One of the few good things about having your best friend move 3 000 kilometers away is that you get to meet new and interesting people, if only by proxy. And sometimes, those people have amazing skills and talents that mean that you have access to all sorts of cool stuff, like handmade toy diaper bags without ever having to pick up those skills for yourself.
Amber is one of those people, a sort of "friend in law" who I have never met, yet sort of know through Kirsten. She's also the owner and designer of Skookum Baby, where I got those adorable mini diaper bags The Ladies are sporting.
Funny story about Skookum Baby: It all started with Kirsten's passion for babywearing. Being a crafty person on a budget, Kirsten soon figured out that it was cheaper to support her habit by making her own slings and wraps rather than buying them at the local baby boutique. Soon, she was starting to have visions of starting a business and selling her creations. Fortunately, she remembered that she doesn't particularly like sewing before cooler heads had to step in and rain on her parade. For her, it's more about having the slings than about making them. Amber, on the other hand, realized that she did enjoy the creative part of the process, and that she was good at it. And thus was born Skookum Baby.
Thank goodness for Kirsten's ability to get other people enthused over her craft obsessions, because without that push, The Ladies would never have gotten these awesome bags and that would have been a tragedy, because they love them. They're prefect for imaginative play--an utterly realistic, childsized version of a real life product. They even come with a dollsized changepad and an inner pocket that's just right for holding the toy cellphone. All this and they're uniquely stylish, too! I doubt you'll find anything half so adorable at the local toy boutique, let alone the toy department at WalMart. Plus, unlike a plastic toy diaper bag, these ones are multipurpose; I've used Regan's as a real diaper bag, allowing her to tote her gear, and I'll totally be "borrowing" one to take to BlogHer in July to use as a purse. Sabrina adores hers, and is begging me get her a schoolbag for next September.
As for Kirsten, she's still busy with the crafts. She's returned to her first love, wool, and now has a thriving business as well. If you're a knitter, you should totally check out Yummy Yarn. Just keep your mitts off the Grapes and Olives--Kirsten doesn't know it yet, but she's going to make me some socks out of it. Because even when your friends move 3 000 km away, that doesn't mean you have to lose their skills. It just means that sometimes you have to pay for postage.
Comments
Wait, you want the Grapes and Olives now? I thought you wanted the Gummy Worms. I've set one of those braids aside for you (I never listed it). I think you'll like it better...plus it's less work for me to spin you up something I haven't already photographed and posted. C'mon...Gummy Worms!
Ok. I looked for Gummy Worms and it was gone. Grapes and Olives was a fallback. But a good fallback, because it's gorgeous. I'm happy with either. So pretty!
huh? what are you atalking about with the whole grapes and olives and gummyworms thing???
You have to follow the link. They're the names of yarns. Pretty Pretty Yarns.
Those mini diaper bags are too cute. It's a shame I don't have a little girl, because I would SO have to get one for her.
It's great that you two are able to stay connected through the internet. I think we'd all be lost without it - at least I know I would.
I'm so glad that The Ladies are loving the bags. The best part for me is that they're also a lot of fun to make. It's a little self-indulgent, really. And now that Kirsten has her own little business, I can trade my bags for her fabulous yarns. I have my eye on 'Eating olives at the Mediterranean seaside'. ;-)
So, Amber, about that schoolbag....
