Fairy Day Games -- Book Review & Giveaway with Fairy Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Expound Publicity to bring you this post and giveaway.

Our house has loved fairies for a long time. One of our favorite photos of Hazel when she was younger was with her fairy wings on. 

Hazel loved fairies when she was younger. We read just about every book with fairies in them. Today I get to share a new one that has a young girl dreaming of going to the fairy party that welcomes everyone in the forest and belonging. The book is Fairy Day Games by Mari Sherkin and illustrated by David Gnass. With this review there is a giveaway as well as a fairy craft round-up. 

The Bellwoods Game -- New Middle Grades Thriller for Halloween

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe that Halloween is next week! Halloween is not a favorite holiday in my house. However, Hazel is getting back into dressing up for the holiday although her costume choices are getting more adult as well. This week I am mostly going to focus on some books for Halloween including today's. This middle grades novel is a thriller that takes place on Halloween. It is definitely a page turner and had me staying up late to read it. The book is The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

BrindleFox -- Book Review & Fox Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

How important is friendship? How important is caring for others and oneself? Today I am sharing a new picture book that reminds me of an old fable. According to this article on Canadian Mental Health Association, "the lack of human connection can be more harmful to your health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure. ... Social connection can lower anxiety and depression, help us regulate our emotions, lead to higher self-esteem and empathy, and actually improve our immune systems." (Source) Wow! That makes social connection extremely important and something we want to teach young children how to have. Today I am sharing a book about a fox who does not want to connect with anyone, but he learns that connecting is important by the end. The book is BrindleFox by John Sandford. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. I am also including a fox craft round-up to go with the book.

Barbie Movie and a Barbie Birthday Cake

 

Have you seen the Barbie Movie yet? For my birthday this year, Hazel and I went to a matinee. I also decided to try to make a Barbie cake for myself. It is hard to hear some of the criticism of the movie from people who refuse to see it. For example, Rex Huppke's column in USA Today shares many of the things said about the movie. Now being a liberal and having many liberal friends, I have many friends who have different opinions. But I am going to begin by sharing a bit of my own background.

Alycat and the Sleepover Saturday -- Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Alysson Foti Bourque for this blog tour and will receive a small stipend for the post.

Today I get to share with you the newest Alycat book. Last year I got to share with you a different book from this series. The Alycat series is a fun series of picture books that are set in a cat world without people or dogs. They are full of lessons. Today's book is Alycat and the Sleepover Saturday by Alysson Foti Bourque and illustrated by Chiara Civati. 

Oi Gets Lost -- Book Review, Cat Craft Round-Up & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Bright Light Books and will receive a small stipend for this post. All opinions are my own.

Do you have a cat lover in your house? We are all cat lovers here and have two cats in our household including a kitten (at least for a few more weeks). Most kids love animals including kittens. If you have an emerging reader you will want to check out today's book. It is Oi Gets Lost by Lorna Likiza and illustrated by Yeveheniia Melnyk. 

Ruth Handler & Fun Facts about her Barbie Doll

 

Today is National Barbie Day! To celebrate I thought we would look at the creator of Barbie and some fun facts about Barbie. Now growing up my mother was very against Barbie dolls. My sisters were not allowed to have any. I however inherited some from family friends and for some reason my mother allowed it. I know she like many parents were concerned with the measurements and body image. What I discovered with my research couldn't be farther from the truth. Stay tuned for a fun ride as well as a book round-up for you to teach your kids about Ruth Handler and the history of Barbie. 

Ruth Handler

Fantastic Felted Cats -- Fun Needle Felting for Cat Lovers

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It has been a while since I shared some needle felting. I'm a bit out of practice, but I got some new needles as well as more wool batting and more. However I am in love with these adorable needle felted cats. The book is Fantastic Felted Cats: A Guide to Making Lifelike Kitten Figures by Housetsu Sato. 

The Proudest Color -- a New Picture Book About Race, Racism and Racial Pride

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Today I am very excited to share with you a new picture book about race, racism and racial pride. When I read this book for the first time I knew I had to share it with you. It is that amazing!! The book is The Proudest Color by Sheila Modir and Jeff Kashou and illustrated by Monica Mikai. It is recommended for ages 5 to 8.

DIY Angel or Elf Ornaments

 

This year my Facebook newsfeed is full of these adorable angel ornaments for sale. I think they are adorable but cannot imagine buying them. I looked at them and said I can make those. I bought some white fleece to begin with to figure out a pattern. I played with paper to come up with patterns. I started with a semicircle but found I cut the circle quite a bit. I also experimented with hair and more.

MerryMakers Dolls--the Perfect Holiday Gifts for Little Ones

 

Disclosure: I was sent a doll in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you know the classic children's book, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats? We loved it when Hazel was young and planned days around it like this one outside and this one inside. I love that it is a multicultural children's book that is just about going out to play in the snow. It is relatable to any child who lives where it snows. Plus the character, Peter, dresses in his red snow gear and looks adorable. Well along comes MerryMakers! They make dolls and toys that go with many classic children's books including The Snowy Day. 

Autumn Crafts - Leaf Embroidery & Autumn Fairy

 

I haven't been crafting much lately. Every once in awhile I work on a diamond painting, but otherwise life has been busy. Awhile ago I saw beautiful embroidered leaves on a Facebook ad similar to these.  I thought that was so neat and wanted to try it. I went out and gathered leaves, wiped them and left them to dry, but didn't get around to them until they were really dry. However I decided to try them out. I did some research and found a few places that give directions including one for kids. 

5 Little Angels Review with Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Kathleen T. Pelley to participate in this Virtual Book Tour. I was sent a digital copy of the book for the review and will receive a small stipend. All opinions are my own. 

Today I am sharing a new picture book with you from Kathleen T. Pelley. It is a sweet, religious picture book. It is Five Little Angels. After my review I will share some angel crafts to go with this book and there is a giveaway as part of the blog tour!

Meet Diane Tells His Name and her Dolls

 

A few weeks ago I shared two of the beautiful Tribal Nations Maps about Indigenous women. One of the people shared on them is Diane Tells His Name. Diane has an interesting life story and she makes the most beautiful dolls. As a doll collector from my childhood I have always loved dolls. My sisters and I had a doll collection that was displayed in a curio cabinet in our dining room. Over the years some dolls have been lost or damaged as we each have moved and separated our collections. I still have some and they are now in my china cabinet. I have a love of dolls from different cultures because they share so much about the culture from their features, their clothes and often their stories. Perhaps this is why I was so drawn to Diane and her story. However as I learn more about Diane I find her story even more fascinating.

Learning about Indigenous Women with Map and Poster from Tribal Nations Maps

 

Disclosure: Aaron Carapella gave me permission to use his copyrighted photos. They are all copyrighted by his company Tribal Nations Maps.

Although some people still celebrate the holiday as Columbus Day, many are changing it to Indigenous Peoples' Day. I shared years ago about how I feel about Columbus Day. For more reasons to change the day to Indigenous Peoples' Day check out here. To celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, I turned to my friend Aaron Carapella of Tribal Nations Maps. Years ago I had the pleasure of sharing my prize with you of one of his amazing maps. Since then he has added so many different maps and products. He has added maps Indigenous Peoples of regions of North America as well as Central and South America. 

Cottontail Rabbits -- Who's In the Backyard? Series

I haven't done a Who's In The Backyard? Post in awhile. I had planned on doing my rabbits weeks ago but was having internet issues as well as a busy life. So here it finally is!! In our backyard we have cottontails. They are probably Eastern Cottontails, but there is a slight chance they could be New England Cottontails. So my focus is going to be on both species and the differences. 

DIY 1980's Doll Accessories -- A Crafty Sunday

 

Have you seen her yet? American Girl has come out with a new doll and she is from the 1980's. Her name is Courtney and I think I am in love. After all I'm an 80's girl. Although I'm not as in love with the actual doll (at least from photos) I love her outfits and accessories. I turned ten in 1980, so the 80s represent my teen years. I remember the neon, off-the-shoulder, leggings, legwarmers, rubber bracelets, walkman, denim, and scrunchies. Plus the Pac Man and Lisa Frank and rainbows. American Girl also added the Care Bears but I was a bit old for them. I decided to try to create some of the accessories for Hazel's dolls. 

Mamie Phipps Clark -- #blacklivesmatter -- the Black Psychologist Who Helped End Segregation in Schools

Today we are continuing our Black Lives Matter Series. Today we are getting to know about Mamie Phipps Clark. She and her husband, Kenneth B. Clark, helped end segregation in public schools. Kenneth often said he piggybacked on his wife's research and tried to give her more of the credit, but he often is the one who is credited still, so we are focusing on Mamie. I find her work and life so fascinating. She dealt with racism and sexism throughout her life and worked towards what we are still fighting for--equal rights. Even now her husband gets more credit for the work that was originally hers which he decided to participate in after she started it. Plus her most famous study was a doll test involving white and brown dolls. Now I have shared one of my biggest regrets of not saying something to a young Black girl at a store when she thought the white doll was more beautiful than the Black doll. This one hit me personally. Plus her work was used to end segregation. I think back to my own years of schooling and think of how much learning about other cultures from my friends of other races added so much to my life and still does. Plus to my own classrooms and how the mixed races always made the classes more interesting and a better experience. So with those thoughts, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark.

Hoops Hooray! -- a Crafty Sundays Review

Disclosure: Leisure Arts sent me a copy of this book 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!

Hoop art is extremely popular these days. It is so easy and fun to do too. I don't know if you ever caught any of the ones I featured in Crafty Weekends in the past. There have definitely been some creative and beautiful ideas shared! Today I am going to share a book with tutorials to make your own hoop art. It is Hoops Hooray! by Ashley Millhouse.

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.