Crafty Moms Share

Anyone Can Knit -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

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

Lately Hazel has been askign to learn to knit. I have attempted to teach her on my own, but it usually ends in a fight. My mother helped her a bit with it awhile ago, but Hazel hasn't really practiced and thus hasn't kept it yet. However I was excited to get Anyone Can Knit by Libby Summers in hopes it would help her.

It is time 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.

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.

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

Looking for a entertaining middle grade novel that has lessons about patience and working together and family? Fairy Mom and Me by Sophie Kinsella and illustrated by Marta Kissi is a great one and it is perfect with Mother's Day coming up!

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!

We had a busy week back from our vacation and we are celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week a week early so my focus has been at school and not crafting. Ugh!! However I want to share thie fun book with you. It is Felt for the Home by Kimberly Layton.

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

Are you looking for a book for your 8-12 year-old to read this summer? I have a great recommendation. It is The Battle of Junk Mountain by Lauren Abbey Greenberg.

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

My main goal this year is to take care of me. My goals are to connect with God and to exercise. The exercise is not going very well, but I have been finding ways to connect with God most days. Today I am going to share two books that are helping me. The first book is also a perfect gift for any Christian mother. It is God's Words of Life for Mothers by Zondervan.

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

Oops!! I planned on reviewing these books last week, but our hotel room had very spotty internet, so I am reviewing them late. Sorry I didn't share them prior to Earth Day yesterday!! However these books are perfect for using with lessons about our planet and even as an introduction for younger kids to our world. The first book is Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up by Sally M. Walker and illustrated by William Grill.

Minnie Mouse Ears and Dress for Doll (and Girl) Crafty Weekends Projects and Link Party

Oops!! With the spotty internet on our vacation I missed writing my review for Earth Day!! Be sure to check out tomorrow's post for some great Earth books!!

Disclosure: Target links in this post will give me a small percentage of your purchase at no cost to you.

After the crazy March we had weather wise and for Steve work wise, I really needed to get away to somewhere warm. Steve on the other hand just wanted to stay home and rest. We decided Hazel and I would go down to Florida (we have a time share there) and he would stay home. Since we were going to be in Florida we decided we would spend a day at Magic Kingdom and a day at Universal Studios. I found this fabric in my stash. It has beautiful flowers and Minnie Mouse heads on it. I showed it to Hazel and suggested I make a dress for her to wear to Magic Kingdom. I used Butterick Pattern 3860 to make her a dress. Since Hazel wanted to bring two of her dolls with us I thought I would make her doll a matching dress. I checked out the patterns I have downloaded and found one that used the slip pattern from Molly's Pretty Clothes. I didn't put on a ruffle and lengthened the pattern for the dress. I also wanted her doll to have Minnie Mouse ears.

This has been an interesting week! Hazel and I headed down to Florida for her spring vacation. I have to say after a long day of traveling and not the best stories from the day, I am glad to be home, but I miss the warm weather and sunshine. However I do not think I will fly Southwest ever again and would never recommend it for anyone traveling with kids. Any way it is time 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.

Disclosure: Candlewick Press sent me these books in exchange for an honest review all opinions are my own.

Looking for an interesting read for your middle schooler? These two novels by Laura Amy Schlitz answer it!! They are both set in early 1900s and both have a poor girl as the main character and narrator. We will start with A Drowned Maiden's Hair.

In this story Maud Flynn is an orphan. Her older brother and younger sister were adopted but the family would not take Maud. Maud is known at the orphanage for trouble. When the Hawthorne sisters come to adopt a young girl, Miss Hyacinth discovers Maud and decides she is perfect. However the Hawthornes are not adopting to have a child as much as that they need a child for help with their fake seances. Maud learns a lot while trying to be good for the three Hawthorne sisters and learns even more when she gets to know the woman the sisters are trying to "contact" her dead nine-year-old daughter. It is a tale of scandal and more as well as lessons about parental love.

This tale is engrossing. Once you get into the book there is a mystery about it. For quite awhile it is why does Maud have to be a secret child. How is she going to help these bizarre sisters. I can see a middle schooler or older loving this look at another time period and way of life. It would also bring about great discussions with questions like "Was Maud better off in the orphanage or as the Hawthorne sisters' secret child?" It brings up questions of morals and what is really needed in life.

Our next book is The Hired Girl. This book is the diary of Joan. Joan is a farm girl who lives with her father and three older brothers. Her mother recently died and her father pulled her from school since she was needed to do the women's work. Her mother wanted her to become a teacher so she wouldn't get stuck in marriage. Her father was pretty awful to Joan. One day Joan decides she needs to escape and runs away. She ends up in Baltimore and is taken in by a Jewish family. She lies about her name and age. The family soon discovers she is a hardworker and loves to read. They allow her to read the books in their library at night and give her Sunday mornings and Tuesday afternoons off. Joan wants to be a good Catholic since her mother was Catholic, but her father stopped believing in God after a bad harvest and forbid Joan to go to church.

This book brings in Joan's discoveries of the differences between Jewish and Christianity as well as recognizing anti-semitism. She is also a fourteen-year-old discovering the world and life. She has very different relationships with each member of the household. It is a coming of age story with a rush to grow up as a hired girl and figuring out the differences between the religions and stations of society. It is a wonderful tale.

I hope you will check out both of these books. Be sure to check out our review of Laura Amy Schlitz's picture book, Princess Cora and the Crocodile as well!

Asian and English Nursery Rhyme Books

Multicultural Mondays at Crafty Moms Share

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

Do you have preschoolers or even toddlers? Do you want to introduce them to other cultures but are not sure how to bring it to your home or classroom? I have to fun books that will do just that. These books will also work to help older kids become familiar with Chinese and Korean as well. Both books come with CDs so the pronounciation of the other languages can be heard and you do not have to try to figure out how it is said. Nursery rhymes have been a favorite in our house. Hazel even has a nursery rhyme quilt that I made her when she was younger and had a nursery rhyme themed birthday party when she turned three. Oh and there was the year that Hazel and I dressed as the dish and the spoon for Halloween. But today's books are different than our nursery rhymes. They give us a sense of different cultures. We will start with Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes: Little Mouse and Other Charming Chinese Rhymes by Faye-Lynn Wu and illustrated by Kieren Dutcher.

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

So I was very excited to get this new Glow in the Dark Glue from Elmer's. I had many ideas on what to do with it. The obvious one being slime. But we are into Harry Potter right now. Hazel is reading all the books on her own constantly. I had seen an idea of making the Deathly Hallow Resurrection Stone with hot glue on a stone, but I thought how cool it would be to glow in the dark. I decided to use the yellow glue on black(ish) stones.

Where did this week go? I can't believe it is time for Sharing Saturday already, but it is!! 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.

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

Have you heard of a haiku? A haiku is a simple poem that is usually three lines and about nature. They were started in Japan. They seem to be coming up in my life in many different places lately. Hazel's class is working on writing them and there was one in Ship of Dolls. Then there is today's book, Write Your Own Haiku for Kids, by Patricia Donegan.

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!

A couple of weeks ago I started as a teacher's assistant at Hazel's school. I am working three days but have found my time getting away from me. This of course means less time for crafting. Today I am going to share a sewing book meant for tweens and teens and the one craft I did find time for this week. Hazel's school had a family paint night and Hazel and I went.

Well Easter has passed. Did you get to see our Easter Round-Up last week? It included features from our last party as well as the last Crafty Weekends. 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.

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

It has not felt like spring here lately. We had snow falling on Monday, but I keep trying to think it is coming. Today I am going to share three new picture books having to do with spring and animals. The first is Max and Marla Are Having a Picnic by Alexandra Boiger. I had the pleasure of reviewing the first Max and Marla book already.

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

I have to admit I have had these books sitting on my shelf for awhile. I keep meaning to review them and somehow other things jump in the way. Today I am finally going to share them with you! I am sharing three books today with you written for grades 5 and up. One is non-fiction from the Civil War time and the other two are novels. Are you ready to go on some adventures? We will definitely be on one with each of these books. The first book is Sinking the Sultana by Sally M. Walker. Have you heard of the Sultana? I hadn't but what an interesting and sad piece of history.

I am enjoying this weekend with family. Hazel and I came to see my parents Thursday night and will stay through tonight. One of my sisters and Steve will join us as well. Then Steve, Hazel and I will go home tonight and to church Easter morning and then celebrate with Steve's mother. It is a busy weekend full of family time, but I wanted to take time to share some Easter crafts and activities. First will be a round-up of ours and then some Sharing Saturday and Crafty Weekends Features from the on-going parties. Be sure to come share at both parties with us this week as well!! Happy Easter!!

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

My focus this year is on taking care of myself. I need to lose weight to be healthier. I want to take the time I need to connect with God. I need to focus on my needs and not always on my family's because that is the only way I will successfully take care of their needs. Today I am going to share with you two amazing book that help me meet these goals. They are life changing!! The first book is Hello Mornings by Kat Lee.

On Pi Day I shared a round-up of science books including two that gave some names of women in science that I had not heard of. I decided to do some research and found books on some of them as well as other great women of science. So to end Women's History Month 2018 I thought I would share a bit about these amazing women. Let's start with Marie Tharp.

Last week I shared about Easter in Bermuda and the Bermudian kites reminded me of fancy God's Eyes. It got me thinking about God's Eyes and making some. I looked on-line and there are plenty of tutorials out there like this one over at Crafts by Amanda.

Disclosure: NCircle Entertainment sent me these DVDs in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe Easter is next weekend!! If you are looking for something special for a preschooler's basket, check out these two DVDs. Both have a bit of Easter in them but are also good for spring or any time. See my reviews below to understand that more. Be sure to check out NCircle Entertainment's Activities & Games page for printables to go with these DVDs. The first DVD is with the characters from the children's classic book, Guess How Much I Love You. It is Guess How Much I Love You: An Enchanting Easter.

It is hard to believe that Easter is next weekend!! This party will be two weeks long since I know we will be with family all weekend celebrating and focusing on the gift Jesus gave us! 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.

Today we are taking a look at Easter in France. Earlier this week we looked at Easter traditions in Bermuda. I have to say with giant omelettes, flying bells, and egg battles there are a lot of interesting things going on in France around Easter. I shared a bit about Easter in France a few years ago as well. Now one of the more interesting things are the Flying Bells or Cloche Volant. Since France is mostly Roman Catholic the tradition says that all the church bells fly to Rome to see the Pope on Good Friday. No bells are rung between Good Friday (the day Jesus died) and Easter. This custom started in the 12th century. When the bells return from Rome they drop all sorts of treats for the children to find. Some have changed the Flying Bells to the Easter Bunny, but the Flying Bells are still popular. Candy shops sell chocolate bells as well as bunnies and eggs in France. I was surprised not to find too many flying bell crafts on-line. I found this one to color but that was about it. I decided to make my own.

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

It can be tough being young. Friendships can change and people treat you differently than what you expect. And then there is peer pressure. Talk about stress!! Today I am sharing five books about friendship and dealing with different issues. These books vary in the range of first grade to seventh grade. There are even some that are about a piece of history. We will start with the two for first grade through fourth. They are a bit of an easier read than the others. They are also part of The Fix-It Friends series from Macmillan Kids by Nicole C. Kear with illustrations by Tracy Dockray. The Fix-It Friends is a group of friends that help others with problems that arise in regular life of kids. Veronica Conti is the self-claimed president. The group includes her older brother, Jude, and his best friend, Ezra, and Veronica's best friend, Cora. Each book in the series has the group helping someone through a problem. At the end of each book is a Fix-It Toolbox with strategies for dealing with the same issue. Today I am sharing books five and six. The first book today is Eyes on the Prize.

Do you ever wonder how other countries celebrate Easter? I find it so interesting to see what other people do for this important Christian holiday. Today I am going to share some traditions in Bermuda. First a bit about Bermuda.

Disclosure: Candlewick Press sent me these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe Easter is only a few weeks away. I have three fun "craft" books to share with you that are perfect for kids or adults. The first is perfect for younger kids play. It is Make and Play Easter by Joey Chou.

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. (A new one starts on Sunday and I'm hosting it at Multicultural Kid Blogs).

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

Well, this year Pi Day was a snow day for most of the schools around me including Hazel's. Luckily by late morning it was safe to be on the roads. We headed out to celebrate Pi Day at the Capital One Cafe where they were serving pizza pie and various pies. Did you know that Albert Einstein as born on March 14, 1879? And of course there was also the sad news today that Stephen Hawkings passed away this morning. (Source) In honor of all of this I thought it was time to share the pile of science books I have been collecting!! We will look at experiments, the human body, pinball, dinosaurs, underwater and space. Plus some of these books have ties to Women's History Month and more!! We will start with dinosaurs since chronologically that makes sense. The book is from the series Science Comics and it is Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers by M.K. Reed and illustrated by Joe Flood.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post 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!

Well today in the Northeast we had a blizzard. I was awoken by Hazel yelling when the power went off this morning. It came back on about an hour later and was on for about 40 minutes. Then it was off again for a few hours. What are to snowbound girls to do? Well after putting on some layers to stay warm without heat, we did our nails. Have you heard of Color Street nail wraps yet? We LOVE them!! I have four friends who sell them now. One of them gave me a set of Sunset Canyon and asked me to do a Mommy and Me picture with them. So we did our nails. These wraps are so easy Hazel can do them herself!! And there is no dry time. It literally takes about ten minutes to give yourself a manicure with them and then they are good to go and last longer than regular nail polish. Oh and they are regular nail polish.

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

I am sure you have heard of Malcolm X, but have you heard of Betty? Betty Shabazz is most known as Malcolm X's wife, however she has a great story of her own. I am going to share with you a fictionalized biography of her life before Malcolm X written by her daughter, Ilyasah, but before I do, let's talk a bit about Betty.

Hazel fell in love with American Girl's Girl of the Year 2010, Lanie Holland. She of course is retired since she was only available in 2010. However we found her on ebay. I had gotten Hazel Lanie's meet outfit, computer and pet rabbit to use with one of her other dolls, but we couldn't get the doll's hair to curl like Lanie's, so she used some money her grandmother had given her to get her own. The Lanie doll we found on ebay and won was naked, so Hazel could not wait to get her dressed. The dress I had bought did not come with her headband or shoes. I decided to make Lanie a headband since the headbands on ebay were running around $15 plus shipping.

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

I recently read an article about how multiple art-focused field trips raised the scores of standardized tests. At a time when so many school districts are cutting the arts it is important to see the whole picture. Today I am going to share some books about artists from different countries around the world. We will start with Japan and Yayoi Kusama. The first book is Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity by Sarah Suzuki and illustrated by Ellen Weinstein.

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

Do you have a child in the middle grades (grades 2-5) that loves superheroes? This book is for him or her. It is not your regular superhero book. The Super Life of Ben Braver by Marcus Emerson. It is the first book in the Ben Braver series.

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.

Do you have a child who wants to learn how to use your sewing machine? I do. Hazel really wants to use my machine. I have been trying to figure out the best way for her to learn. I found the perfect book to help. It is The Best of Sewing Machine Fun for Kids by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith.

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

It is the beginning of March so that means it is Women's History Month!! This is another of my favorite months because I love teaching Hazel about strong women. To kick off the month I am sharing a young adult book with you about Mary Shelley and her creation of Frankenstein. What do you know about Mary Shelley? Do you know how she came up with the immortal monster, Frankenstein? You can learn all about her and her life and writing in Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge.

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