It’s an art project. It’s a toy. It’s educational. It’s a treasured keepsake.
It’s a friend! It’s a Budsie!!!
What is a Budsie? There are probably not enough words to describe how cool this is, but I’m going to try, because you need to know about this!
A Budsie is a customized plush creation that is handmade from your child’s own drawing! Here’s how it works: you get your kid to draw whatever is in his creative imagination. Upload the drawing to the Budsie website. Their team will create a finished product that looks like your child’s imagination. Voila! The fantasy comes to ‘life’. Your child will be delighted!
Our little guy is six and still working on fine motor skills, so his drawings are more in line with say, Picasso than Davinci. (But he’s waaaaay better than Jackson Pollock!). There are even templates on the Budsie website that can help in this area. Our little guy had a ton of fun creating his picture, knowing that in a few short weeks it would be returned to him ‘in the flesh’ so to speak.
I then used the whole experience to enhance his technology skills by showing him how to save and upload the image. You can also email the image or send it via text from your smartphone. Seriously, it couldn’t be easier.
The Budsie takes about five weeks to ‘come to life’, but during that entire time, you get updates with their progress. We used these updates to practice some of our reading skills.
When the Budsie arrived, you wouldn’t believe the squeals of delight! And there were even things that surprised me! I didn’t realize that we would get his original drawing back all nicely framed. And their attention to detail is incredible. The Budsie’s resemblence to that ‘Picassoesque’ drawing that we sent was uncanny. And they even took care that the tissue paper that it arrived in matched the Budsie’s colors! That is impressive, that they would take the time out to do that.
You know what else is impressive? They are big believers in giving back. From their first month they have worked with Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Easter Seals to sponsor Budsies directly into the hands of kids who need them most. Please visit their Giving Back page for more about their programs.
If you need a super special gift for your child or grandchild, or if you simply want to preserve their precious early artwork, you need a Budsie. We cannot recommend this company enough!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Seems to be the same thing as PillowPals (www.getpillowpals.com) but more expensive. Very cute though!