Meet Sasha, the mama and maker behind TinyFeats. Sasha and her team handcraft adorable felt toys that provide super-fun, hands on learning activities for kids. Every TinyFeats Quiet Book, Playscape, Educational Toy or Small World is handmade by local moms in Canada. Lily was so excited about getting her TinyFeats Quiet book that we stalked the mailman until it arrived! She couldn't get the package open fast enough to start playing.
Do you have kids? If so how many & age? YES! They are the inspiration for my products, and, also my product testers, if they don’t like it, I don’t make it. In fact my daughter has started designing her own pages for her book! My daughter Maya is now 7 and my son Zen is 5 What's one thing people probably don't know about you? I love cooking, its a creative outlet for me! Are you a stay at home mom? YES, I started my business when my kids were very young so that I could have a flexible schedule and spend more time with them. I love being the volunteer class mom. What is your favourite thing to do for yourself? .. hmm… not very good at that! What is your favourite date night activity? Talk about work! I know I shouldn’t admit to that but my husband helps me with my business and we both love talking about it, so, often that is the focus of our date nights. What's one thing you couldn't live without? My crafting supplies! Being creative keeps me sane! Who's your IG inspiration? I love @lemons.for.days What advice would you give your younger self? Find something you love doing, then find a way to get paid for it. I didn’t figure that out till way later in life! Where is business located out of? Calgary, Alberta, Canada How did you choose the name for your business? I wanted a name that celebrated all of the little milestones that kids accomplish. How do you balance having kids & running a business? Everyday is different, I have found most success when I live in the moment, bouncing between work and quality time with the kids. Sometimes they help me sort, pack orders, design products, model, and give me feedback. I was in my previous life a very goal oriented person, and I found that to be too frustrating when trying to balance mom-ing and working, so I had to give that up! Where can people find your products? On my website at www.tinyfeats.com or on https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/TinyFeat? What advice can you give someone looking to start up their own business? Start small, and figure out step by step what customers want. I think many businesses fail because they create what they want, instead of what their customer wants. What sets your business apart from others alike? So many things! I choose products that people want and I figure out how to make them exceptional, then I figure out how to design them to make them affordable to produce. What is the most challenging part of running your business? Wearing several different hats. I do most of the work (aside from the sewing that my mamas do) and there is never enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done, the marketing, website maintenance, creating new products, preparing bins of cuts for the mamas to sew, photography, customer service… there is lots to do when you are a 1 woman show!
What does a typical day look like for you? No two days are ever the same. I usually start my day on the computer then spend the afternoons and evenings doing the physical work, fulfilling orders, creating new products, packing bins, taking pictures… and of course my mom responsibilities in there too!
Favourite song: currently its “This is Me” from the Greatest Showman soundtrack, it inspires me! Dream Vacation: Beach and sun Dream Job: This one! Favourite Podcast: NPR All Songs Considered Dream Car: does not matter to me Favourite Smell: Jasmine Dream meal: I can’t pick just one, I'm a bit of a foodie ️ Favourite item of clothing: jeans
Instagram: @tinyfeats https://tinyfeats.com/ Use code SAVE25camara.crew to save 25%
I was so excited with Sasha reached out to me about collaborating. Immediately when I looked through her website I knew she created something amazing for kids to explore and learn! I also felt that this was a great item that would grow and be used with all of my kids. I love that I can add and change our pages as our kids grow and have new learning needs.
I love that this is a fun activity that can help get kids away from screen time and the chaos of playing with their toys. The Quiet Books encourage children to have quiet time, to focus on 1 activity at a time and challenges their minds.
These are the pages we got in our book and why we love each one: 1. Toddler I Spy Seek and Find This page is simple and easy for Lily to complete on her own. It encourages her to have independent and quiet play time when I may need to get some things done on my own or focus on Violet. It is also a great sensory activity because of the feeling of the beads. 2. Preschool Lady Bug Lacer This activity requires some assistance from me but is also a page Lily can easily explore on her own. She can practice lacing the lace through the holes, pulling the zipper up and down and eventually learn to tie her shoes. Mason also can do the lacing activity with some assistance and encouragement and he likes to play with the zipper. And let me tell you, he isn't gentle with many things and this book has with held his strong demeanor. 3. Preschool Recycling This page is probably our favourite! Lily's been asking a lot of questions about recycling so this was the perfect activity to work on teaching her all about it! It comes with pieces that you can slide into each spot (recycling, garbage and compost). The pictures are easy to identify. This activity has initiated a lot of conversations on this topic and Lily has already learned so much.
Each page comes with instructions as well on how to use and explore it.
You can customize the front of the book and fill out the inside of the book as well. We decided to customize the front of our book to say Camara Crew :)
If you are looking for a great activity to keep your little ones busy, quiet and encourage learning and exploration I highly recommend getting them a busy book. This would make a great gift, especially right now during these times of isolation and quarantine. I guarantee any parent will thank you. Be sure to use my special discount code when placing your order SAVE25camara.crew to save 25%
