WESTie Wednesday : ft flfcreations

WESTie Wednesday with Wendi Kuarsingh of flfcreations!

Welcome to WESTie Wednesday, where each week we get to know a proud WEST member and their Etsy shop! Learn about Wendi and her shop flfcreations.

"At flfcreations, I mainly sell children's items such as costumes, plushies and stuffies. I also touch on home decor and one of my more popular items locally would have to be my "home Manitoba" pillows and ornaments."

"I was initially inspired by my 2-year-old. I bought felt hoping to make him a giant robot. The robot was a success and I was hooked on creating new things out of felt! Four years later my products are in a couple of local shops and I have many online sales.

All my materials are purchased locally and are created with much love and patience.  

I specialize in stuffies as well as children's costumes and old school rag dolls. The options seem endless! If only I had more time in the day to create all the ideas playing around in my mind."

We asked Wendi “Why Etsy?”

"I decided to start an Etsy shop because locally I've done quite well and was hoping to expand my sales. I have been quite successful on Etsy."

"I encourage you if you have a passion and a dream to chase after it with all your heart."

Want to see more? Be sure to check out flfcreations on social media:

Facebook | Instagram

WESTie Wednesday with Deanne of Little Feather Designs

Welcome to WESTie Wednesday, where each week we get to know a proud WEST member and their Etsy shop! Learn about Deanne and her Etsy shop Little Feather Designs!

"I am a wife to a hardworking man, nature warrior, mother of 2 wild boys, dog owner, sister to 5, friend to gypsy souls." 

"In my etsy shop you will find a range of safe wood teethers, organic bibdanas, headbands and slouchy toques. I mainly make for little people ranging from newborn up to 6 to 8 years of age. I am slowly spreading my wings and branching out into clothing that will consist of shorts, harems, leggings, sweaters, tshirts and more. I also take on custom orders that have consisted of crayon rolls all the way up to handmade quilts."

  ( Source )

 "I started my shop a few years ago when I was expecting my first baby. I wanted to make him everything but soon realized that costs a lot of money. Along with sewing for my boys came the making for others. I enjoy giving handmade gifts that have been blessed with love. The requests came in and after seeing the quality of goods out there in the stores Little Feather Designs was born. Most of my pieces were spurred as the needs of my family and surrounding family grew. Trendy bibs, safe teethers, cool reversible toques, headbands and now organic leggings, harems and soon more."

 ( Source )

"Most if not all of my materials are American or Canadian made. I refrain as much as possible to take the cheap road and purchase from overseas and encourage the making of poor quality goods and even poorer working conditions. I use organic whenever and wherever I can. I want parents to feel secure knowing that the pieces they are purchasing from me are safe for their babes to use and wear."

 ( Source )

"All of my pieces are made in my home using machines that were once my mothers prized possessions. I create in a space that is filled with the loudness of boys and the beauty of the woods. I take time preparing and making my products. By the time a piece is sent out a piece of me goes with it."


"I love to create in any way shape or form. I live out in wilds of the Canadian Shield in a home that my husband and I built with the help of friends and family. My love of nature and the great outdoors comes through in my products. I love warm natural colors and try to work with as much organic renewable fibers as possible."
  

Want to see more? Be sure to check out Deanne on social media!

Facebook // Instagram

WESTie Wednesday - featuring Narra Nest!

Welcome to WESTie Wednesday, where each week we get to know a proud WEST member and their Etsy shop! This week we're learning about Danielle and her Etsy shop Narra Nest!

(source)

"Hi! I'm Danielle, owner of Narra Nest and new mom to a smart, funny, happy, troublemaking, beautiful 10 month old girl named Juniper. While pregnant with Junebug and servicing my raging nesting hormones, I began sewing items for the new nursery; a change pad cover, crib skirt, sheets, etc. Perhaps the fog of my never-ending-morning-sickness was playing tricks on my mind, but somewhere along the line I began to think that perhaps these adorable and cuddly little baby items could be the perfect marriage between my love of sewing and my lifelong dream of entrepreneurship. 

I am inspired by the everyday rituals I share with Juniper; snuggling up to nurse before her nap, reading a book before bedtime, listening to her baby babble chatting while we eat our lunch. It means the world to me that my products will be there with your little one for the bath time cuddles, the bedtime stories, the Saturday morning cartoons, the picnic blanket lunch times, the first night in the big girl bed, and all the other special moments along the way."

(source)

"Narra Nest uses only 100% certified organic fabrics, which means your precious babe can snuggle her skin right into that blanket without you worrying about any nasty chemicals found in conventionally farmed cotton (one of the world's dirtiest crops). I create every item for Narra Nest by hand in my home studio in Manitoba, Canada. My husband and I have recently relocated to a century old farmhouse on an acreage near his home town, and am I incredibly lucky to have a nice big space in our home to devote to Narra Nest. If farmhouse renovations and learning to homestead are your thing, make sure to follow our adventures (and misadventures, ha!) on Instagram @narranest!"

(source)

"Narra Nest is home to 100% organic gifts and accessories for babies and children. My current line up includes baby blankets, burp cloths, baby and toddler bibs, and bandana bibs. I plan to expand this fall into a few apparel items, quilts, and nursery decor items. Most of my clients are mothers purchasing items for their own children, or other women shopping for gifts. My clients are typically concerned with the environment, and looking for products that are produced in more eco-friendly ways, like organic cotton."

Want to see more? Be sure to check out Danielle on social media!

Facebook // Instagram

DIY: $20 water play table

Hi! This is Serena from www.heavensearth.etsy.com and www.serenawilsonstubson.blogspot.com, and I'm here to share with all the lovely readers of  the W.E.S.T blog our recent DIY project - a water play table!

Both my kids love water.. I think all kids love it! They especially love to fill the dog's water dish with toys and then splash it all over the kitchen floor or fill up their glass of water with one of their toys so they can “give it a bath.” These things, while very sweet and playful, did not make me very happy.

We talked about getting a water/sand table for the backyard and looked around online at the different options. We really didn’t want the sand option because we have a great sandbox already. We also were not happy with the height of the tables we were seeing online. 

During the online search I found a couple that were just perfect! A nice sturdy structure that was tall enough for my 4 year-old and didn’t have all sorts of things built into it – I wanted the kids to use their own “things” and come up with their own ways to play. The problem with these Montessori water tables was the price and how functional they would be outside.

The best solution was to just build our own! We bought a $7 clear under-bed storage bin and about $10 worth of lumber. Jason got to work and a short time later we had a water table!

Our original plan was to add a plug or spigot to the table for easy drainage, but the kids proved that this really isn't necessary at all! They have no problem draining all the water out of it during their play! 

Best $20 ever!

~ Serena