Smart Fab Fabric

Details: Smart Fab is a disposable art and decoration fabric, colorful, durable and easy to work with, endless creative possibilities, and an excellent choice for schools.  Smart fab fabric is super easy to cut, sew, paint, staple, fold and glue.  The colors don't fade, while the fabric is strong but very flexible, and will not fray.  Indoor and outdoor use and most importantly recyclable.  Smart fab rolls are available in 3 sizes and 15 colors: 48"x 40ft, 48"x 120ft, 36"x 600 ft.  Smart fab cut sheets are available in 2 sizes and 3 color variations: 9x12 (for a 45 sheet pack) and a 12x18 (for a 45 sheet pack).

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

My Review:  Let me tell you, this product had me so impressed just by reading about it.  As a school teacher I'm always looking for creative supplies to use in my classroom, as well as creative tools my students can use for school projects.  I love all the beautifully bright fun colors, perfect for any holiday, event, bulletin board or what have you.  Just by going on to Smart Fab's website they give you project ideas, lesson plans, and how to directions to make some super cute ideas.  For my review, I was given a sample size of Orange, Sky Blue and Dark Pink smart fab rolls.  These sample sizes are the same as what you can buy except the length and width of these sample rolls.  I was also given a free color swatch book, which I just love because let me tell you I'll be keeping it on hand throughout my school year so I can get holiday colored fabric rolls, and sheets for my class.  I'm such a creative person that when I'm given a limited supply of anything super fun, I tend to save it and just not use it, so coming up with a cleaver idea on how to test and use this fabric was actually hard for me...but what I chose I'm very pleased with.  Here is what I have found out: this fabric really doesn't fray, is easy to paint or use markers one (but with colored fabric only specific colors work best), can be sewn.  I love it, and once school starts I'll be able to let you know if my students like it as well, but I'm sure they will.

What I created: I made a bulletin board, using the sky blue smart fab as the background, and some of the orange and pink flowers are smart fab, but not all of them.  I also made 16x20 pin boards for each of my kids for school to use along with fun colored wipe off boards.  Lastly I made simple aprons the kids can wear during messy activities.

Pros: awesome product, great company, claims are true

Cons: none

My Rating: Thumbs UP

Rainbow Loom

 Rainbow looms are all the newest fad, and even though they've been around a while now, I thought it would be fun to share with you my experience with one.  So last fast we went to the beach and a friend brought her rainbow loom to make some things for her Grandchildren.  She let me watch and even gave me the chance to figure out how it works, and why people/ kids find it so fun.  It was a fun learning experience.  Just to make on simple pattern, and to make one bracelet it took me about 30-45 minutes.  It wasn't super easy at first, I had to keep re-doing some of them, but like knitting you just undo what you messed up and try again.

directions on how to work it

list of patterns you can try

more directions/ tips

tips from the box

starting

getting close to the end

finished product

Home School Craft Time

 One of my favorite parts of home schooling my children is being able to do fun crafts outside when the weather is nice.  This was a fun one, hand painting ceramic train banks.

Kids Crafts: Melting Beads

My kids love doing crafts, but sometimes its really hard to come up with something new, fun, and find something last minute.  For example, my oldest son's best friend was moving out of state and for their last play date I wanted it to be special and something she would enjoy as much as he would.  So We ran to the Dollar Tree before she came.  I found a few different kid's crafts in a box type of craft.  So it had directions, was super easy with or without adult supervision, and were $1 per item.  So I wasn't breaking the bank.

One of the items we got were these box kits of Melting Beads.  It came with beads, the plastic shape, instructions, the wax paper needed for ironing/ melting the beads and the images for design on the cover of the box.  I almost threw the box away until I found out that there are no other images for the kids to follow on their designs.  DON'T THROW BOX AWAY!

Okay so at my Dollar Tree they only had 3 designs: fox, flower, heart, butterfly.  I know that beads are usually a girl thing, but I was sad that there weren't other boy-ish designs.  Oh well, the fox (I know its a cat, but you call it a fox and my boy didn't mind) worked well enough.
Here are the steps once your plastic template is filled.

Step 1: every spot is filled with a bead on template

Step 2: cover with wax paper cover provided in box

Step 3: Start to iron/ melt the beads

Step 4: you'll see the beads starting to melt on the top

Step 5: Finished with the tops of the beads look like this. Let cool before handing to kids because its HOT

Should I be Brave

So the other day on Facebook a friend of mine posted the below quote:

"I, your name, hereby promise and affirm to make a small work of art (or similar creation) for the first ten people who comment on this post and say "YES, I want in". A 'like' alone is not enough of a commitment, nor is a comment about thinking Pay It Forward is a great idea.

You must in turn post this as your status update and make something for the first ten who comment on your status.

* The rules are simple: it has to be your work, made by you, and the recipient must receive it before 2014 ends...(therefore you may have to share your mailing address, in a PM)"

As I contemplated replying to this and becoming someone who would follow this, I kept thinking to myself, wow this friend of mine is very brave.  First of all, she just decided a week previous to this post to learn how to paint.  She is going to learn by looking at youtube videos.  And she wants to have 10 people get some of her new art work.  So brave, so very brave...let me tell you why.  I went to school for art.  i didn't know i loved art so much until I was a junior in high school.  The school that I went to didn't offer college help for juniors in my situation.  And it didn't get any better my senior year of high school either.  So here's what the last 2 years of high school were for me.

I didn't have real friends, if any friends at all.  My parents didn't think friends were anything worth pursuing, so I was the good child and followed their advice.  I never went to parties, never went to a dance in a nice fancy dress, never got bad grades, and worked as much as I could.  During my lunch periods I never brought real food.  I brought 1 package of 6 cracker sandwiches.  That's what I ate for lunch.  I would forge my teacher's signatures, dates, and well whatever I needed to so I could sit in the library during lunch.  My lunch periods consisted of me searching for every grant and scholarship that I could find, and apply for them.  This went on for both my junior and senior year of high school.  I spent hours and hours, days and days, weeks of planning for these scholarships and grants.  I had my parents fill out their parts and I did everything else.  I looked into different schools, until the day came when I needed to take the SAT.  

Now when I signed up for the SAT I didn't know what it was, why we had to pay to get tested, all I knew if that if I passed this test I could go to college.  But what I didn't realize that everyone else who was taking this test knew how to answer the questions, knew what they were doing, and passed it with really good scores.  So after getting my first score I thought I can try again and do better.  But instead I did worse.  How can this be for someone who was an A-AB student who spent more time on homework and school projects than most of the kids in my classes?  Well, it happened and it wasn't fun.

So I gave up my dreams.  And decided to just go to the local community college and see what I can learn.  Hopefully I could transfer to a different school and get a second chance at my dreams.  Well I stuck with art, and loves my classes.  I learned art history, architecture, and all kinds of sculpture and acrylic painting.  It was fun, but I had to use student loans to go to the community college.  To help pay for my supplies and such my schedule was really crazy.  I was working from 5am-7:30am, then I would drive an hour to go to school, school would end between 4pm-10pm depending on the day.  Then it was another hour drive not to home, but back to work until 11pm.  Then it was time for homework until sometimes 1 or 2am and back to school.  This was my life for 2 years.  Only during the summer time (when I was still in school but not as many classes) did I get to have any semblance of a life with friends.

I still wanted to find a good school, and go and accomplish my dream career, but once again I was unable to fulfill this desire because I needed to be the good child and listen to my parents, because I didn't have the money to transfer to the school I wanted to, because I wasn't brave enough to follow my dreams, because I decided to keep the friends I had made and go room with them.  So once I got my associates degree I transferred to the local university.  I tried to go into the Art program, but wasn't successful. 

Even though I have tried and tried to follow my dreams, it seems like no one was around to support me.  No one really thought it was a worthy career choice, or rather a good choice of education.  So over the years I've become ashamed of my education, ashamed of my dreams and goals.  I would go with the flow and do what others wanted me to do to a degree.  I wasn't brave.  I've even lied about what my real degree is making it sound much coo and to justify the $15,000 I spent on my education.  Why should I be brave?  I mean if someone can pick up some supplies from a store and just start messing around and be an artist why did I waste those years and all that money on a degree that is so lame? 

But then I after all these years I saw my friend's post on facebook and decided to follow her lead and not be scared about what I can do, even if I'm the only one who likes what I do, at least I can enjoy something for myself.  Its time for me to be brave.  To stand up for what I love to do.  Its time for bravery, and truth.

Last year I decided to just for me keep a list of the things that I do for fun that are artsy and fun.  So now I'm going to be brave and share them with you as well.  Man this is one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Therapy from an Artist is what I call what I do.  Its my therapy.  This is me being brave!

Mother Daughter Sewing Together DVD

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Details: Pixie Candy's Projects: Kids sewing DVD.  This is the first in a series of 7 DVDs with Pixie Candy and her friends come together to help teach step by step 5 different sewing projects any child would love to have.  Katrina Marie is Pixie Candy's human helper and hostess of these DVDs.  She will show you how to safely teach a child to use needle and thread, sewing machines, cut and measure fabric for each project.  In This level 1: easy DVD you'll learn how to make Pixie Candy's favorite hair bow, neck roll, pretty purse, plus pillow, and a Kitchen apron.  On the back of the DVD you will find a list of materials you'll need for the projects as a whole, and then each project will specify which set of materials goes with which project.  Use a QR scanner for more details.  DVD length is 120 minutes.

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

My Review:  I got this to give to a friend for Christmas whose daughter loves to sew and is taking a sewing class as an extra curricular activty after school.  The girl is 7 years old, and loves this type of thing.  So as a special present, I went a head and did my review of this program, made a hair bow and a kitchen apron (that I can pass on to a friend's girls), and then gave this DVD to the girl who loves to sew.  This is super easy to understand, easy to watch, fun to learn from, and parents the step by step process is very easy for anyone to understand and follow.  I highly suggest that this DVD only be used with adult super vision.  This DVD teaches how to make your own templates or patterns with paper and paper scissors, cutting with fabric scissors, sewing with needle and thread, sewing with a sewing machine, and some ironing to be done for each project.  The projects are very simple, and very easy and fun.  The hair bow was actually really great to learn how to make so now I can make hair bows for my niece.  The kitchen apron was really easy and cute, its very similar in design as a tutu skirt.  Girls will love this DVD and want to keep sewing once they have completed their first project.

When I got this review the requirements were to either have an arts and crafts blog, home school blog, or a sewing blog.  We are starting to increase our DIY arts and crafts this year because you, our fans have asked for more.  We are also improving our Home school blog posts so that they are more informative, fun, and show more of our projects, procedures, and solutions to issues that come with home schooling.  With this in mind, I can say that if a home school mom has lots of daughters, and wants to have them learn Home Skills as a school class, getting all 7 of these sewing DVDs would be perfect for the sewing part of that school class.  For mom's with boys, these DVDs are very girly and I can say that my boys did not like it.  But that's okay, I didn't get it for my boys.

Pros: fun, easy, simple, cute, excellent step by step processes

Cons: none

My Rating: THUMBS UP