Blog | Creative Mamma

Awesome Books for Infants and Toddlers!

Posted on Sep 7, 2010 in Blog, Mamma Reads | 0 comments

My little guy is now almost 20 moths old and he’s a huge fan of books! Here are some books that my little guy loves… Check them out at your local bookstore or library!

My little guy’s top ten picks:

Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton (this one is fun because of all the animal sounds)
Chicka Chika A B C by Bill Martin, Jr. (favorite page is the end, we usually tap out all the letters for fun)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (the board book has holes which is fun for the little guy to interact with)
Old Hat, New Hat by Berenstains (also his dad’s favorite baby book)
Tails by Matthew Van Fleet (he loves that this one is a touch and feel one)
ABC Block Books by Susan Estelle Kwas (perfect for his little hands – plus you get 26 mini books)
Corduroy’s Day: a Counting Book by Don Freeman (fun to point out the different items)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin, Jr. (we usually add animal sounds to this one)
Dick and Jane’s My First Words by Larry Rupert (this one has lots of flaps that the baby can lift up)
Spot loves his Daddy by Eric Hill (dad and the little guy loves this one)

Some awesome lists to find more books for your toddler:

Books for Toddlers by Brooklyn Public Library
Best books for babies and toddlers by Family Education
Books to read with your toddler plus tips by education.com
Top 100 Children’s books of all time by Children’s Book Guide

I don’t have a huge budget for books so we utilize our local library to get ones that we want. Plus, libraries often host a story time for kids and they offer a lot of free programs…

Happy reading!

Mamma Buys: Glass Earrings by ThatOldBlueHouse2

Posted on Sep 4, 2010 in Blog, Mamma Buys | 1 comment

On a previous post, I had mentioned that I used to make jewelry… It didn’t last long and now I just buy awesome jewelry from some of my favorite etsy shops. So, one day as I was browsing around Etsy, I found the most awesome shop – ThatOldBlueHouse2. They make the most beautiful vintage glass jewelry. I was so excited to find the beautiful earrings that I ended up buying two pairs of earrings! I wear them all the time!

From ThatOldBlueHouse2:

I create jewelry using pieces of vintage lace, quilts, textiles, postcards, paper and found objects. My work is a tribute to the artists of the past that originally created these vintage keepsakes.

Check out the shop for some more beautiful handmade goods:

Free Printable: Kawaii Crafty Bird Mini Cards

Posted on Sep 1, 2010 in Blog, Free Stuff | 2 comments

September is a great time to start gearing up for the holidays. Whether you’re a crafty seller or just do crafty things for fun, you can use these cards for your handmade goodies! The mini cards can be used as hang tags or just little mini notes to tuck into your gifts or packages. The printable is also customizable, so if you want to add a special text or your website, feel free!

This kawaii crafty bird was so much fun to illustrate!

Go ahead and add that personal handmade touch to your packages!

Download Printable
Materials:

Card stock or Full Sheet Labels
Printer (colored preferably)
Free Adobe Reader (Mac users must also use adobe reader instead of “preview”)
Paper cutter (score marks are included)

Instructions:

Fill out the highlighted sections with your information
The blue highlighting will not print
Print the pdf – make sure that you have the page scaling set up to “none” – do not “fit to page”
Use for thank you cards and more!

Feel free to distribute! The digital file and the materials you print from this file are for your personal use only. Thanks for not altering this digital file. Materials printed using this digital file cannot be sold.

Thanks for stopping by! Want more free printables?

Who needs fancy toys?

Posted on Aug 30, 2010 in Blog, Mom Adventures | 0 comments

With grandparents, aunts and uncles sending goodies, my little guy doesn’t have enough room in his toy bucket to fit everything. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching his face as we unwrap a new toy or a special package from his relatives. Unfortunately, after a few days, the “newness” has worn off and the toy lies neglected in his growing pile of stuff.

Anyway, the other day, we were hanging out in our living room, when I heard my toddler laughing up a storm! He was just really having so much fun…

Watch the video and you’ll see why!

So, I’ve been rotating toys around so that they stay “new” to him, but really, pots, pans, boxes – he’ll be just as happy with those things right?

Mamma Finds: Maternity Fashion

Posted on Aug 27, 2010 in Blog, Mamma Finds | 1 comment

I’ve been maternity shopping! It’s crazy but I seem to have run out of maternity clothes this second time around! I’m showing sooner and nothing seems to fit… Anyway, I’ve been looking around Etsy to find maternity clothes that are stylish and are on sale. Check out my finds: