Creative Fun is Guaranteed this Christmas with the Crayola Air Marker Sprayer-Giveaway

November 14, 2016 by Kathryn 118 Comments

Almost every kid loves creating unique pieces of art, and if you’ve got a creative child on your holiday shopping list, Crayola has a great new gift idea that you’ll want to see! The Crayola Air Marker Sprayer uses a special electric sprayer unit, Crayola markers and stencils to let kids create colourful rainbow pictures with a unique air-brushed style! Recently I had the chance to test out the Crayola Air Marker Sprayer for myself and I couldn’t wait to see how my boys liked it.

Using the device is as simple as plugging it in, securing a marker in the nozzle and pulling the trigger. The boys liked being able to either freestyle a design onto the paper or use the included stencils to add leaves, flames, letters and animals to their pictures. Zackary especially loved the dragon stencil and had a lot of fun combining different colours to get the look he wanted! [Read more…]

How to Help Your Kids Express Themselves

September 29, 2016 by Kathryn 1 Comment

As adults, we often joke about wanting to be a kid again, but the truth is it can be hard to navigate childhood. They desperately want to be older and do things that are out of their reach, and processing their feelings when we turn them down can be difficult. They have so many emotions but don’t always have the maturity to know what to do with them. You don’t have to be a therapist to help. As parents, we have can learn many ways to help kids express themselves in a positive way. Read on for more!

Take Them on a Trip

This might sound weird, but road trips can work magic for getting your child to really open up and talk. Consider taking them to see something fairly educational, like these three monuments, the Grand Canyon, or the White House. Family trips are something they will value for years to come, and the stories they create about them are even better. They’ll also be able to write about them in school and, of course, writing is another form of self-expression. If you can’t get a road trip on the calendar any time soon, simply ask them questions while you’re driving them in the car. There’s something about the lack of eye contact that allows them to feel free to say what they mean. Turn down the music! [Read more…]

Surprise a Special Mom with a Design Molloy Custom Birth Story Word Art Print-Giveaway

May 4, 2016 by Kathryn 57 Comments

UPDATE: Thanks so much to everyone that entered! Use coupon code MOMMYKAT10OFF to save 10% off your online purchase from Design Molloy! Coupon expires June 30, 2016.

Mother’s Day is almost here, and whether you’re looking for a present for a brand new mom or an experienced one, Design Molloy has the perfect gift idea! This company founded by fellow Prairie entrepreneurs, Colette in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Debbie in Regina, Saskatchewan, specializes in custom word art and its stunning birth story prints are sure to warm the heart of any mother. Recently, I had the chance to review a Birth Story Word Art Print of my own, and I couldn’t wait to see my own child’s birth brought to life in such a beautiful way.

What makes the Design Molloy Birth Story Word Art so special is how much of a collaborative process its creation is. I had the chance to fill out a custom design sheet and choose favourite fonts, colours and phrases for my creation. I also added information about my youngest son’s birth weight, the time of day he was born and special features he had at birth. I was even able to include a favourite picture of my infant son!

When Design Molloy had all the information, the work began. I soon had a proof of the birth story to peruse so that I could check all the details and give some input on design elements. Little items like the placement of letters and the borders around each section were adjusted based on my desires so that the finished product was perfectly suited to me. I loved the boyish colour scheme I had chosen, and the picture of baby Benjamin cuddling with his big brother was the perfect finishing touch! [Read more…]

Learn a Fun New Skill with Traditional Japanese Origami by Nick Robinson

August 25, 2015 by Kathryn 2 Comments

As a child, I spent a lot of my summer vacation reading. And while, for the most part, I chose fiction books when I headed to the library to stock up on new titles, I also occasionally enjoyed reading through craft books. It was such a book that gave me my first introduction to Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.

It’s been years since I’ve tried my hand at any Origami creations with the exception of my personal favourite from childhood, a crow with a moving beak. But I still remember how relaxing I found folding sheets of paper into different shapes. That’s why I couldn’t resist the chance to review Traditional Japanese Origami by Nick Robinson. [Read more…]

Organize Your Household and Preserve School Memories with the Fellowes Saturn2 95 Laminator-Giveaway

August 23, 2014 by Kathryn 234 Comments

There are some devices that I don’t even realize I need until I try them, and then I wonder how I ever got by without them. Recently I added just such a gadget to my household: the Fellowes Saturn2 95 Laminator. While I remembered how much I loved having school projects laminated when I was young, and still love having my boys bring home laminated artwork now, I never would have thought I needed one in the house.

But I was wrong! This little laminator is incredibly compact, easy to use and lets me preserve so many precious memories and important papers that might otherwise be lost or destroyed over time. The Saturn2 95 works with simple laminating bags so I just slip in the paper or art project I want to laminate, send it through the machine and admire the results. With school starting soon, it’s the perfect way of saving all the extra special projects that kids will soon be bringing home!

[Read more…]

Add Style to Your Home with the Posterjack Gallery Box

November 17, 2013 by Kathryn 3 Comments

If you’re looking for a gift that makes a big impact this Christmas, the new Gallery Box from posterjack is sure to become a family heirloom. And posterjack makes getting that perfect gift easy with online ordering featuring plenty of customization options for a personalized gift that will be treasured for a lifetime. I had the chance to review the new Gallery Box and having recently done a makeover in my living room, I decided to get a picture for the wall of that room to dress it up a little more.

I headed to posterjack.ca and uploaded one of the pictures from my family’s recent trip to Disneyland in a 16” by 16” size with a white frame to match the white trim of the room. I couldn’t wait to see how it would look! The picture arrived within a week and I pulled it out of the box and put it on the wall immediately. The Gallery Box frame creates a bold look that is sure to create a great focal point for any room. And I loved being able to look at it hanging on the wall throughout the day and relive the memories of our family’s magical adventure. [Read more…]

The Original DoodleArt Poster Sets are a Nostalgic Activity Kids Will Love-Giveaway

September 9, 2013 by Kathryn 88 Comments

When I was a child, I absolutely loved to colour. I come from a family of artists but that talent definitely skipped me; I can draw passable little cartoons and not much else. But colouring was something that I could do and I would sometimes spend hours working on a picture to make sure that it was just right.

So when I received a Doodle Art poster one year at Christmas, I was delighted. The huge black and white sheet was filled with detail and came with a set of markers. I spent hours colouring in the tiny sections of the poster to create a masterpiece for my room. Now, Doodle Art is back and recently I received a full-sized Doodle Art kit from PlaSmart Inc. to review. I was so excited to share this classic from my own childhood with my boys!

At almost four years old, Benjamin is still a little young for the detailed colouring a Doodle Art poster requires, so I saved this kit especially for Zackary. He was so excited by the size of the poster and the set of double-tipped markers that came with it. One of the great things about the Doodle Art markers is that they have both a fine tip for the tiny details of the poster and a wide tip for filling in larger areas. [Read more…]

Wordless Wednesday with Linky-All About Me

April 16, 2013 by Kathryn 41 Comments

boy with heritage fair project — Every year the Lumsden Elementary School holds a Heritage Fair and each student creates a project. The Grade One theme was “All About Me.” I just love Zackary’s self portrait hanging over the chair!

If you have a Wordless Wednesday post, please link it up below; I’d love to check it out! [Read more…]