Jewelry Making

DIY Jewelry, Beads And Patterns

Holiday Gift Idea for Little Jewelry Makers

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Craft Bands help kids 8 and up create their own charm bracelets.This weekend I had the chance to review Crafty Bands from Epiphany Crafts. These new design-your-own-charm bracelets for kids are colorful, fun and easy to make. Your kids will be eager to start making their own personalized charms from photos, magazine pages or other printed images once they see how easy it is with Crafty Bands.

detail from the Crafty Bands box

Shape Studio Tool

The Crafty Bands Starter Kit is reasonably priced at $29.95. You get the Shape Studio Tool and pieces to make four complete Crafty Bands in the kit. The Refill Kits are priced at $6.99; these include four Crafty Bands and 20 Crafty Snaps. Refill Bubble Caps are $4.99 for 20 pieces.

The starter kit include everything needed to make 4 complete Crafty Bands.

Refill Kits are available in a variety of colors.

Each Crafty Band will hold 5 Crafty Snaps with your choice of images. I used a photo of a feathered mask in the sample Crafty Band I put together.

The Shape Studio Tool cuts your images and sets the Bubble Cap to protect your images.The Shape Studio Tool was easy to use and helped line up the Bubble Cap over the image. Using the adhesive, the images fit easily and securely into the Crafty Snaps and then lock into place on your one of a kind Crafty Band.

The images are easy to fit into the Crafty Snaps.

Completed Crafty Band!

Think your kids will like this product? Leave a comment at the giveaway and tell me why for your chance to win this completed Crafty Band and the rest of the kit including the Shape Studio Tool!

Comments

  2. I have several little girls in my family that would LOVE this kit … I also have a good friend that’s a crafter like me and it would be the perfect gift for her little girl that has a birthday coming up. Thanks for the giveaway!

  3. I have never seen anything like this before. My granddaughter would spend many productive hours using this product. She lives in the mountains and her mom is always looking for something to occupy her free time other than television. Thank you for this giveaway opportunity.

  4. My kids love to craft. My husband works most evenings. After homework is finished we often sit at the table and do a craft project together. This looks like a perfect project for them.

  5. My 8-year-old granddaughter loves jewelry. This kit gives her the opportunity of using her creativity to design her own bands. I’d love to have this for her.

  6. My 8yr old grand-daughter would love to share this craft with her 4yr old sister – both being avid craft fans, especially having the Shape Studio tool to make it simple for them both. I showed the pics above to the 4yr old and her comment was “they are so cutier Gran, can I make some?.

  7. This is exactly the kind of craft kit I’ve been looking for. My granddaughter needs a non-messy jewelry making craft and this fits the bill. Thanks for the chance to win!

  8. My 4 year old is ALWAYS trying to make jewelry “just like momma’s” whenever I sit down to bead or create. She always gets frustrated! This kit would be perfect for her to turn out her own project she could be proud of! Great review and thanks for the give-away!

Have you read?

Book Review Wednesday: 3D Beaded Animal Crafts for Kids

This week’s Book Review Wednesday pick is 3D Beaded Animal Crafts for Kids, and I’ll admit this one is another of those books that makes me pause for a moment and ask, “Does this belong in Jewelry Making, Kids Crafts, or somewhere in between?”

Technically, it is not jewelry in the traditional necklace-and-earrings sense, but it is very much a beading book, and beading skills are such a useful doorway into jewelry making. For kids especially, learning how to thread beads, follow patterns, work with wire, and build little 3D shapes is a brilliant way to develop patience, fine motor skills, and confidence with craft materials.

The cover promises 3D beaded animal crafts for kids, with a focus on cute seed bead animals made with wire. The little fox on the cover is exactly the sort of project that catches attention — bright, cheerful, and very giftable. I can see this being a fun book for crafty kids, tweens, grandparents crafting with children, or even adults who secretly enjoy tiny beaded animals but pretend they are “helping the kids.”

What I like about this type of project is that it gives children a finished piece they can actually be proud of. These are not throwaway crafts. A beaded animal can become a bag charm, keychain, desk buddy, zipper pull, ornament, or little handmade gift. And if you have a child who loves collecting small things, well, prepare yourself — you may soon have an entire zoo made from seed beads.

There is also a nice connection here for beginner jewelry makers. Working with beads and wire in a simple 3D form helps build the same kind of careful hand skills used in beaded jewelry, wire wrapping, charms, and small accessories. So while I would be tempted to cross-post this over on our Kids Crafts section, I still think it earns its place here for anyone wanting beginner-friendly beading projects.

This book would suit kids who already enjoy detailed crafts, families looking for screen-free creative projects, or makers who want small bead projects that are playful rather than overly serious. I would suggest adult help for younger children, especially because seed beads and wire can be fiddly, and nobody needs a craft session ending with beads in the carpet forever. Although, let’s be honest, that may happen anyway.

My Shellie-style take? 3D Beaded Animal Crafts for Kids looks like a fun, colourful and practical beading book for young makers who like cute projects with a real finished result. It is crafty, giftable, a little bit nostalgic, and a lovely stepping stone into more detailed beadwork and jewelry making later on.

You can find the book here: 3D Beaded Animal Crafts for Kids.