Giveaway: I Spy bag

Update: This giveaway has ended.  Winner announced here.  I Spy bags are available for sale in our Etsy shop!

We are excited to offer a fun new giveaway starting today...it's an I SPY bag that could make a sweet little Valentine present for a child you know.

These handmade toys are new additions to The Mud Pie Makers' Etsy shop this week. 20 different trinkets are hidden among the pellets for children to "spy" out in the clear window. All hidden items are printed on a laminated card attached to the toy. It's a great way to keep kids entertained during travel, church, appointments, and other quiet times.

We are giving one away to one of our wonderful readers! The winner will be able to choose any I Spy bag available in our shop (even more designs coming!).

The giveaway is open through Feb. 2. The randomly-drawn winner will be announced on Friday, Feb. 3.   Aaaannnd...this one is open to worldwide readers!

1) To enter, just leave a comment under this post (be sure we have a way to contact you).

2) For a second entry, become a Follower of this blog and let us know in another comment.

Check back Feb. 3 to see if you're the winner!

Make a Fuzzy Felt Set

Ahhh...childhood in the 80's...Rubik's Cubes, Simon, Smurfs, My Little Pony, Etch-a-Sketch, Cabbage Patch Kids, Atari, Thundercats...and right there on the toy shelf was my beloved Fuzzy Felt set.

I loved this set with the crazy peacock on the front. It contained a "magic" black fuzzy mat and tons of little geometric felt shapes that stuck to it for all kinds of imaginative creations. I remember carrying it around and playing for hours.

It's super easy to make your own set...using flannel and felt. And sharp scissors.

To make a board, you'll need a thick rectangle of cardboard...or just cut two lighter-weight pieces, like I did, and stick masking tape around the edges to hold them together and make it more solid. Then cut a piece of flannel fabric larger than the board, leaving several inches of overlap on all sides.

Heat up the glue gun and hot glue the fabric to the back of the cardboard, pulling it very taught. I glued down the corners last, kind of flattening them out. If you want, you could glue another smaller piece of cardboard over the back later to hide all the rough fabric edges. Your board is ready.

To make some fun felt shapes, search online for silhouette images of animals, transportation, people...whatever your child would enjoy. Copy and paste them, adjust the sizes, and print a couple of sheets to use as patterns. You could also trace around cookie cutters or just cut a pile of colorful geometric shapes to build critters and play worlds with. Use lots of colorful felt.

The shapes can be kept in a plastic zipper bag or little fabric bag. This is a super easy and fun toy...since I had some flannel and felt scraps around, it cost me nothing but a little time to make. My 4-year-old could hardly wait for me to hand it over for her to play.

I have a more elaborate Fuzzy Felt version in the works that would be great for travel

or a gift. Come back later this week to check it out!

You Say Potato, I Say Mr. Potato Head.

The toy pick of the week around here goes to Mr. Potato head. He isn't new or fancy, but sometimes the best toys are the ones that wait in the toy box for a month (or year) until that special time when a little one discovers the toy for him or herself. Let's face it, we can't force our kids to immediately love every new toy we throw in front of them.  


My little guy was digging through the toys this week and was suddenly in love with Mr. Potato head. He is a fan of Toy Story, so it makes sense that he would love this nostalgic toy that has already withstood the test of time.  My big kids--ages 4 and 5, also love changing things around on Mr. Potato head.  If you want to read all about the history of this great toy, check this out.  


The great thing about Mr. Potato head is that he can play along as a main character in any Toy Story your kids may create on their own, but he can also be used as a refresher course to identify face and body parts since they are fun, and removable. 


My little guy loved pointing out the hat, shoes, arms, eyes, mouth, teeth, etc.  I also try to double up on learning moments when they arise during playtime by also throwing in some color training (ex. blue shoes, green hat, pink ears.)  Some kids aren't willing to sit and go through 50 flashcards or board books when they have so much toddler energy, but they think it is fun to learn when they are playing with a toy. Mr. Potato head is also another great small-motor skill developer for those little ones, and also the big guys!  Many other toys out there have these same learning capabilities, but for us this week, the award goes to Mr. Potato head!