Monday, March 9, 2009

Favorite Shops: Imagination Kids

I don't have kids, but when I go over friends' houses that do, I notice that so many kids' toys are these bright, sharp plastic eyesores.

So now that I'm shopping for my new nephew, I'm way more attracted to handmade toys from natural materials like the ones in Erin's Imagination Kids shop.

For example, I love the Wooden Bunny Family. The hill comes apart in 3 pieces and can be restacked in different shapes. Not only are her toys cute, but they all have fun moving components like that.

Erin, the crafter of these toys says, "I’m a stay at home mom of two little kids and until about 3 months ago the only experience I had with woodworking was the CD holder I made in 7th grade shop class. One day after watching my then 10 month old put every single toy we owned in his mouth it occurred to me I really didn’t truly know how safe those toys were.

So on a whim I decided to make my own toys!

Purple Wooden Helicopter

I bought a scroll saw on Craigslist and got to work. After flooding my own home with all sorts of toys, my husband advised me that maybe it was time to make toys for children other than our own. Thus Imagination Kids was born.

Wooden Fire Stacker

I do all the cutting, sanding, dyeing, and finishing while my kids perform all the product testing."

Check out her shop for more cute wooden toys!

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