5.18.2015

shop spotlight | a summer afternoon

There are few things more lovely in a nursery or playroom than classic, handcrafted wooden toys. The art with which they are made, the skilled hands that created them, the story behind them, and the simple beauty and timelessness of their design, all wrapped up into modern toys that my sweet little girl can't get enough of. Because of that, I'm so excited to share with you one of my very favorite shops for such toys -- A Summer Afternoon

Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, A Summer Afternoon specializes in eco-friendly, handcrafted wooden toys that encourage creativity and aid in a child's crucial development through all stages from newborn on. All their toys are made with non-toxic materials and are free of harmful paints, treatments and additives. Oh and did I mention they're gorgeous?


Olivia is all about building things right now, so I knew the block wagon would be a perfect fit for her little hands. She loves to stack, sort and rearrange blocks in every which way, and I absolutely love how the blocks fit perfectly into the wagon for storage. She loves pulling the wagon around the house  -- it is the perfect size and weight for her age, and it's one of those toys I never mind leaving sitting out because its just that beautiful.


The quality and craftsmanship of their toys is unmatched, and every time we play with her blocks I am again amazed that they were made by hand. With a perfectly smooth finish and such attention to detail, I just cannot get enough of them, and neither can Via. 


Our sweet baby girl on the way also has a piece from A Summer Afternoon awaiting her arrival in her nursery -- a wooden ferris wheel. There is something so whimsical and playful about a ferris wheel; I have memories of going on them even at a young age at tiny carnivals near the small town I spent my summers in. Olivia has enjoyed playing with the ferris wheel and I'm 100% sure my heart is going to explode when my girls play with it together as our babe gets older. 

The wooden ferris wheel is durable -- making it an ideal toy for toddlers -- but so beautifully crafted that it makes the perfect family heirloom. I know with certainty both of these toys will be pieces all our children will play with and that we will pass along to their children. The ferris wheel rotates with ease and comes with 8 passengers that can be removed and replaced effortlessly. Olivia loves watching it spin and oohs and aaahs over it every time. 


A Summer Afternoon also offers a wide range of teethers, rattles and gift sets perfect for new babies, as well as an incredible developmental shape stacker and the sweetest cars and trucks. I also think this hardwood workbench and tool set would be perfect in a little boy's nursery and just swoon every time I look at it. {And I'm pretty sure that before too long I will figure out a way to incorporate it into Olivia's collection}. I love that A Summer Afternoon offers something for everyone at every age. Their toys make the perfect baby shower and birthday gifts that are unique and will last for years and years to come.


You can read more about A Summer Afternoon and the incredible owners behind it below


"Hello! This is Erin and Aaron, the wooden toy makers of A Summer Afternoon. We are a husband and wife team making wooden cars, rattles, teethers, blocks, developmental, Waldorf and Montessori toys. All of our products are lovingly made out of quality, natural, eco-friendly materials, safety-tested and always approved by our own young children. Whenever possible, we use untreated re-purposed wood, and recycled packaging materials."

"We started this business so that we could really enjoy this time as a family, while our boys are young, and because we wanted them to have quality, natural toys that are handmade in the USA. When creating new designs for our toys, we always keep in mind the developmental skills we would want to encourage in our own children, such as fine and gross motor skills, sorting, counting, and especially creativity and imagination."

"All of our products are finished with non-toxic, child-safe linseed oil (comes from flaxseed) or natural food-safe beeswax. We pride ourselves in making safe, fun, beautiful products that are durable enough to be passed down for generations. We hope you and your little ones will enjoy our products as much as we do!"

Aaron & Erin are so generously offering both a discount code AND giveaway for Blessed Nest readers. Save 10% off your total purchase Monday May 18 through Sunday May 24 using the code BLESSEDNEST10 / Start shopping HERE

And because it's Olivia's birthday week and this is one of my all time favorite handmade companies, they have decided to give away any one item of the winner's choice from their wonderful shop! To enter, simply complete the steps below in the Rafflecopter. The giveaway will run from 5.18 through 5.24 and all entries will be verified. The winner is responsible for contacting A Blessed Nest within 24 hours of being announced.

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start; we are celebrating our sweet birthday girl all week long and more details from her party this past weekend will be on the blog soon! Happy Monday!

14 comments:

  1. The Ferris Wheel is stunning, but think my daughter would have so much fun with the tool set...she's so busy 😁
    Thank you for the chance! As always, adore you and your blog 😘

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  2. I would probably choose the Ferris wheel or the block wagon. Oh man, everything is perfect though!!

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  3. I would love the block set! They're all so beautiful!

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  4. Adelyn is loving wooden toys lately too, so I would love the wooden wagon with blocks! Love!

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  5. We love wood toys and my daughter is starting to get into blocks - so I would choose the wooden wagon with blocks! :)

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  6. I think I would choose a developmental shape sorter.

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  7. Oh my! Everything is beautiful! Hard to choose!
    Building block wagon for my son and daughter <3
    Thank you!

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  8. What an awesome giveaway! I have a serious weakness for wooden toys!

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  9. I would LOVE the building block wagon for my daughter! She loves blocks and these are beautiful. Also thanks for the 10% off I'm going to get the toy stacker because I've been eyeing it for so long!!!

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  10. These toys are beautiful. I love that they will last generation after generation! I would love to give my little guy the workbench because he loves helping daddy build things!

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  11. These toys are beautiful. I love that they will last generation after generation! I would love to give my little guy the workbench because he loves helping daddy build things!

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  12. In love with the ferris wheel! So beautiful and fun.

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  13. I like the Perfect Baby Gift in Cherry. Great package. But if I can't select a combo pack, I'd definitely go with the wooden building blocks set. I'd let their imagination build their own toys from the blocks.

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  14. I really like these toys, especially the dark wood. Thanks for showing me another new shop 👌🏽 I'd love the tool set!

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