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Gift Guide: Handmade Presents for Children

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Gift Guide: Handmade Presents for Children

December 3, 2013

After watching my children play with my mother’s saved wooden barnyard animals and my childhood friend’s old Steiff collection, I’ve decided to seek out toys made to last–and to potentially become tomorrow’s heirlooms. Towards that end, for this year’s kids’ gift guide, we’re zeroing in on lovingly created designs from small workshops near and far.

To make sure we’ve got everyone on your list covered, we’re posting a new gift guide every weekday from now until Christmas. See all of the Gift Guides to date in our archive.

alphabit laser cut letters by Looodus

Above: Found via our friend Deborah Beau at Kickcan and Conkers, AlphaBits by Milan-based Looodus are an artful reinvention of the classic refrigerator alphabet. The set includes 66 magnetized, laser cut letters (two full alphabets, plus 13 extra common letters), so your child can practice letter recognition and spelling; $113.

Gift Guide Handmade Presents for Children portrait 4

Above: A stacking toy of play animals, this jolly Circus Animals Act XL is handmade from solid lindenwood and non-toxic paints by Netherlands-based Etsy seller Watermelon Cat Company; $48.69.

modular castle by Manzanita kids

Above: For budding architects, Manzanita Kids of Seattle makes a series of modular dollhouses, buildilngs, and towns in high-grade birch ply. Shown here, its Castle Building Blocks, $75, that allow children to build, destroy, and redesign to their hearts content. 

fox mask by Lucille Michieli

Above: Playful and pretty, these individual Fox Masks made from Liberty cotton are hand stitched in Paris by Etsy seller Lucille Michieli; $52.87.

Gift Guide Handmade Presents for Children portrait 7

Above: Help your children learn their place in the world. Both decoration and teaching tool, this Corkboard Map from Anthropologie is the perfect place to pin travel souvenirs; $48.

ceramic trio by Milimbo

Above: From Limiceramics of Torres de la Alameda, Spain, the ceramic Trio design is a three-part storage container that can also be used individually as bowls and cups. Part of a series featuring the work of five different illustrators, it’s available for $62.82 from Limiceramics’ Etsy shop.

Gift Guide Handmade Presents for Children portrait 9

Above: Big swing sets with all the bells and whistles may be irresistible, but all you really need is a disc on a rope, such as The Original Tree Swing from Oeuf, $55. My own children spend hours on theirs; they love it because it not only goes back and forth, but round and round.

Gift Guide Handmade Presents for Children portrait 10

Above: I had the hardest time choosing which of the witty stuffed animals by Poosac to single out. Handmade in Edinburgh, Scotland, and available via Poosac’s Etsy shop for $41-$66, they all have such personality. Shown here, the Plush Dinosaur made of poly-filled linen and felt, $53.89.

Gift Guide Handmade Presents for Children portrait 11

Above: A modern see saw inspired by the iconic Creative Playthings Hobby Horse, Ply Play’s Big Tilt is handmade in St. Louis, MO, of sustainable bent birch plywood and holds four; $800. The Mini Tilt for two is $400. 

Looking for more play equipment? See 15 Radical Kids’ Climbing and Sliding Spaces. And don’t miss our past posts on Children’s Room designs.

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Product summary  Item 6 162Item 7 163

MiniTilt Featured   376x282
PlyPlay Designs

Mini Tilt

$400.00 USD from PlyPlay Designs
Gift Guide Handmade Presents for Children portrait 14
PlyPlay Designs

Big Tilt

$800.00 USD from PlyPlay Designs
ceramic trio by Milimbo
Children's Household Accessories

Trio Design

$62.82 USD from Limiceramics
fox mask by Lucille Michieli
Children's Toys & Games

Fox Masks

$53.05 USD from Lucille Michieli

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