February Kits -- Toddler Craft

Our Toddler projects this month all have a Valentine's theme. Your little one will have fun with these sweet, easy projects to get them into the holiday spirit.

Project # 1 -- Acetate Heart

This project will look great hung in a window where the winter sun can shine through the tissue paper. This is a great first project for your child to experiment with a paintbrush and glue!

Project #2 -- Tissue Paper Bear

I love these tissue paper projects, and this little bear is no exception. Just peel away the paper backing to reveal the adhesive, and the bear is ready to be decorated with tissue paper.

Project # 3 Love Bug Sticker Scene

Stickers are always a big hit with our Toddler members... what I like about this month's project is the adorable heart shaped paper.

This month, our toddler members will also be receiving a set of cardstock stickers with winter scenes on them, they are super cute!

February Kits -- Kids Craft

This February we have some fantastic projects for your kids. In years past, the February packages have been very focused on Valentines Day. This year, we decided to spread out and add some new holidays. This year, your child will also be getting crafts for Groundhog Day, Mardi Gras, and Chinese New Year. We hope they enjoy them all!

Project #1 -- Acetate Heart

This project will look great hung in a window where the winter sun can shine through the tissue paper.

Project #2 -- Tissue Paper Bear

I love these tissue paper projects, and this little bear is no exception. Just peel away the paper backing to reveal the adhesive, and the bear is ready to be decorated with tissue paper.

Project #3 -- Groundhog Day Bookmark

Will the groundhog see his shadow? Here in Colorado, where we've had snow on the ground for 6 weeks straight now, we sure hope he has good news for us!

Punxsutawney Phil has his own website, with some great activities for your child

http://www.groundhog.org/celebrate/kids.php

Project #4 -- Mardi Gras Bracelet

A fun, simple beading project your child is sure to enjoy.

Here's some fun info about Mardi Gras that we found on dltk-kids.com

What is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday". The name comes from the ancient custom of parading a fat ox through Paris on this day. The ox was to remind the people that they were not allowed to eat meat during Lent. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday thru Easter Sunday.
Mardi Gras moves. It can be anywhere between February 3rd and March 9th. The date depends on when Easter falls.
French people who came to the United States brought the custom of Mardi Gras with them. The most famous festival in the US (and perhaps the world) is at New Orleans in Louisiana *wistful sigh*-- I've always wanted to go, not necessarily for Mardi Gras, but just to see it.
But Mardi Gras parades happen throughout the world. Biloxi in Mississipi, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Nice in France, Binche in Belgiun and Viareggio in Italy are just a few examples.
The Tuesday that Mardi Gras falls on is also known as Shrove Tuesday. The name comes from the custom of confessing on the day before lent. Shrove means "to be forgiven one's sins."
Mardi Gras Customs:
In Southern Italy, people dress up in costumes and put on an ancient play during Mardi Gras
In Rio de Jeneiro, people dance in the streets.
In Nice, France people wear giant masks in the Mardi Gras parade (it looks like a bunch of walking heads with tiny bodies).
In Binche, Belgium people dress in colorful clown costumes (the clowns are called gilles)The clowns wear bunches of ostrich feathers on their heads and dance in the streets. They carry baskets of oranges which they throw to the watching crowds.
For most of you, Mardi Gras customs are likely of the New Orleans variety. During the parade, everyone dresses up in costumes. Trinkets, especially beads and doubloons, are tossed to the crowds from the parade floats. The Mardi Gras colors are purple, green and gold.

Project #5 -- Chinese New Year Lanterns

These fun festive lanterns are easy to assemble, and we loved the bright colors.

Here's a link to a bunch of GREAT resources about Chinese New Year

http://www.kathimitchell.com/chinewyr.html

2007 Toddlers Club Preview (Photos coming soon!)

The selection of kits for the coming year is always one of my favorite things. I have completed the preview for January -- September 2007. October through December will probably happen closer to the end of the year, as there are always great new things available at that time of year, and I would probably change them anyways. Please know that because we do the selections so early in the year, some kits are not always available when the time comes to order them, and substitutions may have to be made. Sometimes it just turns out that we find something we find irresistable later in the year, and we swap things around for that reason.We are including some great new themes this year!

This preview should give you a really good idea of the things to come in 2007, we hope that your child will enjoy them! We test all these kits before they ever hit the mail to your child, and you can always find hints, tricks, and suggestions here on this blog. Happy Crafting!

We do our best to find fun crafts that will expand your toddler's experiences, and that will be enjoyable for you both. Please note that we do not intend the toddler kits to be at a level that a child at this age could complete them by themselves. The kits are meant to be a fun activity shared by you both!

January -- Winter Wonderland (See blog entry below for list and pictures)

February -- Valentines Day

• Acetate Heart
• Tissue paper Bear
• Love Bug Sticker Scene

March - St. Patrick's Day and Easter

• Shamrock Paper Plate
• Easter Paper Plate Characters
• Easter Sticker Cards

April -- Just Buggy!

• Weaving Mats
• Insect Rubbing Plates
• Make your own Bugs Sticker Scene

May -- Mother's Day and Father's Day, Cinco de Mayo

• Mom Bear Magnet
• Dad Card
• Fun Fiesta Sticker Scene

June -- Summer Fun and 4th of July

• Beach Sticker Scene
• Foam Patriotic Flyer
• Color your own Patriotic Visor

July --

August -- Dinosaurs

• Dinosaur Sticker Scene
• Dinosaur Mobile
• Dinosaur Magnet

September --

October -- Halloween

November -- Thanksgiving and Fall Fun

December -- Happy Holidays!

2007 Kids Club Preview (photos coming soon!)

The selection of kits for the coming year is always one of my favorite things. I have completed the preview for January -- September 2007. October through December will probably happen closer to the end of the year, as there are always great new things available at that time of year, and I would probably change them anyways. Please know that because we do the selections so early in the year, some kits are not always available when the time comes to order them, and substitutions may have to be made. Sometimes it just turns out that we find something we find irresistable later in the year, and we swap things around for that reason.

We are including some great new themes this year, including some holidays we have not recognized in past kits, like Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras and Hannukah.

This preview should give you a really good idea of the things to come in 2007, we hope that your child will enjoy them! We test all these kits before they ever hit the mail to your child, and you can always find hints, tricks, and suggestions here on this blog. Happy Crafting!

2007 Preview

January -- Winter Wonderland (see pictures in January entry below).

February -- Valentines Day, Mardi Gras, Groundhog Day and Mardi Gras

• Acetate and Tissue Heart
• Tissue Paper Valentines Bear
• Groundhog Day Bookmark
• Chinese New Year's Lanterns
• Mardi Gras Pin

March -- St. Patrick's Day and Easter

• Foam Strip Shamrocks
• Shamrock ladybug Bracelet
• Embossed Foil Easter Sign
• Bunny Pouch
• Rhinestone Easter Eggs

April -- Pirate Adventures

• Pirate's Hat
• Treasure Chest Magnet
• Parrot Glider
• Treasure Chest
• Day at the Beach Stickers

May -- Mother's Day and Father's Day

Design your Own Mom Card
Pony Bead Mom Keychain
Beaded Pin for Mom
Wooden Keychains for Dad
Dad Card

June -- Patriotic Crafts (we ship things with this theme in June, to make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy them before the 4th of July)

July --

August --

September --

October -- Halloween

November -- Thanksgiving and Fall Fun

December -- Holidays (Christmas and Hannukah)

January Kits

Happy New Year! We hope to have the 2007 preview available here on the blog very soon. In the meantime, here are the January kits. (These will be shipping no later than January 6, due to weather related delays in our inventory arrival this month). Our theme this month is "Winter Wonderland". Here in Colorado we've received over two feet of snow in the past two weeks, so the theme certainly seems appropriate to us!

Project #1 -- Winter Sand Art (Both Kids and Toddlers)

Sand Art is always a favorite of ours, and we thought these were great. The Kids and Toddlers clubs are both receiving this project this month.

Project #2 -- Felt Photo Frame

This great winter scene is perfect for all the holiday photos you took last month! The Kids and Toddler clubs are also both receiving this fun kit.

Project #3 -- 3D Snowman

This is a great project to let your child's creativity take over. Have fun decorating this with markers, crayons, stickers and more! THe Toddlers will be getting this project. Select Kids members may get this as a bonus as well.

Project 4 -- Penguin Flyer

Penguins are very popular at our house, and this project will be a lot of fun for your child (Kids Club Only)

Project #5 -- Flying Penguin Airplane

The finished product will bring your child hours of fun. (Kids Club Only)

Project #6 -- Polar Bear Photo Holder

Another great way to show off those great holiday photos. (Kids Club Only)

Happy Holidays! December Toddler Craft Projects

Project #1 -- 3D Christmas Tree Ornaments
This fun project will allow even your littlest crafters to create an ornament that will hang on your tree for years to come. With a full 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of stickers to decorate these with, you'll have more than enough to decorate these cute trees, and you can use the leftovers to decorate your felt stocking

Project #2 -- Lacing Felt Stocking
A great first needle and thread project, you can also use materials you have at home to embellish this stocking. One great idea? Use the leftover stickers from Project #1

Project #3 -- Santa or Snowman Tote Bag
This is a very simple gluing project, which your child is sure to enjoy. For foam projects, our favorite glue is

http://www.duncancrafts.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=0ec308f9-71a4-4fd0-b4df-b4bbf7b42152

You can buy this glue at any craft store, or at Wal Mart.

Happy Holidays! December Kids Craft Projects

It's hard to believe that December is already here! We have some really fun projects picked out to help you celebrate the holiday season!

Project #1 -- Lacing Felt Stocking This is a great project for some early needle and thread experience for your little crafter. Plus, you can embellish the stocking in lots of fun ways with items from your home. Use stickers, buttons, small pieces of candy, paint, markers, and have fun decorating this stocking to make it your own!

Project #2 -- Santa or Snowman Tote Bag. We offered this project through Family Circle Magazine last year and it was a huge hit. Your child will receive either the Santa or the Snowman (we were very surprised last year that the snowman was the more popular choice). We don't do a lot of these foam projects, because of the drying time needed with regular glue. We usually recommend either using glue dots, or at home, we use this great crafting glue

http://www.duncancrafts.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=0ec308f9-71a4-4fd0-b4df-b4bbf7b42152

You can get this glue at any craft store, or in the craft section at Wal Mart. It's really terrific.

Project #3 Santa or Reindeer Snap Bracelets -- Your child will receive either Santa or the Reindeer. We thought this adorable project was perfect for this time of year

Project #4 -- Embossed Foil Greeting Card -- These embossed foil projects are a new favorite of mine. Your child will receive either the snowman or the Candy Cane. Each project comes with a wooden stylus for tracing the design, but I find that a ball point pen actually works better, the stylus can tend to rip the paper.

Project #5 -- Santa Glove Ornament -- Ornaments are my favorite type of Christmas craft project. These special items made by your child will bring you happy memories every holiday season. I thought this ornament was particularly adorable and unique.