Milo does a jig!

Milo created a new product for the booth!

Handmade T-N-T! It's dyn-o-mite!

He was using the waste ends from our streamers but they ended up being such a huge hit, we had to buy him wood to make more! He sells more dynamite than we sell streamers...

To help Milo be more independent with his creations, His Papa, Mojo, made him a "jig".

Now he can make his little packs of T-N-T all by himself!

Wah La!!!

Soulemama Giveaway with the NaturalKids Team!

Soulemama is hostessing a giveaway with some members from the NaturalKids Team. Click on over to enter to win one of our playsilks, along with other goodies from our natty friends!

http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2010/04/soulemama-sponsor-natural-kids-.html#comment-6a00d8341c4ea853ef0134801a87bd970c

Easter/Spring NaturalKids Team Blog-A-Thon & Giveaway!

The NaturalKids Team was started by woodmouse in 2007. Early members included faerierebecca, fairiesnest, cozycottage. It was a small group, with a small presence on etsy. Since that time members have come and gone but our mission has stayed the same. To be a group of sellers dedicated to creating natural products for children. We are a diverse group of artisans who make natural toys, utensils, clothing and accessories for kids. Our sellers work with materials from the Earth, such as wool, cotton, silk and wood. Our goal is to support, promote and have fun together while building our businesses.

The Fairies Nest

One of our 1st Team Blog Post read as below and it is still true today....

"We are a diverse bunch from all over the globe who have at least one thing in common: we all work with natural materials in our products for children. Oh yeah, and we're all pretty darn crafty & talented too! Wool, wood, cotton...just simple materials direct from the Earth."

German Dolls

So who are we?

Some of us are mothers of small children.

Some of us are mothers of grown children.

Some of us make dolls, some of us make hats, some of us make toys.

Some of us have been selling our wares for many years.

Some of us are just starting to discover our talents and start selling.

Some of us work with natural materials for environmental reasons.

Woolies

Some of us work with natural materials as part of the Waldorf educational philosophy.

Some of us work with natural materials because we believe they are healthier and safer.

Some of us just like working with natural materials.

Some of us sell our wares for a living.

Some of us sell our wares as a hobby.

Since that time, some of us are fathers.

There are many members now! Please have a look at the list here

To celebrate our NaturalKid-ness, we are having our very first giveaway on our blog! Yay!

Offered here is an awesome little playset from The Enchanted Cupboard.

The playset looks a bit like the one in this photo, but it has more! It also includes an extra, smaller pine tree and a larger, different shaped magical mushroom.

To enter, simply visit The Enchanted Cupboard's shop and then come back and leave a comment as to what your favorite item is. The drawing will be March 26.

For more entries - please leave a comment for each:

1. Tweet about this giveaway!

2. Follow us on Facebook! http://artist.to/birchleafdesigns/

3. Follow our Blog!

4. Follow The Enchanted Cupboard's Blog! http://thereluctantcitydweller.blogspot.com/

5. Follow NaturalKids on Facebook!  http://www.facebook.com/NaturalKidsTeam

6. Follow NaturalKids' Blog! http://natural-kids.blogspot.com/

That's 7, yes 7 chances to win!

Thank you for reading and now join in the fun to take a trip to see what you may find at these NaturalKids Team Members Blogs! Happy Spring!!!

Oh, be sure to check out these sweet gift items for Spring from the Natural Kids Team!

The blogs listed below are all participating in the Spring Blog-a-thon...Please take a moment to visit them:

http://thereluctantcitydweller.blogspot.com

http://thefairiesnest.blogspot.com

http://SewnNaturalstudio.blogspot.com

http://www.tribaltimes.blogspot.com/

http://www.katsinthebelfry.blogspot.com

http://www.polarbearcreations.blogspot.com

http://fairtradefamily.blogspot.com/

http://germandolls.blogspot.com

http://www.curlymonkeyandco2.blogspot.com

http://www.bananabottoms.blogspot.com

http://woolies-woolies.blogspot.com

http://pinpon-dayanara.blogspot.com

http://sqrlbee.blogspot.com/

http://www.thesittingtree.net

http://www.themuddyfoot.blogspot.com

http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com

http://viltalakim.blogspot.com

An interview with...us!

Greetings! We are BirchLeaf Designs - a small family of folks near the Yellow Dog River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We live off the grid...making handcrafted, natural playthings that inspire imaginations using wood, silk and felted wool. We live, work, homeschool, create, love and play nestled amongst the Hemlocks.

We like to reclaim wood and other pieces parts to make quality playthings for children. We are known to use recycled/upcycled materials like cereal boxes for the flower presses or wood cut offs from other projects; materials found in nature (like birchbark or acorn tops); and during a dying session, we use nontoxic dyes and keep water use to a minimum...with no "running" water, every drop counts!

We currently sell natural, whimsical wood and fabric playthings (like teething rings, bug boxes, flower presses, swords, playsilks and playclips to name a few). Our most popular items include our playsilks, swords, and bugboxes.

We are always looking for ways to improve our products! Comments and suggestions are welcomed! We also do custom orders...is there a product that you would like to see us make? We are open to ideas and challenges!

We work to live simple...off the grid, solar power, solar water pump, wood heat, bees (!) and in return for our work, we get to enjoy those simple gifts...maple syrup, honey, nature...sweet love, sweet life!