Crafty Moms Share

Gift Boxes to Decorate and Make: Christmas -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

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

Looking for a fun way to present gifts instead of the usual wrapping paper or gift bags? Check out this amazing book--Gift Boxes to Decorate and Make: Christmas illustrated by Sarah Walsh. This book has 24 pages that turn into a gift box and sticker tags to seal them.

Have you been following our Fun Facts series? Yesterday we looked at the Mayflower. Today we are looking at the Pilgrims in general, but we will be looking at some of them individually over the next couple weeks. I hope you will join us for all the fun!!

Have you been following our Fun Facts posts? I have been enjoying learning about the various topics like apples, turkeys, and more!! Today we are looking at the Mayflower. What do you know about the ship the Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic and came to Plymouth? See if I found something new for you to learn. Enjoy!

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 of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

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

Today I am sharing some various religious books for different ages. Two are for kids and two are for adults. This is really just a mishmash of a round-up, so I hope there is something here for everyone. Our first book is a book of prayers from different religions and cultures. It is Talking to God: Prayers for Children from the World's Religions by Demi.

Our autumn weather has hit New England. The past couple of months have been unusually warm for the most part. One of my favorite fall things are the apples. I love the fresh apples in the fall. A couple of years ago we explored apples as part of our fruit explorations. Today we are sharing some interesting facts about them!

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

Ok, I know we still have Thanksgiving coming up and many people do not want to think about Christmas yet, but I am in a bit of a Christmas mood and have some fun Christmas books to share with you (there has been a pile on my shelf for quite some time). Now I know in the past I have done many round-ups from my Must Read books (featuring religious ones), Multicultural books, Christmas Trees & Classic stories, Advent stories, and so many more!! Today we are going to focus on Christmas music or should I say picture books about Christmas music!! The first item is actually a personalized gift set. Now we have reviewed several amazing personalized Christmas books as well as non-holiday ones over the past couple of years. Hazel's comment about this one was, "This is the best one yet!"

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

So yesterday we had a Holiday Preview Party at work. We had to be festive even though it is only the beginning of November. I still have holiday nail stickers on. Yes, Santa is on my thumbs. It was fun though and it got me into the mood. Of course it also helps that Hazel has been pulling out holiday DVDs to watch for a couple of months now. Well I always like to find a way to bring the religious side into our holiday and am going to share some crafts and products that do just that. Now Oriental Trading has an amazing collection of religious Christmas products. Hazel and I looked through and choose a few fun things which mostly were crafts. I fell in love with the DIY Unfinished Wooden Nativity & Stable Set, which is no longer available. See their religious Christmas crafts for other ideas.

Have you been following our fun fact posts? It is November so we are moving on to Thanksgiving. So let's talk turkey!! Below the fun facts are a round-up of turkey crafts and activities. Ready for these fun facts?

Disclosure: Media Masters Publicity sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Are you ready for the adventure of your life? Are you daring enough to try this new ride? It is not like any ride you have ever been on, and if you ride it more than once the experience will be completely different. Four lucky preteens have won a contest to be the first to try CastleCorp's new adventure machine. Their parents are wondering if it safe and the kids are wondering what it will be like. This is the premise for this exciting new book: The World's Greatest Adventure Machine by Frank L. Cole.

Disclosure: I am receiving a small stipend for sharing this post with you. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share with you an amazing giveaway!! Acclaimed Wishapick Tickety Boo and the Blank Trunk by M.M. Allen is making its musical debut!! In honor of this great debut M.M. Allen and Deborah Wynne are giving away an autographed copy of the book, the soundtrack CD and an Echo Dot. You can enter below!!

Have you check out our Interesting Facts series that I began last week? I have been having so much fun writing them, so I hope you are enjoying them!! Today we are looking at Trick-or-Treating!

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

Wow, where did this week go? It has been very crazy here. What about with you? Tonight we are sharing three fun origami kits. With dragons, animals, and a city, there is a little something for everyone. We will start with Flying Dragons Paper Airplane Kit by Sam Ita and Paul Frasco.

Have you checked out our first Fun Facts post yet? There will be a total of three fun facts related to Halloween and then I will do more for Thanksgiving. I hope you will check them all out. I know I am having fun doing them and learning about so many different things. Today we are talking about jack-o'-lanterns. Have you carved yours yet?

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

Today I am going to share with you two really fun coloring "books". They are both part of the same series by Zoe Ingram. It is the Press Out + Color Series. What is really neat about this series is the pictures you color press out to make into 3-D objects or decorations. Today I am sharing Press Out and Color Birds and Press Out and Color Butterflies.

So Multicultural Kid Blogs has a new series 10 Fun Facts About.... I wrote one the other night for Native American Heritage Month (it goes live on November 6th). It got me thinking about different subjects that would be fun to do. I decided with Halloween next week, I would do one on the Salem Witch Trials. Salem, Massachusetts is crazy for the entire month of October. On weekends it is impossible to get in or out of Salem. People are there all month long in costumes. They have a Witch Museum; a street called Witch Way; an elementary school called Witchcraft Heights Elementary School; and the high school mascot is Salem Witches. After all Salem calls itself The Witch City. Even the police cars have a witch on them. You can read about one of our visits to Witch City.

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

Last week I shared the first half of my mega science book reviews. I promised the second half of the mega review this week and today is the day!! Last week we focused on general science, transportation and space. This week it is plants and animals. We will start with How Plants and Trees Work by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Beverley Young.

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

Today I am going to share with you a book for middle schoolers that had me engrossed. The book is Saving Marty by Paul Griffin. Lorenzo Ventura is eleven and he lives with his mother and grandfather. His father died in the war. His best friend is a Colombian Korean American girl who wants to be a famous singer. His mother is always worried about money and keeping the farm. They live in rural Pennsylvania. When his mother sells the pigs that a neighbor left with them

Disclosure: I am receiving a small stipend for writing this post and will receive a small percentage from any purchases made from the Dollar Tree links. All opinions are my own!

I know Halloween is coming fast and once it has come the holiday season has begun. I love to focus on Christmas since it is one of my favorite holidays. So yes, I am sharing some Christmas crafts and items. The best part is the supplies are from Dollar Tree where everything is $1!! And like most stores, they already have Christmas items out!!

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

This Saturday we are going to STEM Saturday at Hazel's school. In honor of STEM Saturday I am sharing several science books with you. We will cover animals, plants, space and more!! Are you ready? We will start with some general science and information books. Our first book is What Would Happen? by Crispin Boyer.

Disclosure: Uncommon Goods sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. All of the pictures are from Uncommon Goods website.

Have you begun your holiday shopping yet? Now I know there are 68 days still before Christmas. However I for one like to have my shopping basically done by Thanksgiving. Why? I like to be able to relax and enjoy the Advent season plus I work in retail and my work schedule gets a bit crazy so I honestly don't want to shop and deal with the crowds. Plus there are so many fun things to do besides shop during that time of year. Therefore I start early. The best part of shopping early is you spread out the bills that come in from holiday shopping!

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

Today I get to share with you the latest two books in the Ordinary People Change the World series by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. I am sharing these books as part of the blog tour!

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

It has been awhile since I did a Multicultural Monday review, but here it is. Today I am going to share with you book for different ages from all over the world and with diverse characters. Hazel loves learning about other countries and cultures. Today I am sharing books that tell tales from other cultures, share about other countries and a multicultural young adult book set in Boston. We will start with All About Thailand by Elaine Russell and illustrated by Patcharee Meesukhon and Vinit Yeesman.

Disclosure: Quarto Knows sent me this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I took the past week off from my job except working one shift to teach a class. I spent the week organizing my craft room. I am still working on it. Therefore I did not do much crafting this week except trying again on my pine cone wreath. I wrapped the wreath frame in brown paper I got in a package. So far the pine cones are staying in place this time!

Today I am sharing with you a fun craft book for kids that will help them work on stitching skills. It is Stitching with Jane Foster by Jane Foster.

Disclosure: Let the Little Children Come sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Last month we shared we shared a fun Halloween tract to teach kids about Our Savior Jesus Christ and how amazing He is. Today I am sharing with you several fun products that can be used any time of the year. They are all somewhat similar but would work for different situations as well as for different ages. In all of the products the colors have meanings. We will start with the Gospel Magic Bag.

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

Yesterday I did a mega review of picture books!! There is one there for everyone, so be sure to check it out. Today I am going to share new board books, pop-ups, lift flaps and more!! These are some fun books, so be sure to check them all out. We will start with a simple board book for Halloween. It is Peep and Egg: I'm Not Trick-or-Treating by Laura Gehl and pictures by Joyce Wan.

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

It can be hard to pick the right picture book for your child. There are so many choices out there with so many different themes, messages and more! Today I am going to share a variety of new picture books with you and I am sure there will be something for each child in this group!!

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these items in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Have you discovered Oriental Trading's Fun365? It is a site that has different craft projects and articles. There are choices of Party Ideas, Craft Ideas, Wedding Ideas, and Classroom Ideas. I was inspired by ideas from the Craft Ideas and Party Ideas. I had so much fun exploring the many ideas there. I let Hazel look and help me pick what we would try. In the Party Ideas section there is a Rainbow Party and one of the crafts is a DIY Rainbow Coin Purse. Instead of doing the coin purse we used DIY Totes. (See current available totes here.)I asked Hazel to paint a rainbow on one for me. She wanted to use the Pearlized Acrylic Paint (available paint). Then she wanted to do a heart rainbow, but hers turned out more like a circle. She also did a square but wanted to use the pink on it. I did a heart one for her as well as a star and an H.

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

Today I am going to share with you a bunch of relatively new chapter books for the middle grades. There is something for everyone in this bunch!! We will start with Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason.

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

Some friends come and go and others last a lifetime. What happens when you see one who you grew apart from? Are back to your old ways or is there a distance? What happens it is when you feel like your own life is falling apart and are just trying to escape the chaos of it? And of course there is the question of how well you really know someone. If We Make It Home by Christina Suzann Nelson takes three college roommates back to their college home before it gets torn down. Each is dealing with her own challenges and must come to terms with life, disappointment and each other.

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

Have you read any of Nancy Tillman's books? They are the type of books that make you feel good and help teach kids about how amazing they truly are and how much we love them. Her newest one is no different. The book is You're All Kinds of Wonderful by Nancy Tillman. It is being released today!!

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing sent me a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own. All photos from the book are taken from Tuttle's website.

Have you been crafting this week? I have done some and spent today doing a lot, but I will not be sharing those until next week's review. This week I get to share with you Paper Collage Chinese Style by Zhu Liqun Paper Arts Museum. Unfortunately I have yet to find the time to try any of the techniques and projects in this beautiful book.

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these candies in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own (and my family's).

Can you believe it is October already? October is always a bit of a crazy month. Hazel HATES the scary part of Halloween and does not do well in stores that sell Halloween decorations and costumes (which is just about every store). Fall is in the year so there is always some fun getting outside and enjoying God's beautiful fall colors. And there is getting ready for the trick-or-treaters. Our neighborhood tends to get many trick-or-treaters which is a bit funny considering it doesn't have a whole lot of kids in it. One year I remember giving out some of Hazel's treats after we went through six or seven bags of candy. Now we turn out the light when we run out. Needing so much candy however makes me look for good deals on it. Oriental Trading has great prices and quite a variety of candy!! I already bought some candy for trick-or-treats when I saw it at a decent price. I also got some Halloween toys for allergy free treats earlier this year from Oriental Trading. Oriental Trading makes it a one stop shopping for all Halloween treats!!

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

With the dark and spooky aspects of Halloween it is the perfect time to check out glow products. Kids love things that glow-in-the-dark or light up. And it is great for them to have something when they are out in the dark trick-or-treating. Oriental Trading has some great glow products for reasonable prices!! This summer we reviewed Premium Glow Necklaces for some of our family nighttime fun. All of the kids and many of the adults loved having them at our events. Plus we loved putting them on the kids and knowing where they were playing in the dark.

Disclsoure: The Children's Book Review and Jeff Minich sent me this book are paying me a small stipend for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Does your child fight you about taking a bath? My nephew was terrified of getting in water when he was young (from birth). It can be such a struggle when a child fears a bath. I honestly remember trying to get my nephew to swim with us in a lake on an extremely hot day, but he would not get into the water. He would go right up to the edge of the water but never quite in it even with his mother already in it. A book that may have helped is the sixth book in the Nuggies Books. It is Baby Chomper's Bath Time by Jeff Minich. This book comes out November 7th!

Disclosure: The Children's Book Review and Carole P. Roman sent me a copy of this book and is paying me a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

What is your child afraid of? Is he or she like Hazel with many fears? The second book in Carole P. Roman's Oh Susannah series is perfect for new readers who have fears. We shared the first book in the series here. The second book is Oh Susannah: Things that Go Bump by Carole P. Roman and illustrated by Mateya Arkova.

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these items in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. All printables are free but for personal use only. If you would like to share them, please use a link back to this post.

I have not done a cheap doll find post in awhile, but I decided it was time. One of my favorite places to look is Oriental Trading. They have so much for parties and crafts and if you are creative you can find some great items that work for dolls. I always start by searching "miniature" or "mini". I will admit Hazel and I have been checking things out for awhile since she is planning on having an American Girl themed birthday party this year. It was going to be a Beforever themed party until she got Saige as a hand-me-down. For the birthday party we knew we wanted to get the Mini Neon Tote Bags, so we will start with these. Hazel set up the scene as her dolls having a slumber party. The tote bags work for the girls to bring her things for the night. At Hazel's party they will be for the dolls to bring home their favors (and we are planning on getting the matching Neon Tote Bags for the girls).

Happy Autumn (or Spring for those in the Southern Hemisphere)!!

Be sure to check out the autumn lunchbox notes I shared the other day!! There are some religious ones and some non-religious ones. They are free to download!!

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

This week's Relaxing Friday is a coloring book more aimed at kids. It is Color, Snap, App! by Claire Fay.

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