Re-wrap for the Holidays

by Lani Lee

Image courtesy of Loopto

Somewhere between the hours of being a mother and intervals of unexpected calm, I manage to indulge in an old love: making crafty things. Whether in the form of yarn, fabric or paper, I love to knit, crochet, sew, create homemade cards, and more. Long before I spent sleepless nights caring for a baby, I used to have all nighters furiously binding off that last-minute scarf or hat gift.

This year, with limited time, I decided that all I could manage was making my own "wrapping paper." Inspired by my upbringing with a Japanese mother and an affinity for all things zakka-like, I chose to make furoshiki to use in lieu of wrapping paper.

Handmade furoshiki using traditional Japanese printing techniques

Image courtesy of thelinkcollective

Furoshiki is simply a square piece of cloth that is used (and re-used) as a wrapping, lunch bag, or carrying sack. Traditional furoshiki often was made of silk with shibori or designs similar to those used on kimono garments. The furoshiki featured above is created with a modern design twist using complex, artistic techniques, but for D-I-Y or home purposes, the least you have to do is cut a square piece of fabric and sew the edges.

Image courtesy of thelinkcollective

Here is a great tutorial of some different ways to use furoshiki. You also have to check out this jazzy video tutorial here!

For those of you who don't sew or can't get your hands on a furoshiki, you can embrace the Green Grocery Bag Challenge. You can read more about going green for the holidays here.

A Green Halloween

By Kate Stilwell

This year, why not put a spin on the old orange and black and go GREEN?  Treat your body and the environment well this Halloween season!

Let’s talk food (because that’s my favorite part). Halloween can wreak havoc on our teeth and our waistlines, not to mention what happens to our nerves after the kids ingest a bucket of sweets. This Halloween, make some treats at home and avoid the yuck in the bucket. 

Honey and Apples
This is a favorite treat of mine, the fall apples are delicious and honey provides the extra sweet that can satisfy that candy craving. For a creepy twist, add some red food coloring to the honey and create “blood” dipping sauce for your little vampires.

Carrots and Dip
Turn the carrots into “fingers” by sticking almond slices to the tops with extra dip and watch the delicious treats disappear. 

Pumpkin Seeds
Nothing more classic than this. Take the insides of your brand new jack-o-lantern, rinse and dry the seeds and then bake with salt at 350º!

Cheese Pieces
Take some cheese sticks (I prefer organic, the mozzarella always seems stronger to me) and cut little lines to make finger creases.  Add some green bell pepper pieces to the tops to make moldy fingernails.

Guacamole
Make some monster goo to dip chips in. Two ripe avocados, a tasty mango, half a red bell pepper, small handful of cilantro, ¼ of a small red onion, lime and salt to taste and you have a scary treat that’s sweet and salty.

Decorations?

No problem! Halloween happens every year, so why not spend some time to make decorations that you can re-use? Your wallet and the environment will love you for it!

Felt Bats in a Tree

Materials:
    o    Black felt (number of pieces depends on how many you want and how big you want them)
    o    Fabric Marker
    o    Bat cutout shape
    o    Fabric Scissors
    o    Wire and wire cutters
    o    Multi-branched stick (with or without leaves, up to you)
    o    Hot Glue

Cut out the shape you want, trace it on the felt and use the fabric scissors to cut out the desired shape. Hot glue the wire to the felt and the wrap the wire around the branch so that the bat hovers above it in mid-flight. Add tons of bats for a creepier atmosphere.

Variations/Hints
    -the way you attach the wire will change the shape of the bat. Try gluing the wire flat along the bottom of the wings and bend the wings up and down for variations among your critters
    -if you don’t have a glue gun, sew two of the bats together and put the wire inside to achieve the same result
    -get a smaller stick and attach one bat that you can hold and dangle in front of people for a Halloween scare

Crepe Paper Pumpkins

Materials:
    o    Orange and green crepe paper
    o    Stuffing (of your choosing)
    o    Glue (hot glue works best)

Cut or rip squares of the orange crepe paper place stuffing in the center and fold corners and sides up and into the middle. Place a dot of glue to hold it all together and add a torn piece of green crepe paper to the top as a leaf or stem (and the cover the glue). 

Variations/Hints
    -you can stuff the pumpkin with pumpkin seeds or some other small treat and make it a take home gift/treat
    -make sure before you put the dot of glue that the shape is relatively pumpkin-like, you can’t alter it after the glue has been applied without risking ripping the paper
    -crepe paper is not sturdy, handle it minimally
    -try multiple layers of tissue paper instead of crepe paper instead and make bigger pumpkins

Ghastly Ghosts
Materials:
    o    An old white sheet
    o    Fabric scissors
    o    String
    o    Stuffing (old plastic bags work well)
    o    Black fabric marker

Use the fabric scissors to cut a square of white fabric (choose size according to how big you want your ghosts). Use the blade of the scissors to tatter the edges of the fabric and add some hole near the edges. Place the stuffing in the middle of the fabric, tie the string around the outside and cinch closed. Tie a knot and cut close to the knot to hide it. Use the fabric marker to draw a ghastly face.

Variations/Hints
    -Put a small hole in the top and tie a string through it so that you can hang your ghosts all over the house
    -Use more than one piece of fabric to give the ghost more flowy pieces on the bottom

General Ideas
    -When you go trick-or-treating, use a pillowcase or reusable bag instead of buying something plastic.
    -Substitute fruits for sweets, they satisfy the craving without the guilt and the craziness
    -Try composting your pumpkins after they’ve lost their creepy smiles
    -Share costumes with friends so you don’t have to buy new ones or make your own out of recycled and pre-worn clothing/found objects
    -And as always, go local/organic on all your yummies… your body and the earth will appreciate you

I also offer party planning for kids and grown-ups, anything from a small, catered get-together to a big birthday bash!! Please e-mail for details.

See you all at our Boo! Bash on Saturday!

Anniversary Sneak Peek of ...

The Felt Commissary's new felt foods! These and more at our sidewalk sale this Saturday.

Time to go grocery shopping . . .

Call for Crafters to Join Baby A's Anniversary Celebration on 8/28!

As we're gearing up for our Anniversary celebration on Saturday August 28th -- mark your calendars! -- Baby Awearness owners Ashley and Nicky are pulling out all the stops to make it an exciting, fun, family-friendly day at Baby A. 

As part of the grand festivities, we want to invite local crafters, artisans, and any budding or blossoming eco-friendly business to be part of the event's sidewalk sale tables. This will be a great way to meet customers, sell products, and to use the event as a marketing opportunity for your business. Another great incentive is that Baby A will offer a one-time, special 70/30 consignment fee, meaning you get to keep 70% of the day's profits and only pay Baby Awearness a 30% fee.

New owners Ashley and Nicky feel so tremendously blessed in the store's pilot year that they would like to support other fellow local entrepreneurs, businesses, and the community-at-large at this celebration.

Please contact Lani Lee as soon as possible if you are interested so that a table may be reserved for you. There are only six tables available and they are going fast!

** Sage Mamas Making A Difference**

Lauren Rabb, Muse and Mom Behind The Felt Commissary

Here at Baby Awearness, we firmly believe in all things cute and lovable as well as eco-friendly. We are excited to add handmade felt food toys to our growing toy 'n play section (Also keep an eye out for July's "Let's Talk Toys" segment that's posting soon). Next time you're at the store, you'll have to take a look at these beautiful and well-made felt creations. They would make treasured additions to any child's toy collection.

Local mom and crafter Lauren is proudly married to her husband, a Navy man who just passed his 10-year mark this month. Their family is comprised of two young toddlers, their dog Kona, and their newest addition -- a foster St. Bernard named Rook.

In this debut post of our new monthly column Sage Mamas Making A Difference, Lauren shares some thoughts about being a busy momtrepeneur and the inspiration that started The Felt Commissary:

What inspired you to start making your own toys?
I was inspired to make my own toys because of all the recalls on toys that were being made in China. I only had one or two recalled toys but that scared me. Plus I had just spent my hard-earned money to buy toys that my son couldn't play with. I had seen a few felt toys around but they were extremely expensive and almost looked like something I wouldn't want my child to "mess up." So I jumped online and got some ideas from other craft sites and began experimenting.

My first few ventures weren't very pretty. I tried to make an eggplant and it turned out looking like a giant purple chili pepper... it was funny! I really couldn't help but laugh. As I started to get the hang of it, I really enjoyed the sense of pleasure I got from other parents' responses. I got a lot of "you could sell this," though I really didn't think I could until I started to ask people who weren't familiar with eco-friendly toys if they would be willing to pay for handmade toys. When one mom in particular, who told me she would rather spend money in a store "the easy way," saw my felt foods, she became an instant convert! That was validating and nudged me into the direction of turning my craft into a business venture.

On your label, it says you use eco-friendly materials. Where do you get them? Do you make your own felt?

I don't make my own felt... I would love to but I don't think I could keep my prices as low as they are if I were to do that. I get my felt threw local craft suppliers and I try and make my foods around the various colors that are in stock, which can sometimes limit my creativity. I also use locally made fiber-fill. I am a firm believer in helping the local economy.

How do you balance your crafting and business while being a mother?
This is the hardest part of the whole thing! I really have to scrape together little bits of time to make felt toys. I cut out pieces while I am waiting on noodles to cook for mac and cheese, or I sew while my husband and I catch up on our DVR-ed episodes! I really try and make the best of the little bits of time I have. However, I often find myself sitting up late at night crafting these little gems because I can't turn my creativity off long enough to go to bed (LOL).

Can you offer any ideas to parents and kids out there on creative ways to play with their felt food toys?
These felt toys have a wide array of uses. I use them to teach my son (who is 2.5 years old) and soon my daughter (who is 4 months old) about wise food choices. Instead of calling bread just bread I talk about wheat bread. I know he is only 2.5 years old but he seems to like when I explain things in an adult fashion. I also talk to him about carrots and strawberries and then show him our garden and I can see the light bulb go on as he makes the connection at the dinner table when he points out the food on his plate and the felt food on the floor! My husband and I joke that my son is a self-made fruitarian. He doesn't eat meat and would eat fruit for every meal if he could!

Also, the felt foods help sometimes to introduce new items. I also use them to teach colors and counting as well as chores. My son loves to pull out ALL of his felt food and pretend to cook, wash and eat them, but when it comes to the clean up part it can be more difficult. But by being specific it has really helped. For instance, I tell him to "bring me the carrots" and he does!

What is your favorite felt toy food so far?

Wow, I feel picking a favorite felt food is like picking a favorite child. I love them all. I just made pop-sicles or "pops" as they are called at my house and those turned out great! I love the corn in the husk as well as the peel-able bananas! However my son couldn't make it through a day with out his "appies" or apples, real or fake! I can't wait to see what my daughter's favorites are!

Any new foods to look forward to?
I am having fun creating new food that should be in the store soon! I have cupcakes and green apples as well as cherry pie slices. I am also crafting pizzas with removable toppings! That should really be something to look out for!

Baby A: Thank you Lauren for taking the time to make such wonderful handmade goodies to share with us all as well as for inspiring us with your story.
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Sage Mamas Making A Difference is a new monthly column that is now part of Baby A's blossoming blog. If you know of any inspiring moms in our local community, or are one yourself (modesty not required), drop us a line at lani@babyawearness.com so that we may feature your story and endeavors about how you're making a difference right here in paradise. (LL)

Get crafty!

Inspired by an eponymous children's art studio in Colorado, Clementine Art supplies were created by one teacher who not only loved art and children but cared enough to ensure that the very materials her students used to create were truly non-toxic.

From her very own kitchen, she endeavored to concoct the natural -- and nearly delectable, we might add -- art supplies any budding artist can get their hands on. Made from simple, everyday ingredients such as flour, natural colorings, and water, came modeling clay, crayons, paint, even glue!

Baby A is now carrying a full line of Clementine Art supplies. These high-quality supplies are certified non-toxic, earth-friendly, and packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled and reusable materials.

Keiki Earth Day Recap

On April 17th we hosted Keiki Earth Day at the store. Thanks to all our amazing customers, vendors, and instructors, we had an AMAZING event. Photos courtesy of Ernie Serrano.

Happy Families!

 

Keiki Hula with Kumu Malia Helela

 

Crafting with Sierra Dew

 

Square Foot Gardening and Bucket Gardening with Auntie Pualani

 

 

Sing-A-Long with Uncle Wayne 

 

New Classes and Events at Baby aWEARness

Happy October Everyone!! Time flies. I can't believe we are already approaching Halloween! Next week is going to be an awesome week at Baby aWEARness. We are FINALLY going to get our Mom & Baby Yoga class going, something I know so many of you have been looking forward to. We are also starting our 4 week Keiki Seminar Series with Pualani Ramos, having another Vaccine Lecture, and gearing up for Keiki Sign Language on Tuesday October 20th. Also in the works - the Baby aWEARness Cafe! I haven't forgetten about all you moms interested in having a yummy place to go with your kids midday. We have had some wonderful chefs and moms come in and we're getting all the details figured out. Stay Tuned! We look forward to seeing you in store. Cheers, Ashley and Nicky

Mom & Baby Yoga With Liz Bowen Saturdays, 9am **Begins October 17th**

Keiki Seminars With Pulani Ramos Fridays, 6:00pm (October 16th-November 6th) Keiki Seminars are for parents of young children and early childhood educators. Learn the crafts, songs, rhymes, and techniques of the Waldorf early childhood curriculum. Auntie Pualani of Na Pualani Preschool will share with you the Waldorf curriculum for the preschool - kindergarten. A series of 4, hands on, informative workshops are designed to give parents insight and techniques to enhance the parenting experience and give early childhood educators new ideas and inspiration for their classrooms. Each class is 2 and half hours long. Session 1: Child Development, and Child Behavior, Session 2: Songs, Rhymes, Games and Imaginative Play, Session 3: Arts & Crafts and Baking, Session 4: Stories and Literature that Support Language Acquisition and the Imagination. Learn how to get your child to comply without a struggle; learn how to choose a good toy; learn fun and easy games to play with your child; learn how to choose the right book to enhance your child's language skills; learn how to make finger puppets from felt, how to make homemade bread and so much more.

Keiki Sign Language - Beginner Play Class

With Lisa Krietzer
Tuesdays, 9am (October 20th - December 15th)
SIGN UP TODAY!

Beginner Play Classes start October 20th! They provide a playful environment where caregivers and their hearing children learn ASL signs and research-proven Signing Smart strategies - such as how to bring signs into your child's world and how to recognize your child's early signs - while making signing simple, fun, and successful! Classes aret $150 for the 8 wk session and include the handbook and two DVDs.

About the Instructor
Lisa Kreitzer is originally from Oahu and received her Master's degree in Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Lisa spent several years working in public school systems, both on Oahu and in Oregon, as an elementary school counselor. She has been involved with the Signing Smart™ program since 2003 both as a participant and instructor. Lisa received her mentoring for the Signing Smart™ Play Classes from Dr. Reyna Lindert, co-founder of the Signing Smart™ program. She has seen first hand, with her own children, what an amazing tool signing with hearing infants and toddlers can be. Teaching families how to incorporate signing into their everyday lives has been a wonderful experience!

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Breastfeeding Support Groups

Led By: Naoko "Nicky" Lawnsby, Dr. Sylvia Pager, Kristin Speltz, and others Fee: Free When: Every 1st Monday of the Month @ 10:15am Every 3rd Saturday of the month @ 10am Have questions about breastfeeding? Want to share your questions and experiences with other breastfeeding moms? This class, led by an IBCLC certified lactation consultant, can provide you with the support you need to continue breastfeeding. Call 988-0010 or email nic@babyawearness.com for more information

Creative Crafts for Kids October 19th, 10:30am Has the economic recession taken a bite out of your kids' entertainment budget? Let a former elementary teacher show you how make the most out of what you already have on hand. Learn how to make play-doh and finger paint with common ingredients found in most kitchens. Discover a new use for old, broken crayons, and be prepared to take those cardboard boxes out of the recycling bin. Cost: $15

email ashley@babyawearness.com if you'd like to attend!

Bucket Gardens!

Bucket Gardens is a recycling project that uses 5 gallon buckets, recycled from the food industry and recycled paint from paint suppliers to create individual "Bucket Gardens". Children paint a bucket and have their very own personalized garden to plant. Na Pualani Learning Ohana provides paint, brushes, the buckets cleaned and ready to paint and all other supplies and expertise. It's a great activity for parents and children to enjoy and it's a green project that turns a used bucket into a garden. Bucket Gardens is a great learning activity for a variety of venues including businesses and parties and proceeds from these activities go towards supporting the Bucket Gardens in the Schools Project. Bucket Garden Workshops have been held at the Haleiwa Farmer's Market, Whole Foods Market, Kokua Market and Baby AWAREness. For more information please visit our website: napualanilearningohana.vpweb.com Or call: 262-3253