2024 Wall Calendars for Different People

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these calendars in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you still use wall calendars? I love having them. We actually use quite a few. I have one in my classroom, one near our desk computer, one in my sewing room and my husband hangs one in our bedroom too. Plus, he has one next to his desk. I always love seeing what different calendars are offered and I also think of them as great gifts. The pictures are often beautiful or fun and it helps to have the paper calendar to check dates, appointments, etc. Last week I shared two Page-A-Day calendars that I will use in my classroom, but today I am sharing two wall computers based on some of my favorite things: birds and teapots. The first calendar is Audubon Kids Birding Calendar 2024 by National Audubon Society, and the second is The Collectible Teapot Calendar 2024 by Sarah Archer with photos from Betty Shin Binon. 

The Pop-Up Guide Cities Around the World -- Book Review with Crafts, Recipes and More!

 

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

Looking to teach little ones about the world? Today we are sharing a fun pop-up book that takes us around the world. I am also sharing links to crafts, activities, and recipes to go with each city and/or its country. The book is The Pop-Up Guide: Cities Around the World by Maud Poulain and illustrated by Sandra de la Prada. It is recommended for ages 3 to 5. 

Award Winning New Picture Books Perfect for Black History Month

 

On January 24, 2022, the American Library Association announced the 2022 Youth Media Awards! You can see all the winners here. I was happy to see Firekeeper's Daughter won the William C. Morris Award and the Printz Award. Ace of Spades was a finalist for the Printz Award. I really enjoyed both of these young adult books and Ace of Spades is another book great for Black History Month. I went through the list of awards and began requesting books from the library. I found five picture books from the list that are perfect for Black History Month and thought I would share them with you. One will be reshared as I did review it in 2021. We will start with Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12 or grades 3 to 6.

Protest! --Book Review and sharing about some of the Native American protests in the book

 

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

Protest! What comes to mind when you hear the word? There have been so many protests throughout history and many in recent times even during the world pandemic. Some protests are peaceful and some are not, but today's book will focus on peaceful ones. The book is Protest! How People Have Come Together to Change the World by Alice and Emily Haworth-Booth. This book is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

Fun Facts about Embroidery with Book Reviews

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. Some of the links shared here will give me a small percentage of any purchase made by you at no cost to you. (Thank you for your support!) All opinions are my own.

I have had some craft books sitting on my review shelf for awhile and need to share them with you. I have been so focused on other things and diamond painting that I have not given much thought to embroidery, so I thought I would share all of the embroidery books with you as well as some fun facts today! Embroidery is the art of decorating fabric with a needle and thread. It has definitely changed over the years (centuries). Let's begin with some fun facts and a bit of history.

Fun Facts About Embroidery:

Interesting Facts about Samurai and Himeji Castle Jigsaw Puzzle Review

 

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

Today I am going to share another 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It is a beautiful photograph from Japan. It is the Samurai Castle and Cherry Blossoms 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle. 

Fun Facts about Dandelions with Craft & Recipe Round-Up

 

This week is National Wildflower Week! The other day I shared a post on Facebook about dandelions. A friend had posted it and I assumed it was true but wanted to know for sure. I decided to investigate the common wildflower, dandelions, and wow, what an interesting plant. First, did you know dandelions are in the same family as the sunflower and aster? Whether you see wishes, food or weeds, there is something here for you including where they came from, how to harvest them and how to rid your yard of them if you really want to (fun fact 11).

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. 

Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World -- Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

Disclosure: I was sent a set of these cards in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

For today's multicultural review I am sharing a neat set of cards to teach kids about different cultures of the world. It is Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World by Homa Sabet Tavangar and Sophie Fatus.  

Fun Facts about Macaroni and Cheese & Crafty Weekends Link Party

Did you know today is National Macaroni and Cheese Day? To celebrate I thought I would share some fun facts about the All-American comfort food and have two link parties! One for our normal Crafty Weekends and one for your favorite mac and cheese recipes!

Bullseye Quilts -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

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!

Tonight I am sharing a fun Bullseye Quilts from Vintage to Modern by Becky Goldsmith. Have you ever seen a bullseye quilt. They are amazing! This book makes it relatively easy to make one by using paper piecing.

Harry Potter Birthday Party

I took a bit of a break for the holidays. Christmas is often the only time we get to spend with one of my sisters and her son and then Hazel's birthday hits us. It is always a busy time and I decided to focus on family. It was wonderful. 

Zen Origami Coloring Kit -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing sent me this kit in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Today I am sharing a fun kit that combines two of our favorite things--coloring and origami!! The kit is Zen Origami Coloring Kit by Nick Robinson. Two relaxing activities combined into one. 

Mother's Day Crafts & Activities -- a Crafty Weekends Link Party

Today is Mother's Day here in the United States. We have had a bit crazy of a week, but it did involve some fun crafts that are great crafts for Mother's Day and can be adapted for other gifts like teacher gifts, Father's Day and birthday gifts! 

A Look at Japan for Asian / Pacific Island Heritage Month

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

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Multicultural Kid Blogs is hosting a blog hop today for this heritage month and I decided to focus mostly on Japan. I have a bunch of fun books to share with you to help focus on Japan and its culture. It is a mixture of coloring books, origami kits, a novel and an Asian cookbook. The first book I am going to share is another book in the Friendship Dolls Series from Candlewick Press. I reviewed the other two previously. Today's book is Dolls of Hope by Shirley Parenteau. 

Phillis Wheatley -- Slave and Poet #womenshistorymonth

March is Women's History Month. Even though I have a bookshelf full of books to review and share with you, I thought I would take time out to share about Phillis Wheatley. Hazel has a history presentation today on Phillis Wheatley so we have been learning quite a bit about her lately. I can't wait to see Hazel dressed up as her and do her presentation. There is a photo below. 

Sharing Saturday 18-7

It is time again for Sharing Saturday! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. So glad you joined us!!

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all your diverse/cultural posts be sure to share them at Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop. 

Me and My Sewing Machine -- a Crafty Weekends Review and Link Party

Disclosure: C&T Publishing sent me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Purchasing items from some of these links provides Crafty Moms Share a small percentage at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Have you been crafting this week? Most of my crafts this week were restricted to crafts to use in Sunday School. I was home with a sick child and Steve was sick as well. It was not a pleasant time, but everyone is feeling better now!! As a result I don't have any crafts to share, but am going to review Me and My Sewing Machine by Kate Haxell. 

The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution

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

Ready for a vacation? In this new series the year is 2164 and Time Corp. has found a way to travel in time and offers various vacation packages to witness history first hand. In today's book we are traveling to colonial times as the American Revolution is beginning. The book is titled The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution: A Handbook for Time Travelers by Jonathan W. Stokes and illustrated by David Sossella. 

Sew Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure:C&T Publishing sent me an e-version of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 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!


As we are getting ready for the holidays, I wanted to do a bit of holiday sewing. Tonight I am reviewing a great quilt book. It is Sew Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Mary Hertel.