MumsTheWurdUnique finds for hip parents and cool kids

I came across Lollipop Kisses several weeks ago and after skimming through their products, I found myself saying, “I want one of each”! They have so many lovely products to offer, it’s hard to pick just one thing. Lollipop kisses is a great online boutique to shop for those new parents in your lives and it’s equally as great for those new parents who are just decorating their sweet little one’s nursery. Check out these fun wooden wall letters!

There are numerous patterns on these letters so take your time and check out each design. These letters are hand-painted!

Jamie Lentzner hand-painted these fabulous ceramic name tiles. They come with a coordinating ribbon to hang on your child’s nursery wall.

Lollipop Kisses has oodles more to offer! When you have a chance, click over there and check out all of the items that will give you baby fever again!

I have always considered myself a unique individual. I wear what I want and I march to the beat of my own drummer.  I want the same for my children. That’s what really caught my eye when I first came across Zutano brand children’s clothing.  This brand is UNIQUE in every way.  I’m not surprised that it was started by an artist couple.  The clothes are durable, super colorful, and, best of all, comfortable!  Zutano also supports a ton of different programs to provide our young ones with a great world to grow up in.

What kid would not want to run around all day in these cute duds?  Here are Hailey and Noel in their super cool Zutano tops:

Here is Hailey, wearing her new “LadyBug Love” bow from the all-about-girls boutique, “Love-Me-Knots” Melissa and Dawn of Love-Me-Knots have quite a selection of adorable hair bows for your stylish little princesses.

I don’t know about you but when I found out I was having a girl, bows and dresses and shoes just flashed through my mind. Love-Me-Knots is right up my alley! I’m anxiously awaiting Hailey’s hair to get a little thicker and grow a little longer. She will most likely be wearing bows every day of the week!

Melissa, creator of Love-Me-Knots, graciously took some time out to answer a few of our questions about her business.

Mums: What prompted you to start this kind of specialty business and how long have you been in business?

Melissa: The true beginning of the idea of the business started when my daughter, Katie Greer, was a toddler. She was constantly losing all of her hairbows on the playground, shopping malls and just everywhere! So I began designing and making my own and along the way I started adding my own little embellishments and creative touches with unique specialty ribbons and hand-painted single letter monograms. I had people constantly stopping us to ask about her bows and finally I started selling several lines in the local children’s boutique. “Love-Me-Knots” was born in the fall of 2003 officially.

Melissa & Dawn
Mums: Who are the masterminds behind “Love-Me-Knots”?

Melissa: I began the “Love-Me-Knots” business selling to individuals and in local children’s boutiques. I traveled to each store personally creating bows to match the clothing styles and colors within each individual store. While I enjoy the creative task of designing for each person or store, with the birth of my son this past year, I knew my traveling would be limited. So Dawn was added as my partner to help me go where I could never go — worldwide right in my own studio! Through the design of this beautiful website, Dawn has brought “Love-Me-Knots” to a new level of success and opportunity.

Mums: What makes you continue doing what you do?

Melissa: As I mentioned, “Love-Me-Knots” was, in its earliest beginnings, created to meet my own sweet little girl’s needs. But it certainly perpetuates because of the unending creative outlet it provides and the joy I have in designing and making just that /perfect/ piece that makes a little girl know she’s beautiful inside and out!

Love-Me-Knots is based in Georgia and their line has been showcased in six exclusive children’s boutiques and gift stores in the metro Atlanta area. They have expanded by offering their lovely line of hair bows online, so all of us can indulge!

Check out Love-Me-Knots online store and blog.

HERE’S THE PART YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

We have two sets of five Love-Me-Knots bows to give away! That’s right, we are looking for TWO winners. So if there is a lovely little flower in your life, you’ll definitely want to enter this contest.

Here are the “rules”. We actually don’t have any rules, except for you to sign the Mr. Linky below and leave us a comment! Oh, maybe one “small” rule…please spread the wUrd! We’d like to get as many entrants as possible.

Two names will be drawn next Wednesday, June 6th. Please include your blog site in Mr. Linky below as a means of contacting the winner and if you don’t have a blog, you can still enter, just be sure to leave us a comment with your email address. If we don’t have your contact info, we won’t be able to include you in the contest because we won’t know how to get in touch with you. Let the contest begin!

Such a different and cool idea! Bitty Braille is the brainchild of Julie Dutt, a quite prolific crafter, teacher, and indie- goods-seeking-and-selling-mom! These 100% cotton shirts and onesies are decked out with a crystal or stud braille design, and its meaning. Julie donates a portion of every sale to the American Foundation for the Blind.

These are just so cute, aren’t they? I bet they’re also an interesting conversation starter at the playground…

Go and support Bitty Braille and be sure to check out the other independent retailers listed on Julie’s website!

He LOVES the rocket. In particular, the three buttons that say various things like “Asteroids ahead!” and “All clear! We’re looking good!”. It also vibrates and the tail lights up!

Can you believe I got this gem for $20?? I just did a web search, and of course, I can’t find one now for cheaper than $40. Amazon is trying to tell me that the list price for the retro is $70! What?!? My advice? Wait and see if Costco carries this again at Christmas, or go to Target and see if they have it in their clearance items (they did not long ago).

Hello? Excuse me? Why haven’t I heard about Karen’s Creations until now? Holy ridiculously adorable tote bags, batman! My friend, Kerry, recently referred me to Karen’s Creations online boutique. Very similar to the style of 1154 Lill in Chicago but amazingly more affordable and just as cute, if not cuter than the DIY bags you can create at Lill. I need one of these bags for every day of the week!

Here are a few of my favorites:

click to enlarge

Also, these watches are SO COOL! You can pick out which band you would like on your watch. You can view a few of the different color schemes here:

You get SIX different bands with your watch and it is also ridiculously affordable.

Karen took some time out to answer some of our questions about her wonderful little boutique:

Mums: When and why did you start this business?

K: I started my business in the spring of 2003 and officially opened my website in February 2004. I originally started making hair bows for my daughter – korkers to be exact. I thought they were so fun and unique, and nobody around here sold them. Around that time the diaper/tote bag craze hit, and I couldn’t resist! I’ve been sewing since I was 9 years old so I knew it was something I would enjoy doing.

I’m a CPA by trade and had a “real” job when I first started my business. For years I had searched for a way to be able to work from home so that I could spend more time with my children. Thanks to the fantastic support of my customers I was able to quit that job in January 2004 and devote myself to my business. I’m having a blast doing what I love to do and hope to keep adding new items to offer to my customers.

Mums: Where are you located?

K: Baton Rouge, LA

Mums: Can consumers purchase your products in a physical boutique or online only?

K: My products are available online through my website and in carefully selected boutiques (both physical and online) around the US.

Head over to Karen’s Creations and look at all the fun mommy stuff now!

I just came from a playgroup at a park where a friend of mine has something called a “WeeRide Kangaroo Child Carrier” on her bike. It’s a bike seat for a child that goes IN FRONT OF YOU instead of behind. She told me her toddler LOVES to go for rides and shouts “weeeeeee”! Hence the name, WeeRide, I guess. Anyway, this seat is totally cool, so I had to post about it. You can find it at Amazon.com, Target, Ebay

The Kangaroo retails for around $80.00 but I’ve seen it as low as $30.00 on Ebay. If you search around, you’ll probably get lucky and find it pretty cheap. Kent is the manufacturer of these fine seats and they also sell other kid’s accessories, as well. Click the Kent link and watch a video of the Weeride Carrier. You’d also want to pick up a helmet that fits your child’s head, for sure. They have a helmet that fits kids ages 2-4 yrs. Let’s go ride our bicycles!

Both Laura and I are music lovers and we’re always looking for music that appeals to us that our toddlers would also like. I was telling Laura just recently that I wanted to make a lullaby mix for Hailey using songs from bands that I really like. She then told me about the Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions albums. She owns the Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of the Beach Boys and I instantly added some of the songs from that album to my lullaby mix. I then discovered there are quite a few lullaby renditions albums out there such as, The Cure, Coldplay, The Ramones and Green Day to name just a few. Baby Rock Records uses instruments such as the glockenspiel, vibraphone, mellotron, harp and bells to lull your baby into a peaceful sleep. They claim these recordings are “cherub rock for a new generation”. I, for one, like the sound of that (no pun intended).

Here are a few songs to whet your appetite. Check out the Baby Rock Records website to purchase any or all of the Rockabye Baby! Lullaby albums.

(Click the little blue play button to hear each MP3)

mp3: Just Like Heaven - The Cure

mp3: No Surprises - Radiohead

mp3: In My Room - The Beach Boys

I’m currently raising my toddler part tomboy, part princess. I think the reason for this is because I grew up as a tomboy and didn’t start dressing like a “girly-girl” until I was in my early 20s. Only then did I realize how FABULOUS dressing up was. I want my little girl to experience both sides, getting dirty and looking gorgeous.

I don’t know about you but I get pretty picky when it comes to a party dress.

When there are holidays and weddings coming up, I tend to stress. I want to find the most unique and stylish dress for my little one. That’s where SassE comes into play. A mama-owned business in the Chicagoland area. How much more perfect could that be?

The SassE line has been featured in Brides Magazine and Child magazine among others. Suzanne, the creator of SassE has been staying quite busy with designing First Communion dresses and now with the wedding season upon us, she’s working overtime. Read more about Suzanne here.

SassE original fashions can be found at the following children’s and infant boutique in Chicago:

Bonny & Diane
350 N. Orleans St.
Ste 677
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 329-0667

or by contacting Suzanne at: HERE