Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Happy First Day of Spring!! Spring is my favorite season because I love watching things come back to life. One sure sign of spring are the birds. Yesterday I saw a robin in our yard and this morning I was awoken to the quacking of the ducks. Sure signs spring is here!! In honor of the first day of spring I thought I would share the books that have been collecting on my review shelf about things that fly--birds and machines! I hope these will inspire you to get the kids outside and looking to the sky!!
This week I had big plans to share a fun new book, but between my tiredness (and making mistakes) and my sewing machine acting up, it is not going to happen, so we are going straight to the party!!
Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. March is Women's History Month and today I am sharing a round-up of books for you to check out to celebrate many amazing women. Some are women you have heard of and others are about women you may not have heard of. I always love learning about new, amazing women. Don't you? These books range in ages from baby (board book) to around 11. We will start with our board book.
Disclosure: Wisdom Tales Press sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Did you know the Jewish holiday, Purim, is next week? Purim is held every spring. The date changes since the Jewish calendar is a combined lunar and solar calendar. Purim it the day to remember when Queen Esther saved all the Jewish people from death. Now you may be asking, why is a Christian blogger telling us about a Jewish holiday (possibly that I never heard of). Well the Book of Esther in the Bible tells us the story. It also happens to be Hazel's favorite story in the Bible so we have looked at it quite a bit. Queen Esther had to have faith and courage to save her people and she is someone many girls can use as a role model. An interesting side note is that God is not mentioned in the entire Book of Esther.
Disclosure: Artsy Couture sent me these prints of my sister's photographs in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. A couple of weeks ago I shared with you how my sisters and I are fixing up my parents (and grandparents) former house on Cape Cod to rent out. We want some home decor with Cape Cod/beach theme without being too personal. My sister who is an amazing photographer (she has an art degree and use to work professionally as a photographer), took some photos of places around the house and sent them to me. I asked Artsy Couture for help in making them into something we can use at the house (that is if I am willing to give them up--I haven't decided yet). The house sits on a saltwater marsh on the bay side so it has the most beautiful sunsets. She was able to capture one in these photographs.
We have had a hard week and a half or so. Last weekend Hazel had the stomach bug and a high fever. I managed not to catch it from her but then Thursday I got it while we were out at our last trip to the Boston American Girl Store (it closes on the 20th). I am finally starting to feel like I may be back to normal tonight. However on Tuesday or Wednesday I did manage to run some errands and found the sweetest spring wall decor at Joann Fabrics. However I didn't want to spend the money on them and thought it would be fun to make our own. I happened to find some smaller framed Valentine wall art in the clearance section and some scrapbook paper on clearance as well. Then I got some wooden circles at Walmart. Hazel and I decided to use our words for 2019. I painted the circles with chalkboard paint because I had some. We picked out our background paper and glued them in. I wrote our words on them in pink paint marker. Then glued the circles into the frames. Next we decided to decorate them.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of each of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. It is hard to believe that Ash Wednesday is this week!! Every year I try to find ways to prepare myself and my family for Easter and one thing I enjoy is having some devotional to help me become more focused on Jesus and the true meaning behind the amazing holiday of Easter. This year I found an amazing small devotional. It is The Easter Code by O.S. Hawkins.
Be sure to enter my giveaway for a canvas print that ends Monday night!! This week I had big plans to share another craft book since it is National Craft Month, but the stomach bug has hit our house and I have been disinfecting everything in hopes of not getting it myself. So we are going to skip right to the party!!
Disclosure: Canvas Factory gave me a coupon code to receive this canvas for free and is offering one to a lucky reader!! So last spring my parents surprised us with the news that they wanted to move out of the house my grandparents built on Cape Cod. The initial thought had been to sell the house, but once we all worked on getting them moved and the house somewhat emptied my father changed his mind. It was his parents that built the house. This is a house we spent most of our school vacations and at least a week or more of the summer at while growing up. It has always been a second home to us. My parents moved there when my grandmother was not doing well and couldn't take care of herself. After she died, they stayed there. They had already sold their home in Connecticut by that point. So this was a bit of a crazy time for all of us. In July we went from get the house on the market to fix up the house for renters. One of my sisters, bless her, has been doing the majority of the work. She was trained to paint houses and has a bit of an eye for design. She is also the pickiest out of the three of us. Well we decided to decorate the house with non-personal photos and pictures of beach life. My other sister (who use to work for a photographer) happened to take this amazing photograph on the beach that you can walk to from the house. I approached Canvas Factory for help with some of our decorating.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Since Hazel was young she always enjoys a story from another country. She loves learning about other cultures and learning words in other languages and so much more. Today I am sharing a round-Up of books from various cultures to learn more about them. Let's start with a book of stories from India. It is Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship by Chitra Soundar and illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy.
Disclosure: C&T Publishing sent me this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own! I will receive a small stipend for purchases made through the links in this post. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!
We have had a lovely vacation week this past week. Hazel was off from school and Steve took the week off as well. Unfortunately he got sick for the first part and missed our trip to Cape Cod to visit my parents. But today I had time to myself and started to work on a craft. Did you know February is National Embroidery Month? In honor of that I am sharing a Handy Pocket Guide: Embroidery Guide by Christen Brown.
As I thought about Black History Month and the Blog Hop, I wanted to find something fun to share with you. I reviewed two great books for grades 3+ for Black History Month last week, so I was looking for something more of a lesson and research. I am lucky. I have a former colleague who is black and was a history teacher (now a vice principal) and every February he shares 28 posts about black history. I considered taking some of the people and events in his posts to share with you, but as I started researching some of them I found all these amazing inventions we use almost every day that were invented or helped to be invented by black people. So I am going to share some black inventors and their creations with you.
It is school vacation week here, so I have been focusing on family time and haven't got a craft to share or product to review. So it is time to see what you have been creating! Thank you to everyone who shared with us at our last party. There were some great ideas shared. Below are a few of the features from our last party, but be sure to go back and check out the many great crafts shared! A new Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop started today so go share all your diverse and cultural posts there. I can't wait to see what your latest creations are!!
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own. February has a lot packed in it this year. We have Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year, and I haven't even started on Black History Month. Today I am going to share two amazing resources for Black History Month. These books are for grades 3 or higher. Be sure to come back on Monday for my post for the Multicultural Kid Blogs Black History Month Blog Hop. The first book I want to share has been around for a couple of years and has received a few honor rewards. It is Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Ekua Holmes. And the first thing I am going to say about this book is "WOW!!"
Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing sent me a copy of this kit in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Can you believe Valentine's Day is Thursday? Time is flying by but since we are in the month of love let's talk about love notes--Origami Love Notes that is. This fun kit is by Florence Temko and comes with easy to follow instructions and 36 sheets of double-sided origami paper (6.75" squares).
Hazel and Steve went to the Father Daughter Snow Ball this weekend. Back in January Hazel asked me to make her a dress for it. I like making her a dress because I can control it a bit and make sure it is age appropriate and modest. Let's face it the fashion out there for tweens is not always age appropriate and it is hard to find if it is. Therefore, I'm happy to make her something. We looked at patterns on line and then I pulled out my supply that I have stocked up when they go on sale at Joann Fabrics and she picked Simplicity 8271 view B.
Disclosure: I was sent these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Can you believe Valentine's Day is next week? It is coming fast. Are you ready? Hazel always wants Valentines with little gifts but the school asks for non-candy Valentines. Do you have this issue? Well I turned to Mindware this year for some fun Valentines. We picked out three different ones to review and share with you from their new ones this year. Hazel loved the Scented Eraser Valentines and thought they would be perfect for her classmates.
Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. It is officially the Year of the Earth Pig according to the Chinese Zodiac. I thought it would be fun to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a look at fun facts about pigs as well as the Year of the Pig and of course some pig crafts and a fun Chinese pig story. We will start with fun facts about pigs!!
So since I live in Patriots Nation and have a busy schedule today ending with a Super Bowl Party, I am not going to share any crafts with you, so it is time to see what you have been creating! Thank you to everyone who shared with us at our last party. It was a small party, but there were some great ideas shared. Below are a few of the features from our last party, but be sure to go back and check out the many great crafts shared! I am sad to say that Sharing Saturday has come to an end. There just has not been enough participation. If you have cultural posts be sure to share them at Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop this month! I hosted this month's party at Multicultural Kid Blogs today. I can't wait to see what your latest creations are!!
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. With January coming to a bitterly cold end we turn are view to February and of course love. Valentine's Day can sneak up on you if you aren't paying attention. So today I am going to share with you books for all ages about love and the various kinds of love. I have everything from board books to an adult devotional. Yes we are talking love between parent and child as well as loving God and neighbors and even your favorite stuffed animal. We will go through by age so starting with the board books. The first one is If Animals Said I Love You by Ann Whitford Paul and pictures by David Walker.
