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.

Decorate Pencil Boxes, Lockers, and More with Gelarti Paint & Decorate Stickers

Thank you to Gelarti 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.

For many families, back-to-school is an exciting time for buying new clothes, gear, and supplies for school.  To add to that excitement, children can personalize their school supplies with Gelarti stickers.  No two Gelarti stickers are exactly alike because children paint and decorate the stickers themselves.

We received the Gelarti Designer Studio, the Gelarti Activity Pack, the Gelarti Enchanted Forest Glow-in-the-Dark Designer Series, the Gelarti Fashion Puppies Glitter Designer Series, and the Gelarti Rock/Funky Fun Scene Pack to try our hand at decorating our children's pencil boxes for school . . .

The Designer Studio comes with everything you need to get started, including the Designer Studio, 6 sheets of stickers, 4 paint pens, 12 gems and 6 embellishments, and 1 marbling tool.  The Designer Studio itself is a handy thing to have because it holds and rotates your sticker sheet and stores your embellisments, but it is not a necessity.  You can buy any of the Gelarti sets and use only the paint pens and stickers to start creating.  The marbling tool does come in handy for more than just marbling though and it seems to only come with the Designer Studio and the Activity Packs.

Gelarti Designer Studio

The Activity Pack is a fun set to own because it comes with themed stickers for a variety of seasons and holidays in addition to 2 sun catcher ornaments, 5 paint pens, a greeting card to decorate, and a marbling tool.

Gelarti Activity Pack

Gelarti products are recommended for users age 5 and up.  Our daughter is 6 and quite artistic, so I was not surprised that she found the Gelarti sets so easy to use.  There is a very small learning curve because the different types of paint (original, glow-in-the-dark, glitter, etc . . . ) each have a different consistency.  Some you will need to squeeze the bottle hard to get the paint out and some will just drip out on their own.  On the same note, some paints will generally stay were you put it, while others will spread out without your help.  I highly suggest you place a folded piece of paper towel next to your work space so that you can test out each paint for color and consistency.  It's also helpful to squeeze out any air bubbles that may be in each paint pen before applying paint to your sticker.

Using Gelarti is as easy as 1, 2, 3 . . . 

1.  Fill the white spaces within the black outlines on your sticker with the paints of your choice.

2.  Use the marbling tool to drag or swirl your paint, if desired.  You can also add gemstones or embellishments if you like.

3.  Here comes the hard part . . . let your freshly painted sticker dry for at least 6 hours.

Our 6 year old daughter's first creation using Gelarti.

I must say that Gelarti is a little addictive.  When you think you're done decorating your project with Gelarti stickers, you will likely decide that you could probably fit one or two more.

Our 6 year daughter can pretty much use Gelarti independently.  Once in awhile, she will ask me to use a wet paper towel to wipe off some paint that has landed or spread onto a spot where it was not meant to be.  I have also helped her by using the marbling tool to push paint back into place or to remove paint that has accidentally covered the black outlines.

Although most of the Gelarti stickers seem to be geared towards girls, our two sons both found some stickers they wanted to paint.  In fact, our 9 year old son decided to decorate his pencil box too.

Here are a few of the other things we decorated . . .

Tree stumps, logs, mushrooms, green plants, a frog, a spider, bats, a moon, and stars on the outside of our hermit crab habitat.

A sun catcher using an owl sticker with gemstone eyes. We marbleized the owl's belly, but while the paint dried, the colors seemed to pull back together.  Also, a large bubble formed during the drying process.

Our 6 year old daughter painted this tree and added two 3-dimensional embellishments.  She used this to decorate her toy safe.

This owl is also on our daughter's toy safe. She inadvertently let two colors run together, but then decided that she liked the way it looked.

Gelarti stickers can stick to almost any clean flat smooth surface.  They are also removeable and reusable.  To learn more about Gelarti and to find some useful tips and tricks, visit GelartiStickers.com.


The prize pack for this contest includes the following items . . . 

• Gelarti Designer Studio (ARV $19.99)
• Gelarti Activity Pack (ARV $16.99)
• Gelarti Glitter Designer Series (ARV $12.99)
• Gelarti 3D Glow-in-the-Dark Designer Series (ARV $12.99)
• Gelarti 3D Butterfly World (ARV $16.99)

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.

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.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

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!

How To Dress-Up Your FP Girl (FPGirl.com) Printable e-Gift Certificate

A couple of months ago, our daughter was invited to a birthday party for one of her friends who has almost everything.  Usually in that situation, I would buy the birthday girl or boy a gift certificate or gift card, but that is not always the case when the child is younger.  This girl was only turning 6 years old, but I made an exception.  I ended up purchasing an electronic gift certificate to FPGirl.com (formerly Fashion Playtes).  Normally, I would opt for a physical gift certificate or a gift card to be mailed to me, but I was uncertain I would receive this one on time, so I ended up printing one out at home instead.

Since it is not very fun for a little girl to receive a piece of paper for her birthday, I thought I would help my daughter dress the gift certificate.  You can do this easy craft with most gift certificates that you can print online.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Printed 8-1/2" x 11" gift certificate

Sheet of 9" x 12" coordinating construction paper

Printed (or solid) satin or grosgrain ribbon (Approx. 40")

Glue stick

All-purpose white glue

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Step 1.  Fold your construction paper in half.  Then do the same to your printed gift certificate, so that the printed sides are face-to-face.

Step 2.  Using the glue stick, apply glue to the blank side of the gift certificate.  Then carefully secure it to the construction paper, matching up the fold lines and making sure the amount of construction paper showing on the left, right, top, and bottom edges are even.

Step 3.  Cut a piece of ribbon about 22" long.

Step 4.  Fold the ribbon in half, then using all-purpose white glue, adhere the ribbon (printed side up) to the front and back of the outside of the construction paper, matching up the fold in the ribbon to the crease on the paper and bisecting the construction paper lengthwise.  (See photo above.)

Step 5.  To create something decorative for the front, I created a simple printable coloring page (about 5" x 7") by using images from the FP Girl site and a basic graphics program.  You can also just give your child a blank piece of paper to draw something from scratch and then help him or her write a birthday message.

Step 6.  Using the glue stick, adhere the 5" x 7" paper to the front of the card you created right over the ribbon, making sure that it is centered.

Step 7.  Cut 2 pieces of ribbon approximately 7-1/2" in length each.

Step 8.  Using the all-purpose white glue, adhere the ribbon to the front of the card, covering the top and bottom edges of the 5" x 7" piece of paper.  (NOTE:  If you choose to, you can also glue ribbon over the left and right edges also.)

Step 9.  Loosely tie the ribbon that hangs down the front and back of the card together.  (You do not want to tie it too tightly, otherwise the child might have difficulty opening it and may tear the paper.)

Step 10.  Trim the ends of the tied ribbon to the desired length either at a slant or dovetailed.


My daughter was so excited to give this special gift to her friend.  Since she loves designing clothes on the FP Girl website, she knew her friend would love it too, especially since FP Girl has a special My Little Pony section.  The gift was a huge hit and I will definitely be doing this again for her friends in the future.

Creating With Colors: My Ribbon Barrette Maker Kit

If you have read my recent review of my daughter's Stun floral dress, then you may have already seen her proudly showing off her pink and purple ribbon barrette that I created for her using the My Ribbon Barrette Maker (from the creators of the My Friendship Bracelet Maker and the new My Friendship Bracelet Maker Traveler).  This well-designed award-winning product is recommended for children ages 6 and older, so I was the one who had the privilege of testing it out, while our 5 year old daughter reaped the benefits.  Although she would have understood the simple steps involved in making a ribbon barrette, it does take more care and patience than a 5 year old would have.  For example, much care must be taken to make sure the ribbon is not twisted and that there are no gaps in the weave.

The My Ribbon Barrette Maker is designed to store all your supplies, as well as be the extra pairs of hands you need to create a beautiful barrette.  To get you started, it comes stocked with 16 ribbons, 128 beads, and 8 barrettes.  The work area doubles as a lid that slides into place to cover your supplies, making this kit very portable for your child's next long car trip or rainy vacation day.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Making a ribbon barrette is as easy as following these simple steps . . . 

1.  Place an open barrette in the holder.

2.  Select 2 different colors of ribbon and tie it to the top of the barrette, knotting it on the underside, while making sure the length of the ribbons on each side are similar.

3.  Slide the 4 strands of ribbon into the clearly marked slots, the first color into slots 1L and 1R and the second color into slots 2L and 2R.

4.  Feed the ribbon from slot 1L downward through the center of the barrette, pulling it taut and sliding it into slot 3R.  Do the same with the ribbon in slot 1R, then slide it into slot 3L.  Repeat this with the second color of ribbon from slots 2L and 2R, inserting those into slots 4R and 4L.  If you have done this correctly, you should see an alternating pattern of color.

5.  Move the ribbon from slot 3L to 1L, the ribbon from slot 3R to 1R, the ribbon from slot 4L to 2L, and the ribbon from slot 4R to 2R.

6.  Repeat steps 4 and 5 until your barrette is completely covered.  Then double-knot the ribbon to secure the weave in place.

7.  Select which beads you would like to tie onto the ends of the four strands of ribbon.  (Remember that too many beads might make the barrette heavy and cumbersome.)  Then trim the end of each ribbon at a slant to make it easier to feed them through the beads.

8.  When deciding on the length of the ribbons, the longest one should be no longer than the child's hair.  The rest of the ribbon lengths should be staggered.  Once the desired lengths have been determined, simply tie a single knot in the ribbon to keep the beads from sliding off and trim the ribbon about 1/8" from the knots.

I made this barrette to match my daughter's Easter dress.  I look forward to making more where she can choose the colors.  I think these would also be fun for her to give to some of her friends at school just like giving friendship bracelets.

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In keeping with the theme of friendship, the Choose Friendship Company launched an anti-bullying campaign earlier this year with this music video of the song "Inside Out" (sung by Marisa Nahas) promoting friendship and how one person can start a chain reaction to stop bullying.

To learn more about the Choose Friendship Company, visit ChooseFriendship.co.  For more information about the My Friendship Bracelet Maker, the My Friendship Bracelet Maker Traveler, or the My Ribbon Barrette Maker, visit MyFBM.com and Friendship Bracelet Maker on Facebook.

Thank you to the Choose Friendship Company for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck in the drawing!

Creating With Colors: How to Make a Picture Book with Tracing

This project has an educational benefit and could be categorized as a Kindergartner-in-Training activity, although it can be tailored to fit any grammar school grade.  The goal is to create a picture book that your child can be proud of based on a theme of phonics and spelling.  This is a long term project that cannot be completed in one sitting.  Our 4.5 year old twins were able to complete the cover and one page of their books, while our 7.5 year old son was able to finish the cover and two pages of his book.

Today's Project:  Learning Picture Books

Ask your child to create a picture book of everyday objects that he or she likes or has an interest in using tracing shapes and dot-to-dot stampers.

Supplies Needed:

1)  Blank Journal Notebook (one for each child)
2)  Jumbo Tracing Shapes
3)  Dot-to-Dot Tracing Stampers
4)  Colorations Washable Stamp Pads (one or more colors)
5)  Crayons or markers in assorted colors
6)  Paper towels

(Click any image to enlarge)

Step 1.  After deciding whether the book should be in a landscape or portrait format, ask your child to choose a shape that he or she likes or has an interest in.  Have him or her trace the shape onto the cover, making sure to leave enough room for his or her name.  Then ask your child to fill in the details of the shape and color it in with crayons or markers.

Tip #1:  We chose the person shape for the cover, so that each child could do a self-portrait.

Step 2.  Have your child choose the color ink pad he or she would like to use (if you have more than one).  Then help your child select the correct letters from the Tracing Stampers to spell out his or her name.  Next, either you or your child should use the letters to stamp out your child's name on the front cover.

Tip #2:  For our preschoolers, we used all upper-case letters to spell out their names.  For our 2nd grader, we used one uppercase stamp for the first letter in his name and then lowercase for the rest.  Use your judgement as far as where your child is with letter recognition.


Tip #3.  After using each stamper, wipe off the excess ink on a clean paper towel.

Step 3.  Have your child trace over the dotted lines of each letter using a sharp crayon or a marker.

Step 4.  Repeat Step #1 for the first inside page of the book.


Step 5.  Use a letter stamper to stamp the first letter of the object onto the page.  (For example, our daughter chose to put a heart on her first page.  So the letter she stamped on that page was an uppercase "H".)  Then have your child use a crayon or a marker to trace over the dotted lines forming the letter.

Tip #4:  For an older child, you can ask him or her to think of a word related to the object that he or she does not know how to spell.

Here are the results of our project . . . 

(Click any image to enlarge)

As previously mentioned, our preschool-aged daughter chose a heart for her first page and her twin brother chose a plane.  The two words our 2nd grader chose to use in his book so far are "chimney" and "exhaust."

If you need to stock up on art, crafts, and school supplies for your child, visit DiscountSchoolSupply.com.  Through August 26th, you can receive an additional 15% off your order when you checkout using Code: 4THEKIDS.


Thank you to Discount School Supply for providing complimentary products samples for us to use in this project.