The Search for Natural Food Dye

My little man has become a toddler and it is time for play doh! A friend of mine gave me a wonderful recipe for playdoh, so I needed to find some natural food dye. Regular food dye is full of chemicals and I'd rather find an alternative that is safe should me little man decide he loves to eat play doh, yuck! 

After much research at my local stores and seeing that not many stores even carry any options, I looked online into various brands and reviews I only found a couple of brands and the main ones that I found didn't get great reviews.

So I kept searching online and came across a company- Confection Art Inc. They offer various sets and single colors of natural food colors. They have liquid, paste and powder. They also offer cool items like mica or gold to add to your baked goods, etc. As well as sugar sprinkles colored in their colors.

I opted for the paste, since it said you can get intense colors with them. The shipping was very reasonable and I received it within 5 days. With natural food dyes from spinach, cabbage, berries and tumeric, you can keep them in the fridge or freezer so they last longer, so I stuck in in the fridge to keep. 

I made the playdoh- super cool- recipe to post next.  I divided the dough once cooled and added the food coloring in. I used about a 1/2 of a 1/2 teaspoon, not much and came out with some great medium pastel colors. I then added a bit more and got some darker shades. I wasn't too picky on the colors, so I was happy with the results.(pictures to post in next post) The yellow, green looked great. The red comes out a bit more pink. The blue was basically purple although I hardly used any( you could probably use more and achieve a better blue), and over a week or two basically faded to be like a darker pink, but hey, its natural and my man doesn't really care (: As long as it can squish he's happy! And I'm happy too knowing it's super safe and all natural. You can also use it for cookies, baked goods, dyeing eggs and more!

You can visit the site at http://www.chocolatecraftkits.com/shop/index.php

  
I'm not endorsed by this company, just was happy with their product. Thanks!

Hop Hop Hop to Easter!

Easter is just around the corner!

Mr Hop A Long knows all too well and is ready to jump into your eco basket! Made of sift organic cotton and eco friendly materials, perfectly natural for your little one.

Ms. Hop A Long is ready as well!

They can introduce themselves here at my Etsy Shop..

Hop Hop Hop...

Joy of Handmade

On the first day of Christmas, My true love gave to me..

Snuggle cozy things for little boys three..

 

Cozy Balaclava Knit Hood from RetroJay

I got one for my son, and it is beautiful. I have mine in a cozy brown wool made to fit his head. Will be wonderful for snowy days!

Organic Newsboy Cap by LemonLaneOrganics

 Nice soft organic yarn, stretches nicely and looks super cute on my little man. He has one in green.

Cozy Fleece Heart Slippers by Scire4

These slippers are super adorable. My son started wearing them 2 weeks ago and they have become his day slippers. With a no skid bottom, he can walk with ease while keeping his toesies cozy warm.

All these featured items are items or variations of items I have for my little man!

FREE Snow Bear Finger Puppet with purchase

This Holiday Season, I am offering a little gift to shoppers who purchase $30 or more in my Etsy shop.

It's my new snuggly and cozy snow bear polar finger puppet!

Made with all organic cotton fabrics, snow bear is an all natural nice small gift or stocking stuffer for your little one this season!

Snow bear will automatically show up in your package with minimum purchase. FREE Promotion starts on November 23rd and runs up until December 18th. 

Snow bear is also available for sale in my ETSY shop should you fall in love! He is super cozy!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Artful Musician: Guy Gifts Covered

Wondering what to get your music loving guy this Holiday? 

Well look no further. 

Artful Musician has your answer.

Artfulmusicianny and  Artfulmusicianprtlnd are two shops that started as the brain children of Tom and Justin, two friends living on different coasts; one on the east, one on the west, both musicians, both artists.

Artfulmusicianny features polaroid transfer photography prints of musical equipment and music items created by Tom.

Artfulmusicianprtlnd features collage prints and original altered instruments by Justin.

All work in both shops are gallery quality, signed and stamped, printed on acid free papers and printed with archival inks.
 

Sometimes it's hard for us ladies to know what to choose for our guys. I asked Tom what we can learn from a him on buying for a guy?  "Purchasing a handmade gift is a great way to find a meaningful present this holiday, while supporting artists. Any guy into music would love to have their own music room or music corner in their house. Having a great piece of art can make that and create a great vibe in any space"

How do you know what to get? "You can go by the genre he is into, like rap, rock n roll, country, etc. You can also go by what instruments he may play, like drums, a bass, a guitar, a microphone for a singer and so forth."

Thanks Tom.

Visit ArtfulmusicianNY and ArtfulmusicianPRTLND on Etsy 
and find your guy a great gift!

4th Annual Salt Market October 20th 2012

 

This Saturday, come see Ecoleeko and 29 other great artists and artisans at the 4th Annual Salt Market in Syracuse NY. 

This years location is 401 N Salina Street in the Leabury Center.

Come see all the great vendors, eat great food and listen to live music! Support local art and get some great unique gifts off your list early!

For more info visit their facebook page-

 https://www.facebook.com/events/395065990566316/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Or their website and see what vendors will be attending-

 http://www.saltmarketsyracuse.com/

See You there!

Eric Carle DIY Birthday Party Ideas- Doll Party favors

I found this great Eric Carle printed fabric, perfect for cutting into separate animals and making dolls out of. I purchased it on Etsy.com but you can also find his fabrics on the official Eric Carle website.

When I got the fabric, I cut out each individual animal, leaving about a 1/2" of white border for stitching. Each animal was about 5-7" long and 3-4" high, a great size! I then found some bright colored fabrics for the backs and cut them the same size. I stitched around the animals, following the printed animal design and left open a 2" area for stuffing. 

Then each was turned inside out, stuffed and hand sewn up. I made one for each child and a few for my son to play in his crib with, they are a good size for a toddlers hands. 

The fabric was great for both girls and boys. The animals were cats, frogs, ducks, dogs, bears, horses and birds to name a few. (* Please note the Eric Carle fabrics are for personal use only, and cannot be sold commercially) They were a big hit and fun to give! 

That completed the party favors! A balloon, bear mask, chunky crayons and an Eric Carle animal doll for each little one. To finish the bags, I made tags similar to the crayon tags on my computer, thanking everyone for coming and hand wrote everyones name. 

Next..What's a party without party hats and cupcake toppers!!