Handmade Easter Basket Gift Ideas

As an avid gardener, I am always thrilled to welcome spring! In our household, we tend to focus our Easter celebration on the joys of the season that lie ahead. Farms awaken and buzz with activity to prepare for the upcoming growing season, birds build their nests to nurture new life, and slowly the snow melts away to expose flower bulbs pushing up through the newly warmed soil. By February, I am usually brimming with excitement planning my garden and our Easter celebration. However, despite all the anticipation that the change of seasons brings, I always have a heavy heart when I think of traditional Easter celebrations. More than any other holiday, I think that it is typically the most problematic when it comes to environmental impact. For one brief moment every year, lawns are littered with plastic eggs, and candy is nestled into baskets overflowing with shreds of green plastic. My first Easter blog post offered numerous ideas for dying eggs naturally, filling baskets and many DIY ideas. This time, I wanted to focus strictly on handmade gift ideas. I am always inclined to gift a few quality, heirloom items over disposable ones. I am passionate about supporting artisans and crafters, and I think any of these offerings from these talented artists would make exceptional Easter gifts.

From handmade, small batch chocolate to baskets, these essentials support small businesses and keep plastic out of the environment. Hide small treasures in hand painted wooden eggs, or line your basket with a gorgeous grass green playsilk instead of traditional plastic "grass."  

Top Row: Solid Wooden Eggs by Sunny Sprout; Handmade Baskets by Cole Mama Creations

Middle Row: Grass Green Playsilk by Beneath the Rowan Tree; Personalized Easter Bags by Bigoudibigouda 

Bottom Row: Floppy Earred Chocolate Bunny by Laughing Moon Chocolates; Hollow Wooden Eggs by Simple Gifts Toys

Looking for one special gift to celebrate the start of spring? This barn by Hearthside Toys is just the thing, with plenty of space for all of your child's farm animals. It has roomy, open access from all sides to make it easy for more than one child to play at the same time. As with all of Hearthside Toys buildings, it assembles to a sturdy structure without tools and slips apart to store in a flat pile when not in use.

What child wouldn't love these adorable, handcrafted treasures?  Perfect to nestle into your basket!

Top Row: Easter Bunny Ball by Beneath the Rowan Tree; Felt Goat by Hollys Meadow; Easter Egg Toy by Beneath the Rowan Tree

Bottom Row: Hens and Rooster, Woodland Creatures and Ducklings by Eve's Little Earthlings

Spark your child's imagination with these delightful spring-themed wooden creations.

Top Row: Hiding Easter Rabbit by Brin D'Bois; Bees and Hive by Two Raccoon Hollow

Middle Row: Woodland Creatures by You're Inspired; Woodland Creatures by Two Raccoon Hollow

Bottom Row: Butterfly and Duck Pond by Two Raccoon Hollow

Things don't get much cuter than these cuddly handmade lovies! Another special gift for the child in your life.

Left to Right: Heavy Bunny Baby by Mimi's Designs; Organic Sheep by Pingvini; Baby Snail by Calinette; Felt Easter Bunny by Jenn Sews Felt

I can't think of anything more springlike than being outside. These handmade toys will inspire children get outdoors and enjoy the spring!

Top Row: These Bird ID Rings and many more wonderful springtime goodies can be found at Tanglewood Hollow; Wooden Slingshot with Felt Balls by From Jennifer

Bottom Row: Wooden Bow and Arrow Set by From Jennifer; Bird Whistle by Sue Canizares Ceramics

Nontoxic, Eco Friendly Toy Kitchens and Accessories

A question that repeatedly arises on the facebook natural toys buy/sell/trade group is about nontoxic toy kitchens.  Many "wooden" kitchens made by larger manufacturers are made of particle board and/or plywood, which can often contain formaldehyde.  While there are a number of companies like Wonderworld and Hape that do make eco friendly, formaldehyde free kitchens, there are so many crafters in the US that make gorgeous, solid wood kitchens for almost the same price.

Elves and Angels (Maine)

Of course I have to start with the kitchen we settled on.  I love it because of the hutch and the extra little counter space.  I looked long and hard to find one that had space beyond just the stovetop and sink to play on.  We have Sylvie's kitchen, and there are other models with hutches or without, and there's a matching refrigerator.  It's just gorgeous and beautifully made.  When we got it she could barely reach the top shelf.  She loved it then as much as now two years later, and I'm sure she'll continue to for many years to come.



Camden Rose (Indiana)

Palumba's kitchens by Camden Rose are simply stunning.  Crafted of curly maple or cherry with walnut and birch accents, these kitchens are also made to last for generations.  They have a slide out additional counter space, and can be purchased with or without the hutch, and they have matching refrigerators too. 











Willow Toys (New Hampshire)

Willow Toys has seven varying kitchen models, including this adorable one with a hood and window.  They also carry a hutch and dry sink, as well as a refrigerator. 






Little Colorado (USA)

If you're looking for something available in different color options, as well as a natural finish, at a slightly lower price point, Little Colorado makes kitchens, refrigerators and other accessories.  While they are not made entirely of solid wood, I received this response from the manufacturer: "The Medium Density Fiberboard used in our products is manufactured by Plum Creek in the United States and is certified green. Links to Plum Creek’s website which provides product specification information here.  Wood products are never totally formaldehyde free because trees in their natural state, as all living things do, contain formaldehyde, so it would be factually incorrect for me to tell you that the wood products we use are formaldehyde free.  That said, we use MDF to provide a solid grain and knot-free surface on which to apply our finishes (which are low VOC).  We use Plum Creek because it is certified green and because as a USA manufactured product, we know there is regulatory oversight and testing.  The recent scares concerning the high formaldehyde level glues used in MDF were on MDF imported from China."  From the site: "All Products are Made in America by Americans.  We use American made paints totally free of lead."

Kitchens for Smaller Spaces and Budgets:



AE Wooden Toys (New York)

This adorable tabletop kitchen optionally comes with everything you need to start cooking, including a basket of fabric vegetables, stainless pots and pans and wooden utensils.  All for a very affordable price!  Retails for $40 for just the kitchen, $60 including all the accessories.





Mama Made Them (West Virginia)

Mama Made Them toys are gorgeous, and they are made by a single mother on a mission to have affordable, quality toys for her son.  This kitchen is made of solid pine with a natural beeswax finish, has a mini oven and can be used on a tabletop or free standing.  It sells for $100 with FREE SHIPPING.

Re-wood Toys (Canada)

This mini kitchen is made of Canadian woods (mostly pine, cherry and maple) and is a great size for a smaller space.  It has a hutch, and some storage/oven space as well.  It retails for $90 plus $45-$60 shipping.






Accessories and Play Food

 
Palumba

To go with their gorgeous kitchens, Palumba carries an amazing selection of pint sized kitchen accessories and food, including a favorite in this house - the sheet pan of knitted cookies.  The pan is very heavy duty, in fact, heavier than some real pans I've had!  The cookies are nice and thick and after a year of frequent use everything still looks brand new.


Nova Natural

The porcelain enamelware at Nova Natural is unique and beautiful.  It is my understanding that it can be used on a stove as well.  They have place settings, pots and a tea set available, as well as other kitchen related items.  The porcelain coated steel is lead free and made in Poland. 










Forever Afters

Looking for quality, hand crafted accessories and food for you kitchen that's made in the USA?  Look no further than Forever Afters!  They make things like coffee makers, toasters, microwaves, play food and much more.  I was really excited to find them, and while I don't have any personal experience with their products, they look truly amazing!








While a quick search on Etsy.com for "felted play food, knitted play food, or wooden play food" will turn up literally thousands of results of beautifully crafted items, here are a few of my window shopping favorites!

Handmade Sack of Assorted Potatoes by A Heart for Crafts






Mixed Baby Greens Felt Salad by Dashing Bean - I just loved how unique this was, and there is also a set of wool bow tie pasta that's adorable!






Felt Strawberries by Kinsey Krafts







Wool Felt Egg Carton with Crackable Eggs and Yolks by Bug Bites Play Food




mkneedlework creates very affordable felt food items that look very nicely made, like this veggie set.





DIY

The first time I tried needle felting, I was shocked at how easy it was.  Kits like this one by An Snag Breac are a fantastic introduction, and often include everything you need to get started.  Once I completed a similar type of kit (mine was an owl by cute little thing), I had the confidence to branch off on my own future projects.  Wool roving is available on etsy.com as well as some crafting retailer sites for future felting projects.  Etsy is also a great source for play food patterns, or just DIY inspiration!

Pinterest is certainly a great source of DIY inspiration, but Ashley Hackshaw of Lil Blue Boo has compiled a nice collection of DIY toy kitchen transformations from ordinary furniture.  She has also done a list of play food DIY ideas. 

LuLu's Nest Felt Hair Clips

I had a really hard time finding something to hold my daughter's hair back that wasn't a giant bow, or an oversized barrette that took up half her head.  I'm not a fan of super girly things, so I wanted to find something unique for my daughter.  That's when I found LuLu's Nest on Etsy.  At 1.25 inches long, the small clip was sized just right for my daughter when she was tiny and had very fine hair.  The small clip doesn't hold a lot of hair, but my daughter's hair was so fine that it worked perfectly.  Now that she's 2.5 and she's bigger (she's larger than many 3 year olds we know) and her hair is thicker, the larger 2 inch size works great. 

Here are a couple of samples of her work, as well as an action shot of my daughter wearing one of the small ones at 20 months.  These clips are unique and adorable, and I can't tell you how many inquiries/compliments we get about them!  They are made of wool felt, with numerous designs and colors to choose from.  They would make an excellent gift as well!

These are very well made and lasted for months of use.  You can find them through the links on the photos above, or at LuLu's Nest on Etsy, and her facebook page.