Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

The Most Adorable Plush Creatures: Handmade Dollies by Clara Dolly

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Look at this face

This is the Cabbage Monster. And bless his little heart, he tries so hard to be scary. Just yesterday I caught him trying to scale Darah’s Lego towers.

But those tiny little arms and legs don’t serve him well as a climber. So he had to settle for a staring contest with Layah. She broke eye contact first, so he at least won that battle. Just look at his victorious face!

After I took that shot, Layah bit his face. I decided to spare him the humiliation of putting that picture on the internet. Cabbage monster has a reputation to uphold, after all.

While he hates for me to say this, isn’t Cabbage monster just the cutest little thing?! He’s the creation of Clara Lieu and is one of many incredible handmade dollies just waiting for a forever home at Clara Dolly. Stuffed animals have a very special place in our home. They were my favorite toy as a child and seem to have the same place of honor in Darah’s heart. I am always on the lookout for stuffed animals that are unusual in some way. Handmade stuffed toys are a rare treasure.

If you are looking for a gift that will be more than an object to a child, but that will become a true friend, may I suggest something form Clara Dolly? From bats, to chickens to miniature people, there’s something for everyone. And even the fiercest of creatures from Clara Dolly have a soft spot. Don’t tell him that I told you, but Cabbage Monster loves a good cuddle after a long day of being the biggest, baddest plush this side of the Mississippi!

Prices start at just $15. Take a look around and see if you need to bring someone home with you!

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Blanket + Stuffed Animal = Best Toy EVER! Snuggle Paws Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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You should see my child’s stuffed animal collection. It doesn’t yet rival what I had going on at the peak of my stuffed animal frenzy (I think I had close to 200 plush friends by the time I was 10). But given the fact that Darah is only 2, I’m going to go ahead and declare her collection OUT OF CONTROL. I know that I’m the enabler in this situation, and it’s because I empathize with her love for all things snuggly. Stuffed animals are her VERY favorite thing to play with, you see. She takes her animals for walks in her stroller, reads them stories and bounces on the bed with them.

The only thing that comes even close to being enjoyed as much by Darah would be blankets. Yup, blankets. Give this kid a blanket AND a stuffed animal, and she will nearly pass out from the joy of it. Not kidding. She’ll play uninterrupted for quite a long time, usually putting her various stuffed animals to “night night” and rocking them. It’s ridiculously sweet.

So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered Snuggle Paws, which are stuffed animals that come with a child-size blanket. Thank you for making the PERFECT toy for my child! Not only is the concept excellent, but the execution is outstanding. This toy is TOTALLY worthy of its name. It is the softest, snuggliest little critter that you’ll ever meet. the stuffed animal can easily function as a pillow when traveling. And the blanket! Oh!!!! It feels like cuddling up with some clouds (or at least what I imagine that might feel like!).

Snuggle Paws animals come with a handle on top (super plush, it does NOT interfere with the child’s ability or desire to play with the animal) and velcro paws that can hold the rolled-up blanket. This makes it an excellent travel companion. You’d better believe it will be going with us this Christmas when we fly to California. If Darah isn’t feeling sleepy on the plane, don’t think I won’t break out that awesome blanket, either!

I’m guessing by now that you realize I’m totally ga-ga over this product. It certainly does seem as though it was made with my child in mind. Perhaps it was made for your little one, too?

Win it!: One lucky person will will your very own Snuggle Paws!
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Plush Monster: A Best Buddy for Your Child

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Most of the children I know have far more toys than they need, and maybe even more toys than they even want. This is because we, as parents, find things in the stores that seem so cool, but that our children hardly play with when we bring it home to them. Or, children beg for the latest toy that is being heavily advertised on television and you eventually give in, only to have it break after 20 minutes of use or turn out not to be very entertaining, after all. So many of our homes are knee-deep in plastic crap.

Many children also have an extra special toy that they love to pieces and that goes with them everywhere. Often, this toy is a very special stuffed animal. I know when I was a little girl stuffed animals were my very favorite, and I would play with them for hours on end. I had a stuffed monkey who wore an outfit very similar to Dorothy’s (from The Wizard of Oz). Her name was Samantha and she was my best buddy.

I want Darah to have a best buddy, too, and I have found the COOLEST handmade stuffed animals…err….creatures EVER! Meet Darah’s new plush monster pal Eloi. Eloi comes from a shop called Mr. Sogs and is the handiwork of a wonderful Memphian named Joelle. Joelle has always had a soft spot for animals that are a little bit different, and that is reflected in her creations. Whenever she feels inspired to make a new creature, Joelle will make a few different versions until she gets it just right. All of her creatures are made two of a kind (she says that’s so that they will never really be lonely!).

The name Mr. Sogs comes from Joelle’s very large cat by the same name. Mr. Sogs loves the creatures that Joelle makes, so much so that he used to open the door to her sewing room when she wasn’t around, steal the creatures, and then sleep on them! Ha! Rest assured, she keeps her sewing room locked, now, much to the chagrin of Mr. Sogs.

baby darah with plush monster Now, back to the creatures. When Joelle gave us the opportunity to choose something in her shop to review, Tim and I took this job VERY seriously. We carefully examined each creature, and talked about the features we loved about each one, and whether or not we sensed that each one would be a good potential buddy for Darah. We had to make some tough choices due to all the unbelievably cute animals in the shop, but eventually, we knew that Eloi was destined to reside at the House of M. And when he arrived, Tim and I were so excited! I’m sure if anyone had been watching us, they would have laughed at how excited we were to present Eloi to Darah. But we couldn’t help it! We took a good long look at him before we handed him over, and were just blown away by how beautifully he had been put together. He was part work of art and part future BFF, ready to romp and play. He was, in a word, perfect.

We chose Eloi because we knew that Darah wouldn’t be able to resist those fabulous antennas. And we were exactly right! She reached for Eloi and grabbed him by the antennas and started chewing away. The she loved on him by putting his face on hers. Tim and I just about died. It was so cute. Whenever Eloi gets spotted in the toy box, she reaches for him and just keeps on chewing. Fortunately, he is so well-crafted that he can withstand the abuse, no problem.

I know that Eloi will be having many adventures with Darah and with our entire family, and I just can’t imagine a cooler best bud, except perhaps a certain gingham-dressed monkey.

plush monster from mr. sogs While Eloi has already found his forever home, there are several other sweet plush monsters at Mr Sogs waiting to be adopted! Wallace is Eloi’s cousin, and he’d love to join your family! Or perhaps Elmore is just the right fit for your little one? Whichever creature you choose, rest assured that they are each made with lots of love and filled with love to give! Micro Creatures at Mr. Sogs start at $19.00 and larger creatures start at $40.00.

EDIT: Giveaway CLOSED!

Win it!: Mr. Sogs the cat doesn’t want to share these creatures with you, but Joelle does! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win either Chester or Elmore!! The contest will run until Thursday, May 13th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Tell me the creature from Mr. Sogs that you never knew belonged in your home until now! Also tell me if you prefer Chester or Elmore.

Additional entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (one extra entry total, even if you subscribe both ways)
2. Follow me through Google Friend Connect
3. Put my button on your blog (leave blog url)
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
5. Become a Fan of Mr. Sogs on Facebook
6. Add Mr. Sogs to your Etsy favorites

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product in order to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.