Craft Test Dummies

I love crafting with my kids. My 5 year daughter is especially enthusiastic and occasionally tells me about a craft product she sees on TV and then BEGS me to buy it. Such was a the case with the  Magic Fabric Creation Studio by SpinMaster. (Coincidentally, they also make Bendaroos, which she also loves. ) [...]

A while back I was offered the chance to review the ArtTerro open-ended, eco-friendly craft kits for kids and we had a great time playing with the Wire and Bead Kit.  When the kids saw the Bubble Wand Kit, they got really excited. And with some of the hot weather we’ve been having, it was [...]

It’s a new school year and new backpacks and jackets have been purchased- but it’s only a matter of time before my kids yank the pulls right off of the zippers! So I’m getting the jump on repairs by making some fun, recycled ones that the kids can personalize. We’re building the base on an [...]

Thanks for all your comments and thoughts about this great kit from ArtTerro. (If you missed it, make sure you read my review.) I also have to make one caveat- I was told by the kit’s creators that there are NO plastic beads at ALL in the Wire and Bead kit. Actually, they are all [...]

ArtTerro is a brand-new company to me, and I’m so pleased that they reached out and offered to send some kits for my family to “craft test.” Their tag line is “Art of the Earth”- and with a slogan like that, who wouldn’t be interested? Here’s some of what they say about their mission: We [...]

It’s been a busy week for me over on CraftsUnleashed- I came up with three baby- themed ideas for their “Baby Week.” I thought I’d show you what I made over here, too. If you want the step-by-step ideas, just click the links and it’ll take you to the full post. Rebel against “cute” and [...]

Hey, crafty friends! I’ve been crafting up a storm for a series of posts on CraftsUnleashed on fabric crafts and “Christmas in July” crafts. So I’m sharing some goodness over here, too. If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know I love Yo-Yo’s. (The fabric ones, not the toy things.) I even reviewed [...]

Last week was quiet here on CTD, because your crafty friend was called up for…JURY DUTY! I can hear the collective groans from you readers, but really, I didn’t mind too much. First of all, I believe in our judicial system and my civic and moral obligation to serve. The other reason I didn’t mind [...]

We’re doing a little “grads and dads” memory frame challenge on CraftsUnleashed, and I have to confess I was stumped on this for a while. Of course, my inclination was to make something for my husband from the kiddos, since Father’s Day is right around the corner. But then I realized that no one was [...]

Last month I reviewed some of the Wood Craft Kits from Total Class Creative, so this time I’m going to talk about the cardboard doll furniture kits. These kits are different from the first set I reviewed. First of all, they are made of pre-cut, printed cardboard (chipboard weight.) Also, you need to glue the [...]

Many of you faithful readers know that I love polymer clay and am excited to try out all of the different brands on the market. So when Amaco offered to send me samples of “Cloud Clay,” I thought, “FUN!” and told them to bring it on. First, a bit about Cloud Clay is not polymer [...]

When you have a kid, there is a zone in which “cool” trumps “safe”- so when it was time to replace my son’s bike helmet, I KNEW it had better be cool, or else he just wouldn’t wear it. Sadly, the safest one was  plain white. (Lame-O!) So we had to jazz it up, STAT. [...]

Yeah, I know this one is kinda an “oldie-but-a-goodie,” but I had such a good time making them today that I thought I’d share it here, too…just to remind you how much fun you can have with the garbage you generate! My recycled objects were all collected after breakfast: 5 or 6 coffee filters (per [...]

Well, here we are, Easter is over, and now we have copious amounts of those annoying plastic Easter eggs. (Well, actually we’re down a few because Ginger the cock-a-poo has discovered their charms!) But anyway, even if you don’t have scads on hand, they’re on sale everywhere for cheap, cheap, cheap! So here’s a coupla [...]

So if you read my post yesterday, you know that I’m the owner of a brand-spanking new iPad; so today I’m going to review the as-of-yet- only craft application for the iPad, the FamilyFun Craft Finder by Disney. The good news is that if you are an early adopter, this clever app is free for [...]

I  wrote about Eco Green Crafts and it’s fabulous founder, Julie Andrus during my coverage of CHA Winter for CraftCritique, and I was very excited to get these acrylic paints out and play a little! If Eco Green Crafts is a new company for you, you are about to be pleasantly surprised: it’s a company [...]

Total Class Creative is a totally new company for me- I have to admit that I’d never run across their products in a store before. However, one look at their product line and I was intrigued. The wood toys, storage items, and decorative products are really appealing and high-end, and I was so pleased when [...]

I hate to admit that I’ve never before used paint markers- must be something to do with the fact that I was never in a sorority! However, my world has opened up to paint markers, and I’m glad. Elmer’s Painters, in particular, are opaque colors in a convenient marker form. To get them started, you [...]

It’s a chilly, snowy day here in my neck of the woods, and my kids are home for a snow day. I’m content to stay inside and quilt, sew, and bead- but if you have a yen to craft with snow, here are a few ideas for you! Snow Tie-Dyeing. Visit Bunk’s Blog for the [...]

…or Wikki Stix, or whatever you call them. (I’m calling mine “Fake-aroos!”) You know, they are the wax-covered-yarn thingies that kids love to play with until they eventually become covered in dust. If you like the idea of crafting with your kids, you can make your own…and then when they get grotty and you need [...]

I’ve got a crafty household, and my kids like crafting, too- especially my 5-year-old daughter, who put Bendaroos at the top of her Christmas list. I wasn’t so sure this would be a successful  product for a pre-Kindergartner, but as it turns out, the are AWESOME. Let’s discuss, shall we? Despite my hesitancy, we got [...]

I have been a crazy person crafting for V-day…but not just on my own blog! So I thought I’d round up some of my crafty goodies to share with you here. Most of them are really easy, and use things you might have on hand, so you’ve got a good chance of actually getting these [...]

(Subtitle: Or,how the wrong adhesive can sink a great craft project!) My son was gearing up to make his class Valentine’s cards- hand made, of course- and we decided on a compromise: make decorated juice box sleeves that would double as his cards for his classmates. (For you new readers, I’m big on juice box [...]

Here I am on the eve of Christmas Eve, planning out my New Year crafts! One of my resolutions is to use MORE of what I’d normally toss or recycle, and use up what I’ve got in my crafting studio before I run out and buy new. SO! With that in mind, I’m suggesting you [...]

Need a quick and easy craft for a kid’s (or senior citizen’s) winter holiday party? You are not alone! This is one of those totally random things- I was in the craft store yesterday and I overheard a woman asking the sales clerk about crafts for a pre-kindergarten party. Well, the clerk had nothing to [...]

Thinking about crafting an Advent Calendar? Yeah, me too, and so I thought I’d find a few projects to share. My critierion for this round-up is that they have to be SIMPLE…because the first of December is right around the corner! This is a super-cute and RECYCLED craft, using styrofoam. The is a full tutorial [...]

Everyone knows that I’m a hard-core crafter, but my husband does not share the same love of all things crafty. He has his own creative outlets, and is supportive of mine…BUT…we do not share any kind of artsy/craftsy endeavors whatsoever. UNTIL NOW. Yes, my friends, it seems as if my craftiness is rubbing off on [...]

I love photo crafts, so I when Tilano Decorative Products offered to send me a kit to try, I said, “Yes, yes, YES!”  I had seen these online, but not in retail stores, and I was itching for a closer look. Opening the box, I found a rather daunting array of supplies. Mud? Check. Crackle [...]

Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to spice up your crafting than to add a bit of “glow-in-the-dark” goodness to it? In regular light, these photo-reactive products have a white or pastel hue…but then turn off the light, PRESTO! You’ve got some glowing, spooky fun! Here’s a round-up of some fun [...]

Here at the Casa of Crafts we are trying to squeeze as much out of the rest of summer as we can; and while the sun is still shining brightly, we thought we’d try out some Solar Print paper as a fun science/nature craft. This quasi-educational project can be done over a few different stages, [...]