Items tagged “Handmade”

With more and more families becoming ecologically aware and moving toward sustainable living, wooden toys are experiencing a renaissance. Karl Oppen, founder of Tree Blocks, is a business owner who has put responsible forestry practices to work in his company. After overseeing factories in Europe and Vietnam, and becoming familiar with the high demands those locations place on the forestry industry, Oppen opened his first U.S. factory in Wisconsin. The off-the-grid operation uses sustainable forestry, reclaimed wood, and off-cut wood to create a fun and unique line of toys.

Maple Landmark has been making eco-friendly, educational wooden toys, games and gifts since 1979 in Middlebury, Vermont. Many people know them for their NameTrains, but they craft a wide array of children’s products including heirloom wooden baby toys, toddler toys, board games and gifts. The Giggle Guide^® recently caught up with Maple Landmark for a look behind the scenes of this topnotch brand:

Little darlings will enjoy wearing delights as much as they do eating them with Lili Collection’s moccasins and matching purses. Mouthwatering strawberries, juicy pineapples, ice cream popsicles and more become fashionable and adorable style statements. From picnics to play dates, these accessories are sure to make her the star of the show! Lili Collection also features Animoccs. These cute critters come in purses as well and are perfect to wear in summer and straight on through to fall and winter.

Don’t shoot the messengers, but it’s time to start thinking about back to school displays. And no display will be complete without the perfect accessory for the all-important first day outfit. And then there’s school picture day. And holidays. Well, you get the picture. And that picture gets prettier with the Republic of Pigtails, a collection of handmade hair accessories that go beyond the glass beads and into a fashionable fairytale. Rika Gunawan dedicated Republic of Pigtails to her daughter and their edgy friends who love to look fabulous.

Channel the wanderlust of summer with The Sweet Potatoe, a modern organic children’s clothing brand inspired by travel and cities that embody culture and history. Create everyday wee wardrobe staples for curious little explorers with a brand that launched last year and grew from a farmer’s market stop to a boutique favorite. Lazers will never go out of style and The Sweet Potatoe knows it. They’ve even centered parts of their 2015 collections around them. The Lazer-T is a soft, comfortable all-season piece that can be layered under a sweater during chilly summer evenings, or paired with a skirt or short for hot summer days.