Mismatched Shoes by Chooze Inspire Children to Be Different! {plus a #choozecreativity DIY Memory Box Craft}

Thank you to Chooze shoes for providing the girls footwear showcased in this children's fashion feature.  All opinions are solely my own.

May is the perfect month to introduce you to a business created by a mom who was inspired by her daughter's sense of style.  Chooze shoes, who was recently featured on the Today Show, is a line of stylish mismatched footwear for girls and boys sized for infants up to big kids.  These shoes are really works of art, from the coordinating fabric uppers to the rubber outer soles, and you're child will want to collect them all.  Mine certainly did, as she had quite a bit of difficulty narrowing down her choices.

Our 8 year old daughter ultimately selected the Move in Cherish sneaker and the Twist in Blink slip-ons.  Both styles feature a cotton lining, anti-microbial removable padded insoles, and are made with 100% vegan materials.

The Move is a slip-on style canvas sneaker with prints available to suit your child's many moods.  The Cherish print fits my daughter's girly, fun-loving side.  This shoe matches what my daughter looks for in a footwear perfectly.  They're stylish, comfortable, and playground-friendly.  After all, what good is looking fashionable if you can't outrun the boys at recess while doing it?

The Twist slip-on shoe also has a canvas upper, but is made in a silhouette that resembles a ballet flat.  I find this shoe to be more classic and graceful.  The crossover elasticized bands help to keep them in place whether my energetic daughter is running, jumping, twirling, or climbing.

Although our daughter loved all the prints available for the Twist, she went with Blink because this black-based floral print would match with so much in her wardrobe.

All Chooze rubber soles are comfortable and non-marking.  They allow my daughter to get where she wants to go, whether walking, running, or skipping, without the worry of slipping.

With the help of Chooze shoes, our daughter can complete her coordinated mismatched look!  She often wears two different socks or two different color earrings that coordinate with her outfit of the day.  She sometimes ventures into tastefully mixing prints with her clothes too.  I love that she is confident enough to be different!  Chooze also currently offers backpacks and lunchboxes, and our daughter is highly anticipating their upcoming line of children's apparel.  How does your child express creativity and confidence with his or her outfits?

Chooze shoe boxes are really "art boxes" made of recycled cardboard.  They are decorated with a fun print that any child, including my 8 year old daughter and 11 year old son, will fall in love with.  If you pick up a pair of Chooze shoes, be sure to help your child reuse the box to make something fun and creative.  This is what my children made with our Chooze art boxes . . .

Easy Craft:  DIY Duck Tape Memory Box

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Chooze shoe box

solid duck tape

coordinating patterned duct tape

thin markers

scissors

Step 1.  With the lid open, cover the front, back, left, and right sides of the shoe box with a solid colored duck tape.

Step 2.  With the lid still open, make a stripe that wraps around the four solid colored sides with a coordinating patterned duck tape.

Step 3.  Have your child color in the design on the shoe box lid with thin markers.  Your child can use whichever colors they like and color in as much of the design as they wish.  Additions of words and doodles are also encouraged.

Beyond coloring the box lid, your children can also add embellishments, such as gems, stickers, and glitter.  The more creative control your child has while decorating their art box, the more they'll cherish the finished product.  What would your child put inside their memory box?

To learn more about Chooze and their mission, visit www.choozeshoes.com.

'Brilliance Award' Winners are Top Choices for Creative Gift Ideas for Children This Holiday

Thank you to Brilliant Sky Toys & Books for providing two award-winning toys and a book for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

In my experience as a parent to three children (and having once been a child myself), toys that encourage creativity and flex the imagination often make the best gifts for children.  Brilliant Sky Toys & Books, a specialty retailer that caters to children and their imaginations, has recently announced which toys would be honored with the 2014 Brilliance Award.  The list includes toys for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age children and range in price from just $9.99 to $39.99.

Why do I trust Brilliant Sky Toys & Books when it comes to gift recommendations?  Although there is not a store location in my area, I've heard ravings about this toy store from friends and I love the content on Brilliant Sky TV and on the Brilliant Sky Toys & Books Blog, where you can read more about this year's 10 Brilliance Award winners.

And the 2014 Brilliance Award winners are . . .

• Squigz Starter Set (24 pieces)
• Plus-Plus Mini-Basic (480 pieces)
• Lottie Dolls
• Doodle Quest
• Create Your Own Storybook
• Super Stadium Baseball Game
• LoopDeLoom
• Sew Cute Sets
• Illustrated Adventure Stories and Illustrated Fairy Tales
• Paint Your Own Porcelain Bowls

I was thrilled to give my children a chance to experience three of these award-winning toys and books.  Although it was difficult to choose, I felt like the LoopDeLoom would be a well-loved creative toy for my daughter and I was right!  I also correctly predicted that all three of my children would very much enjoy the Paint Your Own Porcelain Bowls craft kit and the Usborne book of Illustrated Fairy Tales.  I knew these products would be a big hit because both the LoopDeLoom and the Paint Your Own Porcelain Bowls kit produce a final product our children could keep and enjoy forever if they wished.  And, fairy tales are magical stories meant to be enjoyed again and again.

Giving our children a creative outlet is such an important thing.  Even our 7 year old son, who does not usually show much interest in art, enjoyed painting his ceramic bowl.  He did not show the lack of patience he normally would.  Instead, he painted very deliberately and carefully.

Another Brilliance Award winner that helps children develop patience, as well as further develops fine motor skills, is the LoopDeLoom weaving kit.  Although this toy is recommended for children 8 years and older, our 7 year old daughter was quite adept at it.  At first, it seemed like it would take forever to finish, but after a little while, she could see her progress.  The best thing about this craft kit is that it takes concentration and is an enjoyable, yet quiet, sit-down activity.

The Usborne Illustrated Fairy Tales is a wonderful book with beautiful illustrations.  Our daughter will sit and read one fairy tale after another.  She also loves to reread them out loud to her twin brother at bedtime.  I have such fond memories of reading fairy tales and having them read to me as a child.  I'm happy to see my children experience the same magic.  I am definitely going to look into buying this book's counterpart Usborne Illustrated Adventure Stories for Christmas this year.

You can find all these award-winning children's gifts and many more quality children's items at Brilliant Sky Toys & Books.  If you have not yet visited your local store, be sure to bring your children soon to enjoy the hands-on experience, child-height shelves and displays, and the superior personalized customer service.  You can check for the closest store location here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

3 Ways to Have Fun Food-Free Classroom Celebrations for Birthdays and Other Occasions

Thank you to Winning Moves for providing an educational board game to facilitate this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

We're well into the month of December now, a time when most people are focused on their Holiday plans and finishing up their gift shopping.  For me, however, it is a time to think about how we will be celebrating our 3 children's January birthdays, the first of which is coming up in just a few weeks.  When the children were in preschool, we used to send in cupcakes and other treats to celebrate their birthdays, but now things are different.  In our health conscious grade school, cake and cookies and other sweets are not allowed in the classrooms, even for special occasions.  I am all for not giving our children sugar highs while they are supposed to be well-behaved and focused on learning.

Throughout the years, the school has slowly moved away from asking for healthy treats towards encouraging non-food celebrations for birthdays, the Holidays, and Valentine's Day.  This is actually a relief to me.  There were so many allergies to consider when providing treats for the class, including no eggs, no nuts, no dairy, and more.  I am in no way disappointed with this new trend.  If your school is encouraging non-food celebrations too, then here are three of my favorite ideas for celebrating food-free in the classrooms . . .

1.  Donate an educational game to the classroom.  This January in honor of their birthdays, all 3 of my children will be donating a fun game to each of their classrooms in addition to handing out multi-colored pens to each of their classmates.  I'm particularly excited about donating the game PayDay Classic Edition to our 4th grader's class.  Throughout the year, the class learns all about money, including earning classroom cash and paying fines for doing (or not doing) their homework, keeping a bankbook to track their balances, building and running a business, and more.  This board game is all about making and spending money and is just the perfect game to gift to my son's classroom.  There are many educational games out there that teach reading, counting, strategic thinking, problem solving, and more.  You just need to find the right one for your child's classroom.

2.  Send in a themed goodie bag for each student.  If you decide to go the goodie bag route, then why not put some thought into including items that really work together?  Random little items are fun, but items that can be used together for a particular activity can be even more fun.  For example, last year we sent goodie bags in for all the students in each twin's kindergarten class that contained a detective's pad, a pencil, and funny glasses (with attached nose and mustache) so the junior detectives could have disguises to wear when they were working undercover.  Those goodie bags were a huge hit!

3.  Do a fun craft with the whole class.  I think this is a fantastic idea, but I honestly have never done it.  If the thought of having to direct a group of 20 grade school children does not phase you (I don't know how teachers do it), then it would be a very cool celebration to have each student make something, which they can then keep.  Some easy ideas would be to make pencil cups for their desks, decorate notebooks, make magnets, or make bookmarks.  The possibilities are really endless and I'm certain that you will find some great ideas for low-mess kids crafts on Pinterest and at your local craft store.

What ideas do you have for non-food classroom celebrations?  Please do share your ideas because I have 3 children and many more birthday celebrations to plan in the coming years!

2013 Holiday Toy Gift Guide on 3G2S

Product samples of some of the items featured below were provided to facilitate this gift guide.  All opinions expressed are our own.


1.  Playmobil Spy Team Command Vehicle  ($64.99) - The Spy Team Command Vehicle comes with a host of accessories and figures to create a complete play experience. The Command Vehicle features an actual combination lock safe, firing missiles, and a secure chamber for locking down the most vile criminals. The set also includes 4 figures, guns, tools, toy money, and all of the accessories one would expect a team of spies to carry on a mission. The tires are grippy rubber and the front suspension really works powering the Spy Team Command Vehicle over the most challenging terrain.

Assembly should be easy for an adult, but a child may need assistance. Assembly requires about 10-15 minutes of your time. The Spy Team Command Vehicle would make an excellent gift for any aspiring spy hunter age 7 to 12.

You can learn more about the Spy Team Command Vehicle and other Playmobil toys at www.Playmobil.com.

2.  Dollie & me 18" Dolls by Madame Alexander  ($39.00) - Dollies are 18" fashion dolls made by Madame Alexander, who has been the gold standard in dolls over nearly a century.  Created with young girls in mind, these high quality yet affordable 18" dolls would be the perfect gift for any girl age 3 years or older, especially if you find American Girl dolls to be too costly.  There are currently 8 different dolls available, each with varying hair, eye, and skin color, modeling a stylish outfit complete with accessories.  You could choose a doll that resembles your little princess or perhaps one that looks like her best friend.

Dollie & me Matching Sleepwear  ($25.00 - $30.00) - What better gift to go along with a new Dollie for Christmas than matching pajamas or a nightgown for your little girl and her doll?  This Gingerbread Printed Nightgown is just  one of many styles available.  Dollie & me fashions come in girl's sizes 2T to 12 and the doll outfits fit most 18" dolls, including American Girl dolls.

To learn more about Dollie & me dolls and fashions, visit www.dollieme.com.

3.  Red Toolbox Billiard Table  ($49.99) - This billiard table is fun to use, but is unique because it comes unassembled and part of the entertainment of it is building this table together as a family project. This is a Level 2 project which is slightly harder and requires cutting, sawing, drilling, and other things that require adult assistance. The instructions are simple enough and only should about an hour to assemble. Once assembled, this table is a perfect, mini-sized version of regular pool table and comes with all the items needed to play the game including chalk for the sticks and a brush for the felt table. The Red Toolbox Billiard Table is perfect for any child who loves to make things, be creative, and see the fruits of their labor. Recommended for ages 8+ because of small parts.

Red Toolbox 8 Piece Toolset  ($39.99) - Perfect for building your billiard table or any other project, this child-sized toolset is great for small hands that love to be helpful with crafting and other handiwork. This set includes a bar clamp, hammer, tape measure, hand saw, 2 Phillips head screwdrivers, file, and safety goggles. Each is well-made out of durable materials and will likely hold up for many years.

To learn more about the Red Toolbox building toys, read our review and visit www.reevesintl.com.

4.  Playmobil Take Along Modern Dollhouse  ($59.99) - This new dollhouse by Playmobil is the perfect gift for any child 4 years or older who has a big imagination and needs an entertaining toy that can be easily taken along to a friend's or relative's house.  Playmobil sets are well-known for the awesome details in both their decals, as well as the numerous accessories that accompany each toy.  This set requires minimal assembly, but includes quite a few decals.  Be prepared for up to 20 minutes of set-up before this gift is ready to be played with.  Children will be delighted by drawers that open, tiny toiletries, a flat screen TV plus audio and video components that fit perfectly in the TV stand, everything needed to set the table for a meal, and a wide variety of foods to stock the refrigerator.  Also, if you have a child who loves to collect Playmobil figures, then he or she will be delighted with the boy, girl, baby, and 2 dogs that come with this dollhouse.

To learn more about the Playmobil Take Along Modern Dollhouse and other Playmobil toys, visit www.playmobil.us.

5.  Makedo Make Anything Kit for One  ($25.00) - Makedo’s award winning building system takes things that would usually be trash and turns them into hours of creative play. The Make Anything Kit for One contains 1 safe-saw, 29 re-pins, 29 re-clips, 6 lock hinges, and an inspiration poster. You bring the supplies and your own creativity to make anything you can think of. The Makedo supplies are made of high-quality plastic and are completely reusable so once you’re done with one masterpiece, just take it all apart and store the Makedo parts away until you are ready to create again.  This kit would be the perfect gift for a child age 5 years or older who is learning to repurpose and recycle things around the house.

Learn more about this and the other Makedo kits on their website, www.mymakedo.com.

6.  Glitzi Globes  ($7.99 - $19.99) - A new toy for 2013, Glitzi Globes by Moose Toys is a collectible toy that is also a mini craft.  Each Glitzi Globe comes with everything a child needs to make a glitter-filled snow globe, including the dome, the base, a character figure, 3 floating charms, and a glitter tablet.  Just add water and assemble the globe.  The finished globes can be used to display, used as pencil toppers, made into jewelry, and more.  Glitzi Globes would make the perfect gift for a crafty child age 5 years or older, who loves to collect cute and sparkly things.  Currently, this new toy line is available in the Glitzi Globes Glitzi Showcase, the Glitzi Globes Starter Kit, and the Glitzi Globes Themed Three Packs.

To learn more about Glitzi Globes, read our review and visit www.glitziglobes.com.

7.   Words With Friends Magnetic Game and Message Board  ($19.99) - You can now play Words With Friends, the popular mobile game app, at home! The Words With Friends Magnetic Game and Message Board contains a metal game board, 104 magnetic tiles, a tile bag, 4 metal tile racks, hooks, a dry erase marker and eraser, and all the parts to mount it right on your wall. Play goes just as it does on your mobile device, but you can instead play with the members of your family and even write little messages to each other. It is well made, fun, and sure to delight any word-lover you know.

Learn more about this magnetic version of Words With Friends here. This game can be purchased at most major retailers nationwide.

8.  B-Daman Crossfire Toys  (starting at $8.99) - B-Daman is a television show on the CW, which has been made into toys in which players launch marble-type balls into one another using their B-Daman launcher. This fast-paced game requires precision, skill, and fast fingers to defeat your opponent. B-Daman Crossfire’s vast line of toys is sure to appeal to children ages 6 and up (due to small parts which present a choking hazard). Whether they play alone or with others, they are sure to be delighted.

To learn more about B-Daman Crossfire Toys, read our review. To see their full line, visit www.HasbroToyShop.com.

9. Disney Planes Blu-ray/DVD Combo & Disney Planes Toys  ($4.99 - $29.99) - If you have a Disney Pixar Cars movie fan to shop for, then the Disney Planes movie might just be the perfect gift or stocking stuffer you're looking for.  Filled with action, dynamic characters, and important life lessons, Planes is a wonderful choice for a family movie.  This film teaches children to not be afraid to dream big, the importance of fair play, not to judge others by their appearances, and so much more.  Of course, what gift would be complete without a Planes toy or two to bring those movie characters to life?  The collectible and affordable die-cast figures would make fun add-on items to your movie gift.

To learn more about Disney Planes, visit movies.disney.com.

10.  Keekee the Rocking Monkey  ($24.99) - Blue Orange Games has done it again with this fun game designed for 1-6 players ages 3 and up. Keekee loves juggling balls and trying to balance herself on her favorite banana rocker. Players take turns placing balls in Keekee’s arms, on her head, or on the banana and try not to let Keekee fall over. This game is simple to set up and to play, but not so simple to master, making it a fun challenge. Keekee the Rocking Monkey would make a great gift for any child as young as 3 years old because the concept is easy to comprehend and reading is not required.  This game is also sure to please parents who are fans of wooden battery-free toys.

You can learn more about this and other Blue Orange Games products, by visiting www.blueorangegames.com.

11.  Breyer Chalkboard Horse  ($14.99) - Breyer is best known for its collectible model horses, but also offers playsets, activity sets, and other horse-themed toys.  Whether a child has already started their Breyer Horses collection or is looking forward to owning their very first, the Breyer Chalkboard Horse would make a fun and unique gift.  This 9.5" black horse comes with 4 pieces of chalk for drawing and a small sponge that can be moistened to clean off the horse when it's time to start a new design.  When the weather is too cold or too wet outside for drawing with chalk, this chalkboard horse would make a fun quiet rainy day activity.  This horse comes in a ready-to-wrap box and is recommended for ages 6 and up.

To learn more about this and other Breyer products, visit www.breyerhorses.com.

12. Wok ‘n Roll  ($21.99) - In this entertaining game from the Therapy Shoppe, players use tongs to remove colorful plastic food from a wok while the surface vibrates, gyrates, rocks, and rolls. This fun game requires fine motor skills, visual motor skills, sorting, color recognition, and counting, but hones these skills without children realizing it. Designed for 1 to 4 players ages 3 and older (because of choking risk with the “food” pieces), this game would be a fun gift for any child, but especially those who need to develop those skills. This game does require 2 “AA” batteries, so be sure to include them with your gift and it’s worth noting that the game needs a solid, stable surface in order to function.

Learn more about this and the Therapy Shoppe’s other amazing products at www.therapyshoppe.com.

13.  Glow Pets  ($29.95) - From the makers of Pillow Pets comes Glow Pets. Glow Pets are plush animals that double as comfy pillows and they glow! These plush toys come with internal LED lights that are just bright enough to make the dark a little less scary.  The internal lights are also easy to turn on and off with a handy button and each one comes with a built-in 20 minute shut off timer, in order to avoid wasting batteries or burning out the bulbs while children are sleeping. In addition to the Glow Seal, Glow Pets are also available in a Bear, Zebra, Turtle, Unicorn, Pup, Penguin, and Snail.  This plush toy (approximately 15") would be the perfect gift for a child 3 years or older, who is afraid of the dark or just needs a little extra security during the night.

You can learn more about Glow Pets by visiting www.glowpets.com.

14.  Blingles Glimmer Glam Styler Studio  ($19.99) - Blingles is a line of gem craft kits that was introduced in 2012.  For 2013, they have expanded their line to include the new Blingles Glimmer glitter kits.  The Glam Styler Studio has all the tools a child needs to create gem-adorned glitter stickers, which can be used to decorate phone cases, diaries, notebooks, and almost anything with a smooth flat surface.  It comes with 4 wells of colored glitter, clear gems, a glitter brush, a gem pen, plus several sheets of specially designed stickers.  The Blingles Glimmer Glam Styler Studio would make a delightful gift for a child age 6 years or older, but would especially be perfect for tweens.  You could also pair it with the Blingles Bling It Beauty Case ($14.99), which comes with a locking mirrored beauty case that can be decorated with both Blingles gems and Blingles Glimmer stickers.

To learn more about Blingles and Blingles Glimmer products, read our review and visit www.myblingles.com.


More fun gift ideas in toys will be added to this Holiday Gift Guide through December.  Remember to check back often and to follow @_Karen on Twitter to keep up with what's new!

Create Fun Toys with PomTree Craft Kits for Children

Thank you to PomTree, Inc. for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own.

PomTree Kids is a company dedicated to giving kids the chance to have battery-free fun with arts and crafts that can be played with for hours on end once they are assembled. They boast that their kits are easy to put together, fun, require no glue, and are mess-free. We were sent two of their 3D kits to try out and we were really excited to assemble and play with these crafts.

The Feathered Friends Post Office, winner of the Dr. Toy's Best Picks award, contains 94 pieces that fit together to make a fun mailbox home for the birds included. This kit was easy to assemble, though it did require my hot glue gun a couple times because they wouldn’t stay together. Some of the pieces were not cut very well, so I had to use scissors a couple times as well. Overall, the kit was fairly easy and my 6 ½ year old only needed my help a few times. He has played with it quite a bit since its completion, so it has continued to be fun once the assembly was complete.

The Twinkle Top Treehouse we received was missing its instructions and it had 275 pieces, so it was significantly harder to put together. This one took my 12 year old and myself over an hour to do and it was very irritating at points. This one also require my hot glue gun and scissors several times to hold pieces in place. Once complete, this treehouse is very cute, though not very stable, and my 6 year old has played with it as well.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you ever experience issues with your PomTree product, such as missing instructions, you can simply contact PomTree Customer Service at (855) 458-8766 for assistance.  One of PomTree's top priorities is customer satisfaction.

My general experience with these kits was okay. They would have been fun if they’d both had instructions and were either more stable or had some way to adhere some pieces together. They have been fun to play with post-assembly and my 6 year old has enjoyed them. If you have a patient child who loves crafts, these kits would be great for them. Just be prepared to need glue sometimes.

To learn more about these and all PomTree Kids’ craft kits at their website, www.pomtreekids.com. They have products that start at $5.99.

Our contest winner may choose to receive one of the following:

• Sparkle Fun Playhouse Kit • $19.99
• Over The Moon Creamery Playset Kit • $9.99
• Sunnyside Up Market Playset Kit • $9.99
• Feathered Friends Post Office Playset Kit • $9.99
• Twinkle Top Treehouse Playset Kit • $9.99 
• Swing-A-Long Pet Playset Kit • $9.99
• Sweet Sundaes Treat Truck Playset Kit • $9.99
• Small Sticker Tub • Ages 3+ • $6.99
• Large Sticker Tub • Ages 3+ • $9.99
• Playscape Mega Creativity Kit • Ages 5+ • $12.99
• 'Our Day On The Town' Sticker Storybook • Ages 3+ • $5.99

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random number drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Text-UR Foam Turns Crafting Into a Fun Sensory Experience for Children

Thank you to FibreCraft for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon and for providing additional products for our contest prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

If your children like crafts (and my 6 year old really does!) they will love Text-UR Foam from FibreCraft. Text-UR Foam takes art to a whole new dimension . . . literally. This craft foam is the same spongy, cut-able version as the regular craft store foam, but with fun textures and 3D space-urs that make what otherwise would be ordinary projects three dimensional. With themed kits and free-for-all ones too, any child is sure to find something they would love to build and create with Text-UR foam.

We received the stand-up turtle, flower frame, stand-up bee, bug shapes, and multi-colored foam sheets kits. Each kit comes with the Text-UR Foam pieces that are pre-cut (all but the sheets kit) so you can just pop it out and start creating.

The Text-UR Foam itself comes in many textures like dotty, scaly, or bumpy, so it’s a great sensory experience just holding them. Creating the items is fun too and pretty simple so nearly any child preschool age and up could do it with a little help from an adult. This is certainly an entertaining, unique craft kit that is sure to delight children of all ages. I know that everyone in our family (including the adults) loved creating projects with the Text-UR Foam and it will be staple in my art cabinet from here on out.

Text-UR Foam is available at Michaels, Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores, Meijer, Amazon.com, and A.C. Moore. It has packages priced from $2.99 to $8.99, so it’s very reasonably price for any budget.


Our giveaway winner will be able to choose one of the packages below as their prize . . . 

The Standard Package (ARV $27.95)

• 1 shape kit- The bug kit - 7.99 value
• 1 frame kit (flower theme) - 3.99 value
• 1 Bee Standup kit - 3.99 value
• 1 turtle standup kit (exclusive to Michaels) - 3.99 value
• 1 foam sheets kit (the package of Multi color sheets) - 7.99 value

The Crafty Package (ARV $23.96)

• 1 shape kit - 3.99 value
• 2 FOAM sheet KITS - 7.99 each
• 1 OWL KIT- (exclusive to Michaels)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random number drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Weekend Wishlist: DC Logo Backpack, Ninja Children's Storybook, 30-Pair Shoe Rack, and More!

It's Friday!  That means I've been browsing the new sales on Zulily.  I love shopping on the weekends because I only pay shipping on my first order and get free shipping on everything else from Friday through midnight on Sunday.  Even though summer vacation only started a few weeks ago, I am now turning my focus to back-to-school.  I have 3 different lists of school supplies to tackle, wishlists from 3 different classrooms, as well as filling in the holes in our children's fall wardrobe.  My 9 year old son also managed to break the chest strap on his backpack during the last week of school, so I have been keeping my eye out for a new one for him.

What's new on my Zulily wishlist today?

1.  Stainless Steel 'Hope & Humility' Inspirational Cuff - $23.99 (Originally $60)

2.  Core Kitchen Teal Woven Square Cast Iron Trivet - $16.99 (Originally $30)

3.  Collins Black 'I'm Not Bossy' Pillow - $8.99 (Originally $17)

4.  Home Basics Pink & Silver 30-Pair Shoe Rack - $21.99 (Originally $45)

5.  DC Dark Red Dodgy Backpack - $21.99 (Originally $45)

6.  Dily Black & Blue Dress - $14.99 (Originally $40)

7.  'Nighttime Ninja' Hardcover Children's Book - $10.99 (Originally $17)

8.  Artzooka! Recycled Art with Stickers: Theme 1 Kit - Set of 3 - $7.99 (Originally $12)


If you haven't already, be sure to checkout my post "6 Tips for Shopping on Zulily"!  What's on your weekend wishlist from Zulily or somewhere else?

Wonder Box Filled With Children's Craft Projects

My 5 year old son, Quinn, loves to do crafty projects, so when Education.com offered us a chance to try a Wonder Box, I knew Quinn would love it. Each Wonder Box includes instructions and everything you need to complete three creative, hands-on projects at home and each is centered around a fun theme. The people at Education.com work with teachers and other experts to choose activities that build critical skills for school and they only send the highest quality materials. Plus, each recipient gets access to their website full of additional activity ideas. Wonder Box is a neat concept because you pay for a subscription every month, which is $19.99, and they automatically send you the box monthly.

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We received the "Once Upon a Time" Wonder Box which included a puppet, cape, story cards, plus a book and recipe for Stone Soup. Upon opening the attractive packaging, I was immediately struck by just how “high quality” the materials really were. I truly expected cheesy projects with cheap materials and this box contained neither of those. They really are great quality materials that are sure to stand the kid test of time. Quinn really enjoyed decorating his cape, creating his fun monster puppet, and reading and creating his own stories with the book and story cards. He is already looking forward to getting another Wonder Box, which I guess means we’ll be buying a subscription.

If you have a 3-6 year old, I’m sure they would love to get a Wonder Box from Education.com. Plus, you can trust that their box will always be filled with things that will get them thinking and get their creative juices flowing.

Thank you to Education.com for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a second product for our contest prize.

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Add Some Bling to Everything with Blingles Gem Craft Kits

Our daughter just loves anything that sparkles, so I knew right away that she would be so excited to try out the new Blingles craft kits.  Blingles is a clever way to add some bling to just about anything with a few exceptions, such as fabric.  These kits are recommended for children ages 6 and over, but I would say that it would be more suited for those who are 8 and up.  Even as an adult, I think some parts of the process need a little practice to master.

We received the Blingles Accessory Pack, which includes 250 gems, the gem pen and mat, a trinket box, a picture frame, a key chain, 2 note cards, 8 stencils, and more.  Our daughter was extremely excited to get started and could not decide which accessory she wanted to decorate first.

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We decided to just choose a stencil to get started on creating a design and then decide what to put the design on later.  Our daughter immediately knew she wanted to make the design with the two stars.  To create a design, simply follow the steps below . . .

Step 1.  Place the selected stencil in the tray and then place the gem mat on top of the stencil.

Step 2.  Using the gem pen, press the sticky tip onto the colored side of the desired gem to pick it up.  Then push it into place on top of the gem mat, while matching up the gems with the stencil.  If needed, flip the pen to use the non-sticky tip to reposition the gems on the gem mat.

Step 3.  Peel away the center of the a transfer slide and place the sticky side down on top of the completed gem design.  Then rub the gems so that they all adhere to the transfer slide when you gently lift the slide up.

Step 4.  Tear off one square off the blue glue roll.  Then peel away the center.  Place the transfer slide on top of the exposed glue area so that the gems are sandwiched between the slide and the glue square.  Rub the gems only to cause the glue to adhere to the bottoms sides of the gems.

Step 5.  Gently lift off the transfer slide and position it lightly on top of where you would like to apply the gems.  Rub the gems only to make the gems stick to the surface of the item you are decorating.  Then lift the transfer slide off the gems, which should now be firmly attached to your item's surface.

This is how our first attempt at using Blingles turned out . . . 

I was a little overzealous with rubbing the gems on the glue square, so some extra glue got onto the transfer slide, which then transferred over to the item's surface when I transferred the gems.

Having seen the steps above, hopefully you can see that this toy is a better fit for an older child.  Our nearly 6 year old daughter did have the patience and the dexterity to create the design with the gems, but it took her a very long time.  I had to finish placing the gems onto the smaller star for her because her hands got tired.  There was no way she would be able to complete the rest of the steps on her own, but I think a child 8 years old or older would be able to.

Our daughter was extremely pleased with the results and she was very proud because she made most of that design herself.  Once we get the hang of it, I am sure we will be creating our own designs without the use of a stencil, like initials for example.  In addition to the accessories included in the kit, these gems would look great on cell phones and phone cases, barrettes, earrings and pendants with flat surfaces, and more.

The Blingles Accessory Kit retails for $16.99.  Other Blingles kits range in price from $9.99 to $19.99 and can be purchased from major toy retailers, such as Toys"R"Us and Target.  To learn more about the entire line, visit MyBlingles.com.


Thank you to Blingles for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a second product as our contest prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!