Reviewing InkJoy Pens - Popular and Colorful Pens

The factors that make me loyal to certain brands of pens are: low-cost, high quality, and reliability. I'm not asking for much, am  I? I don't think I am and I've found that with the InkJoy retractable, ballpoint pens, all of those needs are met. Recently, I ran out of my own personal stash of pens at work the other day and I realized I should recommend these pens to others. I should spread the joy. InkJoy pens are my first choice of pens for work and personal writing. 

Highly Recommended - InkJoy Ballpoint Pens by Paper Mate 

There are many reasons I love these pens enough to buy my own for work, rather than use the free pens that work provides.  

Reliability - These pens work every single time I pick one up.  There's nothing worse than being in a meeting, or trying to write down a phone number when someone is speaking quickly, and have the pen not work at all, or work only after your hurridley scribble in order to get the ink flow moving again. Annoying!  

No Ink Blobs - I really, really, REALLY hate running my hand through an ink blob on the paper. Smeary ink and blobs are so frustrating.  My InkJoy pens have never left a blob.

InkJoy colors 20 count

Inexpensive - Each time I purchase a pack of InkJoy pens, I compare with the less expensive "stick" pens.  I'm a penny-pincher so I try to remember to compare costs.  The InkJoy pens are usually slightly more expensive than the stick pens. But not by much. The cost tends to even out as I throw away a few of the stick pens that blob or do not work well. Also, my purchase of InkJoy pens is more costly than the free pens the agency supplies to employees. But I'd rather pay a few dollars for the reliability.

Color choices - At work I am limited to black ink.  When I pay bills, I often rebel and use blue ink. But, when I write journal entries, notes in my day planner, and other personal items, I go for the InkJoy color pens.  It is so much fun to use the variety of colors.


Ballpoint or gel pens - I prefer the retractable, medium ballpoint pens. However, InkJoy also makes a gel pen variety that is very popular. I cannot keep the InkJoy gel pens in my office.

InkJoy black ballpoint

Many Uses for InkJoy Color Pens (ballpoint or gel pens)

• addressing holiday or special occasion envelopes
• creation of eye-catching and pretty invitations
• letter writing
• scrapbooking
• journaling
• drawing and doodling
• making those to-do and grocery lists more fun
• gifts for artists, children, people who journal, and so on
• popular school store item and/or children's rewards
• and so much more - take a peek at the very short video and just imagine what you could do

Related Links

Journals - Technology makes writing and recording things as easy as a tap of a key or a flip of a switch. But I love journaling. There is something that increases my creativity when I use the process of hand-writing. Read about Writing and Remembering the Old-Fashioned Way

Drawing and Coloring - Colored pencils are a fun and popular way to create and color. Our very own Heather has created her own line of high-quality colored pencils. If you are giving art supplies as gifts or are yourself artistic, check out Heather's introduction to Aurora Art Supplies. 

Poster-Sized Color - In the event you need BIG and bold colors, for posters and such, Sharpies are amazing. Sharpies come in marker-sized "fine point", "chisel tip", and "extra bold marker point". 

Colorful Sharpies for those large creations

introduction graphic design created by the author using FotoJet

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Reviewing A Crochet Poncho Pattern

Easy Pattern To Crochet Your Own Poncho

Crochet Poncho a work in progress

As promised a few weeks back, I will review a crochet poncho pattern that I am currently working on for myself. You can see on the left the finished front panel of my colorful little addition to my wardrobe. 

Ponchos are trendy right now in the crochet world and this one is pretty easy to make. If you have ever done a granny square, you will master this pattern pretty quickly. There are only two rows to learn and then it is just a repetition of them until you have the desired length. 

I found this crochet poncho pattern while reading a post from Mikey at The Crochet Crowd and decided that I would give it a try. I love ponchos and since I seem to always be cold I thought it would be nice to have one that I can just wear around the house to keep my shoulders warm. I used some spare yarn that I had in my stash to create something that would go with many of my tops. I can wear it at home or I can wear it when I go out to do errands. 

The fun thing about this easy to crochet pattern is that it is so versatile. The original pattern shows it using just one color of yarn. I decided to get creative and use 7 colors. Mikey in his video tutorial used a variegated yarn. The same pattern looks totally different when you work with your own creativity.  

If you have been thinking that you would like to add a poncho to your wardrobe and want something unique that can't be found in stores, I recommend trying this easy to crochet poncho pattern as an option. It really does not take very long to stitch up! One would even be a nice gift for someone you love or they are nice to hook-up and donate to a local shelter. 

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Halloween Countdown Calendar Reviews

October is a long month and with Halloween coming at the very end, it can seem like forever to a child who can't wait to wear his new costume and go trick or treating around the neighborhood.

A Halloween countdown calendar will help put the "How many days 'til Halloween?" question to rest. Here are three easy Halloween countdown calendars that you can make yourself.

AbilityPoweredDesign on Etsy

Downloadable Halloween Countdown Calendar

Since I'm sure I'm not the only one who puts off projects until the last minute, I'm going to start with this one. It's super-quick and easy to make for as little as three dollars if you have a spare picture frame on hand.

Simply purchase this Halloween Countdown Calendar download, print it out immediately, put it in an 8 x 10-inch frame and you're ready to start counting down the days 'til Halloween. Each day, use a dry erase marker (available at the link or at your local discount store) to write the number on the glass. Next day, wipe off the number and update. Hooray, you're one day closer to trick-or-treat!

I've personally purchased many downloadable files from Etsy and just love the ease and convenience. This is a great project, simple and fun. I think this would make a cute gift for a teacher, neighbor, relative, or friend, too. Choose a pretty black, orange, or gold frame, include a new marker with the gift, and voila! I know I'd be impressed if someone made one of these for me. Oh, and if you like the idea but would prefer another design, you'll find many more choices in AbilityPoweredDesign's Etsy store.

No Tricks! Halloween Countdown Calendar With Treats

OhHappyDay.com

This next project is from the Oh Happy Day blog and I think it's adorable. It takes more time to make, but it's actually quite simple, the supplies are easy to find, and the end result is quite impressive and makes a beautiful, seasonal display. What's more, you'll be able to add little candies or stickers to the adorable cupcake-cup witch's hats to add even more fun each morning when your child counts down one more day.

Chiara, who wrote the post, includes complete directions and awesome photos to help make this project really easy. I hope you'll leave a comment on her blog if you like this project.

DIY Halloween Countdown Calendar With Printable Numbers

DIYNetwork Blog

Next we have a Halloween countdown calendar project from the DIY Network blog. This is another countdown calendar that will take a bit of time to put together, but it's a simple craft that even a beginner can handle.

I love the popular chevron-patterned gift bags and the printable letters and numbers, all in seasonal black, orange, and white. (Note: I can see this project being carried over to other holidays, using other colors, can't you? Love it!)

The project calls for either a bulletin board, as shown, or a foam board. The supplies are inexpensive, the instructions are complete, and the final product is adorable.







So there you have it, three easy DIY Halloween Countdown Calendar projects. I hope one or all appeal to you. Which one do you like best? If you make and use one of these, I'd love it you come back to let me know. Have a happy Halloween!

~Susan

Click Here to Read More Halloween Reviews From Our Review This! Team

~Susan Deppner
Read more of my reviews.

Posted by Susan Deppner

About the Author

Susan Deppner is a baby boomer, a cancer survivor, and a Southerner who believes in the Golden Rule. She enjoys writing about food, faith, and fitness; health, home, and holidays; people, places, pets, and patriotism, and more. Follow Susan on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

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Reviewing A Crochet Pumpkin Pattern

Crochet your own pumpkin for Fall

Crocheted Pumpkins

As I write this review of a fun crochet pumpkin pattern, we are officially into the fall season here in my neck of the woods. I found this pattern last year about this time and decided having some decorations that I made myself would be a fun way to celebrate autumn in my dining room. 

The advantage to crocheting a pumpkin is that it works for fall, Halloween and even into Thanksgiving. As you can see by the photo at the left, I have the crochet pumpkins that I made last year in a display with real pumpkins and a few acorns. For right now, the display is for Halloween. Once we move into November, I will take out the real pumpkins and add some dried corn, maybe a gourd and some pine cones from my back yard. The small amount of time that I invested into making the large pumpkin and the small one has turned out to serve me well for decorating for more than one holiday. 

I found the crochet pumpkin pattern on The Crochet Crowd website, last year. I often go to this site when I am looking for something fun to crochet either for myself or for gifts. Mikey, the owner of the site, often offers a tutorial with the patterns that he showcases and I find them very easy to follow. The video below was really easy to follow!

Video Tutorial For Crocheting A Large Pumpkin

The pattern was really easy to follow, especially after having watched Mikey in the tutorial video. I find that the videos are so handy because I can start and stop them as I progress through the crochet pattern.

You can pick the color of orange that you want for your crocheted pumpkin at your local craft store or online. You will need some brown for the stem (I used some scrap brown) and just a tiny bit of green for the curly little leaf. You will also need some stuffing for the inside. One thing that I found was that you do not want to be frugal with the stuffing. Put plenty of it inside your pumpkin or you might find that your finished crochet pumpkin is flat looking.

If you like to crochet and make decorative items for your home, you will enjoy making this pumpkin in the large size or any size for that matter. Mikey provides a video for large, medium and small. I love that my cute pumpkins don't have to be carved, won't turn bad and they are easily stored away until next fall when I am ready to use them again.

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Review How To Draw Monsters Books for Kids

Drawing Monsters Can Be Fun And Educational!

Is your child one of those kids who can't seem to sit still for more than two minutes?

If you give him a picture to color does he speed through it, not caring what it looks like, so he can move on to something else?

Do you have to follow along behind him and finish his chores because he zipped through them so he could get that cookie you promised?

Those are the signs of someone who requires instant gratification.  Your child doesn't have time to focus on doing anything well, he doesn't care if he's giving it 100% effort, and he doesn't care what the results are when he's done.  He just wants to complete the task, grab his reward, and move on to the next bright, shiny object.

As an adult, you know your child needs to learn the value of seeing a project through from start to finish and he needs to learn what it feels like to be proud of his work.  But first you have to find a project that will hold his attention!

Every kid likes to draw and who doesn't love monsters!

Draw Manga Monsters!  (XTreme Art)

Recommended for Ages 7-9 yrs

 Draw Manga Monsters! (XTreme Art)Chris Hart is the master of the "How To Draw" books for kids and adults who want to learn how to draw everything from flowers to animals to... well, monsters!

His books are used by teachers to teach drawing in elementary school classrooms and even daycare center operators use them to teach shapes and basic drawing techniques to preschool kids.  His instructions are clear and easy to understand and even if your child isn't reading yet, he'll be able to follow along with the diagrams.

Draw Manga Monsters is a great book for beginners because it has step-by-step instructions, starting with the most basic, simple shapes.  Your child will learn how to turn circles and square and triangles into gruesome, scary or cute monsters.  

Drawing pictures is one of the best ways for you child to develop his fine motor skills - from learning how to handle a pencil to learning to gauge spacing, shape and depth.  And since every kid loves monsters, you know that while they're learning they're also having fun!

Books that Teach a Child to Draw

Books that teach your child how to draw allow him to use his imagination but they also teach him a few things while he's having fun:

 Draw 50 Beasties

1. Accomplishment:  Drawing is always fun and your child gets to use his imagination.  In the end there's a sense of accomplishment when his monster actually looks like the one in the book.
2. Creativity:  Your child will learn how to break drawings down into simple shapes and how to use his imagination to flesh out the monsters.  This skill might seem trivial now but it forms the basis of the problem solving skills he'll need later in life.
3. Eye/Hand Coordination:  Following the guides in the book while he draws his own monsters will help develop your child's eye/hand coordination and improve his skill at recognizing spatial relationships.
4. Following Instructions:  Who would have thought that something as easy as drawing monsters would teach your child how to follow instructions?  Do you know how many adults are out there who can't pass a test because they can't follow a simple instruction like "Print your name here"? 
 

How to Draw 101 Monsters: Easy Step-by-step Drawing

Recommended for Ages 5 and up

 How to Draw 101 Monsters: Easy Step-by-step Drawing (How to draw)Dan Green has been a rock star, a newspaper editor and a motorcycle rider, but he has also written humor books and comic strips for Horrible Histories and Horrible Science, which makes him pretty good at drawing cartoon characters.  Especially monsters!

His "How To Draw 101..." books cover all kinds of fun topics - animals, monsters, manga, chibis, fairies, cars, funny people and cartoon characters.   

Don't buy this book for your child!   You'll get addicted! Before you know it you AND your kids will be so busy drawing monsters you'll forget all about the laundry and the housework and the TV show you watch every Tuesday night and...  Yeah!  You get the picture.  This whole series of books is fun for anyone that enjoys drawing.  Even if you can't draw!

 

 Colored Pencils For Coloring Pages, High Quality Coloring Pencils for Adults, Color Pencil Set For Coloring Books, Writing and Sketching, Set of 48 assorted versatile colors! By Aurora Art SuppliesTM

Drawing Is Fun And Educational
A lot of arts and crafts projects that your children enjoy require at least some adult supervision.  The drawback is you have to show them how to use scissors or how to glue things together.  Most of the time you have to read the directions first and break it down into terms your child can understand.

Drawing is different.  There is no right or wrong way to draw a picture and the only equipment involved is a pencil and a piece of paper.  No matter what the monster looks like when your child gets done it's going to be unique and creative because it comes from his own imagination.

Here are a Few More Favorites in the World of Monster Drawing Books Available

 The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures Dragons & Fantasy: Unleash your creative beast as you conjure up dragons, fairies, ogres, and other fantastic creatures (Drawing Made Easy) Dragonart: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures

& 

Review How To Draw Monsters Books for Kids written by:

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The Best Air Freshener for People with Sensitivities

Peppermint

I have had to think a lot about air fresheners.  At work I share a small office area with three other offices and a public bathroom.  The space is a confined area in an old building. The windows are painted closed and there is no bathroom vent.  So, you can imagine why I've been thinking a lot about air fresheners lately. I want to avoid as many chemicals as possible but remove as many odors as possible. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that two of us have chemical sensitivities. Even in light of all of this, I have found the perfect air freshening solution.

New-to-Me DIY Natural Air Freshener

I get severe migraines that are often triggered by chemicals and scents. My office mate has asthma that is easily triggered. We are finding that we are triggered by opposite things. For example, original Lysol, in small amounts, doesn't trigger my migraine but causes breathing problems for her.  She can tolerate one of the other scented sprays (I can't recall the brand) but it triggers a migraine for me. As I mentioned, due to the layout of our office area, we both are adamant that an air freshener is mandatory. We are just having trouble finding something that suits us both.

As I move toward more natural cleaning supplies in my home, it was automatic to do some research about natural air freshening solutions.  I am always one step behind the times, so you probably have already heard of using baking soda and essential oil as a natural room freshener, but this was new news to me.  And I'm thrilled.

I immediately got a small glass container at work and a glass jar at home.  I purchased peppermint essential oil and made my own room freshener in a matter of moments. So far, so good. No migraine and no asthma attack for my friend at work. 

This natural and effective solution is amazingly quick, easy, and inexpensive to make.

my simple baking soda and peppermint air freshener

The items needed:

• baking soda
• essential oil (scent of your choice)
• a jar
• decorating supplies (completely optional)

The how to:

Pour some baking soda into the jar.  I used a couple of tablespoons. Some folks fill the jar halfway.  

Sprinkle a few drops of essential oil onto the baking soda. Stir or shake.

If using a lid (mason jar, paper, or cloth lid) place the lid onto the jar.  I am using a lid only if I want to interrupt the air freshening. Otherwise, I do not place the lid on the jar.

Essential Oil Reviews

Years ago, I had a friend who taught me a very small bit about essential oils. She used peppermint oil on me when I had migraines (she is a masseuse). So I knew that I'd be okay with peppermint oil and that is what I purchased locally for my first attempt at making my baking soda and essential oil room freshener.  

In the meantime, I am studying about different brands of essential oils. Peppermint oil is not my first choice for a room freshener.  I will switch over to a floral or citrus oil.  

I have found a detailed review and essential oil comparison that has been very helpful in narrowing down the brands I'd like to purchase. Now, the only problem that remains for me is narrowing down which scents to purchase. There are so many wonderful scents to choose from. 

Essential Oils from Plant Guru

CAUTION: There are children who have been poisoned when they have ingested essential oils or have been over-exposed via direct contact with essential oils.  Please read about the dangers of essential oils and children and keep your essential oils out of the reach of children. 

Related Links:

Tidy Mom shows us how she uses spray paint and scrapbook paper to make pretty jars to hold her baking soda and essential oil air freshener.  Such an easy and good looking project - I wish I had thought of it. 

Homemade Gifts Made Easy explains a few ways to dry lavender.  If I am successful with growing lavender I will dry some in order to make a lavender, lavender essential oil, and baking soda air freshener. 

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Reviewing Fine Art Colored Pencils

Use Good Pencils When Coloring or Sketching

Colored Pencils

I mentioned in another post a few weeks back that I love to color in the coloring books that are on the market specifically for adults. What I  am finding is that the quality of the pencils does make a difference in the outcome of your finished piece. I have decided that for future coloring pages, I want to use the fine art colored pencils when I color. 

The picture on the left is an example of one variety of colored pencils (I found the image at Pixabay). Now, I can't tell from the image if they are what is considered fine art pencils or not but they look to be of a good quality. If you have done much coloring or if you are an artist, you know that not all colored pencils are the same. As a general rule the less expensive the the pencil the lower quality of the pencil. With the lower quality pencils the colors are not as vivid, they might not blend well and the end result may not be as vibrant as you want them to be.

I have a birthday coming up and I've decided to ask my family for some Marco Raffine Fine Art colored pencils. They are a better quality than the pencils that I use right now. From what I can tell from my research they would be considered a high end student pencil or a low end artist grade pencil. They are a good choice for me to move up to. Maybe later, I can get some even higher quality colored pencils as I progress in my skills but for now this seems like the logical next step in my growing collection of coloring supplies.

Marco Raffine Fine Art Colored Pencils

I think that I will be happy with the upgraded quality of these pencils over the ones that I am coloring with now. With the less expensive pencils I can blend and shade and layer but it takes quite a few steps to accomplish the look that I am going for. The Marco Raffine pencils should do a better job with those techniques than the cheaper pencils that I use at the moment.

As much as I love to color and that it relaxes me, I do want to have my finished coloring pages to look a little more refined. My own little pieces of fine art, if you will. As I hone my skills, I would like to frame some of the finished pages at some point and time. I think that I will be happier with a higher grade of pencil and eventually be proud enough of something to frame it.

How about you? Had you considered that not all colored pencils are created the same? Would you be willing to pay a little more if you knew that the quality of the pencil was going to give you better results? Or does it even matter to you?

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A Brief Review of Quilting for National Quilting Day.

Patchwork Quilt (Pixabay)

National Quilting Day

When: The third Saturday of March

Where: Celebrated worldwide

National Quilting Day was begun in 1991 by the National Quilting Association to celebrate all quilt-makers and quilt lovers and to give recognition to the special art form called 'Quilting”. It has  evolved into a worldwide celebration, often connected with quilting shops with quilters getting together to work on a quilt. 

Basic History of Quilting

 

Handmade Quilted Vest - Etsy

Early records date quilting back to the 11th and 12th century where quilted garments were worn by the Crusaders.  Not accustomed to the cooler climate and needing clothes with warmth, quilted vests were invented.  These vests had 3 layers (top, filling, and backing) stabilized by a few stitches at critical points (called counterpoints).  Counterpane quilting (decorative stitches only) evolved from these first vests.

*Handmade Quilted Vest can be found in the Etsy Shop Couleurs Patchwork.

Patchwork Quilts 

Bedford Home Quilt Set - Amazon

Patchwork quilting goes back to the founding of colonial America and filled the need for warmth and decoration.  The cold weather and a rough life  wore out the original quilts brought with the pioneers from Europe and the quits needed to be repaired ~ thus, beginning the “patchwork” quilt.

Quilting Book available on eBay

Later, quilting became a social event with women gathering together and cutting fabric into various shapes, resewing them to form a design.  Many designs well-known today came out of these social circles.

Family Quilting

I can remember my grandmother spending hours at a time in her favorite rocking chair hand-sewing tiny pieces of material together for her beautiful quilts.  Since she was an accomplished seamstress as well (making most of the clothes my siblings and I wore), we could often recognize several of the fabric pieces used in her quilts as being from leftover material from the dresses or shirts we were wearing). Fifty years later I still have some of her handmade quilts.  A true treasure. 

Quilting Has Evolved

Quilting is not just for quilt blankets these days.

Quilted Purses, Lanyards & Table Runners

Quilting, both hand-sewn and machine quilted, is used for everything from clothing to accessories to home décor.  


CutePurseNalities on Etsy creates fantastic machine quilted purses on her quilting sewing machine.  

Green Frogs Fabric Lanyard

Kathie, an Iowa quilter, began making quilts and quilted wall hangings, then her quilting evolved to purses.  When she opened her Etsy Shop featuring quilted purses, she used the word purse in her shop name; thus, Cute PurseNalities came about.  

Over time, Kathie has added more quilted items in the form of coin purses and colorful fabric lanyards.  She has a wide variety of lovely creations made in interesting fabrics in her Etsy Shop.  

Quilting Today

Today there are numerous pattern books available for the quilter, as well as classes and quilting workshops.  My creative daughter-in-law attends at least two quilting weekend workshops every year.  She says it brings back the fun of the early days of women getting together in those social quilting circles. 

Heritage Quilts on Amazon

So, take a class, get some quilting pattern books with templates for various designs, or get together with a quilting circle at your church or community center to enjoy the art of quilting and celebrate National Quilting Day.  


*Check out more crafting ideas @ ReviewThisCrafts.com


(c) Wednesday Elf (Written 3/19/16; Updated 3/19/2022)

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Valentine Crafts Reviewed

My loyal readers will not be the least bit surprised to hear me say, I love crafts!  Not only do I enjoy creating things myself, but I love to look at tutorials.  Even if I don't end up making a particular craft, I often take away really valuable advice and tips when watching or reading tutorials.

Some of my personal favorite gifts have been handmade crafts.  My mom quilted a throw for me several years ago.  My grandmother made a huge stuffed mouse for me when I was little.  I have ornaments on my Christmas tree that friends and family have made for me.  Year after year, I loving place them in their "spot" on the tree.  

Some of my best childhood memories were opening my gifts and discovering that Mom had made me a new dress, blouse, or rayon* overalls.  Yes, I expect I was the only person ever to have silky overalls, but I loved them!  They suited my feminine tomboy image.  Although, I admit it.  I did not climb trees in those overalls, but I do believe I wore them fishing.  

By the way, did I mention that those rayon overalls were a Valentine's Day gift?  If memory serves me correctly, I do believe they were.  They were certainly lovingly sewn and made just for me.  Isn't that really the best kind of Valentine's Day gift?

Now, let's explore some really wonderful Valentine's Day crafts that would make fabulous gifts!

  *For those who may not know, rayon is a material that looks like silk or satin, but is actually more durable than either.

Valentine's Day Crafts Make Great Gifts

The Keepsake Box

Here is a great Valentine's Day craft!  One of our very own contributors, Mary Beth, shared how to decorate a heart shaped keepsake box in her article, Crafts for Seniors.  This is such a perfect craft for parents to make with their young children.  It requires very little, if any, crafting experience and gives a child a real sense of accomplishment.  

But the really cool thing about this craft is that it is not limited to little children.  Anyone could make a beautiful keepsake box for their sweetheart, mom, dad, friend, sibling, or child.  In Mary Beth's case, she helped her own mother make a beautiful box.  These types of memories, and times spent with the people we love, are a big part of what makes me love crafting so much.  Both the memory and the box are true cherished keepsakes.

The Sailor's Valentine

The Sailor's Valentines that I made for our children is one of my own personal favorite crafts.  It is a simple technique that has stunning results.

A sailor's valentine is made with a variety of seashells.  The art of creating a sailors valentine is simply laying the shells out in a pattern that is visually appealing.  As my grandmother used to say, "how can you fail when you are using such beautiful things to begin with?"  She was absolutely right, of course.  Seashells are quite beautiful individually.   Placed in a pattern or design, seashells are spectacular!

You can learn the history of this craft as well as how to make an easy Sailor's Valentine in this tutorial:  Sailor's Valentine

The Heart Shaped Puzzle

If you want to give, or send, a secret message to your sweetheart, you will love the idea of creating a Heart Shaped Puzzle.

There are a couple of ways to craft a puzzle.  You can either purchase a puzzle kit, print your own design and completely make the puzzle yourself.  Or, you can simply craft your design with a message and allow the online company to print your image on the puzzle and send it to you to give completely ready to assemble.


I absolutely love the idea of making a one of a kind puzzle for your sweetheart with a private message or photo.  The question is, will you help put the puzzle together or simply watch the process in anticipation of the moment you sweetheart figures it out.

Handmade that is Ready-Made for You to Purchase

If the holiday has sneaked up on you, as holidays are apt to do, then I have a suggestion for you too!   You can still give a handmade gift.  Our own Elf has you covered.  In her Etsy shop, Wednesday Elf offers these really fabulous Valentine Heart Coasters.  Now, I shall forewarn you, there is only one set left, so you will want to act quickly.  I heard tell of a certain mouse that had her eye on these lovelies.  She might sneak right in there and snatch these coasters for her sweetheart.

  

Your Turn!

I have shared some ideas, but I would love to hear from you too!  Please leave your Valentine's Day Craft link in the guestbook below.  I know I am not alone!  We would all love to discover more Valentine's Day crafts that would make great gifts.

 
 
Valentine's Day Crafts Review by:

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Valentines Crafts for Seniors

Valentine Crafts for Seniors The following information is a review of some Valentine crafts I did at my Mom's nursing home during the last year of her life.  I hope you will find it useful in working with Seniors or Children in your life.

Easy Valentine Crafts

 
Crafts for the elderly with dementia need to be very basic. I work with the residents at my Mother's memory unit and help them to do a different craft activity each week. I have been doing this for the past year and have learned by trial and error which types of crafts seem to work well with the group of women. The crafts need to be involved enough to keep their interest, but simple enough that they can do the majority of the work by themselves.

On this page I will tell you about two crafts that they will be doing for Valentines this year.

photos by mbgphoto

Valentine Treasure Box - a place for trinkets and treasures

The ladies in my Mom's group love to make special boxes for different occassions. They will then put the boxes in their rooms and keep small items such as candies, jewelry or other trinkets in them. For Valentines day I was able to find some great boxes in the dollar racks at Target. These boxes are heart shaped and made of heavy cardboard. As you can see from the photo, they have a design on the box but the lid is a solid color. This will leave plenty of space for the ladies to decorate the top of their special box.

Heart Decorations - provide lots of variety

I am keeping the heart boxes fairly simple. I give each lady a box and a variety of stickers. I show them a sample of a box that I have made and then encourage them to design their own boxes. The decorations that we are using include a variety of different heart shaped stickers. I have puffy stickers, 3D stickers, foam stickers and rhinestone stickers. From experience I have found that some of the ladies like to line up their design very precisely and others like to cover their box with lots of different stickers. I have also found that some of the ladies like to copy exactly what I have done and feel frustrated if they don't have an example, so I also make an example and tell them they can make the box like mine or design it however they would like. Although, I am only using different stickers this time, you could use a variety of materials to decorate the boxes. Some thoughts that come to mind are buttons, rickrack, or cut out hearts. They could also paint a design on the boxes or use markers.

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Puffy Sticker to Decorate

Homemade Valentine Card

Blank Cards Ready to Decorate

I found these blank cards in the Target dollar bins. They came 8 in a pack with a bright pink plain outside and a white inside. They will be perfect for making some Valentine cards. You can also find these types of cards at craft stores or you can make your own from construction paper.

 

Valentine Sticker Sayings

These stickers are one of the varieties I will have out for the ladies to use in decorating their cards. I liked them because they include a variety of sayings for Valentines day. The ladies can use these to add a message to their cards. As an alternative I could have them cut sayings out of old magazines or cards. I could also provide markers for them to write their own messages.

 

Finished Card

Inside Card

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Reviewing Knitting Handbooks

Learning To Knit: Will I master the needles?

I have been looking at Knitting Handbooks lately, because I have decided that 2016 will be the "year of the needles" for me. I want to learn to knit or at least become better with what little (very little) skills I have in this hobby. I can do the basic knit stitch and the basic purl stitch but I'm very slow and awkward with the needles and yarn. So, I plan to ask my family for a couple of books that can help me in this journey.

I know from my many years of crocheting that you need to practice, practice, practice in order become proficient in the craft. I am in no way a master in crochet but can hook my way around just about any pattern. In order to get started, I am working on a scarf using the knitting needles and some blue yarn. If it turns out looking good, it will be a Christmas present for my husband; if it turns out looking like a 5 year old did it I can always use it as a dusting cloth. I figure that I won't learn unless I just dive in and work on something. A scarf seems like a good project to start with and I liked this pretty simple waffle stitch since it will give me practice with both the knitting stitch and the purl stitch, counting and working with the needles and yarn. It won't be much different than crocheting a scarf in that you follow the pattern and remember when to do the knit stitch and when to do the purl stitch. I am finding it is a little harder to determine which row you are on unlike crochet where it seems more obvious but that may be a matter of training my eyes to look for certain stitches so that I will know. 

What books should I start with?

I am thinking that the best place to start is with a book or two that covers the basics along with moving on to more advanced knitting techniques. Sure, I could just ask for a book with patterns but until I understand the basics, I know I will just get frustrated. In my search for the right book, this one caught my eye. I liked the title but then I think the book would be very helpful, too.

Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitters Handbook

Not only does the author cover the basics but she goes further in explaining more advanced knitting techniques and she does it with humor which I think I would enjoy. She also tells the reader how to fix mistakes (I'm sure I will make many) and that will be really helpful for my beginner skill level. I think I may be able to join the "chicks with sticks" (knitting needles) in the quest to make some fun and funky along with some traditional knitted items following Debbie Stoller's instructions.

I know when I was first learning to crochet, the terminology sometimes confused the daylights out of me. I might see something like FPDC and think what the devil does that mean? Well, now I know it means to do a front post double crochet stitch and I also know how to do that with my yarn and hook. I am guessing that knitting will be no different. There are going to be directions in a pattern that will at first glance make no sense to me at all. So, this book looks like a wise choice for a beginning knitter like myself.

Knitting in Plain English: The Only Book Any Knitter Will Ever Need

What I like about this knitting handbook is that it promises to teach in plain English and not in terms that I am going to have to go to a glossary to figure out. I like that idea! Learning the way to use my needles and yarn to make something neat without having a thesaurus next to me to determine just what she is telling me to do. The basics in basic terminology, that sounds pretty darned helpful.

It remains to be seen if I will learn to knit with the same confidence that I have for crocheting. I am determined, though. In the past the using of two needles instead of one hook just seemed to be beyond my capabilities but that was a mental block, I think. So, maybe I have passed the first hurdle...I CAN do this. It will take persistence and practice and I am willing to put in the hours to really learn to knit.

I have some time left before Christmas morning to find out if my family paid attention and got me at least one of these books. So, in the meantime I am working on my little scarf that may be under the tree for my hubby or it might be in the rag drawer, only time will tell. By the way, the color I chose will look good on my husband and it is the team color for the Indianapolis Colts which is his favorite football team. I figure he might actually wear it, at least on game day, if it doesn't look too amateurish. Here is what I have so far. It is working up very slowly but I don't mind being the turtle in the race, after all that rabbit never wins anyway! I will continue to work with the yarn and needles and keep a piece of paper next to me to mark down which one of the rows I am doing in the repeat of the pattern to make the waffle look and hopefully it will turn out to be something my husband will be proud to wear.

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