Halloween: Masks

Who doesn't love Halloween. Tricks, treats, candy and costumes! However, sometimes the costumes part can stress me out. Who or what to be? Do I buy or make the costumes? If I do make them, does my time for any other Halloween activities go out the door? The questions are endless.
I really like the idea of these masks and keeping costumes minimal. Some could be fun to create on your own or buy them and there is no costume hassle!

(sundries and plunder on etsy)

(zid zid kids here)

(Linus and the Feel Good Factory here)

(Kalon Studios here)

Wood Toys for Boys

If I had a little boy, I would definitely pick up these wood toys.
I love the simplicity and style.

(airplane box set from here for $40)

(melissa and doug stacking vehicles on sale here for $16/set)

3-D playrugs

Tradeshow update:

It takes a full day to travel from Utah to Louisville, KY. Seriously, we left at noon and got to our hotel after 12pm. There is a 2 hour time difference, but still.

Setup always takes way longer than you expect. So there are long hours and no air conditioning. Luckily, it was a lot cooler in Louisville than it is in Vegas.

Of course, I couldn't find the charger for my camera before I left, so I had battery life for like 2 hours.

5 days away from B and Koa is plenty. I was ready to come home a couple days early from the show and spend a day with them before going back to work.

I didn't see these at the show, but I have wanted to put them up on my blog for a while.

3-D playrugs also called IVI rugs

They have a bit of a mid-century mod feel to them and remind me of being a kid. Instead of a toy that lights up, sings, etc. imagination is what brings these rugs to life.

This would be such a cool piece for a nursery that would store easily or looks better out than a lot of other toys. Luca and company is an importer and distributor of the Turkish-designed play rugs and give a list of retailers that you can buy them from at $149 a pop.

A cheaper alternative is available at IKEA, not 3-D or as cool, but for 1/10th the price! (lillabo and lekplats)

I will share some of my favorites from the show this week, so check back!

Four years ago my husband came to the European kids fair with me when I was there for work. The first thing that he saw that he picked out to me and told me was genious was the balance bike we saw a tiny toddler whizzing by on. He was convinced that it was the best thing at the show and that we should import them. I should have listened--he does have a great eye.

Now they are all the rage here stateside and there is stiff competition for this market. There are a lot of great options out there and they range in price from $69 t0 $200+. They are great because they teach kids not to rely on training wheels and learn how to ride a real bike with more ease because they are used to controlling their own weight on two wheels. If you haven't ever seen them in action, check out some of the videos on you tube--some promotional, some not.

Here are just some of the options out there. If you want more, google balance bikes, glide bikes, etc. for even more products.

1. Wishbone Balance Bike $229

2. Prince Lionhear Chop Bike $110
3. Smart Gear Balance Bike $69
4. Sevi Puch Bike $125
5. Like A Bike Race $289
6. Glide Bike PV Mini Glider $99
7. Prince Lionheart scooter $110
8. Skutt Diggin Balance Bike $89
9. Specialized Howalk Balance Bike $159 @ local bike shops