Pronto passport pouch!

If you're anything like us you'll love the thrill of travelling but not the airport bits where you have to produce your documents from the depths of your bags whilst juggling kids, belts, shoes and iPads! If this sounds familiar then this project is going to make things a little easier.

We've used the brightest felt, so you'll always be able to find your passport in your bag...even after a long haul!

You only need a button, thread and felt, so it's super cheap too.

You could even add a ribbon to the top to hang round your neck...or make a larger one to fit the whole family's passports!

Bon voyage!

Craft It Up Around The World: Christmas

Unbelievably excited today to bring you news of our beautiful Christmas craft book! Called Craft It Up Around The World: Christmas, it is already available online for pre-order!

How awesome is that! Release date is August.

We had so much fun making the book and we think you're going to love it! Christmas is such a special time and what could be lovelier than making heirloom crafts with your family?

This is what Amazon say about the book...

'Bring Christmas from around the world into your home with these beautiful treasures. Ice-skating in New York? Gazing at starry nights in India? Jingling bells around your wrist as they do in Cuba? Let your imagination take flight, and join in a whole host of celebratory traditions from around the globe by making beautiful treasures, either as keepsakes or gifts. Libby Abadee and Cath Armstrong, both keen travellers, have discovered Christmas traditions from around the world and cleverly adapted them into 35 accessible craft projects, complete with fun facts about each country. Not only will you love making a gorgeous Ice Queen, you will learn when and why the ice rink was installed at Christmas time at New York's Rockefeller Centre. From composing a Uruguayan crib scene to making a Japanese origami gift box, you can indulge your creative ability while learning about how things are done in other countries. Follow the simple step-by-step instructions and clear photographs to achieve delightful results. Christmas is a time of giving and spreading joy among friends and family, and this book presents a magical and inspirational way to help you do just that.'

Reader pics: Netherlands and Finland

We love seeing what you've made from our book Craft It Up Around The World! 

This week we were excited to get an email from Zac and Oscar in England. Oscar has done a great job with our Netherlands flower project. He used paper instead of felt to make the flowers and leaves and the colours are vibrant and beautiful! And how cute are Zac and Oscar's little 'Saving For a Snowy Day' money boxes? Loving that rainbow ribbon and their sweet little faces! 

Keep them coming boys!

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!

 

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.

Great review from Pinaddicts!

Thanks Jenny for this great review. We reckon between these 3 books you could keep the kids amused for hours...

Original post at http://pinaddictschallenge.com/2013/08/27/new-books-for-autumnal-crafting/comment-page-1/#comment-1684

New books for autumnal crafting

Posted on August 27, 2013 by gingerbread mum

      

As we near the end of the school holidays and the days are getting noticeably shorter my thoughts are beginning to turn to some autumnal crafting. I’ve recently received new craft books so I thought I would share some of these with you today.

 

 

Origami Farm by Mario Ono shows you how to make 35 farmyard favourites in an instant. Make a barn full of amazing animals with this fun collection of projects based around farmyard animals and crops. There’s a sheep dog, chicken, lamb, pig and rabbit to fold from the animals section, then apples, corn, pumpkins and tomatoes that are grown in the fields. Also included is a scarecrow to keep your crops safe, plus a farmhouse for the farmer to live in. This book also includes 50 specially designed pieces of origami paper which make the projects really come to life.

 

 

Craft it Up Around the World brings the great wide world into the home with 35 travel-inspired craft projects! The book aims to inspire children to look at the world around them in a new way. Discover the Americas by bagging yourselves a potato print tote from Argentina and painted pebbles with Colombian rainforest designs. Celebrate the wonder of Asia with a Japanese sushi brooch and create African art by making a Ghanaian clay bead necklace.

 

 

In this fun and quirky book, complete with step-by-step photos, Smita Srivastava shares her innovative and highly effective way of making food far more enjoyable for reluctant little gourmets. Featuring easy-to-make breakfasts, snacks and lunchboxes comprised of healthy ingredients such as fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese and wholemeal bread, these fun food presentations drive home the message that healthy meals don’t have to be boring.

 

 

A sneak peak at our Cuba project!

Did you know that one of the best times to visit Cuba is right now, in August? This is because the weather is starting to cool down a bit and that means less tourists!

If a trip to Cuba is just out of your reach right now, then why not have a look at the Cars of Cuba Collection project in our book Craft It Up Around The World? We've used paint cards to make a cool framed picture. And since paint cards are free, we reckon it's probably cheaper than a trip to Cuba too!

 

Need a copy of our book? Visit your local bookstore and order a copy or go online. One of our suppliers is Book Depository, who offer free post worldwide.

 

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

 



Gorgeous review from Jenny from The Gingerbread House

reposted from http://www.rylandpeters.com/blog/craft-your-way-around-the-globe/

Craft your way around the globe

A few weeks ago, we sent out a review copy of the forthcoming 'Craft it Up Around the World' to one of our favourite bloggers, Jenny Kearney (aka The Gingerbread Mum). Here's what she made of the book:
The cold wet weather has kept us indoors the last few days. Fortunately we were sent a really fun craft book which has kept us busy and helped us explore new things. Craft It Up Around The World brings the great wide world into the home with 35 travel-inspired craft projects! The toddler and I enjoyed sitting down and looking through it together, we’ve already chosen a couple of fun projects to do.

The authors, Libby Abadee and Cath Armstrong have created Craft It Up Around The World to inspire children to look at the world around them in a new way. They can discover the Americas by bagging themselves a potato print tote from Argentina and painted pebbles with Colombian rainforest designs. Other projects include making a bouquet of Dutch felt tulips and creating salt dough coins fit for the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Children can celebrate the wonder of Asia with a Japanese sushi brooch and make their own Vietnamese juice box boat like the boats in Ha Long Bay. They will love creating African art by making a Ghanaian clay bead necklace, and will remember Sydney, Australia forever with their very own memory jar.
We tried “The Mounties Always Get Their (Gingerbread) Man. I think you can probably guess that they didn’t last long enough to be iced.

Next we made Howard’s Treasure Hunt Bottle with the treasures we picked up from the beach last weekend.

Today we’ve been working on the Yarn Bombed “Baaaaaaa” Stool but I have to admit that both children have been looking at me like I’m mad! My toddler doesn’t quite understand about other countries but I’d like to think he’s beginning to grasp the concept of different people and cultures and this book will definitely help.
This is such a lovely craft book. Well illustrated with clear instructions, makes it accessible for many ages. Most of the crafts can be completed with items you already have around the home which makes this a great book for all ages and abilities. It’s brilliant to have such an unusual craft book on our craft shelves, who wouldn’t want to craft their way around the globe and learn some fun facts about other cultures and countries along the way!?

Craft It Up Around the World by Libby Abadee and Cath Armstrong is published by CICO Kidz and is available from all good bookshops or online outlets.

About our guest blogger:

My name is Jenny and I’ve been blogging here since 2005 about London life, crafts, baking (we love gingerbread!) and life with two children. I’m a mother of two small terrors who never sleep – Big Brother the toddler and Little Sis his baby sister. You can find me here on twitter. I love to blog and also write a parenting photoblog, a family history blog and baking blog called flour sugar eggs and butter.

Great review from http://craftymomsshare.blogspot.com

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Craft It Up Around the World book review

Today I have the pleasure of review a wonderful book called Craft It Up

Around the World by Libby Abadee and Cath Armstrong.  Craft it Up Around the World by Libby Abadee and Cath Armstrong is published by CICO Books at £9.99 and is available from www.rylandpeters.com. This book was sent to me by CICO Books to review here, and I have to say I am so pleased to do so. The book contains 35 craft projects from different places throughout the world. The crafts are meant for children to do, and if they are older than Hazel, they will not need much help from an adult. The authors are currently based in Sydney, Australia, but between the two of them they have lived in many parts of the world and are trying to inspire children to look at the world around them and learn more about other places. I have to say it is the perfect book to go along with our multicultural adventures between our Fairy Tales in Different Cultures, Virtual Flat Stanley and Around the World in 12 Dishes.

One of the things I really like about this book is several of the crafts use recycled materials. The first craft I want to share is this wonderful map bunting. You could focus your circles to be spots you have lived, visited or want to visit, or you can do what we did and just take any place to be included. Hazel enjoyed helping me sew these circles together into the bunting. As we did this I thought it would be neat for a birthday party with a world travel theme. Really this book would be perfect for it. Now to convince Hazel of this idea.

To make this bunting I used one of Steve's outdated Atlas books. I had planned on going to AAA for a free world map, but didn't make it there, so I asked Steve to see what he had. I figured it was even better to use a book he didn't need or want anymore. I did not have a big enough circle punch, so I traced a glass and cut the circle myself. It really took no time at all to make a pretty long bunting. Now we are going to hang it on Hazel's tree in her room.

After that we made some of the crafts to go with the countries we have already "visited" this year. We made the Easy Peasy Felt Tulips for the Netherlands. Hazel is using them as the centerpiece on her play kitchen table. Great craft for springtime.

We made the Saving for a Snowy Day for Finland. He is made from a recycled smoothie container. We will be saving him for the winter. This is a great craft for the winter.

For Spain we made Click Clack Button Castanets. Hazel hasn't tried them since the glue was drying, but I did. She will love them, and she got to pick out the scrapbook paper we used. I made them a bit smaller than the instructions called for, but I thought this would help Hazel use them. This would be a great craft for any Spanish themed lesson or party.

For France I made the "Ooh La La" Pretty Parisian Embroidery. We will hang it in Hazel's room. She probably could have helped with some of the sewing, but I made it while she was in bed. She did however help me cut the fabric for the project. Again, wouldn't this be a perfect decoration for a world travel themed party.

The final craft idea I will share is for Egypt (this month's destination for Around the World in 12 Dishes) and it is Howard's Treasure Hunt Bottle. It is a recycled jar filled with some Egyptian objects and sand. I added on it a print out of the Egyptian flag and map. We used objects from Safari Ltd. Miniature Replica Toobs. Some we had and we picked up the Ancient Egypt one the other day at Michaels with our 40% off coupon.

We also included a bird amulet and a cat statue.

So Craft It Up Around the World is a great book full of ideas for kids who are exploring the world. The book includes a picture of the country's flag and shape of the country as well as some interesting facts about the countries. There are a variety of crafts calling on different skills, so they will appeal to both boys and girls of different ages. Again Craft it Up Around the World by Libby Abadee and Cath Armstrong is published by CICO Books at £9.99 and is available from www.rylandpeters.com. You can look for more great crafts from this book as we explore the world through all of our fun adventures as well!!

Love this post from our publishers CICO books!

Posted on August 16, 2013

School's Out!

Week four of the school holidays and time might be starting to drag, as it seems a different source of entertainment needs to be plucked from thin air with each passing day!  Here at RPS and CICO books we have ideas galore to get you and the kids through the last two weeks of the holidays!

A Perfect Day For a Picnic

How does a teddy bear picnic sound? Or a seaside snack? Take advantage of the gorgeous weather with a picnic of home-made sausage and squished tomato rolls. Turn the preparation itself into an activity by encouraging your children to join in, or whip up a feast and invite all your family and friends. Just don’t forget to invite Teddy!


Craft It Up Around the World

If you’re stuck inside during the holidays, try making these wonderful butterfly fridge magnets – or even if it’s still sunny, make them out in the garden and pop them on the fridge to keep the essence of summer alive all year round!

You will need:

• Florists’ wire
• 2 wooden dolly clothespins
• Glue
• Acrylic paints of your color choice
• Paintbrush
• Black permanent marker
• Coffee filter papers (large and small)
• Paper towel
• Food coloring
• Magnet

1. Cut a length of florists’ wire in half and wrap it once around the neck of a dolly clothespin. Twist it, and secure it with a small dab of glue to the back of the clothespin.



2. Paint your clothespins. Be sure to paint in between the clothespin legs because the bottom part will remain visible. Allow the paint to dry and then, using a permanent black pen, mark in facial details such as eyes and mouth.



3. Use an extra dolly clothespin to curl the florists’ wire you have attached to the first two clothespins to make butterfly antenna shapes.



4. Take two coffee filters and on one draw a large wing and on the other draw a smaller wing of the same design. Cut them out leaving the bottom join of the coffee filter paper intact.



5. Put your filter papers on the paper towel and place drops of food coloring onto the opened papers. Keep the design symmetrical by doing the same to both sides. Repeat the process for your smaller butterfly wings.



6. When the colored papers are dry, place the wings together and push them up between the clothespin legs. Glue a magnet on the back of the clothespin.



You can find the original post here:

http://www.rylandpeters.com/US/blog/schools-out/

Happy Thursday!

We're celebrating our gorgeous book Craft It Up Around The World today! It's in the top 100 Crafts for Children books on Amazon in the US and the UK!

You can buy a copy from our publishers:

http://www.rylandpeters.com/ourshop/craft/craft-it-up-around-the-world

Book review from www.mummyslittlestars.com

The awesome Fiona from http://mummyslittlestars.com/ has written us a great review! '

 

We love hearing what you've been trying out from our book and Fiona's daughter Miss M has done a brilliant job with our 'Three (Salt Dough) Coins in the Fountain'. We love that she's linked it to stories of her travels and a little educational maths play too!

 

And what's not to love about a rainbow craft project!

 

Thank you Fiona and Miss M and we hope you continue to enjoy the book and the projects on the blog!

 

Craft It Up Around the World – Fun Travel Inspired Craft ideas – Book Review

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Mummy's Little Stars    

With Miss M being a huge fan of anything craft related, we were really pleased to receive the new Craft It Up – Around the World book by Cico Books.  The chapters are broken down into continents with themed craft ideas for a selection of countries within each continent.  Each craft is beautifully illustrated over a couple of pages in a high quality book.
With Miss M having just finished her foundation year in school, one of the major topics she covered in the final term was different countries and cultures around the world.  This book gave us lots of talking points and ideas which not only broadened her crafting skills but helped build her knowledge of the world and different countries.
We had a look through and were inspired by many ideas – we have a constantly growing list of ideas that Miss is keen to try from the Greek Paper Crown Wreath, to the Snowman from Finland and the Austrian Paper Dolly Choir.

The idea that Miss M most wanted to try first was the Coins in the Fountain, an idea inspired by the Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy.  This was quite close to my heart as I had visiting here with daddy before the children were born, so I dug out some pictures and we had a little talk about Rome and Italy and some of the famous sites you can see there.

The idea of this craft is to make Salt Dough (using just salt/flour/oil – all of which we had in the house) and then cutting out some coin shapes to represent the coins that you would normally throw into the Trevi Fountain.  These are then painted and can be used for any sort of imaginative play or for number work – a key thing for Miss M right now as she is learning the basics of addition and subtraction.

First of all we mixed the ingredients to make the dough, then rolled it out before using a cutter to make the coin shapes.  We then used the blunt end of a small paintbrush to create holes and number designs across the coins.  Once completed these were baked in the oven until hard.  Miss M absolutely loved doing this and was totally enthusiastic eager to be involved at every stage.  She did let me help with the numbers but did instruct me what number to put on each coin!

Once the salt dough was baked and cooled we then had the exciting part of painting it.  Miss M decided that she wanted rainbow coloured coins so set to work painting her designs.

Once they were finished and dry, I have to admit that they did seem quite impressive.  Miss M had spent a whole day crafting to create them.  They are quite strong and should last with reasonable play.  Miss M intends on using hers for maths and adding up the numbers on the coins.  She has also laid them all out across the floor to make number lines in order and the five times table.

I love these salt dough coins.  I have never tried salt dough before but am impressed with how easy it was to form a dough, and think that it’s a great idea to bake it to create permanent artwork.  Our coins are brightly coloured and Miss M loves using them to practice her numbers and simple maths.  A great craft that I’d never have done without the inspiration from the book, and salt dough is definitely something you can use to make other crafty pieces.

The book Craft It Up – Around the World is full of inspiration from around the world of things to make that your children will love.  We have a list of things to make next and love that there’s an educational aspect too.  With each new project, is a new country, bringing new topics for Miss M to think about and she is always full of questions about the topic we are covering.  We’ve love the Craft Around the World book from Cico Books and it will continue to inspire us for many further months.

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.