Zack received his fourth Etsy baby shower gift today, and it is adorable!

Happy Baby!

He got a blue and white teething giraffe and onesie from Suzi’s Shop, Starbright Baby! 

The teething giraffe will be ideal when he gets old enough to get teeth, because it’s the perfect size for little hands to hold, and soft yet durable all at once. I can toss it in the washing machine to clean it, and I don’t have to worry about lead poisoning or harmful plastics. Bonus!

I LOVE my new giraffe and onesie!

The onesie he got is super soft, and it fits him really well (with a little room to grow in). It has a cute little fish design, and it makes him look so cute (well, doesn’t everything?)!

Thank you, Suzi!

The quality in Suzi’s craftsmanship is amazing and professional, and her teething giraffes are so unique and colorful! She has a huge selection of patterns and colors in her shop, and even makes a larger size for older kids called Toddler Giraffes. check out Starbright Baby the next time you need an adorable, functional, and unique baby gift that’s sure to please. Thank you so much to Suzi at Starbright Baby for this amazing baby shower gift!

This weekend I also got a delivery from WigglyToothFactory on Etsy for my Etsy Baby Shower gift. Look at this cute stuff!

Teether Towel and Tooth Fairy Pillow

I have been thinking about the tooth fairy lately, because I figure Will is getting to that age where he’ll start to lose his teeth any day now. So this gift was perfect for our whole family.

Zack models with his new presents!

Megan, the store owner, makes these amazing Teether Towels which will be perfect for Zack in a few months when his teeth come in. You can hook a teether directly to the towel using the attached loop, and that way the baby can drool and have a towel handy to wipe it up with!

The tooth fairy pillow is also adorable; it has a ribbon for hanging on the bedpost or bedroom doorknob, and a built-in pocket for the tooth and the prize from the tooth fairy.

He likes his teether towel!

The stitching on these is perfect; the construction is solid. The fabric she chose is adorable, and I really love it; the colors and pattern are perfect! I know that Zack will get a lot of use out of the teether towel, and all 3 kids will use the tooth fairy pillow for years to come. Thank you so much to Megan from WigglyToothFactory for making me such an amazing and perfect baby gift!

Let’s call this post, “Another Reason Etsy Rocks.”

This weekend I got a delivery in the mail – the 2nd installment of my Etsy Baby Shower surprises. It was awesome!

Welcome Home Zack Plaque

Jen from ItzFitz made Zack this adorable monkey tile for his wall. She let me select it personally from her store, which has so many cute tiles it was hard to pick one!

Zack plays Vanna White.

All of Jen’s tiles are custom-made and hand-painted, and they are gorgeous! She makes them in a variety of sizes, and she also makes wooden letter displays, piggy banks, and more!

Here he is!

Jen worked with me to make sure the tile was right, and it arrived in one beautiful piece due to her careful packaging. I feel so lucky to have been matched up with ItzFitz; this tile is a keepsake we will cherish for Zack’s whole life!

In case you didn’t know, the talented artists on Etsy are fantastic and generous. I participated in the Fall 2009 Etsy Baby Shower this year, and today my first gift arrived. Check it out:

Zack with his Lovem, take 1 ...

Nancy from Lovems sent this to Zack, and it is amazing! It’s a two-sided minky blanket with a chocolate brown and baby blue polka dot pattern on one side and solid baby blue on the other. If you don’t know what minky fabric feels like, get thee to a fabric store and check it out. It’s amazingly soft and PERFECT for baby blankets! On the solid blue side she embroidered Zack’s name for us, which was a really sweet touch! The best part is that she has sewn a stuffed monkey to the blanket; head on one corner, legs on the other. It’s so cool, because now it’s a stuffed animal and a blanket all in one. Plus, the weight of the monkey helps the blanket stay where you put it, and gives Zack something to clutch.

... take 2 ...

I opened the box and gave Zack his Lovem right away, and he really took to it even though he hasn’t shown much interest in toys yet. He hung onto the monkey and blanket and snuggled to his little heart’s content. He even continued to hold it as he fell asleep. So cute! (Unfortunately the batteries died in my camera so I couldn’t take a picture of that one).

... take 3 ...

When Nancy found out I was the mom she’d be donating to, she let me pick any Lovem blankie I wanted from her shop, which was really sweet! She doesn’t just make monkeys – she makes almost anything you can think of. She has an adorable assortment of dogs, ducks, bears, and even an alligator! Plus she’ll combine them with any minky blanket fabrics/colors you like, and embroider them to personalize them with the child’s name, just like Zack’s.

... and take 4!

If you’re in the market for a baby gift, I cannot recommend Nancy’s shop enough. She is amazingly talented, her idea is unique and adorable, and her work is of the highest quality. Zack loves his new blankie, and so do I! And, as an added bonus, the animal makes the blanket into a weighted blanket for nursing moms; I can’t wait to try out that feature, too!

Thank you thank you to Nancy and the organizers of this Etsy Baby Shower. I am so lucky to be part of such an awesome community of artists and moms!

I’m making myself a top-down cardigan, and loving it so far. The pattern is Chevron Lace Cardigan, and it is SO easy to understand, and fast-moving! I’m making it out of cheap acrylic yarn I had at the house. but I think I might make another one for myself later out of some nicer stuff. I really like this yarn for acrylic stuff (it’s Vanna’s Choice), but it’s not exactly fancy fiber. The great part about this pattern is you can make it so many different ways – long or short, alter sleeve length, number/size of buttons, etc. 

Here’s my progress so far. I’ve finished separating the sleeve sections, and right now it’s about the length of a short shrug:

My Dusty Blue Cardigan

I’m going to make it about hip-length, with 3/4 sleeves, I think. Then I’ll just add one button closure at the neckline.

I also got some yarny goodness in the mail today …

Colorful Yarn Creations yumminess

I’ve been playing with some of Squibstitcher’s lovely sock yarn lately, making a sweater/hat/bootie set for Zack and my Love Bites scarf for the True Blood-along.  So I’m itching to try some more fingering-weight projects. Unfortunately for me, Squibstitcher (aka Jen) has all her yarns on moratorium while she works her butt off to dye yarns for two clubs she has going right now. So that leaves me without my favorite sock yarn option.

So I did some Etsy searching, and I found Colorful Yarn Creations. Pamela has a TON of great selection in her store, and her prices are VERY reasonable. I got three gorgeous skeins of yarn for $32. Yep, that’s 1320 yards, people. Here they are, in all their glory:

Sk8r Girl

Sk8r Girl, a pink/black rockin’ combo that’s going to become a scarf for yours truly;

Paradise Sunset

Paradise Sunset, a gorgeous beachy-inspired colorway to be something or other for Zack; and finally,

Rustic

Rustic, a beautiful blend of blues and oranges/reds that will look amazing on Zack this fall.

Plus, it just keeps getting better. Pamela sent me two free surprise goodies:

Mini Handspun Skein

This mini skein of handspun in gorgeous greens and browns, and …

Sparkly Fiber ... OOH!

This beautiful fiber for spinning, in all my favorite colors (and it’s sparkly!). Now I REALLY need to learn how to use that drop spindle of mine!

So the next time you’re out shopping for yarn, my fellow addicts, give Pamela’s shop a try. Her stuff is just as lovely as any of the more expensive stuff I’ve seen, but you won’t have to break your budget to add to your stash!