Fellow mompreneur, Karen Randall from New & Green Baby cloth diapering asked me to write some content for her recent newsletter about gift giving considerations this holiday season and I thought I would share it with our blog readers as well.

Humming and Ha-ing this holiday season?  Here’s some tips we hope help you:

The main questions I ask when considering a purchase is “who makes it”, “where is it made” and “what is it made from”.  I have to feel good about the answers to each of these questions before I will proceed with my purchase.

I definitely look for items made in Canada or the US but will consider products that are ethically made or have been made with consideration to the environment as well as Fair Trade products from around the world.

Packaging is another huge consideration with a “less is more” preference.  I avoid plastic and twist ties like the plague and opt for no packaging or eco-friendly packaging and make sure all of the packaging is recyclable.  I also look at creative ways to wrap presents by re-using wrap from years gone by or getting creative with using gifts as packaging.  For example, wrapping another present in a backpack, or giving a piece of jewelry in a lunchbot or goodbyn container and the like.

Lunchbots Uno & Duo

Having seen lots of products since the birth of my eldest 4.5 years ago, I really look to buy less “things” and opt for higher quality (ie. usually a bit more expensive) items whether it be clothes, feeding products and toys because the old adage “you get what you pay for” still rings true and these items tend to last longer, wear better and can be passed down to future generations.  This cannot be said of all products on the market so definitely keep an eye out for good quality as it is worth it in the short and long run.

Another great way to reduce waste or unwanted gifts is to create and share a wishlist.  Make sure to include items in a variety of price ranges but this helps to channel those that mean well and want to get something for you or your children but at least this way, they are buying something you need or want.  Electronic gift cards are a really good option as well and are especially good for those that leave their shopping to the last minute!

It’s December 1st tomorrow.  If you haven’t started thinking about Christmas, my last tip would be start earlier rather than later.  We have already seen some very popular toys sell out for the year!

Have a fresh, healthy & fun day,
Sue

Sue Sinclair
Chief Executive Mom, Raspberry Kids

On the Web:  http://www.raspberrykids.com
Tweet with Us:  http://www.twitter.com/raspberrykids
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More details:  http://www.raspberrykids.tel

Wondering what to get the Super Moms on your list?

She is the quarterback, the Jill of all trades, the CEO of the family, the Chef, the Chauffeur, the milk factory, the referee, the tutor and the housekeeper.  Let’s face it Moms, have a lot on their plates!

And for just that reason, we have come up with a list of gems just for Moms this holiday season:

1.  The Quoteable Kid.  OK, already, I know you are asking what the heck does that have to do about Moms but if you are like me, you get a huge kick out of all of your hilarious Out Of The Mouth Of Babes (OOTMOB’s as we like to call them at Raspberry Kids) moments and this wonderful book allows you to capture each of them in an organized fashion.  This is a much better option than jotting these newsy items on bits of paper or a restaurant napkin.  These books are small enough to keep in your purse or diaper bag and in a pinch, you can use the quotes for a quick status update on Facebook or Twitter or as a conversation starter at your holiday parties.

My Quotable Kid, $19.95

2.  We recently connected with a local mom who designs some of the prettiest jewelry around, Christine from BLUSH designs.  Check out the pieces she has made exclusively for Raspberry Kids including earrings, bracelets and necklaces.  Considering the lack of sleep we get, we need to replace the sparkle in our eye with something!

BLUSH Designs bracelet, $19.99

3.  Long before we launched Raspberry Kids we were fans of Canadian designed espe products and now we are so pleased to sell them in our store.  The range includes so many funky, adorable and modern designs in a range of colors so there truly is something for everyone.  From wallets, to lunch bags, to luggage or laptop bag tags, to shoulder pouches, to card holders and notebooks, these make an excellent gift for Moms or others (think Caregivers, Teachers, Hostess gifts).

espe Sol short wallet in Pink, $21.99

4.  Momiji Secret message dolls aren’t just for young girls to collect.  I bought my first Momiji doll called Sister for myself and have sent these to others to help brighten their day.  Can you think of a Party Girl or a Funny Girl or perhaps someone who is having a Very Big Birthday or likes to Dance, Dance, Dance or maybe someone who qualifies as your Favorite Person, Best Friend or who deserves a Thank You.

Momiji Secret Message Dolls, from $11.99

5.  Last but certainly not least are the wonderful products from Klean Kanteen.  We’ve long used the water bottles in our family but were absolutely over the moon when they recently came out with Klean Kanteen wine Karafes, available in stainless steel or merlot colored.  For someone who likes the outdoors, walks, hiking, picnics and who also loves red wine, this item is a must have under your tree.

Klean Kanteen Wine Karafe, from $29.99

Hints for Moms reading this:  How do you make sure you get what you really want this holiday season?  You either drop some very obvious hints (including URLs, magazine clippings taped to the mirror with big circles drawn around the item you desire) or you pick up a little something for yourself while you are running around like a mad woman leading up to the holidays.  If you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself

From Raspberry Kids to you and yours, we wish you a fresh, healthy & fun holiday season!

Sue
–
Sue Sinclair
Chief Executive Mom, Raspberry Kids

On the Web:  http://www.raspberrykids.com
Tweet with Us:  http://www.twitter.com/raspberrykids
Become a fan:  http://www.facebook.com/RaspberryKids
More details:  http://www.raspberrykids.tel

Raspberry Kids Warehouse will be open to the public for some in person seasonal shopping hours:

Raspberry Kids has recently moved into fresh new digs down near Granville Island. Our new address is #204-1540 W. 2nd Avenue.

If you live in or are visiting Vancouver in the next couple of months, we want to invite you to come and see us on the following days and times when we will be opening our warehouse doors for some in person shopping:

November: 14, 21**, 28 from 12:00 to 5:00 PM

**We will be open until 7PM on November 21st and are co-hosting a Stella & Dot jewelry party on site.  25% of Stella & Dot sales are donated to BC Children’s Hospital.

December: 12, 19, 20 from 12:00 to 5:00 PM
December: 21, 22, 23 from 10:00 to 4:00 PM
December: 24 from 10:00 to 2:00 PM

We are also co-hosting special events with Felicia Lee from Usborne Books:
Sunday, November 22nd from 2:00 to 6:00 PM
Tuesday, November 24th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM

We are also booking private shopping events for you and your family & friends. Please email shopping@raspberrykids.com for more information and to check on availability.

For those of you that live afar or prefer to shop online, obviously we still welcome your online orders and remember we can ship to 3rd parties with enclosed gift messages which makes for a HASSLE free shopping experience!  Save yourself the time of running around, parking, finding the perfect gift, enclosing a gift message and then racing to the post office to ship it.  Let Raspberry Kids and their elves do all the work for you this holiday season!

You can also take advantage of our new electronic gift cards that you can email to yourself or directly to someone else!

We are trying to make it as easy as possible for you this year and we hope to see you in person or online.  We have an incredible selection of toys, stocking stuffers, books, clothes, gear and more!

We thank you in advance for considering Raspberry Kids for gifts for the little ones in your lives!

We hope you have a fresh, healthy and fun festive season.

Sue
Chief Executive Elf, Raspberry Kids

Check out our great selection of Stocking Stuffers, Toys & Books for the upcoming holiday season!  Shop early for best selection.

On the Web:  http://www.raspberrykids.com
Tweet with Us:  http://www.twitter.com/raspberrykids
Become a fan:  http://www.facebook.com/RaspberryKids
More details:  http://www.raspberrykids.tel

It has been 3.5 days of lifting, stairs, sweating, torrential rain mixed with sunshine, packing, unpacking, dismantling, setting up, trips to Costco, Canadian Tire, Save On foods and a lot of sweat equity from my better half but I am pleased to say our new warehouse is 95% set up!  Still need to finalize the phone lines, internet, printer & a few other minor details and we are good to go.

Our new Raspberry Kids digs are in a shared office in the Arthur Erickson Water Fall building down near Granville Island.  We love our new hood and cannot wait to welcome Raspberry Kids customers once we establish our …

Van load 1 (of 3)

We’ve been working on our cheesy advertising jingles (think circa 1980’s TV such as the lifesaver tweet tweet, twiddle twiddle classic) and this is the best we could come up with.  We apologize in advance for our lameness.

We’ve restocked some of the old …

ORE Originals Divided Suction Plates $14.99. Tons of styles to choose from!

We’ve found some gems and added some new …

Made in Canada Ocena Pirate All Over Bib $25.99, 5 styles to choose from!

A Raspberry Kids Exclusive, Cocoon Couture Height Charts $44.99

There is lots that we have tried …

Hand painted wooden anamalz, pick your critter $7.49

and the lovely and true …

Gorgeous Fair Trade Bowling Buddies from the Playful World $65.99

All in our Raspberry Kids collection just for you!

OK, so we won’t quit our day jobs to start writing the next catchy jingle you hear on the radio or see on TV.

Whether it is for back to school (BTS), for birthday gifts, early keener Christmas shopping, baby showers or just because, we hope you enjoy these and lots of other amazing products at Raspberry Kids!

Sue

Sue Sinclair
Chief Executive Mom, Raspberry Kids

RU 2 kool 4 back 2 skool?  If so, you must search for Dante Beatrix on our website to see their amazing backpacks & their new lunch boxes!

On the Web:  http://www.raspberrykids.com
Read our Blog:  http://blog.raspberrykids.com
Tweet with Us:  http://www.twitter.com/raspberrykids
Join our Facebook Group:  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=25861583447
More details:  www.raspberrykids.tel

So I took a bit of a hiatus from work, blogging, social media and apart from sending out one newsletter, updating my Facebook status a handful of times and checking in with a friend of mine who took over to send out orders I took a break!  In some respects I had to because my body shut down and I fell ill for about 7 days with a dry cough, sore throat and general malaise.

Even though I thought I was quite good at taking time off I still got razzed at the cottage for being obsessed with the internet, my blackberry and all things technology.  We all have our vices and staying connected & continuing to build my business is mine.  I don’t watch TV (apart from Entourage & Canucks games) I rarely buy magazines or go to the movies so my entertainment becomes the internet and while it is sometimes difficult to sift through it all (I now have a ridiculous 3000 people following me on Twitter), I have made some very real and amazing connections that have translated into my life offline which is very cool.

Considering the amount of time I do spend in front a computer, it was nice to replace that activity with blueberry picking, log piling, swimming, boat rides, ice cream excursions, day trips, cooking, entertaining & yahtzee ass kicking!  The best part was watching our 4 year old and almost 3 year old play fort under the dining room table and fish off the end of the dock the way I used to when I was a kid.

We enjoyed many a happy hour and the hubs earned extra points when he turned into cabana boy and was delivering vodka concoctions dockside. Yes ladies, I know how lucky I am.

Now it is back to reality and we are mosquito free in BC with lots of exciting things going on in the city, most notably the Canada Line opening and the Olympics just around the corner.

Enough about me, it’s now time to introduce some of our latest arrivals at Raspberry Kids that we are very excited about including new designs & products from Dante Beatrix, Lunch Bots & coming very soon Dandelion for baby which are earth-friendly goods you will be sure to love.

New Little Kid Pack design JuJu the Lady Bug from Dante Beatrix $44.99

New Big Kid Pack Percival the Dino from Dante Beatrix, great for ages 5-10 $53.99

Arriving Soon! New from Dante Beatrix, Dieter the Monkey Lunch Box. The envy of children in lunchrooms everywhere! $34.99

Perfect for back to school snacks & lunches! Lunchbot Duo $18.99

Coming soon! Earth-friendly Dandelion products include feeding & soft toys!

Summer lovin’ happened so fast, found some eco-friendly & green toys just for me

Green Toys Sand Play Set

Plan Toys Breakfast Menu

Bamboo Collection Creative E-Racers

Saw some Glug T’s & Kuki Kids dresses cute as can be …

Glug T-shirt

Kuki Kids Fresh & Fabulous Dress

Summer days driftin’ away, to uh-oh those Kooringal summer hats

Kooringal Pointbreak in Hot Pink

Kooringal Pointbreak in Putty

Uh Well-a well-a well-a huh

Tell me more, tell me more …

OK, we will … simply visit Raspberry Kids to find out more information on these and other great products!

Sandy (aka Sue)

Sue Sinclair
Chief Executive Mom, Raspberry Kids

On the Web:  http://www.raspberrykids.com
Read our Blog:  http://blog.raspberrykids.com
Tweet with Us:  http://www.twitter.com/raspberrykids
Join our Facebook Group:  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=25861583447

We have always adored MiYim, even long before the launch of Raspberry Kids.  We love MiYim’s tagline “simply organic” and while we think they should change it to “The most adorable plush ever and simply organic”.  We are sure you will agree when you see these little cutie patooties!

Why organic you ask?  Organic farming is environmentally responsible for starters.  It is pesticide, chemical free and uses sustainable practices.

MiYim uses a pure water was process that only uses fresh water with nature’s own plants and minerals to achieve the charming pastel colors you will find in the MiYim toys.  No colorfast additives or preservatives are used in the dyeing process.

Without further adieu, we would like you to meet Annabelle the Lamb with flower, Victoria the Bunny with a carrot and the gorgeous Lovie Bear!

Annabelle the Lamb & Victoria the Bunny $23.99 each. Great for Easter!

When you just want an old fashioned teddy bear Lovie, $28.99

Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend all.
Sue
–
Sue Sinclair, Chief Executive Mom, Raspberry Kids

On the web:  http://www.raspberrykids.com

We have admired Glug Collection for quite some time.  There is something about their color selection and unique graphics that have drawn us to this line.

There are Sprouts, Love Birds, Watermelons and the Spring design in Tees and soft cotton Dresses for lovely little gals and Robots, Cars & Numbers for little fellows.

Glug Collection Love Birds Tee in Pacific Blue $28.99

Glug Collection Watermelon Tee in Citron $28.99

Glug Collection Robot Tee in Pacific Blue $28.99

Now if only the snow would melt and spring would arrive!

Have a fresh, healthy and fun day,
Sue
–
Chief Executive Mom, Raspberry Kids

The uber best seller “My Friends” by Taro Gomi is finally back in stock.  This is a must for any child’s library.  My Friends. Using simple words and bright illustrations, author-illustrator Taro Gomi shows children that sometimes knowledge can come from all kinds of friends.

My Friends, Taro Gomi $8.95

The ever popular suction plates from ORE Originals are back in several popular styles including Vroom, Furry Friends, Campground Critters and new additions Buzz, Outerspace, Ahoy Matey and Fairy!

ORE Originals Divided Suction Plate Buzz $14.99

ORE Originals Divided Suction Plate Fairy $14.99

ORE Originals Divided Suction Plate Outerspace $14.99

ORE Originals Divided Suction Plate Ahoy Matey $14.99

Also from ORE Originals is the Chalk-a-Doodle placemat.  What a great way to keep little ones entertained at meal time.  These have been a top seller for Raspberry Kids so we are thrilled to have them back in da house!

ORE Originals Chalk-a-Doodle Placemat $18.99