Nov 27, 2012 |
KLUTZ Review
“Mom. We haven’t watched TV at all tonight.”
How great a statement is that?
Dot and I spent the evening crafting with our Klutz books. Earlier, she and her friend Megan reviewed MINI CAPSTERS JEWELRY for me.
Mini Capsters Jewelry
We’re a crafty bunch.
KLUTZ donated four of their craft books for our review; and they’re just waiting for one lucky reader to win a set all their own!
KLUTZ Assortment
MINI CAPSTERS JEWELRY, FASHION FORMS, WICKED COOL FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS, and BEADED BANDS.
Here’s what we loved about the KLUTZ books:
- They’re fun. Not in an oh-what-a-nice-way-to-spend-a-few-minutes way. But in an oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-much-interactive-fun-look-how-creative-we-are way.
- The guidebooks are just that: Guides. You can totally change up the colors and mix designs. Whichever book you’re working with, your project is Your Own.
- They’re all inclusive. Nearly everything you need (except scissors and maybe a little extra glue) is included. The products store neatly within the covers.
- The variety of projects is astonishing. We’ve had KLUTZ books for making Fairy Dolls, Nail Art, and an assortment of jewelry making.
- The directions for each project and book are detailed, illustrated, and very easy to follow. There’s no confusion as to what this means or how that reads. It’s very easy, which makes for a much more enjoyable crafting experience.
- If you run out of supplies, you can either visit your local craft store or order extra supplies from Klutz online.
Here’s what we didn’t like:
- The included products don’t always come in our favorite colors. The Beaded Bands that I worked with was limited to blues, browns, and oranges. I’ve never been a big fan of blue but I have to admit, I’m quite happy with the finished product.
- With Fashion Forms, the paper was double-sided. Which means you have to decide which pattern or color you’d like to use. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s both and there’s not enough to make two complete outfits with one sheet of paper.
- Some of the books and projects are more suited to smaller, pre-teen fingers. My adult fingers didn’t always cooperate when threading tiny beads.
- With some projects, the work seemed a bit tedious. Dot wasn’t thrilled with all the tracing and cutting she needed to do in order to complete one Fashion Form. But once she got the hang of it and saw her first finished project, it was worth the effort.
Having said all that, the Fun definitely wins out, no matter which KLUTZ book you’re crafting with. And since a picture’s worth a thousand words, here’s our Statement for KLUTZ:
MINI CAPSTERS: Choosing a Size
MINI CAPSTERS: Pages of Designs
MINI CAPSTERS: Finished Projects
WICKED COOL FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS: Unique Techniques
WICKED COOL FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS: Baubles and Beads and Charms; Oh My!
FASHION FORMS: Templates
FASHION FORMS: First Project
FASHION FORMS: Pretty Papers
FASHION FORMS: Final Runway
BEADED BANDS: Small Beads. Big Effect.
BEADED BANDS: Finished Project
We each had our own favorite KLUTZ book. Mine was the Beaded Bands. I’m already thinking of different color combinations and bracelet styles to keep making these for Dot and myself. Dot’s always been interested in fashion, so the FASHION FORMS is her pick. With a little bit of scrapbook paper and craft-store embellishments, she’ll have plenty of runway-ready projects.
Want to share the fun with some girls on your Christmas list? Or maybe you need a little creative vacation of your own. Puh-leese. Would I even post this if there wasn’t a way for you to win it? You can always count on me!
Just follow the links in the Rafflecopter entry form below. Just like KLUTZ, it’s just that easy!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Nov 26, 2012 |
Two days ago I came up with the idea to start a Photo Challenge on Instagram. Little did I know, you would eagerly await the start on December 1st!
I’ve received some wonderful comments and suggestions. But the best help of all was when Dot showed me how to make a better posting for it.
I went from this:
To this:
I changed just a few of the challenges. I hope you’ll participate; I can’t wait to see everyone’s photos!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 24, 2012 |
There’s a trend going around Instagram, a challenge to post a photo a day for a month. Each day has a particular theme or suggestion. It’s fun to follow and see what a variety of people come up with for, say, “Turkey” or “autumn”.
Such a wonderfully interactive way to share your world, so I’ve designed my own photo challenge. Care to participate? All you need is a cell phone camera and your own Instagram account.
Starting December 1st, just add the hashtags #FranklyMyDearMojo and #25PhotosofChristmas to your photos and let’s have fun!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Oct 27, 2012
We spent the day with the Second Family at one the great local attractions: Frazier’s U-Pick Pumpkin Patch.
It’s refreshing because there aren’t a lot of farms in the So Cal desert. We have to drive a distance to get to the Orchards. Entering the gates at Frazier’s is like entering a different climate.
The large fields offer quite the selection of pumpkins. It’s almost like a Dr. Seuss book: Big, Small, Short, Tall, One or Many, Take Them All.
Hanging Pumpkin
Pumpkins!
Through the Tall Grass
More Pumpkins!
This time of year, it’s a booming business. With their amazingly affordable selection, there are pumpkins for everyone.
Julie’s Pumpkins
Multi-Colored
It is, as their name states, a U-Pick patch. They grow the pumpkins on the vine and leave it to the customer to pluck them from the fields. Most of the time, they will cut them off the vine to make it easier for the younger children.
Hopie’s Find!
It’s free to enter and wander. There’s no structure or path. You can easily spend hours enjoying the fresh air, sunshine, and people-watching.
They have a mini-train tour that circles the fields. It makes several stops as the Engineer tells how the pumpkins are grown and how the Corn Maze is structured.
The Pumpkin Train
We saw some wonderful pumpkins that the girls wanted to share.
Dot’s Delight
Padme’s Perfect Pick
Eating the Cinderella
I adopted Fred.
I shall call him Fred, and he shall be my Pumpkin.
Then we bought tickets for the Corn Maze.
The Corn Maze is an annual Must-Do. Each year has a different layout. My two Un-Sons assured Dot and I that they could easily get us out. *Insert laugh-track here*.
Un-Son Number One says go Thatta-way!
But Little Man says, This-a way!
We finally split up, with Dot and Un-Son Number One going one way, as I let Little Man lead me to the exit.
Lost in the Corn Maze.
After we regrouped and headed out, we drove down the street to the Pizza Factory and earned back our calories.
Yumm with a Slice of Fun
The kids entertain themselves differently than when Julie and I were kids…
“Snape. Snape. Severus Snape.”
We’ll be carving our bigger pumpkins on Monday, and I can’t wait! Tomorrow (Sunday) we’re going to Un-Son Number One’s hockey game.
And now if you’ll excuse me, Fred and I are going to watch the Game. All I can say, since they beat my Beloved Yankees, is
“Let’s Go Tigers!”
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Oct 12, 2012 |
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be working on new recipe ideas. Some will be posted here on the Blog. Some may be added to the Second Edition of The Unemployment Cookbook.
In the meantime, feel free to check out my RECIPES page under the FOOD & FUN tab. I’ll also be streamlining each of them to the ZipList recipe format.
Feel free to link up your own holiday recipes in the comments below!
As always, HAPPY EATING.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
