Review: http://www.allfreekidscrafts.com

Craft It Up: Christmas Around the World Review

    

      

Craft It Up: Christmas Around the World Review
Gifted by: Cico Kidz
Reviewed by Christina Hammond, Editor of AllFreeKidsCrafts.com

Christmas traditions around the world vary widely, yet all are just as magical as the last. Whether it's wearing bells around your wrist in Cuba, star gazing in India, or dancing with the Rockettes in New York City, there are many wonderful Christmas traditional around the world. In Craft It Up: Christmas Around the World, authors Libby Arabee and Cath Armstrong have gathered 35 fun crafts projects inspired by their travels around the world.  

You'll love this book; not only is it filled with wonderful Christmas crafts for the kids to make, but the authors have also given us plenty of fun facts about holiday traditions around the world.  Kids and adults are sure to learn something new while making some fun worldly Christmas crafts.  For example, not only will you have fun making a clothespin pom pom angel, you will also learn about Austria's tradition of the “Christkind,” the traditional Christmas gift-giver. And because the book is categorized by region, you can have the kids work their way around the globe. What a fun way to learn about the Christmas traditions around the world while having a blast with your family!

While the projects vary in skill level and use a variety of techniques, each project is beautifully photographed and includes simple step-by-step instructions, helping your little ones achieve delightful results. There are even some delicious treats to make, which are sure to get the kids excited to help in the kitchen. Get the kids involved and let their imaginations run wild as they make some magical and inspirational treasures. All of the projects in this festive book will make fantastic keepsakes or gifts for loved ones. 

No matter what projects you decide to make from this creative collection, everyone is sure to have a blast unleashing their creative abilities and learning about how things are done around the world. Kids will be proud to see their handiwork spreading happiness and the Christmas spirit. Craft It Up: Christmas Around the World is sure to be a holiday book you reach for again and again.

Read more at http://www.allfreekidscrafts.com/Book-Reviews/Craft-It-Up-Christmas-Around-the-World-Review#2cS1gzx3UawWWg3C.99

Best magazine in the UK features our Poinsettia sack in their Christmas edition!

This project is an extra special one in the book because we used beautiful fabrics, some screen printed by hand right here in Sydney, by Prints Charming Original Fabrics. This sack is reasonably quick and easy. The key is using really gorgeous bright fabrics. If you're in Australia you can buy printed Prints Charming fabrics in Spotlight.

Review: http://craftymomsshare.blogspot.com.au

Monday, November 17, 2014

Craft It Up! Chirstmas Around the World -- Book Review

Disclosure: Ryland, Peters and Small gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation. 

Today I am going to share with you a fun Christmas craft book that helps teach a little bit about various countries around the world. In August of 2013, I had the pleasure of reviewing Craft It Up Around the World. Now the same authors, Libby Abadee and Cath Armstrong have a second book published, Craft It Up Christmas Around the World. 

This book is divided into three chapters: The Americas, Europe and Asia, Africa and Oceania. With countries in each area of the world a Christmas craft is shared as well as some information about Christmas in the country. Now I went through the book and marked crafts I thought Hazel and I would enjoy doing together and find easy enough for her to do somewhat by herself. I used green stickies and then I gave her the book and some orange stickies and asked her to mark the crafts she wanted to do. She marked all of them. She even marked the chapter pages and some of the second/third pages of instructions for the same crafts. I then asked her to mark her top three crafts by putting an extra sticky on those pages. I had trouble finding them because our book looks like this:

Before she started marking, we did one craft however. I knew she would love the Rockefeller Ice Queens craft from the United States. We have not added the threads to any of the ornaments we made yet (I have been lazy). 

The craft is an easy one. A template for the skater is provided. I copied it onto cardstock and then we cut them out. The skirts are doilies and then the beads add some decoration. Hazel talked about drawing on faces, but never did. The fun fact was about the opening of the ice rink in Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Our second craft was the "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" Snowflakes representing Argentina. We had fun searching through the beads for clear and white ones and added some silver sparkles as well. Hazel grew bored of beading hers, but I noticed her working on it this morning again. I am thinking we will hang them for her Frozen themed birthday party this year!

Hazel hard at work

 Hazel had fun coming up with patterns for each branch. I love watching her make her patterns like she does in school. The tidbit relating this craft to Argentina is that with the European influence in Argentina, they decorate their trees with cotton and such to represent snow.

The third craft (and last one we finished so far) is the Sweetness and Light Centerpiece representing Colombia. I was a little surprised that Hazel wanted to do this one as one of her top three. We changed it a bit. I knew Steve would not like us using a real candle with felt around it and Hazel can turn on and off the battery operated ones, so we used a white batter operated one. We also did not have purple-red felt, so we used purple felt. We also did not sew the line on the leaves since I could not find my green floss. 

 Since we did not use a real candle we also used a paper plate as our bottom instead of a cork circle. As a result we had to add a flower. Hazel had fun cutting the fringe for the fringe flowers while I cut the other pieces and did the hot gluing. She is so proud of this craft and has been telling everyone about it. The candle related to Colombia since the official Christmas season starts in Colombia with the Day of the Candles--December 7th. 

 We also started her third favorite which is "Make a Scene" Terrarium representing the Czech Republic. Since it is a more detailed craft that is going to involve more from me, we did not get very far. We made the snowman for her terrarium so far. Next we will make the skater and then find the right jar to put it all in. The connection to the Czech Republic is that ice skating is very popular there at Christmas time. 

I have to recommend this book for anyone who likes fun crafts and especially Christmas crafts. We have had so much fun making the few crafts we have already done, and I know we will be making more from it. Although I do not feel like it shares as much information about the countries as the first one, I do like the Fun Facts they do share. It gives just a tidbit of the information, but that is always enough to spark interest and perhaps do a bit more research to learn more about each country. Many of the craft ideas are new and fresh and not what I see everywhere. As you can tell from how our book looks, we will be working on more of their ideas over the next month and a half.

How to make a Pay it Forward Advent Calendar from Craft it Up Christmas ...

We love a chocolate Advent calendar as much as the next person. But we were thinking, wouldn't it be good to give something back in the days leading up to Christmas, instead of taking? The divine Jen at CICO books has made a fabulous You Tube tutorial so you can make one just in time for the 1st of December!

Revisiting Craft It Up Around The World and an exciting trip!

We've been busy in the office trying to catalogue projects in preparation for a super exciting business trip we're taking to England in the coming weeks. Maybe we'll see the Changing of the Guards and be able to wave our 'One is Amused' Royal Family Wooden Spoon Puppets!

 

At the end of the trip we're hopping over to say 'bonjour!' to Paris, which has to be one of our most favourite cities in the world! Can't wait to stand at the top of the Eiffel Tower and look down at Paris below!

 

Our beautiful book is available from all good retailers and online.

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Craft-it-Up-Around-World-Libby-Abadee/9781782490388

 

 

Keep your eye out for a super quick travel project coming soon!

 

 

ooooooooooh!...not so spooky Halloween Wreath

If you like your Halloween to be more about cute pumpkins and friendly witches and less about dripping blood and severed hands, then this craft project is for you!

The best bit is that kids of all ages can cut out the felt circles. And because you're stacking them together they can be cut out fairly slap dash and it'll still look amazing!

This project uses a lot of felt, so it can be pricey. You could try using any fabric scraps for more texture, or even circles of paper and card.

Playtime cookies!

Here in Sydney our kids have just gone back to school after a 2 week break.

If, like ours, your kids are a whole lot happier with sweet treats at the end of the day, then why not whip up a plate?

We made a batch of these gorgeous rainbow cookies to welcome the kids back from school. The verdict? 10 out of 10!

 

Reader pics: Jamaica: "Bang on Time" Tin Can Drum

How good is this? One of our awesome readers Zara made this drum. Love the way she has used 2 very different patterns and such a vibrant colour!

Book giveaway!

Here in Sydney we've just started 2 weeks of school holidays. If you're looking for ways to entertain the kids then look no further! We've got a shiny new copy of the book to give away!

 

Just leave a comment here, inbox us on Facebook or email us at craftitup (at) live (dot) com (dot) au

And because it's Spring here in Sydney, the sun is shining and we're feeling happy...we'll send the book out to you wherever you are!

The winner will be picked on Wednesday which gives us enough time to get the book to you in time for the second week of the holidays! Yippee!

 

Marvellous marbled cookie pops!

These cookies look super impressive but are really easy to make!

And if it takes a few goes to get the marbling right, you might just have to eat the experiments along the way!

 

 

 

Reader pics: Worldwide. 'I'd Like to Teach the World to String'.

Libby's awesome twin Jane has just made some of our circle bunting. Instead of using maps, she has used patterned paper for her bunting.

This is such a simple technique, but has such spectacular results. You could experiment with using different patterns in the same colour, or maybe some pages from an old book or some sheet music.

Autumn leaf garland

We celebrated the first day of Spring here in Australia yesterday, which means that it's the first day of Autumn on the other side of the world!

If you have lovely piles of fallen leaves where you live, why not sew up a super fast Autumn leaf garland? If you don't have a sewing machine, you can hand sew the leaves together or even glue them to a thin piece of ribbon.