Toys for Toddlers - LeapFrog Leapster Explorer

LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Learning Game System (Green)

I was sitting here thinking about adding a post to the blog and thought I would feature my children's overall favorite toy. I have a 3-year-old and a 6-year old and by far their favorite toy is the Leapster Explorer Learning System. It can really take a beating from these kids.

My oldest got this handheld game for Christmas 2 years ago and since then my youngest has grown into using it all by himself.  They are allowed to use it a few days a week and would sit for hours to play it if they could. The Leapster Explorer lets each child have their own profile, so they just click their name after turning the unit on to play under their own name; this way they can't mess up their siblings progress in a game. I got a few free app codes (search around the internet, you may be able to find a deal somewhere) which gave the kids some fun little games I could download from the website.

Hooking the handheld up to the computer was super easy. There are some neat features online to keep up with your child's progress in each game. The games are learning oriented, they aren't just for playing, the kids have to use their brain to get it right. My 6-year-old is in 1st grade and such a smart girl, these games keep her challenged, and at the same time keep my 3-year-old boy entertained.

When I purchased the handheld, I spent time and researched between several different brands. Overall, they are all in the same price range. Always be sure to scour the internet for sale prices on such a large purchase!
The Fisher-Price iXL 6-in-1 Learning System (Blue) was on my list, but overall I did not think that the software could compete with LeapFrog. There were fewer games and the handheld has to be held differently than would be expected.

The LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green  was at the very top of my list, but the games seemed to be geared to slightly older kids. Although most of them are now interchangeable. I think this unit is a good choice for a toy for toddlers, an equal to the Leapster we have.
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Accessories

When I bought the LeapFrog Leapster Explorer, I added on the Leapfrog Leappad Carrying Case Fashion Handbag Tote and the camera to my purchase. The two of these are essential for my kids, they are horrible at losing things and the bag keeps everything packed away tidy.
I just love this little carrying case. We have carried this thing everywhere and it still holds up perfectly. Everything for the game fits snugly inside.
This is the LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Camera and Video Recorder that goes with the handheld. It fits into the bottom of the unit. It works perfectly and turns the handheld into a digital camera. I thought the price was great and it is kids favorite part of the Leapster Explorer. The camera software includes games, editing, and photo album features. The kids can easily manage their photo albums by deleting and editing photos and videos. It is a fun and creative tool for the kids.

Jingit - Work From Home Tip

Here's a tip-off on a new way to earn money online. I have had some extra time to tool around on the internet since my main job at Leapforce has been slow this weekend. A fellow co-worker turned me on to Jingit. It is similar to another program (of course I cannot remember the name) years back that paid you to view video ads. You just view some ads, answer a few questions and earn some change.

You can join through my referral link here:

https://www.jingit.com/home/?ref_id=81604&s=f

I know, I know, I hate referral links too. I roll my eyes at them when people post them.

This referral doesn't link me to you in any way, it just lifts my cap on how much money I can earn each week. You want to help a girl earn money, right?!

You have to sign up with your facebook log-in, but remember to set the preference to show the posts to 'only me' if you don't want to spam your friends and family. To start, you can earn $10 a week viewing ads and with each referral link click, that amount goes up to at least $15/wk. 

So, you click on these ads for a while in your spare time and the money adds up in your Jingit account. Then, you've easily earned some spare moo-lah for that hot date with your significant other. Red Lobster has all-you-can eat shrimp right now for $14.95!

Jingit has a Visa card you have to sign-up for to load your money on, or you can spend it online buying music. If you search around the internet, you can find forums where people will post all of the video links in one place; some that don't show up on your Jingit dashboard! Try here: http://forum-ptc-investigation.com/index.php?topic=2341.0  Click each link several times. It let me watch videos more than once until it would send me to the 'Check back later' screen.

I don't know how long Jingit will stay around, but always best to get in early and earn as much as you can before it fizzles away! 

Hello Again Blogger

Oh my beautiful babies are growing so fast. Katie and Carter are now 6 and 3 years old. I keep abandoning my poor blog! My mind wanders too much to stick with one thing - this is my worst habit. I have been working-from-home for Leapforce for 2 years. Between the kids and the job it is hard keeping on top of everything else. I love my blog and my etsy store; when I get the time, I pour myself into them. I spent some time last month creating new products for my etsy store. Like this gem of a dress.

I sewed up a storm making dresses, tops, bibs, quilts, and girls bottoms. My first priority is always my family and caring for the kids, but all my work and hobbies are constantly calling my name. I know most moms have this same problem! I have several interests that I am constantly google-ing up a storm over. I work from home and make a good hourly pay through Leapforce.com (check it out!). I am always looking for fun, legit, and lucrative work-at-home opportunities.

I want to keep you all up-to-date on these jobs, as well as fun craft projects. I also want to share tips and info on kids gear. Toys, games, decor, birthday gifts, Christmas toys, almost anything. I've got two kids and a lot of experience with these things! I've picked up some links from Amazon to help you decide on buying - Amazon is a great way to purchase, there are lots of user reviews and fast shipping. Because I am making a few cents off you purchasing through my link, I have to tell you that "KatieSueCrafts is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com."

I totally don't want to be spammy here, but I am always honest in my intention and opinions! So, please feel free to leave comments on anything you want my opinion on. I love researching the pros and cons and helping others make decisions, I'm also good at finding sales! Looking forward to blogging and having you follow along!

Cool Site of the Week

I'm always thinking up ways to brand my product - creating packaging, thank you cards, product labels, stenciling and even printing on handmade greeting cards. I stumbled across Urban Fonts a year or so ago when designing the iron-on labels for my fabric products and have noticed myself using it more and more lately. There are hundreds of free fonts on this site and you can sample what your text will look like quite easily. When you find one you like it is very easy to download for Windows or Mac and it magically {with a few clicks} shows up in your word processor program. A font can say a lot about what you are writing; it can easily lend to the style and feel and is an important part of the design process. Have fun picking!


This is the font on my fabric iron-on labels that I bought from Jennifer's Jewels on Etsy. It is called "Girls are Weird" and is one of my favorites!

Progress!

I love finishing a project; I'm a complete results-oriented person. My need for instant gratification can put a damper on large projects, but I got this quilt done in two days. It is a smaller, lap quilt size at 24 x 24 inches, great for a stroller or play mat. This rag quilt really is quite a bit of work, six hours or more, but the finished result is so cute. I just love the Moda fabric I used on this piece, it is so bright and cheery. I have already finished another quilt in the same size and hope to get many more done. So much fun!

New Project

I made it to the quilt shop this morning and was happy to see they opened right when I arrived (dragging two kids to the fabric shop is not really all that fun). I found the cutest fabric set by Moda called Soiree by Lila Tueller and am going to work today on making a small rag quilt out of it. I made my first rag quilt yesterday, you can see it here, and am looking forward to making another out of this new cute fabric. Hopefuly I will have it done by Monday, so stop by my Etsy store and check out the finished project! Hope you all have a great weekend. These are the last days of my twenties (shhh...don't tell anyone I'm turning 30 on Monday...eek!)

Baby Bibs!

I'm back! I've been on an extra long maternity leave spending some time with my children and doing some freelance writing. My etsy store is filling back up with lots of fun pieces. I've discovered a new love for making baby bibs; must be the new messy addition I have in the house. As always, I've got many, many ideas and very little time to craft. Keep an eye out, you might see something you like! I plan on bringing in designer fabrics very soon!

MIA Momma To Be

I have totally been missing for 4 months from my etsy shop and my blog. I was dealing with a lot of crazy health issues. Once I started feeling better by the end of November, Chris and I found out that we were pregnant with our second baby! We are so thrilled and feel so blessed to be having another child. The holidays and a lot of morning sickness have kept me pretty busy, but now I'm back to etsy-ing.
I am overhauling my shop a bit and am going to start on a new line called Katie Sue Handmade. Cute zippered pouches, checkbook covers, and card cases out of some of my favorite fabrics. I've been adding some fun kawaii and Japanese imports to my stash that I can't wait to get sewing with.

Featured Friday :: Butterfly Baby Place

My featured shop from etsy this week is Butterfly Baby Place. The shop is run by a great girl I have known for a couple of years now. We were pregnant at the same time with our first babies, which have grown into *wonderful* little toddlers. She's since had another child and started selling her handmade goods online. In her own words...
"I'm a stay at home mom who is so incredibly inspired by her children. So much so that I needed to find an outlet, which took the form of sewing. Creating is my way of harnessing all of the humor and love that I experience throughout the day. It's my way to share a piece of my life with the world. Even the name of my shop, Butterfly Baby Place, stems from my children and their interactions with each other. I've always tickled them with butterfly kisses and now my son gives his baby sister butterfly kisses, which melts my heart. So when thinking of a name, that image jumped into my head and I went with it."
Check out her shop today! Find cute aprons for your little chef and custom nursery decor.

How To Tuesday :: Fun Christmas Cards PLUS Giveaway!!

**This is an older how-to, the product is not available on etsy any longer - but, please enjoy the tutorial!**
I made these fun Christmas cards for my etsy store today. I decided to add a series on my blog called "How To Tuesdays" and these cute cards are our first project! These are really quite easy to make, it's coming up with the design in the first place that can be tricky. Well, I've already done that for you here! So easy to follow step by step and make your own beautiful cards for the holidays. Of course, it you just don't want to bother, you can always find unique cards in my shop. (hint, hint)

Step One :: Choose your supplies

This part is fun because you get to go shopping! Or, use this as a great opportunity to use up some supplies you have laying around. You will need to pick a color theme, I used bright pastel pink and purples. I find once you find the patterned scrapbook paper, the other supplies are easier to choose. You will need.

• 1 piece patterned scrapbooking paper that has a design far enough spaced out to cut atleast a 2" diameter circle - I used a 12" x 12" piece


• A piece of coordinating cardstock - I used an 8" x 8" piece of heavy weight textured purple cardstock - this will make 2 cards


• A piece of felt - I used pink


• A spool of thread and needle - I used lime green


• Glue Stick Elmer's All-Purpose Glue Sticks, Large, 0.77 oz Each, 3 Sticks per Pack (E5022)

• Scissors, rotary cutter, exacto knife, etc. - whatever you have to cut paper with Olfa Deluxe Rotary Cutter (60mm)
  

• Ruler or rotary mat

Step Two :: Cut your cardstock to size
Our sample is going to be a 4" x 4" card. Simply cut your 8" x 8" in half. Next, score each card 4" up from the bottom, this is the middle. I use a dull exacto knife, but you can use any sort of razor, you may want to practice on a scrap piece of paper before doing it on your project. Scoring is when you are putting a cut in the paper to make it fold easily, but it is a very light, almost unnoticeable cut.
Line up your ruler so you have a level line at 4" up and run your knife very lightly over the surface of the paper. Remember, you can always push harder the next time, but if you push your knife to hard the first time, you may accidently cut your paper in half!
Step Three :: Cut your patterned scrapbook paper
Now we will cut the patterned scrapbook paper which is the first layer on our card. For this card, we will measure a 3.5" square piece of paper and cut it out. This will leave a 1/4" border of cardstock. Use a rotary cutter or scissors.


Next, trace a circle around one of the individual designs on your patterned scrapbook paper. My paper allows for a 2" diameter cut out. You can vary this size as needed. I went hunting around the house until I found something I could trace around my design. I found a spray paint can that worked perfectly. Sometimes I use ribbon spools, tupperware, drinking glasses, and glue bottles. Make sure your image is centered in your circle and cut out.

Step Four :: Cut your felt

The last piece to cut is the felt. I simply placed my image on the felt and cut a square around it. With a 2" round image, the felt is 2 1/4" square.

Step Five :: Stitch your paper image to your felt

We will be using a double strand of thread to stitch with and a fairly thin needle, so we aren't making huge holes in our paper. Simply thread your needle, and with the needle in the center of your thread, tie the two ends together. Pick a starting point and begin by bringing your needle from the back of your felt through the front of your image. This way your knot is hidden. Stitch about 1/4" stitches. It is only important that you are consistent with the length of your stitches, spaces in between, and how far you are from the edge.

Step Six :: Glue it all together!

Now is the fun part! Glue your 3.5" square cut patterned scrapbook paper to your cardstock. I use a glue stick that goes on purple and dries clear. Try to center you paper and leave a 1/4" border around it, it doesn't have to be perfect though!
Next, glue on your 2.25" square felt embellishment. The easiest way to use a glue stick on felt is to apply it with a twisting motion. Don't pull the glue stick around the felt like you would a piece of paper, it will stretch it and frustrate you! Just put your glue stick on the felt and twist it like you would a volume button on your car radio. Make sure you get a good amount of glue on it. Center the felt embellishment on your card and you are finished!!