Review: Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts for Kids Book (Giveaway)

I was so excited to receive a copy of Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts for Kids but I was barely able to glance at the cover before Audrey seized it, ran with it to her room and curled up in her chair to start looking for a project!

She was completely enthralled and I couldn't help smiling as she talked out loud about the fun ideas she was viewing. It didn't take her long before she'd found the perfect one: make a softie based on your child's drawing.

"Why not?" I said. Seemed perfect to me too. So Audrey grabbed her sketchpad and drew (of course) a dog. A cute cartoonish, purple dog with blue and pink striped ears and diagonal slits for eyes and a smallish red nose. I photocopied her drawing twice to make a pattern for the body and two for the unsymmetrical ears. I found the perfect corduroy textured knit fabric from my stash. And then she had to wait...

She was pretty patient about having me finish up some things first, for a couple days. She even wrote in a deadline on my calendar--she knows me too well. And then we were able to sit down together and talk about sewing. And it was so much fun!

She was so excited about it. And I told her my very first sewing project, when I was close to her age (probably a bit older actually) was a stuffed animal. Do you remember those fabrics printed with softie designs? I made a turtle and a lion and a cute Matroyshka. I still have the turtle.

I didn't have Audrey try the sewing machine yet. But she pinned the pattern to the fabric (with Scarlett as her assistant handing her pins), cut it out, pinned the fabric pieces together, and then after I stitched it, she did the stuffing.

She did the embroidered face too, after I got her started. Pretty darn cute for her first project! Wish I'd been able to find my embroidery floss, but we made do with sewing thread. The best part about it is how thrilled she is with the finished puppy. She hasn't set him down since we finished him. And she has asked, "do you think I'll be as good a sewer as you, Mom? Do you?"  That totally made my day! (And she also just happened to be wearing the sailboat t-shirt I made her--unsolicited. I love it when that happens.) Oh, and we finished this project before the deadline she had imposed! 

Now that I've had a chance to look through the rest of the book I'm so impressed by the breadth of ideas in Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts for Kids. It is chock full! There are toys, like the tin can dog Audrey would like to make next, and gifts to give. Many which older children could do on there own and lots for parents to do with them.

I remember the cross stitch family portraits from the magazine. I love these! Maybe someday I'll make one. Or maybe one of my girls will!

Would you like a copy of this book? The Martha Stewart Crafts team is giving away a copy to one of my readers. And, even better, the team is throwing in a few goodies from her Martha Stewart Crafts line! What a package! This giveaway is open through next Monday and then one winner will be selected and announced right here.

(If you can't wait to get the book you can view the new collection of Martha Stewart's Crafts for Kids videos online right now.)

Please click through to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!