craft and wear: 2 new, must-have craft kits for kids

I’m so excited to have had the opportunity to work with Klutz this year through my writing with Scholastic, and now?

Now I am thrilled, over the moon, totally beside myself now that I get to finally tell you more!

This summer we were super busy with our tabletop surprises, and the kids had an absolute blast with them. But we were also busy jaunting around New York City helping our friends at Klutz host a super-cool blog event where kids and parents could chat and craft it up.

Believe me, friends. I don’t want you to feel bummed that you weren’t there, so I’m doing a little giveaway for you–for those of you who couldn’t be there. For those of you who want a chance at two new, must-have Klutz craft activity sets for kids.

These are activity sets that allow kids to craft and then wear. So little creators feel proud that they have put the time and effort into making something that they can then show off the next day.

Super cool.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Craft and Wear–Two New, Must-Have Craft Kits for Kids:

In the recent months, we have tried a boatload of new and awesome crafts in the Klutz line. Really tons of fun, and as an educator, I love how these activities incorporate reading and making.

And another great thing is that these are unplugged, screen-free activities– because goodness knows screen time is battle that many of us are fighting daily.

The first of our two new, must-have craft kits for kids is the Charm Bracelet Studio.

You know those fancy gold bracelets with disc charms that so many women are wearing now? Well the Charm Bracelet Studio lets you create those types of bangle bracelets.

But these are cooler.

Because kids are personalizing them exactly the way they want.

And making the Charm Bracelets is pretty easy. Here’s how:

Find designs you like
Use the cool painting tool to paint on the design
Add a drop of Finishing Gloss to dried charms
Let the charms dry
Add jump clips to the charms and put them on the bracelet
Wear and go

One thing we’ve learned about the way that the Klutz activity sets go is that you really must read the book before you start the craft.

That may seem obvious to some, but not to my quick-to-move tween who often wants to zip through instructions and get right to the activity.

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The second of our two new, must-have craft kits for kids is the Design and Dye Kit with No-Heat Batik.

Reading and making is a good combination if you ask me. I think that the earlier our kids learn that if they don’t follow directions closely, they may not end up with the craft they intended to create, the better.

And with this set especially, kids need to read closely.

Here’s how you can make Design & Dye with No-Heat Batik:

Choose a design for your fabric
Trace design on fabric using the green Doodle Gel and let the design dry completely
Paint and let the paint dry
Soak the fabric so that the Doodle Gel removes and then wash fabric in washing machine
Wear and go!

We learned a little bit about Batik by doing this set. Batik traditionally uses hot wax as the resist, but in our case, we use the Doodle Gel.

Batik is an ancient art that uses bright colors and layers of ink–so like this activity, we’re sure it takes patience!

Maddy worked hard at tracing the designs with the Doodle Gel.

How adorable is this fruit design?

I also did a custom design for Owen all about Poseidon. Right now, my boy is obsessed with Greek Gods, Percy Jackson, and Poseidon.

He’s been doing a lot of Percy Jackson reading, and if you haven’t checked it out, you should. Rick Riordan wrote it, and honestly, it rocks. (The cool thing is that even if you did read it, we’ve got 10 Cool Ways to Read Percy Jackson for you to mix things up a bit!).

So I did a little research, found an image of a trident, and made my own.

Painting wasn’t the hard thing here–it was really very fun to mix colors and water so that colors were bright and vibrant.

However, one thing that was hard for us: waiting.

There’s a lot of dry time involved in this craft. And I’m all about process crafts, believe me.

But this one, even though the results were awesome, required some patience.

You have to allow the Doodle Gel to dry completely + let paint dry completely + let fabric soak in water overnight or up to 24 hours to remove gel + machine wash fabric + hang to dry.

We followed the directions for most of our fabrics, and the results were awesome.

Take a look at Owen’s trident and Cora’s stars:

But bummer. Maddy’s fruit shirt, we rushed, and we didn’t let it dry completely.

We got way too excited. I know that, and she knows it.

We didn’t let the gel dry enough, and we didn’t make sure that the gel connected completely for each design–so the color seeped through some of our lines.

We didn’t let the paint dry 100% before soaking the shirt in water, and then I just threw the shirt in the wash. So not smart.

So the shirt turned out like this. And though we’re bummed, we plan to use the fabric for something else. Just not sure what.

I definitely wanted to share so that you don’t do what we did incorrectly when you create and wear!

Okay–now let’s get to the giveaway!

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GIVEAWAY: A Klutz prize pack that includes these two books, Charm Bracelet Studio and Design & Dye and two other sets customized for your family.

Do you want to win a Klutz prize pack that includes these two books, Charm Bracelet Studio and Design & Dye and two other sets customized for your family??! Yes, yes you do.

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Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to throw your name in the hat:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
By entering this giveaway, you are demonstrating your understanding of and compliance with the Official Sweepstakes Rules.

This giveaway ends Friday, September 18, 2015 at midnight ET and is open to folks here in the US only. Winner will be chosen by ‘Rafflecopter’ and will be notified on or around 09/18/15. Winner must respond within three (3) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected. All Official Sweepstakes Rules apply.

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Do you want to sneak a peek at our Klutz blogger event this summer? It was so fun, and you’ll I’m sure see some familiar faces! (And you’ll see the Klutz studio in NYC!)

Check it out:

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fyi: This post was written as part of a partnership with Klutz, but as always, my opinions are all my own, influenced only by my personal experience as a parent and educator–and, of course, my three little crafty-crafters.

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy.