A Review of Creativity on Review This!

(c) Kimberly Austin Daly, Artist*

Creativity Lives in Everyone!

My daughter is an artist.  She studied art in college, graduating with a degree in Fine Arts. But her creativity in this field has been present since she was old enough to hold a crayon.  All her life she has been compelled to draw & paint.  I've always admired her artistic ability because I can't draw a straight line with a ruler! :-)

*Artwork is the property of Kimberly Daly, Artist/Illustrator.  Copyright: Do not copy.  Permission granted for display in this story.

My hubby was a fine musician, having studied the violin for 14 years, then played the guitar for many more years and even had his own 'trio' during the 'folk music' era of our college days.

Today my son plays guitar and several other instruments and has his own local band with a group of fellow musicians.  I can't play any instrument and have no musical ability.

My brother sings and plays guitar.  My mother and sister could sing up a storm. I can't carry a tune in a bucket!  

Coastal Crochet Crafts on Etsy

I used to say to my talented family that I had no 'talent' for anything, until they reminded me that my crochet and needlework crafting was MY creative ability.  

Creative Talent is in Everyone

You don't have to be able to sing or dance, play an instrument or draw to be talented.  Creativity in ANY area is a talent all its own.  It was a nice reminder that we all have some form of creative talent, whether its in the arts & crafts field, music or dance, or simply being a wonderful cook.  Being able to express ourselves in writing is also a creative endeavor.  

Highlighting a Few Reviews Written by Our Talented Contributors on Review This!

Our team of contributors who write for Review This! review many products and do music, book and movie reviews, in addition to a wide range of other topics.  They are also very creative, sharing a variety of crafts, tutorials of DIY projects, cooking and baking recipes, and photography and gardening tips.  The following are a few examples of this team's creative talents.

Crafts Reviews

(c) Dawn Rae

How to Make Easy Christmas Tree Ornaments by Dawn Rae.  Dawn gives us easy step-by-step instructions on how to create with your children these simple, yet lovely, ornaments for your holiday tree.

(c) Bev Owens

For crochet crafters, Bev Owens tells us about this easy pattern you can use to create your own handmade poncho in her review titled Reviewing A Crochet Poncho Pattern.

(c) Wednesday-Elf

Wednesday-Elf loves to crochet, particularly stuffed animals.  Handmade crafts are her favorite, as shown in this A Bird in the Hand-i-Craft article.  In addition to her own crochet crafting, she enjoys sharing the creative talents of many other fiber art creators on Etsy.

DIY Projects

(c) RenaisanceWoman2010)

Clever & creative Diana (RenaissanceWoman2010) gives us a tutorial for a DIY Mason Jar Bird Feeder using a regular canning jar, a pretty plate or bowl, and a few other simple supplies (glue, wire, and a chick feeder base). Then just add bird seed and watch the local feathered friends in your area flock to your new bird feeder. 

Photography Tips

(c) mbgphoto

Several of the Review This contributors are photographers, but Mary Beth Granger (mbgphoto) goes one step further with sharing her fabulous photography tips for all of us to learn to take even better photographs. She shares the tips she's learned from taking photography classes and doing LOTS of practice. I would imagine Mary Beth seldom goes anywhere without a camera. Her favorite subjects are lighthouses! Check out her Review of Photography Tips for some helpful advice for your own photographs. 

Recipe Reviews

(c) Sylvestermouse

Sylvestermouse is our creative baker here on Review This! She loves to put together fancy cakes and cupcakes.  A quick look at one of her favorite cookbooks for baking (the Cupcake Cakes Cookbook) will give you an idea of some of the fun and clever ideas she often incorporates into her baking.

Gardening Tips

Olivia Morris is one of our resident gardeners.  In her How to Grow Your Way to Happiness and a Great Garden, she shares some tips for your spring planting. 

Articles on Creativity

For more articles on these creative reviews, click on each subject below:

• Crafts/DIY
• Photography
• Recipes
• Gardening

What do you consider your 'creative' talent?  

(c) Review of Creativity by Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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National Hamburger Day Review

Image Source: Pixabay

Date Celebrated:  May 28

Memorial Day and the 4th of July wouldn't be the same without a juicy hamburger, so it is appropriate that a national day has been set aside to celebrate this favorite picnic food. There is no official origin for 'hamburger day', but we are glad someone picked out a day to celebrate it. 

Cook your burgers on an outdoor grill or fry them up inside.  Add your favorite fixings and enjoy!  If you add cheese, you suddenly have the popular cheeseburger, which has it's own day (National Cheeseburger Day ~ September 18).

(c) Wednesday Elf

If you don't want to cook your own, or are out-and-about on “Hamburger Day”, then stop by a local Five Guys Restaurant for a tasty burger fixed in a homemade style. 

A Few Hamburger Facts

• The hamburger was originally created in Hamburg, Germany (thus the name), but eating a hamburger on a bun is an American idea.
• The hamburger was originally made from ground up meat scraps from cutting up other meats.  First it was made with beef, but today it can be found in other forms, such as ground chicken and ground turkey for those who prefer a non-meat burger.  Other meats, such as Buffalo Burgers, have also become popular. 
• Seymour, Wisconsin has a 'Burger Fest' each year and in 2001 they made the largest hamburger ever – weighing 8,200 pounds. Burger Fest is held each August and includes a parade, a hot air balloon rally, and, of course, lots of hamburgers to eat. Check out their website Home of the Hamburger for details.
• Americans eat about 50 billion burgers every year, which equals approximately three burgers a week for every person in the U.S.

Handmade Hamburgers

The title of this paragraph indicates that here I will give you a lesson in making the perfect hamburger patty – so I will.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Take a ball of meat the size you wish your burger to be.  Some like them big served on large hamburger buns; some like them a bit smaller.  The choice is yours.

Press the meat into a patty, pressing down in the middle and patting in from the sides as you turn the burger around in your hand.  Continue until the patty is even and uniform.  It needs to be a solid disk of meat that is compacted tightly

A tip I read online at EATS – How to Make Hamburger Patties said to prevent the cracks around the edges as the burger cooks (caused by shrinking due to the cooking process), slightly depress the center of the patty when you are finished shaping it to make it thinner in the middle than it is around the edges.  The depression tends to push a little extra meat towards the edges, making an even patty once it is cooked.

More Handmade Hamburgers

Now, since I am a craftsman of handmade items, I shall continue a bit with my 'Handmade Hamburger' theme and show you a few clever handmade items representing this favorite food.

Hamburger Cookies

Homemade Hamburger Cookies

Mona Flood of Orlando, Florida makes homemade cookies.  Her Hamburger Cookies are adorable and perfect for a picnic-themed party or to celebrate Hamburger Day in a fun way. Each cookie is roughly 3 inches in size and is individually packaged in a FDA compliant clear cellophane baggie and heat sealed to ensure freshness and a safe arrival. 

They are a made with a Shortbread cookie recipe, a rich buttery cookie that melts in your mouth.  

The ingredients list is in the listing in her Etsy Shop called Merci Bakery.  Each cookie is individually decorated. 

Hamburger Apron

Handmade Hamburger Design Apron - Etsy

This hamburger design apron is perfect for those backyard BBQs, especially when burgers are on the menu.  Handmade by a crafter from Clare, Michigan and featured in her SweetApronzNCupcakes Etsy Shop, this is an adult size apron made of a black fabric with large hamburgers on it. Some of the hamburgers are singles, others are double deckers, some have bacon on top, others have lettuce and tomatoes.

Hamburger Playfood Crochet Toy

Crochet Amigurumi Hamburger/Cheeseburger Play Food

Kimberlie of Redlands, California created this cute hamburger/cheeseburger play food 7-piece toy for kids who love to play in a pretend kitchen. The set contains 7 separate play-pieces to stack the perfect burger.  They include the Top bun, Tomato, Lettuce, Onion, Cheese, Patty, and Bottom bun. 
All the pieces are soft and squishy, especially the top bun, which has been stuffed with polyester stuffing. 
The entire stacked burger measures about 3.5" tall, and about 3.5" wide. 

It can be found in Kimberlie's Etsy Shop she calls ShopKimberlie.


Related Links:

Handmade Crochet Hamburger/Cheeseburger Potholders Tutorial

And for my fellow crafters, here is a free tutorial to crochet a set of potholders which look like a hamburger or cheeseburger when stacked together. 

Hamburger Month

In addition to May 28th being a DAY to celebrate the humble hamburger, The entire month of May is is known as National Hamburger Month. 

So get those burgers grilling, pile on the condiments, and enjoy National Hamburger Day and Month with a tasty hamburger! 


(c) National Hamburger Day Review by Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Cuddlekins Plush Red Panda Review

Wild Republic Cuddlekins Red Panda Plush

My grandson, David, had a birthday coming up the end of April, so I asked his dad for some ideas for 'grandma gifts'.  The internet makes such requests so simple these days, as my son easily posted a list of 'David Wants' in a shared Wish List on Amazon.

Among the suggested gifts were a set of artist pencils (David loves to draw and is quite good), some Minecraft figures, and a plush red panda, particularly this one pictured here by Cuddlekins of Wild Republic.  I was a bit surprised that David still liked stuffed animals at age nine.  I thought he might have outgrown them by now, but my son insisted it was one of the gifts David was hoping for. 

Cuddlekins Red Panda

Turned out, David did not expect he would get his plush Red Panda, so it was a delightful surprise for him, as you can see by the expression on his face as he opened it. 

I was particularly pleased with the quality of this stuffed animal.  It has smooth, red fur, a big bushy tail, white markings, and lifelike, highly-detailed, realistic features. It's softly stuffed and measures 12 inches tall.  





You can see that it is a wonderful, hugable armful for a 9-year-old. 

About Wild Republic

Wild Republic has been creating nature-related animals and educational toys and gifts since 1979, with their specialty being their realistic stuffed animals.  The line of stuffed animals is extensive and includes just about any animal you can imagine, including farm animals, jungle animals, sea creatures, dinosaurs, reptiles and prehistoric animals, birds, butterflies & bugs and dogs & cats. I am also pleased with how reasonably priced they are. 

Their headquarters are in Twinsburg, Ohio, but they have offices around the world and their international distribution serves zoos, museums, and aquariums, as well as retailers. 

In addition to this plush Red Panda, Wild Republic has a whole line of these cuddly wild animals which look like the real animal.  They also carry a line of gift items that are related to nature, such as jewelry, home décor and seasonal items. You can visit the Wild Republic Website here. 

Happy Birthday, David

David, Age 9

David LOVES his new buddy, the Cuddlekins Plush Red Panda.  He had a wonderful 9th birthday!

The Real Red Panda

Red Panda Poster by Sylvestermouse

Sylvestermouse has a delightful article all about the 'real' red panda which is filled with interesting photos and facts at Reviewing What We Know About the Red Panda.








(c) Review of the Wild Republic Cuddlekins Red Panda Plush by Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Crobots – An Amigurumi Robots Crochet Pattern Book Review

Pixabay Image w/Text by Fotojet

Robots have fascinated people for many years and are especially popular with children. No doubt the favorite robot in recent years is R2D2 from Star Wars!  The robots, androids and artificial intelligence we have seen are machines made of metal or some other hard material which are fascinating to watch and fun to look at, but not to hold. 

How about if we made playtime toy robots out of something soft, such as yarn?  If you were to crochet a yarn robot, it might be called a CROBOT. 

Crobots

Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots to Make

In this crochet pattern book called Crobots by Nelly Pailloux, there are instructions to create 20 tiny creatures which are cute and cuddly and adorable. 

Each Crobot pattern includes a color photo of the finished 'robot', an ingredients list showing you everything you need to match the photos in each section, along with instructions for creating them.  Each Crobot is crocheted in sections, then joined together. The instructions also include a Blueprint page showing you how the sections fit together. 

Many of these crobot creatures are decorated with beads, sequins, buttons, jewelry fasteners, and even nails & wire springs. 

Big Bot Created for an Anime Shop

This is Big Bot made using sequins for eyes and a spring nose.This version of a Crobot looks really cute if you are making it for an adult Sci-Fi, Steampunk or Anime Fan to perhaps decorate a work space or give as a unique gift.  

Thinker I call Snow Bot

But I crochet primarily for children, so my version of these crobots are finished with simple embroidery to keep them soft & safe all over. Whichever version you choose, these tiny Crobot robots are fun to make in crochet. They include a Space Mouse, a Cosmic Bear, a Dogbot, a Catbot, a Zombiebot, a Geisha Girl, a Ninjabot, an Alienbot and a dozen more.  They each take very small amount of yarn and are fun to make. 

A Few Examples of Crobots I Created from this Book

The Thinker

This quiet little doll is called THINKER in the Crobot crochet book.  I decided he looked like a Snow Bot and crocheted him in white acrylic yarn filled with soft polyfil toy stuffing. He has burgundy ears on his large Amigurumi head, and embroidered features. His spindly embroidered arms and sweet wistful face show off the fact that he is a thinker who likes to sit quietly and figure things out. He's the perfect companion for a quiet child. He'd also sit quietly on someone's desk at work to help them concentrate.

Sammy the stuffed snow bot robot doll measures just 5 inches tall. He's soft and sweet and ready-to-ship. 

Matryoshka the Housekeeping Crobot

Burgundy Babushka Robot Doll

In the Crobot pattern book, Matryoshka is described as having a babushka mother and a robot for a father, making her quite technical at heart with the rivets, dials and switches shown in the pattern.  I decided she'd make just a sweet babushka doll, so her features are embroidered.  My version is round and soft and comfortable for little hands to hold.

My cute little Babuska doll is hand-crocheted in burgundy acrylic yarn with a white face with embroidered features. She is softly stuffed with polyfil toy stuffing and measures just 4 inches tall. 

Burgundy Babuska doll will fit nicely in a pocket for a child to carry around to play with. She is very squeezable in her round shape and would fit perfectly on someone's desk at work as a cheerful presence. She could also make an excellent stress ball and wouldn't mind at all if you squeeze her. :)

Burgundy Babuska would also make a cute Valentine's Gift, stocking stuffer, or a cute gift for little girls for a birthday or anytime gift.

Geisha

Geisha Girl Amigurumi Doll

This is a Geisha Girl Amigurumi Doll who is a sweet and shy little doll dressed in Geisha Girl style. 

She measures 6 inches tall and has a sweet hand-embroidered face. 

Her elaborate hairstyle has red ties and she is wearing little sandals on her feet. 

Geisha Girl Doll is hand-crocheted in acrylic yarn in black and white with a Sunshine print Kimono. 

She is filled with new polyfil and is ready-to-ship to a toybox near you or be a friendly companion on your desktop.  

Past Examples

A few other examples of Crobots (a Baby Bot and a Sumo Robot Doll) I have made from this book are shown above.  These have sold, but can be recreated by a request through my Etsy Shop, Coastal Crochet Crafts.

Crobots Summary

Crobots Craft Book is Available on Amazon

This is a unique and interesting little crochet pattern book for crafters who like to make little dolls, especially with a Sci-Fi or Steampunk theme to them. 




(c) 2018 by Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Dolphin Review for National Dolphin Day

Dolphin Photo - Pixabay

National Dolphin Day is celebrated each year on April 14th, an unofficial holiday that mainly focuses on bringing awareness to the ban on the hunting of dolphins. 

Dolphins are mammals and are related to whales and porpoises.  They range in size from 4 feet up to 30 feet and are found all over the world in the shallow seas around the continental shelves.  I have even seen them in the inland waterway between Savannah, Georgia and Beaufort, South Carolina and in the Savannah River, both of which have access to the ocean. 

Dolphins are very social animals and live in groups called 'Pods'.  

No one knows who originally started National Dolphin Day, but many organizations promote it, including conservation groups, zoos and aquariums.

Things to do on National Dolphin Day

• Visit a zoo or an aquarium near you.
• Go on a Dolphin Tour if you live near the ocean. My son & grandson took such a tour on the Savannah River in Savannah, Georgia last summer. 

• Watch this amazing video about dolphins

• Read a storybook about dolphins to a child.
• Watch a movie about dolphins.  Remember Flipper?

Pink Dolphin in Plush

• Read about the rare Pink Albino Bottlenose Dolphin in this article by Sylvestermouse.

Toy Dolphins

An Etsy Dolphin Pod in Plush Handmade Crochet

I am a crochet crafter who has lived near the sea for many years and toy dolphins in plush crochet are my favorite animals to create.  I have them in many colors in my Etsy Shop Coastal Crochet Crafts. 

Dolphins are usually gray or bluish gray with a lighter gray or white underbelly.  But cute crochet dolphins are toy stuffed animals, so they can be any color you can imagine! 

For more crochet dolphins, visit Crocheted Handmade Toy Dolphins by Wednesday Elf on Crochet, Crafts and Cute Critters. 

National Dolphin Day

So enjoy this magical of creatures, the wonderful sea animal known as the dolphin.

Plush Dolphins on Etsy at Coastal Crochet Crafts

National Dolphin Day

Every April 14th

The Month of March is 

Dolphin Awareness Month

(c) Wednesday Elf. Article written on 4/4/2018. Updated 3/29/2019.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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