Come see all our colorful characters in person and read their stories!
The Festival takes place on September 11-12th in Wilmington, DE. For more information and directions, visit the Festival website.
Archive for the ‘Children's Gifts’ Category
Join us at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts!
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010Attitude is everything!
Monday, August 30th, 2010Being a rabid baseball fan, this is one of my favorite times of the year. In the 
major leagues, winning becomes urgent and overcoming losses and mistakes is critical. Skill is important, but skill can’t win without attitude.
Of course, this also the time of year when Little League Baseball reaches its peak in its World Series. Edogawa Minami Little League from Toyko, Japan, won it his year, beating Waipio Little League from Wiapahu, Hawaii, 4-1. Of course, the team had to be technically good to win, but their edge was in their discipline and confidence.
These are important lessons to pass on as children start a new school year, where both known and new challenges can seem daunting. This baseball story expresses the importance of attitude very well.
A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strode through his backyard, baseball cap in place and toting ball and bat. “I’m the greatest baseball player in the world.” he said proudly. Then he tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed.
Undaunted, he picked up the ball, threw it into the air and said to himself, “I’m the greatest baseball player ever!” He swung at the ball again, and again he missed.
He paused a moment to examine the bat and ball carefully. Then once again he threw the ball into the air and said, “I’m the greatest baseball player who ever lived.” He swung the bat hard and again missed the ball.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. “What a pitcher!”
We have just finished our first baseball variation of our Storybook Quilt, Vroom! Vroom! Get Me to the Game on Time, also about determination to overcome the odds in order to win a game. We will have it for sale at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts on September 11-12, at the Crafts as Art Festival at the Nassau County Museum on October 9-11, and through our website.
Your caption?
Sunday, July 25th, 2010We’re down to just a week for the caption contest! What are those two (male) finches up to? Did they sneak out for a drink and get found out? Is there a finch babe up there in a bikini? Did a giant bag of thistle seed suddenly appear? Are they asking for a little lemon in their water? Are they watching to see if the outdoor thermometer will hit 100 degrees?
To enter, just leave your caption in a comment. We can’t wait to read them!
What keeps you in your grandchild’s thoughts?
Sunday, June 27th, 2010In today’s world, grandparents and grandchildren all too often live quite a distance from one another. Is this true of you? How can that distance be overcome?
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re keeping in contact using e-mail and possibly also Facebook. Maybe you have a webcam and mic so that you can see and hear one another “live”! Maybe you send things back and forth in the mail – cards or gifts or photos.
Is there something very special that you share that keeps you in your grandchild’s thoughts? Is it something that your grandchild will still have when he or she is a grandparent?
A Storybook Quilt can be the tie — and last for a lifetime. The quilt can be customized with a short message, names and dates.
The book can include a longer message from you and a photo – and even be specially rewritten to include family details in the story itself.
To make this even more special, your grandchild can help make the choices, so that it’s not just a surprise, it’s a special project and a lifelong connection.
Until July 4th, we are offering a chance to win a discount on any of our Storybook Quilt themes. Enter to create a wonderful summer memory for you and your grandchild!
Celebrate the 4th of July with us!
Sunday, June 20th, 2010Storybook Quilts is celebrating the 4th of July with a contest. Did you know that the Declaration of Independence had 56 signators? In honor of those brave and visionary men, we are offering a prize of 56% off any of our Keepsake Storybook Quilts. To enter to win, answer 10 simple questions about our Storybook Quilts. Clues are posted each day on our Facebook Page.
Not Just Another “Storybook Quilt”
Thursday, May 6th, 2010We’ve noticed some confusion about just what one of our Storybook Quilts is. It seems “storybook quilt” is now a descriptor for several products.
Enjoying our cat theme Storybook Quilt
Other types of storybook quilts exist — all different from ours. Some are quilts designed around an existing, separate children’s story. A few are quilts made to echo the story a child has written. Some are made from fabrics commercially printed with the characters from an existing story.
Our Storybook Quilts are unique in several ways.
First, no other “storybook quilt” pairs an original story with an original handmade quilt.
Second, our quilts are created so that the patterns in the fabrics can be the basis for any number of stories – a great way to tickle a child’s imagination.
Third, our Storybook Quilts offer a range of personalization and customization options. The Storybook Quilt can be built around
your child, not a fictional character.
We specialize in customizing both the quilt and the story. An embroidered square can be included in the quilt that is personalized to fit the giver and the recipient. The story also can be customized. We can include a message and photo from the giver — and we can alter the story itself to include the child’s name and other information, making the story their story.
Here’s what one mom has to say about the Storybook Quilts her two daughters received from their grandparents:
“The quilts themselves are really beautiful and obviously made meticulously by a talented artist. I absolutely love the different printed fabrics–really vivid, unique patterns and just so interesting to look at even without the story line to follow. A real feast for the eyes!
“About the stories: [my two daughters] loved that their names are in the stories. Their eyes lit up when they heard the stories were about them. They also really like listening to the story and looking at the quilt so they can point out when I am reading a part that matches a quilt square.”
If you’re looking for a one-of-kind gift that will capture the hearts of the children in your life for a lifetime – contact us. We would love to create that special Storybook Quilt just for you!
Grandma Starts a New Family Tradition
Saturday, March 27th, 2010This week, one of the Storybook Quilts we shipped off was to a grandmother with a great idea. She fell in love with the Storybook Quilts, Luna the Turtle in particular. With three grandchildren and another on the way, she struck on the perfect solution to please them all, including herself!
This Luna the Turtle will remain with “Babbie,” as she’s called. She’ll have it at her house when the grandchildren come to visit and she will take it with her when she goes to visit them. It will be a very special treat the entire family looks forward to, creating memories that will be cherished for the lifetimes of them all.
Any bets on how many readings of the story it will take before the grandkids know it by heart?
Valentine’s Day, Gumdrop Day and Amos the Bear
Monday, February 8th, 2010Did you know that Valentine’s Day is just one day before National Gumdrop Day? Valentine Amos, a very lovable teddy, is a special edition of our Amos the Bear Storybook Quilt – which always features gumdrops.
Amos the Bear is all heart. In fact, his heart is soooo big that it shows on the outside. He’s the best friend of a little boy named Josh, who’s the best buddy of his Grandpop. They both love gumdrops and Grandpop always carries a bag – hidden away somewhere.
Love and gumdrops feature prominently in the story that accompanies our Amos the Bear quilt. Josh goes to the zoo with his Grandpop and Amos, where Amos mysteriously disappears! The search takes forever. Impatient Josh goes off on his own to find Amos, asking the animals for help. A slightly scary leopard sends Josh rushing back to Grandpop for safety. The two of them then find Amos in a most surprising place! Reunited with Amos, Josh is now ready to share Grandpop’s gumdrops – he finally can enjoy them.
Valentine’s Day 2010 can last a lifetime for your child or grandchild with this one-time edition of Amos. He’s available, at a special price, through Tuesday, February 9th. Our usual Amos always is available!
SNOWMAN!
Sunday, February 7th, 2010Snow is a big deal here, in southeastern PA — or at least two feet of it is. Today, with just a bit of sun and near-freezing temperatures, it’s THE day to build a snowman! Growing up on the Tug Hill plateau, I’ve built more than I can count — of all sizes and shapes.
This had to be the largest snowman in my life. I helped a bit with the first ball, but after that was relegated to documenting his growth. He looked a bit like Charles DeGaulle when he was done!
What a great way to spend an afternoon! His eyes were margarine containers and his mouth was two bricks. We never did find a hat big enough! Rumor was that this snowman didn’t fully melt away until May.
I have to admit that my favorite snowman of all time is one that will never break my heart by melting away! Dapper Dan the Snowman offers a wonderful way to spend time with a snowman who always will keep you and at least one of your favorite children, or grandchildren, warm and entertained.
Dapper Dan Storybook Quilt Package
In the story that matches the quilt, Matt creates Dapper Dan with his Dad, but has a difficult time deciding on his face. The story, which is woven around the fabric in the quilt, tells the tale of Matt’s search for a face for Dapper Dan, including what he remembers as an exciting trip into a magical forest — or was that just a dream?!
In the storybook, we have included images that you and your child can use to decide what face Dan should have.
Learn more about Dan and our other heart-warming Storybook Quilts on our website.
Blue Monday is Today!
Monday, January 25th, 2010SAD sufferers take heart. We have a lot of company today! The Monday of the last full week in January is “Blue Monday” – a danged depressing day, even worse than the “January blahs.” According to Scottish psychologist Cliff Arnall, the causes are: dreary weather, left-over Christmas debt, the time since Christmas (that is, no reason for cheer), giving up on our New Year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and the feeling of a need to take action. For Jets and Vikings fans, our course, this year is worse than usual.
Blue Monday is serious, folks. Some companies actually hire counselors to help and there’s even a Blue Monday website! Most of these efforts are based in the UK where, I can attest from my years there, the much shorter days and the general winter gloom are pretty bad.
So, what can we do to fight this scourge, which certain affects many of us in northern latitudes?
Here are a few ideas. We’d love to hear yours!
1. Make a special effort to bring cheer to someone who seems down – maybe a loaf of banana bread or a phone call or an e-mail greeting card. Cheer is infectious, so you should benefit, too!
2. Hide. Get inside an engrossing book and stay there until today passes.
3. Listen to Fats Domino singing, Blue Monday – all but guaranteed to get your toes tapping!
4. Connect with your favorite child and plan the Storybook Quilt you’ll create together or make up a new story around one of our existing themes
5. And, for those of you who already have one, cuddle up under your Storybook Quilt with the child(ren) you love, read the story together, and enjoy the special closeness that creates. The only thing “blue” will be the colors in some of the fabrics in the quilt.
