Check Out One of Our Upcoming Shows: Part II

Holiday Shopping Soiree

Shop the hottest local boutiques while enjoying complimentary wine and appetizers! Fabulous swag, raffles, free gifts and event only sales.

Monday, December 7th, 6-8:30 pm
Me Too! Cafe
16755 Baseline Rd. #102
Beaverton, OR 97006

Get all the details by checking out the blog dedicated to this event:

www.holidaysoiree.blogspot.com

Check Out One of Our Upcoming Shows: Part I

Young Life Holiday Boutique

Please join us for the 4TH annual YOUNG LIFE HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE! It will be an amazing afternoon of holiday shopping for handmade items made by local artisans! Don't forget -- 15% of all sales will be donated to Young Life in addition to the proceeds of some silent auction/raffle items provided by some of the artisans.

Sunday, December 6th, 2-6 pm
NLF Conference Room:
717 Tacoma Avenue South
Tacoma, WA 98402

ARTISTS THAT WILL BE SHOWING:
Hum Designs Jewelry (Semi-precious stones set in sterling silver & 14kt GF)
by Shannon Stewart
http://www.humdesigns.com

Plum Tot (Unique Baby Essentials)
by Ami Roberts
http://www.plumtot.com

Bow Dacious (Designer Hairbows and Headbands for Girls)
by Anna Petree

CandleDance (Handmade Soy Candles with Autumn, Christmas & Aromatherapy scents)
By Crystel Raines
http://www.candledance.com

Hand Maid Foot Prince (Baby Blankets & Spats)
By Linda Hannigan
http://www.handmaidfootprince.com

Lillibelle (Felted Purses, Scarves, Accessories & Children's Clothes)
By Abby Schuette

Whimsical Wireworks (Tea Light Lanterns & Fused Glass)
By Lisa Caldwell

Carol's Bakery Basket (Gourmet Treats & Retro Aprons)
By Carol Lockman

Petal Custom Floral Design Raffle
By Casie Swanson

Towne House Creations (Gift Items & Home Decor)
By Sheri Towne

Hand Made with Love (Hand crafted greeting cards, note cards, monogrammed cards, invitations, announcements and more)
by Sandra Kuharic and Joan Whitlock

Tiny House (Unique gift items such as pin cushions, crayon rolls, pouches, bobby pins for girls etc.)
by Jessie Keating
http://atinyhouse.blogspot.com/

Polka Dot Ink. (Handmade Earrings)
by Grace D and Sarah J-F

New Favorite Resource for Kid Crafts

I am creative. I am crafty. I also spent years in my former, pre-mama life as an elementary school teacher. Despite all this, I still seem to find that I need inspiration for projects and activities to do with my little guys. Crafty Crow to the rescue. I just stumbled on a wonderful blog for child craft projects that has so many lovely, inspiring ideas I can hardly stand it! The Crafty Crow has a huge archive of projects and so many different categories (age, event, medium just to name a few), you are bound to find something perfect for everyone. I also love that there are projects for even the littlest of hands. (Plus they have awesome giveaways.) Check them out!

P.S. --I know I've been absolutely terrible about updating this blog. I've got lots of posts from recent plum tot newsletters to add and some great post ideas that have just not made their way here...yet. Check back soon. They'll be here-I promise.

Hugs and Kisses for Mary Murphy

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy has been a favorite book of both my boys. It's got simple lyrical text, bold and contrasting illustrations, and a warm lovey feeling emanating from it's pages. A perfect shower gift (matched with a Plum Tot bib, perhaps?)

Check it out here.

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

We do out best to buy local and organic produce whenever possible but I find there are times when I don't have that option. I'm often wondering about which types of produce to avoid and what is considered safer for my family and especially for my young children. The Environmental Working Group has created a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides that outlines "the Dirty Dozen" --the 12 most pesticide laden types of produce along with the "Clean 15" --the 15 kinds of produce with the lowest amount of pesticides. Click here for a wallet size print out and for more information about produce and pesticide use.

Here's the list:
Dirty Dozen (Produce with the most pesticides)

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (Imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

Clean 15
(Lowest in pesticides--ranked with the very lowest first)

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

Look, Look! Our New Favorite Book!

Just the other day, my youngest son grabbed this book off our bookshelf, toddled it over to me, and, in his little baby way (a series of earnest grunts) insisted that I read it to him. Look, Look! is perfect for even the littlest munchkins with it's bold illustrations, simple text, and high contrast pages in black, white, and red. It's definitely a favorite in our house.

For a look at "Look, Look!", look here.

Flower Pressing

I had a flower press when I was a kid. From time to time, I'd unscrew the knobs and look through the different layers to see all the paper thin memories from summers' past. Many of the flowers and leaves that I'd pressed were from my neighborhood walks and from my backyard. This year, my oldest son and I plan to press some flowers from our backyard garden.

If you's like to press flowers with your child, you will need:
*tissue or blotting paper (construction paper can also work)
*cardboard
*large, heavy books for pressing
*an assortment of flowers and leaves

Lay a sheet of tissue paper over a piece of cardboard. Arrange your flowers and leaves on the tissue. It's also fun to include a small note tucked in with the flowers detailing where they came from to help your child remember what you collected and why. Cover with another sheet of tissue paper, a piece of cardboard and a very heavy book (or two). Leave pressed for at least two weeks and up to six months. The longer the press, the better the preservation.