


not have a hole in the bottom. Stamped with non-toxic, waterproof inks using a hand carved stamp, then colored with more ink (also non-toxic). They’ll come in a little cotton pouch.
Come visit us each Saturday morning for a giveaway of handmade goodness!
Pop over to Inhabitots (the fabulous modern eco kids blog) to enter the NaturalKids giveaway!
You can win a pile of natural kids toys worth over 100$, including:
a knitted bunny from The Fairies’ Nest, a wooden car stacker from Just Hatched, an upcycled vintage cotton duck rattle toy from SewnNatural, two knitted acorns in a pouch from Woolies and a set of five tubs of Mama K’s Aromatic Play Clay.
Is number 37 – FairiesNest!
Earth Day is just around the corner, and the NaturalKids team here on Etsy is having a huge (56 shops!) sale and promotion to celebrate. With the Earth as our muse, today’s tutorial is timely and fabulously functional. It’s by Kat from katsinthebelfry, her lovely shop full of gnomes, toys, kits, crowns and more.
Oh, and you can enter another beautiful GIVEAWAY of natural kids toys and more over at the beautiful blog, NaturalSuburbia
(a beautiful playsilk from PolkadotDragon, a felted snail from MuddyFeet and a wooden iron from PrettyDreamer)
Now onto the tutorial….
New (upcycled) shipping envelopes – the tutorial, by Kat
People have been emailing, asking about the envelopes I talked about recently. Since I needed to make a few the other day, I thought I’d photograph the process for you.
*prepare the bag: carefully remove the handles, & toss them into your recycling bin. Next you’ll need to cut the bag open; do this by cutting down one corner seam, then around the base. now your bag should lie flat.
* place your item on the bag, & measure 2 inches around. you can either cut out 2 of of this size, or fold your bag over, then cut once. i did the latter here. definitely fold if your item is bulky.
*with your machine set to zig zag, stitch around three sides. leave a bit of a seam allowance, & don’t forget to back stitch.
*slip your item in. make sure you ease it to the bottom of your envelope, so you don’t accidentally sew through it. for a bit of padding you can first wrap your item in some of the tissue you saved from your birthday prezzies.
*sew the fourth side closed, back stitching once more to avoid ravelling.
*if your bag has a fancy design, as does mine, add a label for the address.
*a reminder to recycle your envelope would be a lovely addition. perhaps i should have gone with a color not in the bag’s design.
*make more! my bag made 1 small, & 1 large envelope.
these are fun to make, & take very little time. happy envelope-making!
~peace.
Here’s something lovely from Kat’s shop!
Sunee, a Shakespearian wooden doll, clothed in Shakespeare’s writing, and sweet as can be!
by Jen of SewnNatural
Our new Thursday recipe/tutorial feature is off to a huge start with today’s chocolate cake recipe… and cookbook giveaway from Cynthia Lair, author of “Feeding the Whole Family – Recipes for Babies, Young Children and Their Parents.”
MARY’S BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CAKE
I found this recipe in a wonderful cookbook I highly recommend. Cynthia Lair’s “Feeding the Whole Family – Recipes for Babies, Young Children and Their Parents”. As a mom of a toddler, I’m always on the look-out for quick, delicious and nutritious recipes I can whip up to spice up our meal routine.
The cookbook is packed with simple recipes that excite the tastebuds, employ whole, organic foods and can be easily adapted for everyone around the supper table. You need not be a parent of little kids to enjoy this book – it would be a wonderful treat for anyone.
Check out Cynthia’s new humorous {+ fabulous} online cooking show CookusInterruptus, about how to cook fresh local whole foods despite life’s interruptions. You can also read her “baby food is not rocket science” article here about how it’s best to feed babies “family food”.
Note: For a dairy free version, substitute 1 cup soy milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice added for the buttermilk and use melted coconut oil in place of buttter.
image by elana’s pantry
Prep time: 45 minutes
Makes 2, 8-inch layers
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup organic cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup of maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly oil two 8-inch cake pans. Mix flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir into flour mixture (do not overstir). Pour batter into cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or a little less, depending on your oven.
I poured Cynthia Lair’s strawberry sauce on for added fruit, presentation and contrast. With strawberries being out of season right now (unless you’ve stored some away in your freezer from the last harvest), I’d recommend using pears, apples, whatever is freshest & has travelled the least distance to get to your plate.
image by anashruti
STRAWBERRY SAUCE
Prep time: 10 minutes
Makes 1 cup
1 pint organic strawberries
1 tsp lemon or orange juice
1 tbsp maple syrup, honey or agave nectar
Wash and trim strawberries. Place them, the juice, and sweetener in a blender and blend until smooth. Use at once or refrigerate the rest. Will keep a few days in the fridge.
|”Reprinted with permission from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair”.
TODAY’S GIVEAWAY
Cynthia has generously offered one reader a copy of her book!
That’s Cynthia 2nd from left!
To enter today’s giveaway, simply visit CookusInterruptus and leave a comment about something you enjoyed or learned (one entry per person, please!). This giveaway will end at 9am EST on Sunday, and the winner will be announced soon after.
image by Bruce Tuten
COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED.
The winner (drawn at random) is… comment #12 Katherine Robb! CONGRATS (now you don’t have to go out and buy one!!)
Real quick… three updates from the NaturalKids Team on Etsy!
First, we have revamped our collective shop, NaturalKidsStore.com, adding new members and updating the look of many of the pages. If you get a chance, you must stop by!
Second, we have a stocking opening up in our Hyena Cart shop on Saturday, April 4 (hey, that’s today!) at noon. Check out the previews up now, and be ready to snatch up some lovely natural items when the shop goes live!
Real quick… three updates from the NaturalKids Team on Etsy!
First, we have revamped our collective shop, NaturalKidsStore.com, adding new members and updating the look of many of the pages. If you get a chance, you must stop by!
Second, we have a stocking opening up in our Hyena Cart shop on Saturday, April 4 (hey, that’s today!) at noon. Check out the previews up now, and be ready to snatch up some lovely natural items when the shop goes live!