Tools for a playful holiday season

With the holidays fast approaching we are all starting to think about our never ending to-do lists.  As the weeks turn into days, the days turn into hours and the hours turn into minutes... Christmas will be here before you can blink twice.  And if you are a Mom (or Dad), like all us dedicated hard working Moms at Peekaboo Beans, we might need a little extra help keeping us all on track and playfully organized over the holiday season.  With so much to do, our fabulous marketing department created this wonderfully helpful printable that lets you keep track of all the holiday to-dos in one handy spot.  

We have created it so that you can choose from the list on the side and plunk in the tasks/baking dates/wrapping dates/play dates all according to your own schedule.  We lovingly grilled all our Momma Beans at the Peekaboo Beans Playground (our head office) and asked them what are some of the regular activities and must dos that are always on their list during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. We then compiled the most common tasks and created this playful planning calendar.  

Remember though... don't feel like you have to fill up every single day... we must leave time for PLAY!  

Click HERE to download your printable holiday calendar

Rachel Rainbow for Peekaboo Beans - Winter 2014

We are so excited to have Rachel Rainbow, our very own Peekaboo Beans Assistant Designer, design an exclusive line of Rachel Rainbow pieces again for Peekaboo Beans' winter 2014 collection!

A bit about Rachel Rainbow:

Rachel Rainbow is handmade in Vancouver, BC, featuring hand painted wooden beads, handmade tassels and quality brass magnetic closures and charms. We chose magnetic closures to promote independent dress-up while bracelets feature an adjustable tie to ensure the perfect fit. Rachel Rainbow was born as a creative outlet and is created for pretending.

The Rachel Rainbow pieces this season have been custom designed to
coordinate with the Peekaboo Beans Winter collection. From the colour
pallet to the whimsical butterfly charms these necklaces and bracelets are
the perfect match to seamlessly accessorize your holiday Beans! 

We asked Rachel to give us an insiders peek into her process of designing the latest pieces for Peekaboo Beans. Check it out below!

"I like to work from simple materials - cotton embroidery floss for the handmade tassels, nylon cording for the necklace string, and raw wooden beads that I transform with custom mixed colours. I love the freedom to transform these into something that speaks to what Rachel Rainbow is about. For this collection I sourced gold plated brass butterfly charms to tie the necklaces into the theme. This was my first venture into charms for Rachel Rainbow, which has definitely opened some doors for my new work. I also incorporated gold accents throughout in the nylon cording and tassels. All the colours in this collection of Rachel Rainbow necklaces are inspired by the Winter 2014 collection." 

"All the beads in this collection are wood and colours are mixed and hand painted by me. This collaboration had a total of 900 hand painted wood beads! I created a very organized assembly line using toothpicks and a long piece of wood to line up the beads to dry. Each bead requires 2-3 coats of paint and 2 coats of varnish."

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To purchase any of Rachel Rainbow's limited edition pieces for Peekaboo Beans, shop On-Vine HERE contact your local Peekaboo Beans Play Stylist. 

Find out more about Rachel: 
Website:  www.rachelrainbow.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/rachelrainbow
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/RachelRain_Bow
Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/rachelrainboww

Join Us for a Fire Side Chat!

We are so excited to announce our first Fire Side Chat dates with our Founder and Director of Play in a city near you! 

Peekaboo Beans will be hitting the road out east and hosting three fire side chat’s late this November. The growing playwear brand is inviting the public along with their current Play Stylists to join in on a night of mix and mingling with Traci, who will be sharing her inspiring journey of how Peekaboo Beans came to be, the opportunity of owning your own business as an Independent Play Stylist, and most significantly, spreading the message of the importance of play for our children.

Peekaboo Beans’ Fire Side Chat’s will begin in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan this November 14^th from 7:00pm – 9:00pm at the 6Twelve Lounge. Peekaboo Beans will also be bringing their Pop Up Playdates to Saskatoon on Nov 16^th from 10:00am - 12:00pm at the Children's Discovery Museum in Market Mall. 

If you are interested in learning more about joining the Peekaboo Beans community and the opportunity of becoming an Independent Play Stylist, please join us at one of our upcoming Fire Side Chat’s located below and email your RSVP to play@peekaboobeans.com.

Upcoming Fireside Chat Dates:

Saskatoon, SK - November 14

6Twelve Lounge at the Sheraton Cavalier

612 Spadina Crescent E

Saskatoon, SK  S7K 3G9

7:00-9:00pm   

Ottawa, ON - November 21-22

Spin Kitchen & Bar at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel

100 Kent Street

Ottawa, ON  K1P 5R7

7:00-9:00pm                       

Kitchener/Waterloo, ON - November 23

Martini's, 2980 King Street East, Kitchener, ON

6:00-8:00pm

Peekaboo Beans Holiday Love Bomb!

Do you know an amazing family who could use a little extra love this holiday season? Maybe it's a family who always puts others needs before their own, a family who keeps a positive attitude through tough times, or one who has changed your community. Tell us their story and they could win the ultimate love bomb!

Check out this message from Traci about our Holiday Love Bomb:

Download the nomination form from the Peekaboo Beans website here. Fill it out and send it to play@peekaboobeans.com to nominate a deserving family for the chance to win over $1500 in Peekaboo Beans clothing, toys, organic skincare products, & electronics!

Together we can spread a little extra love this holiday season!

PLAY-ducation: Making Sense of the "Senses"

Email us at play@peekaboobeans.com to SAVE YOUR SEAT. 

And don't forget to bring a friend and your husband! 

Find out more about Andrea Chatwin HERE

Super Beans - Lynnea's Story

Lynnea is a beautiful and bright little girl who has always been so happy and full of life. In October of 2013 she started showing signs that something was just not right, her activity levels dropped and she was much more tired than usual. It was not until late in October that a little tumble with her brother sent her into the ER, she seemed to have injured her leg and we had never heard her scream in such pain before. We rushed her in to the emergency and after a two hour wait she was up and running around again so we took her home. That evening after she awoke from her nap that same pain was back and she could not bear weight on her leg. 

In the weeks that followed we had seen several doctors who diagnosed the pain as a sprain. Seeing her deteriorate so much and her no longer being able to walk we begged for x-rays, the ER doctor was quite astonished that the level of pain Lynnea was exhibiting could not be explained and the x-rays showed nothing. The ER doctor immediately referred us to a pediatrician and Lynnea was seen that same afternoon. After combing through Lynnea’s medical history and all the events that had led us up to that day the Pediatrician ordered a simple blood test. The blood test revealed the answer we were looking for and it was not anything we had ever expected.

Lynnea was air lifted to the BC Children’s Hospital immediately, it is a 5 hour drive from our home town. We arrived there in the early morning hours on November 11, 2013 completely exhausted with our emotions in over drive. No one had been able to explain what was happening with Lynnea or what her test results revealed but when I saw we were being brought to the Oncology ward the terrifying reality set in. I spent hours talking with Lynnea’s new doctor and she explained that Lynnea’s blood test reviled a Type of Leukemia and after a series of tests it would turn out to be Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Lynnea’s cancer cells were found both in her peripheral blood and her spinal fluid. Lynnea’s blood counts were at such a critically low level and she needed multiple blood transfusions before she could even begin chemotherapy. Lynnea was diagnosed just 2 weeks before her 2nd Birthday.

At the age of two and a half she has already undergone more than anyone should, she has had multiple surgeries and surgical procedures. Lynnea has had blood work and chemotherapy treatments every single week at minimum since diagnosis. These medications have left her almost unrecognizable at times, they have made her body swell and loose weight, caused pain and nausea and for her to lose her beautiful brown curls. There is not a single day where she has not been required to take some form of medication, many of which have serious side effect and required a great deal of planning in order for her to take them.

Throughout all of this she has managed to keep a vibrant and incredible smile on her face while growing into an intelligent and happy little girl. Although she is still very limited in her activities she continues to grow into her own true self. She still had 18 months of Chemotherapy treatments ahead of her and many trips to the BC Children’s Hospital in the next few years. This past few months have been extremely difficult to put it mildly and we would never have made it this far without the generosity of our community and loved ones. I wanted to provide a safe place for people who still continue to support her in her journey. This is proving to be far more expensive than anyone could have predicted with all the travel and unforeseen medical costs that are not covered. We are truly grateful to all her supporters and followers who have allowed me to spend every moment I can caring for her.

Lynnea loves clothes and the Peekaboo beans lines have meant the world to her, she love to dress up and it even makes her feel better.

Click HERE to find out more and support Lyneea.