etsy gifts – Cherished Cottage

Hawk Olympics

Published on May 16, 2018May 16, 2018 by AlissaLeave a comment

As some of you are aware one of the members of our team/my older sister has Down syndrome. When Jessica was in school she attended our local Special Olympics and competed with/against other students with special needs within our own school district as well as the surrounding districts.

This event has always held a special place in not only Jessica’s heart but in our family’s. If there is a Special Olympics local to you, you really should make a point to attend. Even if it’s just for an hour. This event is so fun but also so humbling. There are children and young adults of all ages from different schools and districts competing in various events (such as track, softball throw, long jump, etc) for place ribbons. Even though these young people are competing they are incredibly supportive of one another. You will see students standing on the sidelines cheering on their peers and sometimes kids that they don’t even know. For me as a child I learned a lot by being on the bleachers and cheering my sister on. Watching these kids support each other taught me what being a good and supportive friend was and also taught me about kindness and humbleness.

I attended everyone of Jessica’s Special Olympics since I was very young all the way up to Jessica’s graduation. When Jessica graduated high school she was no longer able to attend the Special Olympics since it is designed for school age children. Numerous years have gone by that we have not been able to watch her participate; as the years have gone by for one reason or another there is no longer a local Special Olympics so our school district and some of the surrounding districts no longer are able to participate.

Within the last few years the Life Skills teacher at our local high school from the Special Olympics back with the “Hawk Olympics” (our mascot is a Hawk) which not only includes the children within the district who have special needs but also the children who are in learning support classes. This event is not just for our district though; she has taken is a step further and included other districts in the day. So essentially; it’s the Special Olympics by a different name.

My younger brother is in learning support classes so he is able to attend the Hawk Olympics as an athlete. This year was Hank’s second year attending and our second year cheering him and his peers on. As the Hawk Olympics approached this year Jessica expressed a desire to want to donate or do something for the students of our school district. We eventually landed on the idea of making the students water bottles. So Jessica and I sat down and worked on making a personalized water bottle for each Hawk student who would be attending. We are both so proud of how they turned out and so proud of our school’s students for all their hard work and team work that they displayed during the Hawk Olympics.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Special Olympics you can check out their website here.

**Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored nor is it affiliated with the Special Olympics organization or the Hawk Olympics. The views expressed in this post are the views of the author.

Easter Basket Stuffer Ideas

Published on March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 by Alissa3 Comments

I don’t know about you but I sometimes really struggle with just the right things to put in someone’s basket or even things that will fit! I’ve been scouring Etsy looking for various ideas that will fit into a basket and that the recipient will love! All of these beautiful items are handmade with love and care. Check them out below!

Edible Easter Placecards (Cookie Placecards)

Shop Name: SugarBerrySweets
Price: $20.00+
How adorable are these!? When I first saw them, I didn’t realize that they were cookies! They are so beautifully made; I mean look at that gorgeous attention to detail! Your guests would absolutely love these! You can order them in quantities of 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36. You can also choose between standard sugar cookies or chocolate. They are 4×4 inches in size. The seller also graciously offers ingredients and allergy information in her listing.
**Note: be sure to write the names that you would like on your cookies in the “message to seller” box before you place your order.

Easter Egg Soaps

Shop Name: BathGearNMore
Price: $3.99+
When I was younger my parents got me an Easter egg that was made from sugar and detailed almost exactly like these. I was so enamored with the beauty of my egg I never ate it. I kept it in the packaging and still set it out as a decoration nearly 20 years later. As soon as I saw these gorgeous eggs I fell right back in love. The amazing detail and beautiful colors has me so drawn in! These would be an amazing gift for anyone of any age; they are not just beautiful looking they are beautifully made! They are made with a glycerin soap base and are absolutely detergent, sulfate, and paraben free. They are also animal cruelty free. You can choose between beige, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, and purple. There is also a large quantity of scents available which they have listed in the item’s description.

Gold Cross Bracelet

Shop Name: Divinegiftsbyheather
Price: $12.99
I love how beautiful and simple this is! This would be a perfect basket stuffer for a teen or young adult. It’s gorgeous! The cords are a faux suede (perfect for your vegan friends/family members!) and you can choose from a variety of colors that are listed in the bracelet’s description. The cross is a gold colored acrylic. I need to mention again how beautiful I think this is! It ships from the UK so be sure to order early to allow shipping time.

Personalized Easter Tic Tac Toe Game

Shop Name: CynthiasGiftBoutique
Price: $6.95+
These are adorable and a perfect basket stuffer for the families that travel for Easter! They are easy to pick up and take with you; the tic tac toe board is even on the back of the bag! You have a nice selection of colors to choose from: light blue, yellow, orange, and aqua. You also can choose what design you want Peeps, Easter Bunny, of the Chick. There are also options for whether or not you want your design to also feature the person’s name on the bag. The playing pieces are 6 white glass gems and 6 multi colored wood Easter bunny pieces.

He Is Risen Women’s T Shirt

Shop Name: JulietRoseBoutique
Price: $21.99+
Oh my word I just LOVE this. First of all, it looks incredibly comfortable and second of all the saying just makes me so happy! The design itself is a dye sublimation design which means that it is permanent and will not rub, fade, or peel. You can choose whether you want Peachy Pink, Stone Gray, or White for the shirt color and she offers a large variety of sizes from extra small up to 2XL.

Easter Bunny Fishing Game

Shop Name: FreebirdStLouis
Price: $10.00
This is absolutely perfect and adorable for children! They can play again and again and it’s another easy pack-up and go game if you’re traveling for Easter! In your order you get 8 felt bunnies and a fishing pole that has a magnetic carrot on the end to catch the bunnies! So fun!

He is Risen Mug

Shop Name: Cherished Cottage
Price: $15.00
Details: This ceramic 16 ounce mug is made with a vinyl design and sealed in to protect it. Handwash only. This would be a perfect Easter gift for the coffee or tea lover!

Bunny Peeps Stud Earrings

Shop Name: PitterPatterPolymer
Price: $9.95
So I’m a tough one when it comes to anything marshmallow…I will basically only eat them burned over a campfire haha. BUT I love peeps and I think they are so cute; especially the bunnies! These are just so adorable! You have six colors to pick from: pink, yellow, blue, orange, green, and purple. They are sculpted from clay and feature nylon posts and backings.

Bunny Crayon Roll

Shop Name: GrowingGreenMinds
Price: $5.99+
I’ve started to hear a lot about crayon rolls and this is probably my favorite one I’ve seen! This is another great gift for the family who travels for Easter. These will fit in any bag and are easy for small hands to carry. This beautiful embroidered bunny is made from felt and holds 6 crayons. You can choose whether you want it to come with crayons or not.

Easter Coloring Stuffies

Shop Name: subtlesimplicity
Price: $9.00
How cute and soft! These are made from 100% cotton, the back of these has a colorful Easter patterned fabric. These are great gifts for the creative child in your life. When colored with washable markers they can be washed and recolored for endless artistic fun! Easter orders must be placed by March 21st to ensure your item will arrive by Easter.

Easter Egg Carton Cake Balls

Shop Name: TheChocolateWorkshop
Price: $18.00
How cute are these! These are so colorful and who doesn’t love cake pops!?! These are just like cake pops but without the stick. They are packaged in cartons of 6 or 12. 6 are $18.00 and 12 are $36.00. You can also get your cake balls customized upon request.

Chocolate Bunny Earrings

Shop Name: BrockusCreations
Price: $5.00+
These are so perfect! They look JUST like chocolate bunnies! The bunnies are made from plastic and there are a variety of metal options to choose from. The bunnies measure 1 inch in size before the hook is added. The metals are all hypoallergenic and nickel free. This shop is offering a special right now that if you buy 5 pairs of earrings in a single purchase you get another pair free!

Boy’s Peter Rabbit Bow Tie

Shop Name: Maybedaisyuk
Price: $10.85+
My mother’s love for Beatrix Potter has been passed on to me, which means her love for Peter Rabbit has also been passed on to me. This is just SO adorable! This would be awesome for any little boy for his Easter outfit!! These are made from a soft polyester 100% cotton fabric and has a blue lining. No need to worry about tying this on your little gentleman because it is velcro fastening. It also comes in two sizing options: 12 months to 3 years and 4 years to 6 years. This ships from the UK.

Easter Dangle Earrings

Shop Name: Cherished Cottage
Price: $20.00
Details: These hypoallergenic earrings are made with gold, pastel pink, and white beads featuring a turquoise flat stone bead at the end.

**Disclaimer: I obtained permission from all Etsy shops to share their main product image, link, and some info given in their listing.

room spray, linen spray, sweet dreams spray, bed spray, lavender bed spray, sleep aid, sweet dreams, relaxing bed spray

Room and Linen Sprays are Here!

Published on February 7, 2018February 7, 2018 by AlissaLeave a comment

I am SO excited to be able to finally share this with you guys!

We have been diligently working on all sorts of new and exciting ideas for Cherished Cottage. We’ve listened to our customers and friends and taken everything in to learn what you guys want and what you like. We have added a lot of new home decor and jewelry ideas to the shop but I wanted to share with you our newest additions to the store!

I want to first start off by telling you guys that this process has been a relatively long one. We did a lot of research and there was a lot of trial and error. We wanted to make sure that we were sharing something really great with you guys; if we wouldn’t be comfortable having the scent or ingredient combination in our own home it won’t end up in our store.

To start we’ve created 4 special scents and are working on creating more to come.

We want to offer our faithful viewers and followers an exclusive coupon code as a celebration! (: This coupon code applies to our entire shop, not just these items.

At checkout use the code CHERISHEDBLOG for free shipping on your entire order!

Our Sweet Dreams scent features a combination of scents designed to help you relax and sleep better. The scents include: lavender, citrus, cedarwood, and ylang ylang.

lemon mint spray, lemon mint air freshener, lemony mint spray, minty lemon spray, minty lemon linen spray — Lemon Mint

Our lemon mint scent features a combination of lemon and peppermint. What’s great out this is lemon and mint scents are shown to help provide energy and focus! Also, this is a really great scent if you have seasonal affective disorder.

lavender room spray, lavender linen spray, lemon lavender spray, lavender lemon spray, lavender bed spray, lemon bed spray — Lavender Lemon

Our Lavender Lemon spray is a great blend to help with relaxation!

Pure Air Linen Spray, Cleansing Spray, Clean air spray — Pure Air

A great spray to make the room/linens smell fresh and clean!

We are also very willing to create a custom scent; you just have to send us a message and we’ll get back to you ASAP and begin creating your personalized room scent.

**Disclaimer**

Room and linen sprays should never be sprayed directly onto wood or glass surfaces as they can leave a mark or streaks.

Room and linen sprays should also not be sprayed around food, pets, pet food, or drinks.

These are not to be used on the skin as a perfume nor on pets as a deodorizer.

Meet Jessica!

Published on January 21, 2018January 21, 2018 by AlissaLeave a comment

So as some of you may or may not know, our Etsy shop is owned and run by myself, my mother Lisa, and my father Dennis. But what I’m sure many of you don’t know is that my older sister Jessica has been extremely supportive of our business and has also been eager to get involved herself.

So….meet my big sister Jessica!

Jessica having some hot tea at a cafe in our town.

She is a 30 year old young woman with Down syndrome.

I want to tell you a little bit about Jessica. She loves old tv shows and movies; specifically Westerns and Andy Griffith and Matlock, I Love Lucy and MASH. She loves to play video games specifically Wii Resort and dancing games (she can out dance all of us!). Jess loves to color, draw, read, and to write; as she’s gotten older these interests have grown and developed into the desire to make things for others.

Jessica loves to make crafts for her friends and her family and has recently shown an interest in expanding her DIY skills to be a part of the family business. We have begun the process of researching out ideas that she would be able to do to contribute to our little business and she is very excited to share all of her crafts with our customers and you guys!

Anything that is made by Jessica will come with a handwritten thank you note from her. She puts lots of love, care, and attention to detail in everything that she creates. Aside from wanting to be a more active member of our family business she has also developed a very deep interest in gardening and cooking (two interests I believe she inherited from our parents and our Poppop). Santa gave her her very own cookbook for Christmas and she’s already been receiving planting catalogs in the mail. Her goal for this summer is to build her very own driveway farm stand where she can sell some of her vegetables and flowers to the neighbors and family.

We have so many exciting things in store for Jessica this year; she is such an important member of our family and you’ll be seeing her pop up frequently throughout our blog posts as well as our shop.

Here are some pictures of Jessica with some of her creations!

**Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored nor is it affiliated with the Special Olympics organization or the Hawk Olympics. The views expressed in this post are the views of the author.

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Easter Coloring Stuffies

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