A few months ago I wrote about the clever developmental toy gift packages at eBeanstalk, and have been watching for sales or coupons ever since. They’re one of those companies that just doesn’t do discounts very often, so when they e-mailed me about a 10% off coupon that’s good for just 1 week, I jumped to tell you guys about it! They just started advertising on TV so you may have heard about them that way, but eBeanstalk has been offering educational, age appropriate toys since 2005.

Amidst the recalled toy controversy, it’s nice to know that some stores will never carry items with questionable or uncertain contents. There is a new message on their homepage that says “At eBeanstalk we are dedicated to a child’s development and learning, and we never compromise a child’s safety. Rest assured that NONE of the recalled toys from Mattel or Fisher Price have ever been sold at eBeanstalk. NOT ONE.”

COUPON: Save 10% off anything on the site. Expires October 15, 2007.

Organic is one of our passions at Mable’s, and we’re always on the lookout on how we can help spread the word. I don’t want to play the fear card, but just stating the statistics is a scary thought. We’ve brought these up before, but it’s worth mentioning again. Did you know that about 1/3 pound of chemicals are used to grow and manufacture just 1 pound of cotton? And did you know that conventionally grown cotton is the most chemically treated crop in the world, using 1/4 of all toxic chemical pesticides produced each year?

We lay our bodies on our sheets about a third of our lives, which, from my point of view, is too much time spent with the most chemical-laden crop in the world. Thanks to the many online retailers soft organic sheets are an affordable nightly luxury that we should all enjoy.

Right now Gaiam is having an Organic Sheet Sale with prices as low as $40 per sheet. They also carry attractive printed organic sheets vs the standard solid white most retailers carry.

Viva Terra carries organic Pima cotton sheet sets in queen and king, as well as organic Duvet Covers. If you are in need of other sizes I’d head over to Design Public for their organic full fitted and flat sheets.

For the little ones, who probably benefit most from chemical-free sheets, Kee-Ka carries organic cotton baby bedding in solid colors and delicious cupcake patterns. Pair the sheets together with an organic blanket and your baby should be all set.

People tend to use the phrase “the gift that keeps on giving” metaphorically. However, eBeanstalk offers a more literal interpretation with their Gift Series, where your child receives a toy in the mail every 3 months matched to their stage of development. This idea is all kinds of brilliant!

• For those of us without kids of our own, it can be a little tricky to select age appropriate toys for the children in our lives. You can skip the educated guesswork with the Gift Series: all the toys are hand picked by 5 child development specialists and 500 moms from around the US.
• Same thing goes for parents or guardians who travel a lot or don’t get to visit very often. When you haven’t seen a child for a few months or when you look back on the development of your own child…they are a different child today than just a few months ago. Each toy is carefully matched with the appropriate stage of development, so you won’t end up with a gift that is too young or old for your child.
• With the continual gift metaphor in mind, you can actually purchase a set of gifts that are delivered over time. This is the gift that actually keeps on giving.
• Save time by purchasing a set of gifts all in one sitting. Never worry about forgetting a special date in the child’s development or having the gift arrive late.
• If you’re the spoiling type (yes, you) then you’ll undoubtedly appreciate how easy eBeanstalk makes it to lavish gifts upon your wee ones. One purchase results in a whole years worth of gifts!
• Best of all, of the nearly 500 quality toys available at eBeanstalk, every one is geared towards helping your child grow. Their Child Specialists identified the stages of development children grow through. They matched 7 core skills- Imagination, Education, Language, Dexterity, Locomotion, Emotion and Social- with the stages of a child’s development, and then categorized each toy accordingly. Ahhh, science: improving childhood playtime and development!

Also, individual toys are available for purchase too, if you’d rather buy a la carte.

How’s this for irony: I’m not a parent, but I’m a sucker for baby clothes. Having a little sister has it’s perks, one of which is shopping for the cutest kind of kids clothes…springtime ones! I’m a big fan of screen print t-shirts, which is why I was drawn to these quirky, glittery tees. Being a big fan of food/dessert related fashion, it was an obvious choice. I love this Morning Swim breakfast cereal themed top from the Children’s Place. (Sorry, sold out!) It’s made from cotton jersey fabric with tagless design for itch-free playtime.

For more sweet themed kid’s clothing, check out this cupcake appliqued birthday girl outfit from liliputiansNYC. It’s handcrafted and oh-so-custom, just for your birthday girl. There are also a ton of other adorable kids items in the liliputiansNYC online boutique featuring “bright colors, retro prints, polka dots and stripes in the finest fabrics”.

$39.99

Return readers may recall the penchant we have for slightly unusual home decoration. While there are some areas in life where sophistication is required, we feel that decorating your personal room is not one of them. Whether it’s your bedroom, workshop/craft room, or child’s play room, a little bit of whimsy can add up to a lot of fun and creativity for your personal space. The folks at Critter Walls specialize in this area, and offer the most beautiful and detail-oriented wall art I have ever seen. Co-owner Dede Lifgen, artist and mother of 3 boys says, “I’ve tried to give the animals a feeling of realism mixed with their own individual personality. Since they are not cartoon-like and are not menacing, they can be enjoyed by both young and adult.”

All of their designs draw from the beauty of nature and feature the likes of undersea creatures, jungle plant life and wild animals, birds in flight, farm animals, and even dinosaurs. Their customer gallery shows complete room transformations, but one well chosen wall decal can easily become the focal point of a room.

I’m a huge fan of wall art so you’ll be seeing reviews of other brands like Blik and Wall Candy Arts in the near future. If you’re decorating with any of these gorgeous, movable wall decals we’d love to hear your experiences. Please leave us a comment!

“What a beautiful bucket!”

Just one of the things I thought I’d never say, until I saw this “Animals All Around” bucket from Plum Party.

Pretty, vintage animal illustrations surround this sturdy metal bucket that has handles for easy carrying. Now for you sillies who don’t know what you’d do with a bucket this awesome, I’ll give you some ideas. You can use this “venti” sized bucket:

*As a baby (or puppy!) toy bin
*As a colorful alternative to presenting a baby shower gift
*As a baby laundry basket
*As a cute “bobbing for apples” bucket at a child’s birthday party
*As a Easter basket presentation
*As a punch bowl at a party
*For bathing your puppy or small dog outdoors
*As a table centerpeice filled with fruit
*For a “muddy boot” keeper, kept near your front door
*As the prettiest front porch flower planter ever

The uses are endless, as a bucket is one of the most versitile things ever. Be creative! Keep it well displayed, you’ll be sure to get endless compliments.

$72

The immune systems of babies and children develop slowly, making them the most at-risk group for chemical sensitivity from non-organic products. These fair trade stuffed veggie toys by Under the Nile are 100% organic cotton inside and out and use eco-friendly dyes, making them a safe choice for your little one. This earth-friendly toy isn’t just cute, but also helps kids to cultivate an early appreciation for the vegetable food group. These cuddly soft and teething-friendly characters have been featured in Parents and Fit Pregnancy magazines, and come in their own farm-fresh crate.

$29.95

COUPON: Use coupon code MCA96 from now until December 18th, and get $4.95 flat rate shipping on all your orders at Magic Cabin. The bigger your order the more you save, but on the Organic Veggin’ Out Plushies you will save $4 in shipping costs.

Every year you get a new sweater for Christmas and every year you donate it to the thrift store. What happens with all of these soft, yet unwearable cast offs? Some of them may ends up in the hands of a creative New England handicapped artist collective. They reclaim knits and transform them into exceptionally soft stuffed animals. Each creature is gently handcrafted from recycled materials, giving it a unique appearance all its own. I really like the exaggerated scale of the lion’s mane and the elephant’s ears vs. the size of the body, as well as the simple, petite facial features. I think whimsical is really the way to go with baby toys. The ones featured above are cute, but since color and material content will vary, your sweater plushie will be a unique surprise.

$26

Uncommon Goods also offers gift certificates in case you can’t decide on the best present.

Babies may not appreciate the green double entendre, but eco-savvy adults will get a chuckle from the Organically Grown Onsie. See, the thing is: since babies are carbon-based organisms they’re already “organic”, but “organic” can also mean grown without the use of chemicals. Now imagine that smirk-inducing pun covering your cute little kid. Wow, cutest moment ever. 100% organic cotton onsie comes in XS(3–6 mos.), S(6–12 mos.), M(12–18 mos.), L(18–24 mos.) and toddler sizes S(2), M(4), L(6).

$21.95

Acacia also offers gift certificates in case you can’t decide on the best present.