One-of-a-Kind Softies from Child’s Own Studio

Their uniqueness is undeniable. And their cuteness is irresistible.

Over 13,000 people like Child’s Own Studio’s Facebook page. And it’s easy to see why.

Softie dolls have been around for quite some time (apparently it’s a wildly popular Japanese craze), but they’ve never been imagined quite like this. Wendy Tsao began using her needle and thread to create softie dolls based on children’s drawings about five years ago, and she’s been bringing their artistic creations to life ever since.

Child’s Own Studio makes custom, handmade, keepsake, soft toys that will be cherished for a lifetime. Featured in the June 2012 issue of Reader’s Digest, Wendy’s wonderful creations are a collaboration between her and the dreams of a child -one-of-a-kind drawings as unique as the child who draws it.

The child’s drawing, a wonderful expression of childhood, is the starting point of the collaborative project. Details and color choices are reproduced as closely as possible so that the stuffed toy that arrives in the mail is immediately recognizable to the child who designed it.

Wendy’s Vancouver BC, home-based craft business is keeping her very busy, and happy. “It’s a fun, rewarding process, and kids love seeing their drawings come alive,” she says. So busy in fact, that she’s got a wait list for her hand-crafted style –it takes up to two days to complete a Child’s Own creation. In the meantime, she offers the Softiemaker Showcase on her website, a list of independent craft artists from around the world who are also available, if you’re in a really big hurry.

Read Wendy’s blog on her homepage for the story behind many Child’s Own Studio softie creations.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

T-Shirt Transcendence

Can a t-shirt actually help a child develop self esteem? My Kinda Style t-shirts just may give kids the kind of positive reinforcement they need to feel great about themselves.

My Kinda Style is a children’s knitwear brand of t-shirts and one-pieces with hip, witty and empowering graphic messages. Made from soft organic cotton with a tagless design, they not only provide endless hours of comfort, but are also made to encourage positive self esteem in children.

Shayla Mackey is the creative force behind My Kinda Style, and knows first-hand how important self-esteem is, especially for girls. While raising her daughter all on her own, she finished college with a degree in Business Management; in fact, Shayla was inspired by her daughter’s love of art and fashion to start the business.

We pay close attention to the details that both kids and parents want in a clothing line, from carefully choosing the perfect fabric texture and colors to dreaming up the next empowering themed messages and designs.

Oklahoma-based My Kinda Style is no ordinary t-shirt maker; as a community volunteer and an active member of her church, Shayla is also passionate about using her business to give back to communities.

“Not every child has the opportunity to have new clothes,” Shalya says. “While clothing is a necessity, a brand new t-shirt to a child in need takes on a whole new meaning; it can give him confidence, make her feel noticed and important, and overall teach a valuable lesson that when they’re in need, there are people who care to help.”

T-Shirts That Give. On this page of the website, folks can nominate a deserving child or children who can benefit from a new t-shirt by telling Shayla and the team at My Kinda Style their story. “We believe that something as simple as a t-shirt really can change lives. We want to do our part to make their dreams come true.”

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

The Magic of Pippen Lane

Over a decade ago, Anna Beth Goodman envisioned a child’s emporium inspired by what she calls “the whimsy of youth,” right in her hometown on New Orleans, LA.

Today, as one of the premiere shopping destinations in this unique city’s Garden District, Pippen Lane offers cosmopolitan and traditional Southern styles -including Lylian heirloom dresses- as well as exquisitely selected European fashion, gifts, toys and nursery décor for little boys, girls and babies.

Earlier this year, Anna Beth introduced her own signature clothing label featuring fashion-forward, bold designs. The Pippen Lane Collection débuted in January and pays homage to the Big Easy with fresh and whimsical prints intertwined with classic, wearable styles available in sizes newborn to size 10.

All of my collections may not always have a direct New Orleans reference, but you can always count on the city giving me the ultimate inspiration.

-Anna Beth Goodman, wife of actor John Goodman and mom of Molly Evangeline

The Spring/Summer collection features styles inspired by unique New Orleans neighborhoods, streets and wildlife- including Garden District Floral, Arabella, Peacock Feather and Fancy Bird. Signature layettes feature the iconic fleur-de-lis, as well as bee, crown and bear embroidery on footies, polo shortalls, skirted one-pieces and blankets. For older children, Pippen Lane features rompers, capris, shorts, tunics and ruffled tees in lively patterns including carnival beads and vibrant florals.

The Pippen Lane Collection is available at the retail store, located at 2929 Magazine Street, and online. Wholesale is also available.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

BargainChildrensClothing.com – What a Deal! ITS A BARGAIN!

If you’re a fan of Children’s Retail Today, you may be liking my links to the fabulous deals found on BargainChildrensClothing.com.

This site is a treasure trove of incredible bargains on brand name children’s clothing and accessories. I’ve had the pleasure of working with the site’s masterminds –Manny & Joe– for about two years, and I know that they do everything in their power to earn their customers’ business.

You can be assured of price, quality, fast shipping, extensive selection and ease of site navigation when shopping at BargainChildensClothing.com.

Manny & Joe really stepped up, serving an under-recognized market for value-priced children’s clothing by leaving their top executive positions in the New York City garment district and starting a business that caters to savvy shoppers.

That was then, This is now. With a mission to save their customers time and money when shopping for children’s clothing, Manny & Joe began with 1,500 deeply discounted products, shipping from their warehouse in New Jersey. By adding 75-100 products per week, the company has grown to feature over 8,000 items at a 20 to 85 percent discount – every day. And if that’s not enough, you can enjoy even more deals:

Only $3.95 Flat Rate Shipping on All Ground Orders
Deal of Day
Discount Boutique
Extreme Sales
Fantastic Customer Service

And their customers love it.

BargainChildrensClothing.com is awesome. What I love is the ability to get unique, creative, non-mass-produced clothes without having to pay small boutique/European prices. You have helped me keep my daughter adorably dressed. Thank you!

– Ricki, Brooklyn NY

No Membership Required. BargainChildrensClothing.com’s Facebook page has 13,746 likes – and counting. The company recently gave away an iPad to contest winner Debralee Hasson Landry from Turnersville, NJ.

Shopping at BargainChildrensClothing.com is a pleasure thanks to Manny & Joe. Pajamas, jeans, designer duds, dresses, swimwear, footwear – you name it. It’s all there. Experience it for yourself!

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Friendship Bracelets – BFF’s and More

The award-winning My Friendship Bracelet Maker® by Choose Friendship Company has been flying off the shelves lately.

The friendship bracelet – an international symbol of camaraderie – is a wonderful reminder to youngsters that they can count on their best friends no matter what, especially in this era of bullying and hurtful words. Invented for his granddaughters by David Crorey, a retired auto industry exec, the portable My Friendship Bracelet Maker helps kids make their own designs neatly and with ease.

Michigan-based Choose Friendship Company has established quarterly campaigns encouraging support networks between kids across the country. For instance, they collaborated with Mad Habit Media to launch an anti-bully, pro-friendship campaign revolving around the song/video, Inside Out, sung by Michigan teen Marisa Nahas – and proceeds from the song’s sales are donated to non-profit organizations that support this cause.

Because children carry burdens often overlooked or misunderstood by others, we want them to feel welcomed into their own exclusive club. Our mission is to let them know they’re not alone; not only are others living with the same fear and uncertainty, but that these special children are loved and supported by a larger community.

-Julie Crorey, mom to the granddaughters

This year, Choose Friendship also introduces two new craft kits. The My Friendship Bracelet Maker Traveler™ is great for backpacks and carry-ons and the nifty slide-out storage drawer features 20 pre-cut Prism® embroidery threads in 10 different colors. With The Image Bracelet Maker™, kids can express their favorite likes of the moment on their wrist – just like Pinterest! It uses photos, magazine pictures, internet images or the included art starter sheets to assemble bracelets that are totally unique and awesome.

Choose Friendship is not only the craft kit family business’ new name (the company was once known as Crorey Creations) but also its mantra. The joy of the product line is its ability to engage impressionable kids of the importance of friends and self-expression. Plus, it’s gone global in two short years. QVC sold out its entire load of more than 55,000 kits during the 4th quarter, 2011. National and specialty retailers alike had to restock their shelves in-store and online. My Friendship Bracelet Maker® and My Ribbon Barrette Maker® have earned kudos from Tillywig Toy Awards, Parents’ Choice, Dr. Toy, Creative Child Magazine, NAPPA Awards and Brilliant Sky.

Log on to ChooseFriendship.com for instructional videos, charitable causes, store locations, to watch Inside Out and more. The Friendship Bracelet Blog is authored by the inventor’s granddaughter.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

The Eyes Have It

Protection for kids’ eyes is fun, stylish and oh-so-effective.

When it comes to us humans, no one can deny that we are sun worshippers. Some statistics point out that about half of the total time we spend outdoors occurs in the first 20 years of our lives. And the human eye is 10 times more sensitive to harmful UV rays than our skin – reason enough to protect young eyes as aggressively as we do their bodies.

Thanks to these innovative companies, it’s no problem.

In my practice, and in the medical literature, I see that many eye diseases are linked to chronic, cumulative sun exposure. It’s important to be proactive and protect kids’ eyes with sunglasses.

-Mark Silverberg MD, Pediatric Ophthalmology

Where Fun meets FunKtion. funKshades is the first line of sunglasses for children with snappable, interchangeable, collectible, tradable charms. Founder Candy Hendrick created the company after learning her daughter Katherine was even more vulnerable to harmful UV rays because of a permanent birthmark on her eye. The “K: in funKshades even stands for “Katherine,” and the fun concept of personalizing sunglasses is inspired by her, too.

As parents, we smother our children with sunscreen, but we often forget to protect their sensitive, precious eyes.

Not only will kids love decorating their sunglasses with these whimsical charms, parents can feel good knowing that the sunglasses themselves provide 100% UVA/UVB polarized sun protection.

Just for Kids. Real Kids Shades are designed exclusively to fit a child’s face properly, and are shatterproof/impact-resistant, too. Made from durable, quality materials to ensure 100% of harmful UV rays are blocked, the folks at Real Kids Shades have worked with pediatric opthalmologists for optimal fit, comfort and safety. With a goal of having children’s shades viewed as a year-round necessity, the company hopes to educate the public on common misconceptions that can lead to permanent eye damage.

The truth is, wearing cheap toy sunglasses can actually do more harm to a child’s eyes than not wearing anything at all. Shaded lenses without 100% UVA/UVB protection will relax pupils, causing them to dilate and let more harmful radiation into children’s eyes.

-Real Kids Shades vice president Lisa Medora

Real Kids Shades’ collections -My First Shades, Flex Shades and the new Flex Duo Shades- are CPSIA compliant, CE Certified and FDA Approved to provide 100% UVA and UVB protection.

Continue reading →

Be a Chatfan of Chatman

Cheerful, emotive figure helps make computer time more fun, productive and safe.

Atlanta, GA-based Penny Black Digital, in partnership with Israel-based Rondyo Ltd., introduces Chatman, the first and only artificially intelligent computer friend designed to make online chat sessions, web surfing, games and homework more fun, creative -and safe. This cool, smart and funny friend sits by a child’s computer and interacts with them.

Bright Yellow and Boisterous. For kids ages six to12, Chatman talks, moves eyes, hands and ears, and has a unique animated LED mouth. Just like a friend, Chatman understands language, context and mood, and expresses emotions, recognizing over 15,000 words, with 2,000 movements and 30 moods.

No Stranger Danger. In addition to providing education and fun, Chatman also filters words and web content based on parental controls helping to keep children safe on the Internet. Chatman allows peace of mind for parents by working with and filtering a child’s online conversations on Facebook®, Skype™ and MSN® Messenger. Chatman alerts when inappropriate web searches are attempted.

The internet can be both social and isolating at the same time. That’s one of the reasons Chatman is available -to provide kids with a friendly emotive companion while they spend time online. Chatman has plenty of functionality, but integrates solid parental controls and creates a safe zone that keeps your child safe online, too.

-recent product review

Boom Boom. Chatman received an exclusive invitation to participate in the 2012 Oscars Boom Boom Room celebrity gifting suite as one of the hottest must-have parenting products. Chatman was created and developed by Rondyo co-founders Joseph Levy and Doron Frenkel. Chatman’s migration to America follows its successful debut in Israel in 2010.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Funnel + Flip + Nipple = Flipple

Meet Flipple, made with American ingenuity by a mother of invention.

Imagine being able to convert any bottled water product into a baby bottle. Couldn’t that just make your day?

Leave the baby bottles at home…on purpose! Flipple is an adapter with a thread design that attaches to 99% of standard bottled water products, so parents can easily add formula and other liquid, thus solving the problem of forgetting baby bottles at home. Flipple creates a secure connection between bottle neck and baby’s favorite standard nipple with no leaks, too.

Made in the USA. BPA-free, Flipple is a safe, fast and convenient way to feed a baby on the go with no clean up. “Mothers will quickly see the high standards used when putting together this product and it is backed with a 100% guarantee,” says creator Linda Lewis, who quit her full-time job of 30 years to fulfill the great American dream of running her own business.

It has been a true adventure getting Flipple to where it is today. It began with cutting, gluing and measuring at the kitchen table to get a very ugly prototype, but it worked!

Based in Galesburg, IL USA Linda’s family-owned Flipple Company provides top quality products that parents will learn to trust, value and need. In addition, she’s on a mission to prove that production can be sourced in the USA at a competitive price, thus getting Americans back to work. Flipple is the first example: All production tooling is made in the St. Louis area.

Great Gift Idea. The versatile Flipple can be used in all sorts of ways:

As a kitchen funnel
Re-use bottles while camping
Fertilize indoor plants
As a garage funnel

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Hot Tot – Stylish Haircare with a Heart

Hot Tot Haircare recently celebrated its first birthday on April 15, and it is truly very different from any other children’s hair products on the market.

This is a line of fabulous, salon-quality styling products formulated especially for kids – “so they can be stylish from the start and grow into confident individuals.” The contemporary white and silver bottles house a bevy of eco-friendly, healthy hair styling products for babies and children that do not contain harsh or harmful chemicals. Biodegradable, cruelty free, never tested on animals – even the posh packaging is recyclable – Hot Tot is committed to sustainable business practices, investing in people and technology that enables the brand to make a positive impact.

Do kids really need their own specialized hair care line? Yes!

Founder Megan Gage worked with a cosmetic formulator to create her luxurious products specifically for the physical characteristics of immature hair –and a love for all things fabulous, she says. “Motherhood provided an opportunity to share such fun with my kids.” But after reading an article on the effects of chemicals in personal care products on children, she simply couldn’t ignore statistics like this:

1 in 3 American children has allergies, ADHD, autism or asthma
Biological immaturity impairs a child’s ability to detoxify chemicals, making them extremely vulnerable in the early years of life
57% of the top selling baby soaps are contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, 82% of the top selling children’s products contain formaldehyde, and neither chemical is required to appear on American labels

After significant time in research and development, Megan and her husband introduced the natural, luxurious and professional Hot Tot Haircare line. Visit them online and see some of their favorite trendy looks. Hot Tot t-shirts and rompers are available, too.

True beauty is a kind and giving heart. As a former social worker, Megan has a special place in her heart for social responsibility. “I believe that inner beauty is more important than outward appearance,” she says. To that end, the company donates to several charities, including Save the Children, CASA and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

The Beauty of Simply Lana

As a special Mother’s Day promotion, enjoy free shipping with any purchase of Simply Lana towels between now and May 13.

Amanda Sayler recently introduced me to Simply Lana, a line of beautiful, large round towels made with a unique buttoned loop, for easy hanging on almost anything. As sales manager, she’s been keeping me up-to-date on all their celebrity likes, too – such as chef Paula Dean, actor Patricia Arquette and super-mom Giada De Laurentiis, who uses the Little Chick towel in her daughter Jade’s playroom.

“Our towels make a perfect baby shower gift for the mom to be,” Amanda says. “The soft cotton terry is gentle on a baby’s skin, and our unique button loop will make sure the towels never fall down staying clean for your baby.” Made from durable, high-quality100% cotton terry with cotton trim, Simply Lana towels feature contrasting color combos and embroidered embellishments that appeal to everyone. “Because the towel drapes in soft folds, you can dry your hands on one bit, then turn it to get to the next dry section, so it’s always ready for you.”

The towels are super-versatile, stay in place (so stay cleaner) and will be loved and used by adults and children, cooks and golfers, moms and tennis players – everyone you can think of!

Growing up in the former Soviet Union, Lana Hall enjoyed the practical, analytic side of life. Earning several degrees in the medical field, she immigrated to the U.S. in 1994 –and that’s when she received a unique gift from a friend back in Russia: a circular kitchen towel, suspended from a center loop, so it could be hung on a cabinet knob or on a hook. Her scientist mind kept thinking of new ways to make it better –bigger, more absorbent, colorful, even more practical- so, she set about customizing the design, until Simply Lana was born. Her doctor husband –and all of her friends- simply love it!

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!