But the stickers I choose to creatively put on our walls are not just any ol' stickers. You see, most stickers are made out of vinyl and unfortunately the chemicals to make vinyl are not eco-friendly. To think I used to buy pleather wear...looks like that will be something I take off my shopping list from now on. Ok so I still own a few vinyl pieces (especially for when I fire perform) but again it's not something I will buy for the future. I know, I know..some people would probably gauk at why I'm keeping them around in my closet, especially since I have this blog catered towards things "made with eco love". I like to think of myself as taking baby steps towards a positive and green direction. I mean come on, I used to bleach and color my hair several months ago and am now taking a stand to no longer bleach my hair (until I can find a green solution that can actually lighten my hair that is friendlier to the earth and my health). Funny now that I don't dye my hair all those funky and fun colors anymore, I can actually see more white hairs sprouting everywhere (I better go find that green bleach alternative quick!) So again, I do my best not to beat myself up for the things I still have in my closet (hey, what can I say I love my costumes) and continue to remind myself that the baby steps I am doing are making a difference!
And this step for an eco-friendlier solution for stickers is definitely in the right direction! After a few months of researching, I stumbled upon a blog (shoot, can't remember the name of it) and it showcased an online store on Etsy created by three ladies (if anyone knows me, I LOVE Etsy - I will one day do a post on all of my Etsy findings). It had a very cute and catchy name: Mae, Charmed I'm Sure. The designs were adorable! I LOVED the look and feel of their designs. What impressed me the most is that their decals are made out of cloth instead of vinyl. I was ecstatic and very curious to see if they truly stick to the wall and can actually be reused over and over again as stated on the homepage:
"Unlike most wall decals on the market, which are made of vinyl, our lovely stickers are made of fabric. This makes them perfect for children, as they are removable and completely reusable. YES! Our stickers are re-usable! They can be scrunched into a ball and will easily un-scrunch and re-apply to your wall, many times over. This is important when it comes to those precious yet impossibly grubby little ones! Our stickers can be applied to almost any surface, and will not damage your walls."
What I even love more about the stickers (well besides the obvious answer of it being friendly to Mama Gaia) is the diversity. There are several stickers that you can rearrange with different heads and bodies so it can be different every time! For instance, their Dress Up Dolls decal. It comes with a male and female body with a variety of clothes that the child can dress them up in. Talk about using your imagination!
Or how about something as simple as the alphabet. It may be simple but oh the fun you and your child(ren) can have with spelling phrases on the wall! Talk about fun while learning! Hmmm...as a matter of fact, I think that might just be the next thing I get from this company.
But what I couldn't resist was the Makin' Monsters decals that we did end up buying (see the image above with the alphabets - aren't the monsters awesome?)! This set was just wayyy too irrestible not to get! One night after putting Andrik to sleep, Dalmacio and I decorated the hallway walls and babyroom/office along with the toy furniture with the monsters. We had so much fun decorating and re-decorating and you know what - they did an amazing job of re-sticking to the surfaces without any issues! What was rewarding though was seeing the look on Andrik's face the next morning when he discovered the stickers. He was so excited that he kept going from hallway to room to look at each of the monsters. He kept touching the monsters and saying "Oooohhh!" (he must've been around 15 months at the time). I can't wait for Andrik to be a little older (past the "I like to put everything in my mouth" stage - he's still only 17 months old) so that he can actually decorate with Daddy and me! To view a few pics that I took, check out the post about the Way Basics Furniture I wrote previously.
Another great store that these 3 ladies have is called Mini Mae - which has smaller stickers that can be placed on laptops, notebooks, folders, diaries, lunch boxes, toolboxes, phones, light switches, walls and just about any other surface you can think of.
So before you decide to buy those vinyl stickers, peruse through Mae's store to get your reusable cloth stickers that will last you for years to come! Even if you're not the next Van Gogh, I guarantee you will be using your fun and creative imagination with these decals!
