I miss Crafty Weekends Link Party. I decided to share my crafts each week on Sunday and bringing back sort of Crafty Weekends but calling it Crafty Sundays but it will not include the link party. Today I am going to share with you Crazy Quilting: Dazzling Diamonds by Kathy Seaman Shaw.
Crazy Quilting Dazzling Diamonds -- Crafty Sundays Review
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in return for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. The links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!
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Carrie
Crazy Quilting Dazzling Diamonds -- Crafty Sundays Review
2020-06-21T13:29:00-04:00
Carrie
affiliate|crafts|Crafty Weekends|product review|quilting|
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Zendoodle Colorscapes -- Secrets of the Sea -- Perfect Summer Coloring Book
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Can you believe today is the first day of summer? Our spring was very strange with the pandemic. I expect our summer to be strange too. I know I found myself needing things to help me relax. I turned to coloring. You may remember I use to do a weekly coloring book review on Fridays called Relaxing Friday. I stopped due to the number of coloring books I had and I wasn't getting any. However that changes today. Since I was scheduled to participate with the MKB Read Around the World Summer Series yesterday this is a relaxing Saturday post. Today I get to share with you a perfect summertime coloring book and it is brand new!! It was released this week!! It is Zendoodle Colorscapes: Secrets of the Sea artwork by Deborah Muller.
Can you believe today is the first day of summer? Our spring was very strange with the pandemic. I expect our summer to be strange too. I know I found myself needing things to help me relax. I turned to coloring. You may remember I use to do a weekly coloring book review on Fridays called Relaxing Friday. I stopped due to the number of coloring books I had and I wasn't getting any. However that changes today. Since I was scheduled to participate with the MKB Read Around the World Summer Series yesterday this is a relaxing Saturday post. Today I get to share with you a perfect summertime coloring book and it is brand new!! It was released this week!! It is Zendoodle Colorscapes: Secrets of the Sea artwork by Deborah Muller.
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Carrie
Zendoodle Colorscapes -- Secrets of the Sea -- Perfect Summer Coloring Book
2020-06-20T12:41:00-04:00
Carrie
coloring|mermaids|ocean|product review|Relaxing Friday|summer|Summertime Fun|
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A Castle in the Clouds -- Young Adult Novel
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Multicultural Kid Blogs' Read Around the World Summer Series started this week and today we are sharing a young adult novel that is written by a German author and takes place in Switzerland. Be sure to follow the entire series all summer. I will be sharing the book recommendations on my Facebook page. In general Mondays will be books for younger kids, Wednesdays will be middle grade books and Fridays will be young adult but some may get switched around. The book we are sharing is A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier and translated by Romy Fursland.
The Multicultural Kid Blogs' Read Around the World Summer Series started this week and today we are sharing a young adult novel that is written by a German author and takes place in Switzerland. Be sure to follow the entire series all summer. I will be sharing the book recommendations on my Facebook page. In general Mondays will be books for younger kids, Wednesdays will be middle grade books and Fridays will be young adult but some may get switched around. The book we are sharing is A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier and translated by Romy Fursland.
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Carrie
A Castle in the Clouds -- Young Adult Novel
2020-06-19T06:00:00-04:00
Carrie
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Gwendolyn Brooks and August Wilson -- #blacklivesmatter
Disclosure: I was sent digital copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This week for our Black Lives Matter Series, I am going to share two people who are not on my list but who I found some relatively new picture books about. Last week I shared Mary Eliza Mahoney, the first trained black woman. Today I am sharing books about Gwendolyn Brooks, the first black person to win the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, and August Wilson, a black playwright who won two Pulitzer Prizes and a Tony Award.
This week for our Black Lives Matter Series, I am going to share two people who are not on my list but who I found some relatively new picture books about. Last week I shared Mary Eliza Mahoney, the first trained black woman. Today I am sharing books about Gwendolyn Brooks, the first black person to win the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, and August Wilson, a black playwright who won two Pulitzer Prizes and a Tony Award.
Middle Grades Summer Reading with Environmental Themes
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Is school out where you live? Hazel finished last week. Of course it wasn't a big celebration with the state just starting to re-open. But we have started to think about summer. Although I don't see too many trips to the beach this year even when we are at Cape Cod. But reading about them is always fun. Today I am sharing two books about life near water--a lake and the ocean. Do you go to any body of water every summer? Are you going this year?
Is school out where you live? Hazel finished last week. Of course it wasn't a big celebration with the state just starting to re-open. But we have started to think about summer. Although I don't see too many trips to the beach this year even when we are at Cape Cod. But reading about them is always fun. Today I am sharing two books about life near water--a lake and the ocean. Do you go to any body of water every summer? Are you going this year?
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Carrie
Middle Grades Summer Reading with Environmental Themes
2020-06-11T17:07:00-04:00
Carrie
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Mary Eliza Mahoney -- #blacklivesmatter
With our nation looking at racial relationships right now I wanted to take time to look at black lives. As I read the Facebook posts and articles and think about everything that is going on, I think about my life, my white privilege and how I have brought Hazel up. One of my biggest regrets happened years ago when I didn't say anything to a young black girl at a Macy's around Christmas time. She saw a black holiday Barbie and said something like pretty and then saw the white one and said something along the lines of prettier. I wanted to tell her no the white one is not prettier, but I got scared. What would the mother think of a white stranger talking to her young daughter? Would I scare the girl? My friend finished her transaction and we walked away. I was the only the adult who heard the young girl and by not saying anything I let that poor girl go on believing white was prettier than black which is so not true. This has weighed heavily on my mind for decades now. This has been stirred up again.
Dresden Quilt Blocks Reimagined -- a Crafty Weekends Review
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!
I've been missing my Crafty Weekends. Have you? Although I am not having the link party anymore I thought I would share some of the crafts I have been up to and review one of the craft books I have.
Now I will admit it is a bit strange for me to write a review right now. With so much going on in our country I feel like this is a little frivolous. But I know the world goes on and although my own emotions are all over the place and at times I have wanted to take a break from thinking about the racial issues I realize my black friends and all people of color do not get to take a break from thinking about their race and the racial issues. Tomorrow I will be starting our weekly posts about Black Lives Matter and sharing some black people everyone should know about. So today I am going to share with you a quilt book. The book is Dresden Quilt Blocks Reimagined by Candace Copp Grisham.
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Carrie
Dresden Quilt Blocks Reimagined -- a Crafty Weekends Review
2020-06-07T14:55:00-04:00
Carrie
1930s|affiliate|American Girl|product review|quilting|
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Outside Personal Paint Party
Hazel had her last day of school this week. To do something special I thought we would do a paint party. It was beautiful out this week. So we decided to try one of the Muse Paintbar's Muse-to-Go paintings. Hazel's favorite in the beginning was Dolphin Delight. It is offered as a free video so that is the one we decided to do. (You can find it under Kids and click the free video button.) We had nice big canvases in our craft supplies as well as the brushes and paints. We took our plastic patio table and covered it with an old tablecloth and put it on the grass in case we spilled. Then we got jars of water, our brushes for each of us, the five basic colors of acrylic paint (red, blue, yellow, black and white), two small paper plates for each of us and paper towels. We used plate stands for our "easels". We set my computer up on a chair next to the table to play the video. If you do not have the supplies in your craft storage they do sell sets of those as well.
Let's Read About Black Characters & People -- Round-Up of Children's Books
The other day as I talked to Hazel about current events on our walk and was telling her my plans for Crafty Moms Share, she said, "Did you ever notice that when there is a black person in a book there is just one in a group of white friends?" Oh, yes, we still have the token black person in our society of books and television shows. She even commented how sometimes the group is made up of one person of different races like in The Start-Up Squad Series. I recently read an article about how white people need to do more than talk to our kids about racism. Where we live, who our neighbors are, books we read/provide our kids, who our friends are, the diversity of the school we send our kids to all play a part in how our kids grow up and understand race relations. Now I cannot change your neighborhood or their school but I hope I can change the books in your house and your library. I asked some fellow bloggers as well as authors that are part of the Multicultural Children's Book Day group for any books, activities, and reviews they had with black people as the main characters. Today I am going to share a round-up of books shared and some others I found (on Amazon). I will link reviews and activities whenever possible. It is important that all of our kids read books that have people like them but it is also important that our kids read books with people who do not look like them. This will build their understanding and help them to grow and learn about race and culture and hopefully not be racist when they grow up. I have the books separated into picture books, fairy tales, chapter books/novels, and non-fiction/biographies. There are some separation within some of these genres as well.
A White Girl's Thoughts on Current Events and White Privilege
My heart is broken. I am angered. I am ashamed. I am horrified. And I am saddened. Part of me wants to stay in my naïve little Covid-19 bubble. After all our state is just starting to open up and really hasn't opened much besides hair salons and pet groomers, but the news is there. It is on our local news. It is in my Facebook feed. It is all around us. And it has been, but we have been ignoring it for too long. As a white person I experience privilege. I do not have to think about my race every day. I do not have to worry when I go out or worry when my husband goes for a jog in our neighborhood. I do not have to worry not because we aren't doing anything wrong but because of our skin color. We are white. We are blessed to be able to live in a beautiful neighborhood. We are blessed to live a beautiful house and have so many other blessings, but the biggest blessing we really don't think about because it shouldn't be a blessing.
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Carrie
A White Girl's Thoughts on Current Events and White Privilege
2020-05-29T14:05:00-04:00
Carrie
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Exploring Japan Part 4 -- Fun Facts & Resource Round-Up
For the last three Mondays we have been exploring Japan. We started with some picture books, then looked at crafts and artists and then origami. Today we are looking at fun facts about Japan and doing a resource and activity round-up. But first some facts about Japan itself. Japan is called Nihon or Nippon in Japanese. It means "land of the rising sun". It was once believed that Japan was the first country to see the sun each morning. The country is made up of 6,582 islands, but has four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Three tectonic plates meet near Japan and cause many earthquakes. Japan experiences 1,000 earthquakes in a year. Some of these cause tsunamis. There are also 200 volcanoes in Japan. Sixty of them are still active. Almost three quarters of the land is covered by mountains and forest which make the land hard to farm or use for industry or residential. The Japanese Alps run down the center of the island of Honshu. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain/volcano in Japan and is considered sacred by many Japanese people.
The Unofficial Start of Summer -- Let's Look at the Ocean
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Can you believe it is already Memorial Day Weekend? This year is going to be very different for many of us. Are you heading to the beach? I know here in Massachusetts the beaches are opening however there are very strict rules when there. Many are also only for residents. Masks are required at some and no groups over 10. Social distancing is a must. I took a walk with my father this week on the beach. I was at Cape Cod helping my parents out for a few days. It wasn't really beach weather so it wasn't very crowded. I'm glad not to be there this weekend. Instead I am going to share a book about the ocean! It is Ocean! Waves for All by Stacy McAnulty and illustrated by David Litchfield.
Origami: Fun Facts, Product Reviews & Craft Round-Up
Disclosure: I was sent these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
We are on our third week of exploring Japan for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. If you missed our first two weeks we did new picture books to learn about Japan and crafts from Japan. Today we are taking a look at the ancient art of Japanese origami. I thought I would start with some fun facts since I shared a bit about the history of origami a few years ago.
We are on our third week of exploring Japan for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. If you missed our first two weeks we did new picture books to learn about Japan and crafts from Japan. Today we are taking a look at the ancient art of Japanese origami. I thought I would start with some fun facts since I shared a bit about the history of origami a few years ago.
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Carrie
Origami: Fun Facts, Product Reviews & Craft Round-Up
2020-05-18T20:08:00-04:00
Carrie
Asia and Pacific Islands|crafts|educational|fun facts|Japanese|origami|product review|Round-up|
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The Library of Ever Series
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Calling all library lovers!! Do you have a library lover in your house? I do. That is the first place Hazel wants to go when the stay-at-home order is lifted. She is missing walking around the books and finding new ones to read. The series of books I am sharing with you today is perfect for our young library lovers. The series is by Zeno Alexander. They are full of fantasy as well as facts and history. The setting for this series is an amazing, magical library. The first book is The Library of Ever.
Calling all library lovers!! Do you have a library lover in your house? I do. That is the first place Hazel wants to go when the stay-at-home order is lifted. She is missing walking around the books and finding new ones to read. The series of books I am sharing with you today is perfect for our young library lovers. The series is by Zeno Alexander. They are full of fantasy as well as facts and history. The setting for this series is an amazing, magical library. The first book is The Library of Ever.
Japanese Arts, Crafts and their Makers
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This month is Asian Pacific Heritage Month and to celebrate it we are looking at Japan all month long for Multicultural Mondays. Last week we started with two picture books including one on the creation myth in Japan. Today we are going to look at the crafts and craftsmen/women of Japan as well as a round-up of Japanese-inspired crafts and artists. To begin this post I am sharing a new book that is being released tomorrow (May 12, 2020). It is Craftland Japan by Uwe Röttgen and Katharina Zetti.
This month is Asian Pacific Heritage Month and to celebrate it we are looking at Japan all month long for Multicultural Mondays. Last week we started with two picture books including one on the creation myth in Japan. Today we are going to look at the crafts and craftsmen/women of Japan as well as a round-up of Japanese-inspired crafts and artists. To begin this post I am sharing a new book that is being released tomorrow (May 12, 2020). It is Craftland Japan by Uwe Röttgen and Katharina Zetti.
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Carrie
Japanese Arts, Crafts and their Makers
2020-05-11T16:32:00-04:00
Carrie
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Book 2 of The Startup Squad
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Last month we got to reveal the first chapter of the second book of The Startup Squad and last year we got review the first one! Today we will be sharing our review of the second book, Face the Music, by Brian Weisfeld and Nicole C. Kear.
Last month we got to reveal the first chapter of the second book of The Startup Squad and last year we got review the first one! Today we will be sharing our review of the second book, Face the Music, by Brian Weisfeld and Nicole C. Kear.
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Carrie
Book 2 of The Startup Squad
2020-05-07T15:30:00-04:00
Carrie
middle grades|middle school|product review|
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Fun Facts about Cinco de Mayo
It is hard to believe it is already Cinco de Mayo. This year of course is so different than other years since many of us are living with stay-at-home orders but I thought it would be fun to talk about Cinco de Mayo. But first do you know what Cinco de Mayo actually is? I think most people know or realize that the words Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for May 5th, but most do not know why it is a holiday. Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico's Independence Day. Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th.
Learning about Japan for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Week 1
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Wow, April was a bit of a strange month with the stay at home order. It is hard to believe it is May. Our weather is finally starting to warm back up. April was the coldest April on record here and until this weekend our warmest day in 2020 was in January! May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Multicultural Kid Blogs has stopped doing its monthly heritage month series but I still wanted to share about it. So this year as I looked at my resources (aka my review shelf) I noticed a definite theme of Japan. So I am going to try to post on Mondays sharing different resources on Japan and Japanese culture. And it makes the most sense to begin with well the beginning. So our first book today is Kojiki: The Birth of Japan by Kazumi Wilds.
Wow, April was a bit of a strange month with the stay at home order. It is hard to believe it is May. Our weather is finally starting to warm back up. April was the coldest April on record here and until this weekend our warmest day in 2020 was in January! May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Multicultural Kid Blogs has stopped doing its monthly heritage month series but I still wanted to share about it. So this year as I looked at my resources (aka my review shelf) I noticed a definite theme of Japan. So I am going to try to post on Mondays sharing different resources on Japan and Japanese culture. And it makes the most sense to begin with well the beginning. So our first book today is Kojiki: The Birth of Japan by Kazumi Wilds.
Kid Made Mother's Day Card Ideas with Round-Up
Can you believe Mother's Day is only a week away? This year with remote learning going on the kids are not getting help from their teachers to make cards and gifts. That means it falls on the kids and the dads. Steve brought up the idea of shopping for Mother's Day cards with Hazel and whether it was safe. I reminded him that most of our stores here are closed and will be until after Mother's Day. I suggested they go to our local Walgreen's but when push came to shove Hazel did not want to go out. She has been home since this has started except for our walks when it is nice out, a trip to her school for her yearbook picture, a trip to a good friend's house who is also social distancing but we needed to exchange things with one another and trips to her grandmother's house with Steve. I went to Walgreen's and picked up a couple of cards for her grandmothers. She was afraid one of them would not like getting a homemade card. I found it hard to believe but figured it was worth getting cards for her to give them. She can make one for me. Then I got to thinking of the dads out there who haven't had to deal with this before. I got the idea of sharing some when I got an email from Crayola featuring a flamingo card. I figured we had to try it since Hazel LOVES flamingos.
Picture Book Round-Up -- Picture Books for Everyone
Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Today I am going to clear off my picture book shelf and share with you eight books for younger kids! We will start with a book that is perfect for the new baby or mom. It is To the Moon and Back for You by Emilia Bechrakis Serhant and art by E.G. Keller. The suggested ages for this book is 4 to 8 but I am thinking that is for the child to read the book him or herself.
Today I am going to clear off my picture book shelf and share with you eight books for younger kids! We will start with a book that is perfect for the new baby or mom. It is To the Moon and Back for You by Emilia Bechrakis Serhant and art by E.G. Keller. The suggested ages for this book is 4 to 8 but I am thinking that is for the child to read the book him or herself.
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Carrie
Picture Book Round-Up -- Picture Books for Everyone
2020-04-30T15:28:00-04:00
Carrie
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