Talk about a triple threat. www.fashionplaytes.com lets girls shop, design and customize their clothing and accessories. Using an online sketchbook, your daughter can select the silhouette of her choice, ranging from T-shirts and hoodies to dresses and skirts to jackets and vests to headbands and backpacks. She views a simple line drawing of the item and from there she can choose a size (6-16), a pattern, a color and a fabric. Next she can add details, like ribbons, ruffles, rosettes, rhinestones, appliqués and a personalized label. The customized items will arrive within three weeks of placing the order.
Before girls add their design accents, the pieces range from $5 (for a headband) to $25 (for jacket, vest or poncho). But even after the details are added, the prices remain reasonable. A poncho with printed ribbon trim and an appliqué came to $44, and a v-neck t-shirt with printed trim on the sleeves, a ruffle at the hem, rhinestones on the neck and a peacock appliqué came to $28.
The site offers a nice selection of patterns and designs. There are several solid and patterned fabrics to start with, more than 10 printed and solid under-layer fabrics and ruffles, three different rosettes and more than 20 ribbon trims, appliqués, rhinestone designs and spot graphics. Look for peace signs, polka dots, ponies, hearts, skulls, flowers, paisley, fairies, stars, butterflies and more.
Shoppers who join the website can save their designs to a closet, which makes it easy for Mom, Grandma and Auntie to buy a gift they know will be worn. Gift certificates are also available. And the girl-friendly site has a runway section where shoppers can submit testimonials and upload photos showing off their customized creations.
From chic birth announcements to stylish holiday cards, www.tinyprints.com delivers. This wonderful site pushes the envelope in both selection and service. We love the free pre-shipped envelopes and convenient mailing service and that you can order as few as 10 cards.
It’s not too late to place an order for a holiday greeting or a new year’s wish. Consider one of the celebrity designs in support of a worthy cause. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has designed an elegant winter holiday card (center) to benefit Robin Hood, an organization which funds 200 poverty-fighting schools and organizations in New York City. The holiday photo card created by Bonnie Marcus and actress/model Molly Simms (right) benefits Friends of El Faro, which works to improve the lives of children in the Casa Hogar Sion orphanage. Cindy Crawford’s design (left), also created with Marcus, helps raise funds in support of the fight against leukemia and lymphoma.
Visit the site of this UK-based company and you’ll be tempted to buy out the shop. All of the kits are just so adorable you’ll want your little one to have them all. With prices ranging between $6.99 and $22.99, it may be wise to stock up for snow days, rainy days and every day in between.
Tagged ‘creative things to make and do’ these kits fall into four categories; ‘create-it,’ ‘build-it,’ ‘stitch-it’ and ‘knit-it’. The activities are geared for kids three years to 12 and up. Stand-outs in the ‘create-it’ group include the kits for string puppet robots, finger puppet monsters, the enchanted wooden castle and foam garden and a prima ballerina wooden peg doll. The kits featured under ‘build-it’ include a wooden rocket, wooden pirate ship and wooden bulldozer. The stitch-it’ and ‘knit-it’ kits range from a flower handbag, bedtime bear and rag doll to a cuddly elephant, monkey and mice.
The creativity doesn’t stop with what’s inside the kit. All of the boxes for the kits are specially printed inside so they can be cut up and recycled to make something cool. And the site offers more than just shopping. Click ‘free stuff to do’ and you’ll find detailed instructions for themed birthday parties, child-friendly cooking recipes, basic knitting and sewing instructions, craft projects for boys, craft projects for girls, outdoor activities, seasonal projects and even coloring pages. This tab is actually a wonderful resource for Cub Scouts, Daisies and Brownies.
