own.  If you have a couple of kids, you can easily turn it into a race (and the best part is that it's the perfect combination of skill and chance so the younger one sometimes comes out ahead!).

Well to us, there's nothing better than taking the coolest kid toy and making it cooler.  Or making learning fun.  That's exactly what the new I Spy THE ALPHABET Bag does!  Instead of searching for objects, your kids can search for letters.  Then take it to the next level - ask them to think of a word that starts with that letter.  Or give them a word and have them tell you the first letter and look for it.  The possibilities are endless (can you tell we're pretty excited about these toys?!).  Greatest. Car. Toy. Ever. 

But don't just take our word for it - see what the folks behind Glimpse Reviews have to say.  And while you're there, drop them a line and you could win an I Spy THE ALPHABET Bag for yourself!

Elastic Toddler Belt Twist

If you've ever seen our elastic toddler belts, you know that they are just about the best $5 you can spend on kids' gear - if you have a tall, skinny kid.  Someone mentioned this idea to me last week, and I thought it was so neat I had to share it...


I always used to put the belt under the belt loops, roll them to the front and snap them.  And that totally works.  But have you ever thought of putting it on this way?  (I find it easier to do this before I put the pants on my daughter, but she's 2 so it could just be an attitude thing :).

Works the same, I just find it a nice, clean look.  What do you think?

Brainstorming

I don't know about you, but sometimes trying to picture something in my head isn't easy.  And I can't tell you how many times I've finished a project and had it turn out WAY different that I expected (sometimes good, sometimes not-so-good)...

With that principle in mind, we invite you to our brainstorming photo shoot. On our big shopping spree yesterday we purchased coordinating prints for anything that didn't already have a coordinating print. Here are the results... Which is your favourite?

Hot Mama!

We've been thinking lately...  Why should the little peanuts have all the fun? 

I will confess that we weren't going to launch this just yet, but the email requests are been too few to ignore.  So here goes...

Introducing THE HOT MAMA SHIRT (yes, that is what we're calling it, and that is EXACTLY what you need to call yourself when you wear it!).  It's a similar style to the SCARLETT dress, which also means it's a perfect opportunity to do a little mother/daughter coordinating!  Alone, under a suit, over jeans - this is one of the most versatile pieces you can add to your wardrobe!

Shirts are $35 each, and available in XXS-XL (and we can send you chest and hip measurements to help you get the right size).  If you want to get the ball rolling, take a look at our FABRIC album on our Facebook page, and then drop us an email at yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com and we'll take it from there!  Don't see anything you like in there?  Drop us a line and tell us what you're looking for and we'll find the perfect match for you!

The Snack-Loc Bag Is Also a Sandwich-Loc Bag!

I've had some questions about this, so I thought I'd post some pictures to demonstrate.  The Snack-Loc bag measures 6 inches square when finished.  While that's certainly big enough for lots of snacks, does it fit a sandwich?

Allow me to demonstrate using...  Two pieces of bread...  Not the most exciting sandwich, but it's after midnight and if these last few baby pounds are ever going to disappear it's not exactly the best time to eat carbs...  It doesn't leave a lot of excess space, but it does fit if you're looking to pack a sandwich.  We have also played around with a sandwich wrap (which is the eco-friendly cure to anyone who loves their saran wrap).  We'll post more on that in a bit - but if you're curious to learn more ASAP please drop us an email at yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com.

Brag Book

Nothing puts a smile on our face like seeing our playful peanut gear being loved by others.  Here's two cute pics that crossed Facebook this week.  Seriously cute.  The one on the left is my (Kari-Ann) newest guinea pig.  If you've got a 2 year old, like I do, you know they don't cooperate well when it comes to trying things on, in their hair, etc.  Fortunately my cute little niece, Emma, does!  The other is the seriously cute Allegra.  Look at those eyes!  Seriously, what else can we say?! (Okay, it may show that I've been watching my Grey's Anatomy DVDs while sewing this week.  I'll cut the seriouslys.  Seriously.  I promise :).

Refer-A-Friend

As moms, we all know the best products in our houses are the ones our friends recommended to us.  We all have that go-to person who seems to have tried everything and have honest reviews of each of them.

With this principle in mind, we're launching our first Refer-A-Friend Promotion on our Snack-Loc Bags.  August is Back To School month, and while we think these will be the handiest Back To School purchase you make this month, we don't just want you to take our word for it.  So here's how it works...

-If you have previously purchased Snack-Loc Bags and love them, please tell your friends.  (You can find current fabric selections on both our Facebook page and our website - playfulpeanut.com.)  If your friends decide to purchase our Snack-Loc bags, ask them to mention your name when purchasing.  On August 31st, we'll draw one pairing and both the person who made the referral and the person who was referred will win their purchase FREE!
-If you haven't yet purchased Snack-Loc Bags but know someone who has, contact them to find out what they think, and then use them as your reference when purchasing and your could both win your purchase FREE!
-Don't know anyone who's tried them?  Be the first and if you like what you see refer your friends and you could both win your purchase FREE!

The more friends you refer, the more chances you have to win!

Oh, and did you notice on our Facebook page that Snack-Loc Bags are shipping FREE in August? 

If you live in the Elm Creek or Morden areas and would like to check Snack-Loc Bags out for yourself, please drop us a line at yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com to make arrangements.  We're always happy to show off our little basement "stores." 

*We know that there are other reusable snack bags on the market, and we also know that lots of crafty people are interested in making their own.  All we can say is that we're very proud of the product we've come up with, and the price point we sell them at.  If you opt not to purchase our product in favour of either other option, PLEASE do your homework.  I recently came across a few on the market that are lined using a substance that is only one molecule off gasoline.  Please be careful.

Starting Fresh

I don't know about you, but I love starting fresh.  I'm the one you call when you want to clean out your closet because there is nothing more satisfying than not looking at the same ol' stuff anymore.  You know what they say about how if you've had something kicking around your closet for a year and you haven't touched it, chances are that you aren't going to in the next year either.

That's sort of how we're feeling right now.  We're basically sold out of stock.  I've got a few bibs, blankets, headbands, hair clips and soother clips, but otherwise we've done a pretty good job of cleaning house the last couple of weekends.  And that means a chance for us to start fresh.

I'm not kidding when I say that between the two of us we've ordered something like 60 yards of fabric in the last week or two.  The first batch came today and we're like a couple of kids at Christmas thinking of what we're going to ear mark for what.  In fact, as soon as I hit publish on this post I'm going downstairs to start cutting out more and more projects.  Corn and Apples Festival in Morden isn't far away, and we've also got something a little fun planned for our Facebook page in August, so we can't be out of stock for long!

I'd love to show you all 60 that we've ordered, but I'm not even sure I remember what they all are (isn't that half the fun?!).  Here's a little taste of what I know is on order.  If you see anything you love tell us your vision for it!  If all the dresses I've been sewing lately are any indication, you are far more creative than us!  yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com!

Soother Clips

Let me start by saying that we love our ribbon soother clips.  But just because we love the old, doesn't mean there isn't room for something new!

I'd bought these supplies a while back, but then got sidetracked with a few other projects (in other words, have you seen some of the cute dresses that are being posted almost daily?!).  Someone recently contacted us to see if we made such a thing, and so the supplies were dug out, and it was time to try something new...

What do you think?  Doesn't it look like the most delicious string of bubble gum?  They are available for purchase.  Cost is $8 each, and they'll hit the website soon, but you can email if you want to be among the first to have one - yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com. 

Dresses, Dresses, Dresses!

We're never short on ideas of what to make...  Sometimes we overwhelm ourselves just thinking of what to do next.  So I have to admit that sometimes we pick and choose what WE think, over what YOU think.

Silly, silly, silly.

We held an Open House a while back, and Courtney got to talking to us about whether or not we made dresses.  Our response?  WE're capable, we just never had as part of the 'biz.  She was in need of matching ones in size 1 and size 9, and that's not something you can find in the store.  So inspired by her, we got a pattern, got looking at some fabric, and then posted it up on Facebook.

And then realized that we should have probably started making dresses eons ago.  But that's water under the bridge.  :)

Anyhow.  The only unfortunate postscript to this little story is that Courtney's dresses didn't turn out just like we'd hoped.  You see, we order a lot of our fabric from the states (and it breaks our hearts because we love to support our fellow canucks, but the price and selection just does NOT compare).  In all the time I've been ordering fabric from the states (and we're talking well before the playful peanut days), I've never had an issue.  A week/10 days and it's here.  So I ordered up what she wanted, and we waited.

And waited.  And waited.  And WAITED!  Until 2 days before her scheduled family picutres at which point we opted to wait no longer...

Courtney seemed pretty okay with the final result (basically picked from the masses of fabric in my basement), but I will admit to being pretty disheartened at how it all went down.

At least, I was until I saw the pictures on Meaghen's phone while sitting at Carman Fair.

What do YOU think??  Or can you even get past the ridiculously adorable family to even focus on the dresses??

PS - Big thanks to Jodi Lee from Memories by Me Photography for letting us borrow your pics.  I was in such a rush to get these dresses to Courtney that I never actually took pictures of them before they left.  Having now seen Jodi's pics, I'm pretty glad I don't have my mediocre photography skills next to it.  :)

The Contenders

I'm going to sleep on whether or not we'll do some voting...  Maybe the decision will come to me in my sleep (hey, it was a crazy dream that convinced me that we had the right name for our daughter!).

By the way - thanks again for the suggestions.  I hope you had as much fun with this as we did.  And we're super overwhelmed by al the nice things you had to say about our little company.  Honestly, we sometimes still pinch ourselves that this little business venture is so well received wherever we go.  We don't take for granted that we get to spend our days with our babies, and flex our creative muscles at night while they sleep.  :)

Okay - now for the complete list...
-Snack bag
-Peanut pack
-Play n Pack
-Playful Pack
-Snacky Snack
-Snack-loc bag
-Snacky pack
-Sandwich pack
-snackeeper

-zip-n-trip
-re-luncher
-re-lunchie
-mod pod
-re-baggie
-SnaKSaK
-EcoSnacSac
-Snakalopes
-In a Nut Shell
-Small Wonder
-Pouchini (preferably said with an Italian accent :)
-Litterless Lock Bag

We Need Your Help!

A while back I'd commented that photography was not our forte.  Well, I sort of forgot about one other thing.  Naming.  It is also not our forte.  Maybe the world is divided into designers and doers.  We're doers.  No doubt about it.  Tell us what you want and we can make it.  Just don't ask us what to call it.  :)

I suppose it's a bit obvious if you look at http://www.playfulpeanut.com/.  I mean, "hair clips," "soother clips," and "nursing covers."  Descriptive, yes.  Clever, not exactly.

So before we launch our next product, we're looking for your help.  What is our next product?  Well, it's basically a reusable ziploc bag (see, I TOLD you we needed your help :).  It a 6 inch square bag made with designer cotton on the outside, and a water repellant, food-safe liner on the inside (a quick note - if you opt to buy a similar product that isn't ours, I would encourage you to do your homework on what's used for the liner - there are lots of options out there, but not many that I would consider food safe and trust for my family to use).  There's a generous velcro enclosure across the top to keep the bag closed.  The seams are all professionally serged (but hidden, so you'd never know it :).  They are also sewed separately to make it really easy to wipe your bag clean (we love Norwex cloths for quick cleans!).  Got a big mess in there (mustard?  or maybe melted chocolate?) - no problem.  These are machine washable (we just recommend you line dry as opposed to tossing them in the dryer - not only more environmentally friendly, but just a better alternative for any handmade product). 

If you or your kids pack a lunch, these will be the next must-have item on your list.  No one ever said being environmentally friendly had to be boring.  Nor saving money - because not only do plastic snack bags litter our earth, they also burn up your hard-earned money!

So, here's our plea.  Our new product needs a name.  Got one?  Either post it on our Facebook Fan page, or email it to us at yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com.  And even though we aren't creative enough to come up with a name on our own, we appreciate those who are.  So the winning name is going to receive a 3-pack of our newest product!

Halfway There!

You know what today marks?  The halfway point to Christmas.  How's your Christmas shopping list coming along??  Christmas aprons - comg soon to playfulpeanut.com!

Ta Da!

First off, THANK YOU for all the dress orders.  We're almost as excited to make them as you are to get them!

For all the pre-orders, the fabric is on order and will hopefully be here in the next week so we can get started.  In the meantime, I had fabric on hand for our first two creations.  Nadine, we hope you love them as much as we do...

PS - If you ever plan on opening up a shop in your basement, don't paint your nursery yellow - it is TERRIBLE lighting to use for taking pictures. 

Carseat Canopy's

Keep your precious peanut covered from the sun, rain, wind and germs with this Carseat Canopy. These stylish canopy's are made with designer fabrics and have an added touch with buttons, flowers or ribbons on the straps. You will be surprised at the number of compliments this GREAT canopy will bring you!

It is one of the hottest new baby gear items on the market especially for those Spring and Summer babies.
We will also make them lined with minky dot or fleece on the underside for Winter babies to keep the chill out on those cold days.

This Canopy is approx 35 X 42 and attaches securely to the carseat handles with Velcro or Snaps so it will not get blown off in the wind like a blanket. It also features weighted corners to ensure it stays put. The carseat canopy "tents" your baby to allow for air flow. Its quiet darkness will allow your baby to sleep more peacefully too!

Want to see your baby...Just lift the bottom and fold it up over the handles, and you have access to your baby, with a stylish inside print showing (optional). The top-stitching detail adds a professionally finished look and adds to the durability of this product.

This makes a GREAT baby shower gift, or purchase one for your own little peanut!

We are the only shop that weights down the corners, How Cool!

I made myself one with the matching wipes case as we had a May baby but I still wanted something to keep the wind and rain off him.
Feel free to email yourplayfulpeanut@gmail.com to talk about fabric options. They are usually about $38.00.