No Assembly Required

So it’s after Christmas, and Hanukkah, and if you’re like most people who have children, you’ve been inundated with cheap, plastic toys with some assembly required, explained to you in ten-page detail in eight different languages, and are probably buying stock in Duracell batteries.

Perhaps you were fortunate to have your kiddies collect a stack o’ gift cards, which they can use to continue their collection of plastic or electronic do-dads in attempt to get you to build an addition onto your house for storage of these items. Or maybe you are in the other camp—and you have contributed to supplying children you know with various mass-produced plastic toy items so they can create their own local Legoland, or you are responsible for furthering their video game education.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone could use a new gadget or two, but there is a limit to the amount of Made in Taiwan toys you may want to purchase for someone.

My point is, most gifts are mass-produced, and don’t have a shred of uniqueness in them.  And if you select a present for a child that’s part of the “me-too” mainstream wish list, well, then, you run the risk of getting them something they already have.

Let me ask you, what child doesn’t like to play grocery store or pretend to cook? Maybe they are more adventurous and want to pack a picnic, stuff their jet pack full of snacks for their space expedition, or pretend they are roasting marshmallows over a campfire that won’t burn down your living room? 

Are you looking for a unique, quality handmade stuffed animal, not in the incarnation of an Angry Bird that a child you know could form a real attachment to, that doesn’t look exactly like what everyone else has? 

Here’s what I’m getting at: I’ll let you in on a little secret of mine when I want to find something truly special for a child, that’s eco-friendly to boot. My go-to gift solution is Colorado-based Pixiekids Toys.

Melisa Santacroce is the entrepreneur behind Pixiekids Toys, who is a former Speech Language Pathologist that started her handmade, eco-friendly toy making business back in 2010; and in one year I’ve watched her company grow like crazy. She just launched the Pixiekids Toys website in 2011; prior to that she touted her talent on Etsy and on Facebook through her company page. 

When she first started on the Pixiekids journey ten years ago, what initially failed with frustration at local fairs, has exploded with popularity as a web-based business. She started the Pixiekids brainchild when she had her first son and wanted to be able to make some money while staying at home with him.  She was tie-dying baby and kids clothing and selling it at a local farmers market in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a result, her company was first known as “Pixiekids Tie Dye”. Santacroce chose “Pixie” for one of the core name anchors because she felt it brought a whimsical feeling to her business, “like kids playing in the forest with fairies,” she says.

Santacroce then expanded her offerings and did craft shows in Colorado and New Mexico. That didn’t go so well. With the fees she was required pay to rent booth space, plus the cost of supplies, she was barely breaking even. Hitting the road didn’t pay off. Then she found Etsy and Facebook, and the rest is history.

Santacroce, the one woman felt fabrication force behind Pixiekids Toys, sews toys that feed children’s imaginations.  Among her felt foods for sale are: apples with stem and leaf details, peelable bananas, stackable pancakes complete with butter and syrup, avocados that can be pitted, blueberry muffins, individual bread slices, meat, lettuce, cheese, and tomato sandwich fixings, frosted cupcakes (including her trademark customizable giant birthday cupcakes), hot cocoa with marshmallow detail, removable non-breakable eggs that are contained in a carton, dairy products, felt-licious sack lunches (complete with sack), and tea sets. She also has an expanded line of  “I Spy” bags, soft dolls, squishy raccoons, badgers, foxes, and owls, just to name a few created creatures looking for homes -that all come complete without any assembly required. Oh, and you can order your fuzzy creatures with or without colorful hair bows and matching wings, if they are the flying sort. Melisa never misses a detail, and woodland creatures should be appropriately girly and fashionable when called upon to do so.

Since the toys are soft, they are safe for little ones and because they are made out of felt and reinforce stitched, they have the lasting power and unbreakability to survive throughout a child’s play years right along with them.  And since these things are made by hand, each one is unique.

Melisa’s own children, Gabe and Nathaniel, help her with the toy testing and creativity process. A few months ago Melisa created a s’mores set where you can pretend to roast marshmallows on sticks and then use the felt graham crackers to assemble felt-melted chocolate, and toasted felt marshmallows to their fruition. Gabe came up with the idea to make the marshmallows more realistic. They now come in white, partially cooked, and burnt stages to replicate real life.  And no s’mores experience would be complete without the campfire—again, all handmade, right down to the felt flames and individual logs. This particular set is my favorite. Check out my photos for some more details on this imagination inducing item.

Melisa  also has a Felt Food of the Month Club. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! So if you’re lucky enough to get a place on her list the next time she starts her three-month enrollment period, you can sign up that difficult-to-buy-for niece or nephew, or little person of your choice, to receive a surprise in the mail every month for three consecutive months. Her food of the month club started this year, and has been so popular that she’s had to limit membership because she’s the only one running her felt factory, stitching behind the scenes. 

The best way to be notified of food of the month enrollment or any special auctions, giveaways, and events that Pixiekids Toys hosts, is to subscribe to its emails and updates. My daughter is a member of  the Felt Food of the Month Club, and loves being surprised with new food items. They always change, and you never know what you will be shipped next. Sometimes the seasons inspire Melisa to come up with new creations, too—like a zucchini and sweet potato shipped to us in recent months past. It’s a great way to sample things that you may not see listed in on her website or Facebook store.

Recently, Pixiekids Toys made Mothering magazine’s 2011 Natural Toy Guide! You can see Pixiekids’ Campfire & S’mores Set and Felt Food Pink Tea Party Set nominated in the Educational & Imaginative Play category. In the Dolls & Dollhouses category Pixiekids’ Eco- Felt Snowy Owl was listed as one of the best natural toys out there.

Several times a year, Pixiekids Toys hosts auctions and giveaways for their items on their Facebook page. It’s worth “liking” it so you get advance notice of when you can try to be the top bidder on your favorite sets. Sometimes an auction item is uniquely Pixiekids. Other times, Pixiekids Toys auctions off items in conjunction with, or for other vendors who create their own distinctive items, too.

Coming up in the first week of February, Pixiekids Toys is having another collaboration auction and giveaway on their Facebook page with a Valentines’ Day theme.

Melisa always has some ready-to-ship items on hand, but most items are made-to-order. So if you need something by a particular date, plan on giving Melisa some lead time so she can fill your order and ship it to you on time. This is a case of where good things come to those who wait.