Introducing Mouse & Moose

My girls love playing in their kitchen and I'm always looking for new toys to add to it.  The girls have spent many hours playing house and restaurant and I love seeing their imaginations at play.  Toys that spark that imagination are the best.  The handmade toys from Mouse and Moose do just that. The creator, Kristin behind Mouse and Moose was so kind to send my girls two popsicles each.  They were so excited to see individually wrapped presents for them.  It just adds another layer of excitement to not only receive a new toy but to find it in a lovingly wrapped package.  Emily opened hers and and shouted, "My favorite color is purple!"  You can see the time and love that was put into these bright colored creations; they are handcrafted and well made.  Kristin was extra sweet to send this mama a little gift as well.  It's quite amazing that Kristin doesn't know me well but sent me the perfect gift.  I love Christmas and especially love a dove on my Christmas tree.  I always have one on my tree to represent peace.  I can't wait to add it to our family tree this year.
I love the heart behind this company and the reasons why Kristin started Mouse & Moose.  She started with her new baby in mind and wanted safe and fun toys for her little girl.  She only uses the best products and keeps children and the environment in mind.  Please see the section below to learn more about Kristin and her company Mouse & Moose.  You will be inspired!
My passion with this blog is fellow mamas and promoting local faces, places, events, etc.  So sharing Mouse & Moose with you is exciting for me because it's a fellow mom like me who is trying to balance family and work and is hustling every day.  Go moms!!!


Connect
Follow Mouse & Moose on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see all their latest projects and products.

Shop
To purchase their products check out their Etsy site.

"Let me see how my sissy does this..."

Tasting her popsicle.

Both taking a bite.

The following photos have been adapted from Mouse & Moose.

Meet
Please tell us a little bit about your company and how you got started:

- I never imagined that I'd be a toy maker. 

I went to school to study social sciences and to go into family preservation and social work, but after graduating and taking the summer to wrap up my job, I became pregnant with my daughter. 

I longed for my daughter to have quality toys. Toys that didn't have lead paint, toys that were made with the environment in mind, and toys that would grow with her rather than replacing all the toys in our house every 6 months when we reached a new developmental milestone. I wanted toys that wouldn't fall apart, toys that wouldn't take over our small apartment, and toys that were meaningful, educational, and that would inspire her to create, imagine, and tell stories. So there it was, sitting around the dining room table, that Mouse & Moose was born.

Mouse & Moose aims to create educational and inspirational toys that will encourage little ones to use their creativity and imaginations - to recapture what has been lost in contemporary culture. Using only the finest wool felt, Mouse & Moose creates a wide variety of handmade toys from pretend play food, to dress up crowns and accessories, masks, and stuffed animals. Stuffed items are also stuffed with wool from a local farm in Alberta, Canada.

While I may not having a paying job where I use my education, I definitely use it every day that I raise my daughter, and now my son. And in the mean time, I have the privilege to create beautiful, sustainable, and inspiring toys to not only inspire my own children, but yours as well. 

What has been your greatest lesson in running your own business?

- It's a lot of work! Over the last few years I've had to learn to balance work and family, but it's still something I continue to struggle with. Having a business that's run from home is wonderful, but also challenging. It's inevitable that someone will need a clean t-shirt while I'm in the middle of sewing, someone spilled their milk while I'm in the middle of sketching, or I have to put the cutting aside to pick up my older child at school. It's definitely a precarious balancing act - but it's worth it. 

What’s your greatest tip for entrepreneurs?

- Read. Read. Read. There are so many sources out there to help you with online and retail selling. Etsy has their own blogs to help you with everything from SEO's to photography and writing product descriptions. Online selling is difficult because you have to be able to convey to customers what your product looks, feels, and even smells like, without your customer actually being able to pick up and touch your item. After you've read everything that you've been able to get your hands on, reread it and keep revamping your items, descriptions, and product lines to keep improving. 

What does your normal day look like?

- My day is usually a mixture of mom duties and creating. Getting kids fed, dressed, and off to their various activities, chores like any other regular house, getting our dog out for a walk if its not raining (it rains a lot here in the Pacific Northwest) and fitting in designing, cutting, sewing, and processing orders in between the rest of the hustle and bustle. I usually try and leave the evenings open for family time, but sometimes sewing toys or designing new ones sneaks into this time once the kids are in bed, haha. 

Who inspires you?

Hands down, my kids. They were the reason I started Mouse & Moose, and it's their imagination that keeps it going. Just the other day my daughter was imagining that our toy shelves were a mountain and she had named it Uni Mountain (she was playing with a toy unicorn). The next thing I heard was that the bad guys had stolen all the rainbows from Uni Mountain and her and her brother embarking on an adventure to save all the rainbows in the world. Listening to the two of them play and overhearing the stories that they're able to make up, inspires me to create inspirational toys to keep their imaginations turning.