Uncategorized

Hi blog friends!

I disappeared again!

I do work full time, but working 12 hour shifts means I get plenty of days off. And now that I’m not studying or renovating (for now!), I noticed that I have a lot of free time! So, one day while standing on the platform at 6:10am waiting for the train to go to work, I decided I would try making fun stuff for kids. Since this little idea, I’ve created quite a few different products and opened an Etsy store!

Choosing the name of my little store took all of 3 seconds. My grandpa always called me (and only me) possum kids (always plural). It made me feel special and cheeky and like we had a special bond that no one else knew about. So when I sat down with my little notebook and pen to “brainstorm” names, Possum Kids instantly came into my head and that was it!

Having 5 nieces, I’ve learnt a lot about what kinds of toys I like to see kids play with: toys that stimulate the imagination. I didn’t know until I started this business that there’s actually an educational style based around imaginative play: Waldorf education. My favourite Possum Kids product is the playsilk. It’s a 90cm x 90cm silk square with a hand rolled hem that I’ve hand dyed. Super simple. Watching my nieces play with it is where the magic happens. For the younger ones, it’s hours of peek-a-boo fun. For the older ones, it’s so many things: a sarong, a blanket for teddy, a table cloth at a tea party, a belt to hold a sword, a veil at their “wedding”, a sling for their baby doll, a silky cubby house, I could go on. It’s such a joy to watch!

My other favourite Possum Kids product is my tooth fairy set. Instead of a gold coin, the tooth fairy can leave a bracelet or zipper charm, a tiny vial of fairy dust, and a teeny tiny note explaining why the recipient got such a special gift. Ie. first tooth, extra clean tooth etc. Not only does this enhance the magic of the tooth fairy, it’s also great incentive for kids to clean their teeth!

Having watched my older nieces come home time and time again with party bags full of lollies and cheap plastic crap from China, I decided to make party bags too. Lolly free and all items handmade with love by me.

My little shop has only been open for a couple of months now but the process of getting it up and running has been so fun! I love being crafty! My sister will call me in the middle of a weekday and ask what I’m doing and I’ll say: “sitting by the fire tipping glitter into glass vials as fairy dust”. She just laughs at me. I’ve learnt so much too! Especially in the world of Instagram! Who would have thought there are thousands of mums out there advertising their products through Instagram? Who knew about the world of brand reps and follow loops? I’m very computer illiterate and am still struggling to learn the ins and outs of this Instagram business!

Anyway, that’s where I’ve been lately. I shall start doing the odd garden blog again soon (not leaving 5 months between posts!).