by Marla Smith of Keeping up with Stella

Personalized Hair Clips from Details

Growing up with a name like Marla in the early 80s was quite a challenge. Personalized items started to make an appearance in elementary schools… all these adorable barrettes, dresses, stationary, stickers, etc. But unless you were a Melissa, Jenny, Kelly, or Amy (basically, any name in the top 25 from the 70s), you were not going to get anything with your name on it. I was so jealous.

My mom knew how much this upset me, and she got creative a few times. She purchased a few ‘MARIA’ items and changed the I into an L – such a clever lady! While the gesture was great, it still wasn’t the same. I wanted those barrettes with my name painted on it.

These days with boutique shops and websites like Etsy, little girls like my daughter, Stella, and my nieces, Lydia, Rosie and Tessa, whose names are not unusual but definitely not in the top 50 can still get any personalized with the click of a mouse. Here are some of my absolute favorites.

1. Ruffle Bloomers, $22 at So Cute & Cozy

2. Initial is for child’s name 8×10 print, $16 at Nuevo Designs

3. Personalized cloth alphabet name book, $54 at Drawn to Letters

4. Quilted Turtle Backpack, $31.50 at So Cute & Cozy

5. Personalized Water Bottle, $24 at sarah + abraham

6. Custom Stool, $89 at Warm Biscuit Bedding Co.

7. Personalized All Star Shoes, $89.99 at Jewelry and Baby Bling By Dara

8. Name Painting on Canvas, $55 at Just Bunch Painting

5" x 7" Rain Monster Print, $20 at HappyDoodleLand.etsy.com

by Marla Smith of Keeping up with Stella

The saying we hear every Spring that “April showers bring May flowers” isn’t quite true if you live in Chicago like me… it’s more like “May showers bring June flowers”!  Regardless, Spring is almost here, and I’m anticipating the relaxing rainy days that bring the sweet springtime flowers.

So this month I wanted to showcase some Etsy finds that feature “spring”, “rain”, and “flowers”.  I had a really difficult time editing my findings as there are so many talented artisians out there.  As painful as it was, I did it. So without further ado, here are my top picks for this month’s feature… (read more…)

by Marla Smith of Keeping up with Stella

Hello! My name is Marla Smith, and I blog over at Keeping up with Stella, where I scour the Internet for anything and everything that is baby/toddler related. Clothing and shoes are by far my favorite, but if I can find something that will make my life easier and more fabulous, I’ll take two! I feature a lot of handmade goodies from Etsy, and I’m delighted to be a monthly columnist for Oh My! Handmade Goodness. Each month I’ll be sharing amazing handmade finds that will have you pulling out your credit card and buying immediately!

KISS ME… I’M IRISH TODAY!

Felt Hair Clip, $6 at lilliannamarie.etsy.com

One of my favorite memories from preschool was St. Patty’s day! It’s the one time a year that even me, the little French & Greek girl gets to pretend I’m Irish for the day.

I’m really excited to share this holiday with Stella.  Our plan for St. Patty’s Day is to dress head to toe in green, make shamrock sugar cookies, and try to make green eggs & ham – we’ll see how that goes. If all else fails I’ll have lots of green food coloring to dye my beer green!

Since January I’ve been searching the net for the best items for St. Pattys day, and of course the best collection of items came from Etsy. Surprised? Me neither. (read more…)