My Only Sunshine

Fancy Friendship Bracelets

My friends at Klutz have another book I think you might like.

My Itty Bitty has been totally into friendship bracelets since learning how to make them for a Girl Scout badge a few weeks ago.  She's 8 and has plenty of friends to give bracelets to.

When Klutz offered to send me this book to try out I wondered if they live next door and know my Bitty personally, what great timing.  You know what's better than sending me a free book to try out?  You guessed it, they will send books to my friends too!  Everyone loves a good giveaway.

Here's what Klutz has to say about this book, "New from the Klutz bookshelf!
Introducing Fancy Friendship Bracelets, the original Friendship Bracelet’s new best friend! Klutz started with super-simple instructions for a flock of all-new bracelet designs. We added five different colors of cord and more than 200 sparkling beads. Then we threw in some stylish charms for good measure. The result is even better than we hoped."

How about a look inside.

 Bit and I haven't had time to make all the bracelets in the book yet but the ones we have tried have been fun.  Even though they are called "fancy" bracelets, Bit found them pretty easy to put together.  The finishing instructions and the beads included were my favorite part.

So here are the details - Comment on this post and on December 30 I will pick two winners.  Those two winners will each get a Fancy Friendship Bracelets book from Klutz for themselves and a second book to share with a friend.  Don't forget to give me your email address so I can let you know if you won.  Good Luck!

My kids are KLUTZes too

This is Bitty's fairy from the Paper Fashions Fairy book I told you about last week.  I learned two things from working on this with her.  One, 8 year olds will make each individual piece a different color and pattern if you let them.  Most of the time they don't care if these colors and patterns look good together.  Two, 8 year olds may have a hard time visualizing what they are doing if you try to help them draw their stencils on the back of the patterned paper to avoid the pencil lines showing.

This is Bug's "Mermaid Fairy Waitress".  I learned a couple of things working with her as well.  One, 10 year olds will also put as many colors and patterns as possible together but at least this 10 year old will stress over what goes together and what doesn't.  They may not end up making the right call on this.  Two, 10 year olds are old enough to understand the concept of mirror image when it comes to drawing on the back and flipping and also making one glove stencil work for both right and left hand gloves.

I also have a word of warning to any of you who might use this with your kids...  Kids love glitter glue.  This little bit of trouble (it's both glue and glitter, how can that not be a problem on occasion?) is outweighed by the fact that my kids have spent HOURS just playing with the stencils.  They love drawing different fashion ideas on plain typing paper over and over.  It's wonderful to see how their imagination has been sparked.

Bug actually liked this so much that she spent her own money to buy this...

Now they can mix and match their stencils and papers.  Oh, and more glitter glue!!!

Don't forget that if you want to win your own Paper Fashions Fantasy book you need to comment with your email address to this post.

KLUTZ - Paper Fashions Fantasy

Several weeks ago I received this very cute book from KLUTZ.  They wanted to know if I'd like to review it.  Boy, how could I pass up crafts, fashion design, kid projects, and tiny little clothes hangers all wrapped up in one package?  I mean really, look at those tiny hangers!

Things have been totally crazy at my house but I did make time to tear this open and do a little paper fashion design and it was SO MUCH FUN.  Here's a synopsis of the book.

"In the Klutz paper fashions tradition, this book comes with everything girls need to design an entire one-of-a-kind wardrobe, including irresistibly tiny hangers to finish the fashions in style. Unique to this book, though, are fashions that are the stuff of fantasy: goddess gowns, pretty princess dresses, fairy finery, and more. Specially designed papers and stencils make it simple to create everything from flowing cloaks and twinkling tiaras to mermaid tails and fairy wings. And we've even added glitter to the glue — a simple way to sparkle up any fashion.
 
For ages 8 to Adult!"

On my first pass through the book I noticed that it had several types of fantasy fashion to build on.

You can create Fairies, Princesses, Witches, Goddesses, and Mermaids.

The ideas for these different ladies are amazing.  Whoever did the designing for the book is very creative.  I was completely engaged without having even opened the crafting supplies. 

Along with all the lovely pictures and ideas the book comes with patterned and solid paper and some great sheer and glittery paper as well.  The embellishments include ribbons, beads, sequins, and sparkly glitter glue.  The contents I found most wonderful were the stencils.  KLUTZ has broken down the different design pieces into their elements and created nice sturdy template plastic stencils.

I found the kit very easy to use which left me wide open to creativity.  I decided to go a little Project Runway for my first fantasy dress.  You know what I mean, big collar going straight up on the shoulder.  It was so much fun to make.  I do have one hint.

I used my stencils on plain paper first to put the different design pieces together so that I could cut them out as one unit.  Then I laid the piece that the pattern had been cut away from to lay on my final paper so I could make sure the paper design would show through the way I wanted before I cut on the paper I only had one small piece of.  This picture is my white paper laid over my patterned paper for placement.

Here's the final product hanging on it's teeny tiny hanger.

See the big collar?  So PR, Non?

Tonight I am going to let the Girlies play around with me and I will show you how that goes on Monday.  Oh, and I can't forget, KLUTZ has generously offered to give three of my readers a copy of this cute little book and kit.  Leave me a comment and be sure to include your email address and next week I will draw three names.

Gifts for Kids

Having two elementary school aged children means that we get lots of birthday party invitations.  Mostly for little girls, but sometimes little boys invite the Girlies to parties too.  Getting so many birthday party invitations means we spend a good amount of time trying to find birthday presents.  I almost always let my kids pick what to get their friends with one big rule, if I wouldn't allow it in my house then we can't buy it for someone else either.  That means no guns, no toys that make migraine inducing noises, and nothing that can't be washed out of the carpet.  I also usually tell the kids we have a roughly $15 limit.

My Girlies often run straight for whatever toy has the most commercials on tv.  The funny thing is that they rarely ask for those toys for themselves but nearly always seem to think all the other kids of the world must love them.  I guess the ad guys are getting the point to my kids that "kids love this" but weren't able to convince them "you'll love this". 

Tonight we had to buy gifts for Bit's best friend and her little brother.  We started out at the bookstore but Bitty was adament that even though her friend's mom said she likes books that the friend really doesn't want books.  Then we headed for Michael's because my favorite thing to buy for kids is craft supplies.  My kids can go quite easily spending bonkers at the craft store (much like I can).  I'm not sure what Bitty's friends usually do in the way of crafting so I decided to go with a kit.

Bit picked this one for her friend.  She loves just about anything that is "fashion".  She wasn't so sure about what a little brother who calls her names might like but then she found this one.

 

She thought this looked like pretty good "boy crafting". 

I need to start gathering up better art supplies when I see them on sale for putting in gift bags for kids.  Until then I think this stuff will do.  What do you buy for kids for their birthdays?

Today

As seen in The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...

Outside my window... heat, we are reported to be at 100 degrees or more today and I don't have air conditioning again.

I am thinking... about how lovely my house is, even when it is hot, when my family is here and sleeping quietly all around me.

I am thankful for... the most wonderful daughters in the world.

From the kitchen... homemade Salted Butter Caramel Icecream if I can get my air conditioning fixed.  If not, we'll be eating out.

I am wearing... my Calgary t-shirt, I'm thinking cool.

I am reading... Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child and Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson.

I am hoping... to get my air conditioner fixed today.

I am creating... a new mini album using paper from Mark's Paper Company.  You can take a look at Craft Critique in July to see how it turns out.

Around the house... hot hot hot, the rabbits are hot, the cats are hot, the kids are lucky because they aren't here (dance intensive keeps going this week but ends on Friday).

One of my favorite things... my Girlies working hard in dance and showing how much they have learned.

A few plans for the rest of the week... minutes and agenda for the ballet board meeting, hair flowers for the summer dance show, and the beating of the a/c guys if they don't show up.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

If it quacks like a...

...book, then this is the one you want.

This is an amazingly cute book, in my opinion.  I haven't made anything from it yet, but I am finding the instructions for the duck to be pretty easy to follow.  I am looking forward to making the monkey and the little bugs as well, maybe the dog draft blocker too.