Craft Test Dummies

My little girl is a GIRLY girl- she loves to craft, and if it’s something she can wear or use (like soaps or lotions) then she is in her own pink heaven. That’s why when she got the “Make Your Own Lip Balm” kit from Creativity for Kids (a subsidiary of Faber-Castell), I knew she’d […]

For awhile at my house, “Silly Bandz” were all the rage- they were worn, traded, lost, argued over, and even used as bribes (ok, that was me.) So imagine how the idea of making your OWN DESIGNS in stretchy bracelets sounded to my kids? Yup, they went ga-ga over it! And last weekend, when it […]

Here’s a great, quick Father’s Day gift you can whip up in no time. I originally published this tutorial on CraftsUnleashed, but I thought it should be shared here, too. These would also be cool zipper pulls for luggage or backpacks, too! Sometimes it’s a little, functional gift that shows Dad how much you care- […]

Since April is my “Go Green” month, I thought it was high time to revisit the marvelous art kits by ArtTerro. Previously I’d reviewed Painting with Wool, the Bubble Wand, and the Wire and Bead Sculpture Kits, so this time ’round we’re going to talk about the Garden Art Kit- apropos, right? The Garden Art […]

My crafty daughter loves to play with clay and loves to mold soaps, so I thought this would be a great Christmas gift- the “Make Your Own Cupcake Soap” kit by Creativity for Kids. This kit is jam-packed with product it includes White Soap Clay Brown Soap Clay Yellow Soap Clay Light Pink Soap Clay […]

My kids have been out of school for a week and already they are going a little stir crazy. Here’s a fun, snow day/ sick day/school break craft that will keep them occupied for a while: coffee filter snowflakes! This is an oldie-but-a-goodie craft; they are lovely, but so fragile! We take our version up […]

I was looking through some scrapbooks from my youth the other day, and I ran across some Christmas photos. There, in it’s faded glory, was my Lite-Brite, my set of Fashion plates, and that craft with plastic-flowers-you-put-on headbands. Man, what was that thing called??? Anyway, it got me thinking… I got so many great crafty […]

I’m the mom to two kids, and I love to participate in their school events. A few years ago I came up with the idea of decorating the juice boxes for their Halloween class party- I mean, why shouldn’t the drinks be as cute as everything else? And this year I’ve modified the design so […]

I know Halloween is just around the corner, but I have a few crafty fall/Halloween goodies that were too good to wait ’til next year! One of those is from Total Class Creative. They have a line of “Fall Felt” crafting goodies, and they send me some to play with! The line includes felt baskets, […]

This is another open-ended craft kit sent to me by ArtTerro- this time it’s a needle-felting kit they’re calling “Paint with Wool.” The Paint with Wool kit includes four 4X4 inch wool felt squares that are off-white, lots of strips of colorful wool roving, and 3 needle felting needles, and a basic instruction sheet. This […]

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 […]