Fall began and I started thinking of some fall crafts. I had those frames I bought ages ago on clearance and had made some spring themed décor. To make a fall one I pulled out my Cuttlebug. I have an apple embossing folder and used it for the background paper. Then I used the die to cut out "Hello". I found an apple shaped Post-It Note pad and traced it to cut out an large apple and wrote fall on it. Then I used some leaf punches for the small leaves. I love how it all came out.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Fall begins tomorrow and soon the weather will catch back up with the seasons. It has been rather warm here this weekend. It is time to start thinking about the cooler weather and getting ready for it. Today I am going to share a book about knitting fingerless gloves. They are perfect for those cool days when your hands just feel cold but you still want use of your fingers.
With my new business of selling Thirty-One Gifts as an Independent Consultant I have not had as much time and energy to put into Crafty Moms Share. Over the summer I thought and prayed and discussed what to do. Hazel really wants me to keep it going. I considered stopping it. When I started this blog in 2011 I was sharing things I was doing with Hazel and she was only 2.5 years-old. Now she is 10.5 and does a lot on her own. We stopped Sharing Saturday because of the low participation and Crafty Weekends is also dwindling. I love having others share their crafts and ideas but link parties seem to be a bit of a thing of the past. Then I also feel pressure to work on book reviews and I realized I have been getting too many books to review and many do not motivate me to review them, so we decided to cut back on book reviews as well as how many we accept. We also discussed what we would do with Crafty Moms Share. One of our most popular series ever has been Fairy Tales in Different Cultures. While we looked at a few fairy tales we really focused on Cinderella. She was Hazel's favorite princess at the time and there are so many different versions easily available and most are in picture books which were perfect for Hazel at the time. Now she has a few different favorite princesses. Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) and the Frog Princess (Tiana) are among the top ones. So we are going to restart this series and look at some of the other fairy tales a bit more. I even gave our button a new look for it. What do you think?
Disclosure: Leisure Arts sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Did you know yesterday was National Coloring Book Day? After I found out I spent the day coloring!! I was going to write this review as well but I got engrossed in coloring. In honor of the fun day I want to share with you a new coloring book. It is The Colors of Nature: A Color, Draw & Sketch Book for All Things Wild & Free by Lindsay Hopkins.
Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I have been gathering all summer some amazing educational books. And now that school has started again, I think it is beyond time for me to share them with you!! These books are for various ages and are for various subjects. There is English, history, geography, science and more!! Talk about a fun mix. I even have some educational game books!! Hazel has been loving these. Let's start with Shakespeare!!
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this kit in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Well school has started here and Mother Nature has turned the switch to fall weather. But after a few weeks off from Crafty Weekends we are back!! Today I am sharing a fun origami kit perfect for Sunday School and Bible lessons for kids. It is Origami Bible Stories for Kids Kit by Andrew Dewar.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Did you know today is National Read a Book Day? Well that means we should all be reading a book instead of being on our computers!! However before you log off let me tell you about an amazing book that everyone needs to read. This book helps touch on the issues of sexual harassment, the #metoo movement, and bullying that plagues our society. It does it in a very every day manner for a seventh grader, Mila. The book is Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee. It is being released on October 1st and I have to say I hope every middle school and high school add this to their classes (perhaps summer reading list). The lessons in this book are important for everyone from the young woman who may be harassed to the young men who are playing a game or fooling around and do not realize the true trouble they are causing. Parents and teachers should be reading it as well to help with how to deal with it and how to react when a child approaches them with issues.
Disclosure: We were sent this book for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are our own.
Today we get to share a new novel by Lindsay Lackey called All the Impossible Things. This book is being released today! It is recommended for ages 8 to 12 and since Hazel is in that age, she is sharing the book today. ==================================================
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. How do you explain to a young child when someone close to him or her gets really sick? Perhaps it is a grandparent or a parent or maybe it is even a sibling or a friend. No matter who it is a young child may have trouble really understanding and may not know how to deal with it. Today I am going to share a book with you to help you explain and to help the child cope with what is going on. The book is How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear? by Vanessa Bayer and illustrated by Rosie Butcher.
