Shopping for my girls is one of my favorite things to do. I just love discovering new shops who create and/or sell beautiful handmade items. When holidays roll around, it's easy to get caught up in the "sale, buy, cheap, more, etc." method that we are so often bombarded with, but it is important to remember that LESS is MORE and QUALITY over QUANTITY, really is better.
Our girls are (3) and (1) so all of this gift buying for them is still pretty new to us. Since becoming a mom, I have given a lot of thought to toys and items I want our girls to have. I thrift a lot, purchase some organic/handmade clothing when possible, and always choose wooden or handmade toys when buying for them. Before I was a mom, I would get swept up in the buy cheap method, but I have come to realize that the items I cherish most and the items I want my girls to cherish most are ones that are bought with thought and intention and to me that means choosing to purchase less items that are of higher quality and from small shop owners.
This year it was so fun putting together the girl's baskets with such beautiful and unique handmade items and discovering new shops along the way. One shop that I discovered was Poppy Baby Co. a curated shop of handmade wooden toys. Olga, the owner, is also a mother who prioritizes high quality toys for her son, and she does an excellent job curating such a beautiful shop that offers unique items for like minded families.
This adorable wooden stegosaurus is going to be a favorite of Rowan's, since she has developed quite an affinity for dinosaurs over the past couple of months. I can't wait to see her play with this. Another reason I love wooden toys like these, is that they really encourage children to use their imaginations. When you hand a child a toy that is an animal, but not a specific character from a book or movie, it is easy for them to pretend it is a certain character or a made up one from their beautiful, creative mind. And I just love that.
I also love wooden toys, because they feel good to the touch and are a natural material that awakens children's senses and helps them to connect with nature in their daily play. I know Rowan is also going to love creating scenes with this pine tree puzzle. I love giving the girls puzzles like these, because they can choose to use them as the actual object or their favorite way to use them is to use each individual piece as it's own object (a rock, food, etc. ).
These Spring baskets I've put together for the girls were well thought out and so much more fun to put together than just buying any random items from a big box store. I did purchase the sunglasses from Target, because I just loved them so much and I know it's OK to make small exceptions like this when the majority of the items are being purchased from small shops. It feels good to know that these items will be well loved, passed down, and played with for many years to come. Thanks so much for stopping by and reading about our choice to shop small for most items, especially toys and gifts. I will continue to share fun gift ideas as the years continue.
Basket details:
Baskets: Baskets of Africa
Jackets: Mezame Designs
Dinosaur and Tree: Poppy Baby Co
Wands: Smiling Tree Toys
Wooden Bison: Toys By Anthony
Journal was thrifted from Goodwill, the book was from a small book store, and the gnome house was purchased from a sale on Facebook. Sunglasses are from Target.