Daily Craft - A birthday swap!

In the October birth group on Ravelry, we elected to do a swap in honor of the pending birthdays of our little ones.  It was a secret swap and, as my partner has no clue who their package is coming from, I'm going to share the contents here.  A little pampering for both mom and baby for making it this far!

Here it is in it's entirety.  (Not a fancy background, but this is what happens when you forget to take pics at home and end up doing so at work in the commissary on top of the pool table with your cell phone...)

Top row (left to right)
- some British themed loose leaf tea.  I love the little tins too and would definitely need to repurpose
- vintage photo notecards
- our favorite Sandra Boynton book "Moo, Baa, La La La!"

Middle row
- a tea pouch that I sewed with some of my favorite teas in it, along with dried chamomile flowers to add
- crochet stitch markers that I made
- Sesame Street toddler socks (they were too cute!)

Bottom row
- Josh Groban's last studio album, and the "Whip It" soundtrack
- a couple of soft acrylic yarns from my stash
- puffy bath books (which are also a favorite for Owen)

I certainly didn't get to craft as much for this swap as I have for swap packages in the past, but I still had a blast putting it all together and was happy to add a couple of handmade touches at least.  I have a package coming my way from somebody and can't wait to see what's in it! 

Daily Baby - My strange addiction?

My name is Natalie and I have an addiction to board books.  It's rare that I can pass a stack of board books, all brightly colored, without diving in.  My favorite place to peruse would be at the dollar store.  Sometimes, they have nothing.  Other times, it's a score!  I can justify those purchases though because, at a dollar per book, I'm spreading the love of reading without breaking the bank.  Husband knows that if I pop out to get Ziploc bags, there's a likely-hood I will return with a box of Ziplocs and 4 books.  He says I have an itch that needs to be scratched!  I think part of the problem is that I always have to see if the book is part of a series and, if it is, I'll be damned if I'm only buying that book alone.  Next thing you know I've found all variations (shapes, colors, numbers....day at the park, day at the zoo, day at the movies...bath-time, bedtime, tea-time) and they will all be coming home with us!

This weekend's haul included a bunch of Richard Scarry "Busy Town" books, Garfield, a collection of Nursery Rhyme books (in part to help me remember them), a Pirate treasure hunt counting book, plus a couple of Disney classics (Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmations).  Other favorites that I've been collecting are published by Ollie Bollie books, which I love for the illustrations.

Owen gets to enjoy a couple of books every night while he gnaws on his baby toothbrush.  Sometimes he tries to grab and turn the pages...but mostly he just wants to chew on them.  I think that's still encouraging a love of books!

What are your favorite books for babies/children?  I'm open to more suggestions on books to buy!

Daily Deal - Where to get cheap books! (Part I)

I have been an avid reader my entire life.  My parents always wondered where I got that particular trait from seeing as neither of them have it.  I have an emotional attachment to books I really enjoy - it's one of those things where I always have to keep the book in anticipation that I will one day read it again.  Admittedly, there are very few that I have actually re-read, but I still remember them with fondness and love having them on my bookshelf.  The biggest problem that I've always had with reading so much is that it's not the cheapest hobby to have.  Especially after I'd just graduated college and was living on a marginal salary (which to this day I still question how on earth I survived), I decided that I had to find alternative methods of obtaining books at a highly discounted price.

Further reason to find bargain book discounts is because I now support a book habit for two.  My husband has become an avid reader since we started living together, especially while he had a 30 minute train commute every morning before he lost his job.  While I doubt I could get him to step into a book store himself, he tends to enjoy many of the same books that I do - crime dramas, thrillers, mysteries etc.  He's not likely to touch anything that has Jane Austen in the title, or that he deems to be "girly looking", but seems to have read his way through everything else I own in the last few years.  So, for as long as I'm providing the reading material, it'll be enjoyed by everybody in the house.  Even the kitty when he was a tiny little baby liked spending time in the bookshelf (before he grew too big to fit in there easily).

It may seem obvious but I don't feel like enough people take advantage of it - a wonderful place to get books is your local library!  The closest library to my office is small but has a very decent selection of books.  I've used it to borrow knit/crochet stitch dictionaries, photography, home improvement books etc.  Even better, it has a small bookstore where used books that are no longer in circulation, or were donated by local residents, are sold.  Paperback novels are as cheap as 25 cents.  Hardbacks are $1 and more specialty books anywhere from $3-$10 on average.  Most importantly though, any money that the library earns through the book sales goes back into the library fund to buy new books for regular circulation.  This is what I snagged today for the bargain price of $2.50!

Do you generally support your local library?  If so, what do you love about it?

There are other places that I go to get cheap books...but I'll be saving those tips for a later date.