Hippity Hoppity Easter’s on Its Way

The other day I easily spent half an hour trying to decide what candy to put in my children’s Easter basket. To say that I take Easter baskets seriously is an understatement. When I text my friend, Kelley, in the middle of the candy aisle asking her to snap me back to reality, I generally get an eye roll emoji back. As well as a subtler, kinder message of “get a grip, lady!” If you take your job as the Easter Bunny as seriously as I do, then both Red Barn Mercantile and Penny Post have a few things to help you build an epic Easter basket.New from jellycat are the cutest pocket – or in this case Easter basket – sized creatures. Soft and cuddly they will bring a smile to your little person. And, they tuck neatly in your purse should it need a ride home from brunch. (Available at Red Barn Mercantile, $13)I always like to tuck in a few tall and thin items to add a little dimension to the basket (see I told you I take this seriously). If you have a budding creative genius on your hands then why not tuck in a few of Kuretake’s Zig Clean Color pens. These brush pens have a proper bristle tip and are capable of creating very fine lines making them ideal for design, art, illustration, and comic-book drawings. (Available at Penny Post, $4 each)Erase pencil mistakes with these cute pencil erasers that look like popsicles. The Icy Pops Puzzle Erasers are four popsicle-shaped erasers that you can mix and match and create all sorts of cute pencil eraser color combinations. And Icy Pops are scented erasers that smell like delicious fresh fruit. (Available at Red Barn Mercantile, $5)We love Thinking Putty and this new one is no exception. Named after the natural wonder, Northern Lights Thinking Putty is a sparkling white that leads to shimmering waves of iridescent purple, pink, and turquoise. Turn off the lights and it glows an ethereal sky blue...just like its namesake. So cool. (Available at Red Barn Mercantile, $18)Your kids will develop critical thinking skills as they take the recurring characters and themes in eeboo’s Fairy Tale and Volcano Island Create A Story Cards and create new and interesting stories. I promise, no one story will ever repeat itself, and this is pure joy as a parent to see your child’s imagination in action. (Available at Red Barn Mercantile, $12.50)Pop a bit of self-expression into the basket with an assortment of enamel pins from the likes of Rifle Paper Company. They look great on a back pack, tote bag, jacket, or shirt collar and allow for safe and fun self-expression. (Available at Penny Post, $10)I collected stickers when I was a tween and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. If you had a photo album full of your sticker collection then you will appreciate Mr. Boddington’s new sticker booklettes. Pass down your love of all things sticky to your littles this Easter. (Available at Penny Post, $10)