12 Borderline Genius Ways to Keep Your Kids Busy This Summer

One of summer’s biggest challenges is keeping your kids engaged and entertained, especially while you're on the way to the next adventure. Have no fear, Klutz is here! We’ve collected some of our favorite book-based activity kits to avoid that dreaded age-old question: “Are we there yet?”

Here’s our 100% Klutz certified list of travel essentials:

1) Coloring Crush 

2) The Many Moods of Me Journal

 
3) Color-In Stained Glass

 

4) Create Your Own Quote Art 

5) The Encyclopedia of Immaturity

6) Star Wars Thumb Doodles

 

7) The Marvelous Book of Magical Mermaids

8) Dress Up Your Own Paper Pups 

 

 
9) Cat’s Cradle 

 

10) Prankster Magic 

11) Draw the DC Universe

 

12) Lettering

 

Happy traveling!

Drawing Lessons (with Draw Star Wars Rebels from Klutz)

Every January, I sit down and make my resolutions for the new year. Some are small challenges (only use one sheet of paper towel to dry my hands) and others are a bit more ambitious. It’s been a lifelong goal to develop my drawing skills and finally achieve full-service crafter status, so I decided this was going to be my big project for 2015!

No sooner had a I put my resolution to paper, then the magical Klutz fairies made a special delivery to help me achieve my goal. Draw Star Wars Rebels is a one-stop guide to learning to draw, packed with step-by-step how-tos, tracing paper and cool pics of favourite characters to develop your drawing skills.

So, if you’re like me, and would mostly likely turn this into this…

...then stay tuned because my Klutz’s Star Wars arts education is about to begin. History shows that I probably won’t come out of this successful, but maybe my quest for new year's improvement will inspire you to give it a try!

First, the basics...

and

 And the most important lessons: stick figures

and shapes.

 And, the key to success, lots of opportunities to practice!

I traced, erased and free-handed my way through the entire book and am already starting to feeling the lessons start to take hold. If I can accomplish all this in one day, I’ll be able to check this resolution off my list in no time!

Star Wars Reads Day Strikes Back! (with Star Wars Folded Flyers, Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars Thumb Doodles)

Fall is here and that familiar chill has crept back into the air. It’s time for boots and scarves and, for me, hiding indoors with a good book or a fun craft. But this weekend, there is another Force at play, beckoning me back to my two favourite activities…

That’s right, tomorrow is the 3^rd annual Star Wars Reads Day! This amazing initiative is the joint effort of Lucasfilm and its publishing partners. It's celebrated in every which way, from simply sitting down with a good book to some pretty amazing events at bookstores, libraries and other venues around the world!

I’ll be celebrating by bringing copies of Star Wars Folded Flyers, Star Wars Thumb Doodles, and Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars up to my family’s Thanksgiving weekend celebrations. After all the fun we had with playing with Paper Dragons, I can’t wait to see what great ideas this wacky bunch will come up with this time!

So, get reading, drawing, Thumb Doodle comic booking, or try out one of these cool crafts from the official Star Wars Event Kit, cause it’s time to celebrate!

Happy Star Wars Reads Day!

A Few of My Favourite Things (with Nail Style Studio & Nail Art from Klutz)

Yesterday was officially the first day of fall. And though the weather seems to be a bit confused as we finish up the last week of September, there's no denying it anymore. Summer is gone!

Don't get me wrong, fall has it's perks--Halloween, pumpkin spice and scarf season, just to name a few--but this warm-weather girl will be mourning summer's end for the eight long months till it's back again.

Whenever I'm feeling blue, a good art project always cheers me up! So, I grabbed Klutz's Nail Style Studio and Nail Art and painted my tips and toes in all sorts of pics and patterns. Forget raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, here are a handful of my tried and true remedies for when I'm feeling sad!

Exploring a new neighborhood in my city.

A good stretch and centering on my yoga mat.

 

Getting lost in a book.

Warming up with a hot drink.

 

And painting my nails with patterns and pictures that make me smile!

Playground Pop-Up Shop (with Face Painting from Klutz)

When the sun is shining and summer is in full swing, even not-so-great days can turn out to be pretty wonderful!

A few weeks ago, I had a play date with my little friend, Ben, and his mama and papa too. We were meeting at the park on Saturday morning to laugh and play the day away, and I couldn't wait! Unfortunately, when our date came around, poor Ben wasn't feeling very well. But he put on a brave face and asked to go the park anyway, so we decided to downgrade our playground play to something a little more low key. Luckily, I'd just received this big box of goodness from my Klutz fairy godmother, so I picked out some favourites and we planned a Klutz party in the park.

You’ve already seen the hilarious results of our Cat’s Cradle play, but we also had some fun with Face Painting that day. Back when this blog began, I did one of my first posts about painting pumpkins with these great paints, and I was really excited to use them again.

We parked ourselves on a bench by the playground, spread out our supplies and opened up a fun little temporary tattoo shop. We painted bees and bears and some decidedly abstract art pieces all up and down our arms and pranced around the sandbox sharing and showing off our cool arm art. Our pop-up shop was the hit of the playground and Ben’s spirits began to brighten! Soon, we were galloping through the grass, planting flowers in the sandbox and snacking on sandwiches, and our quiet park day had turned into quite the adventure!

Pretty Summer Suits (with My Fabulous Look Book)

The season of swimming is upon us, yay! 

But with it comes one of summer's most aggravating rites of passage...

The search for the perfect swimsuit.

To find it, you have to brave fluorescent lights, bunched up underwear underneath, and the inevitable comparisons between the way you look in the suit to how the model on the poster right next to you looks in it. Swimming season has its downsides…

But when you find a winner, oh boy, is it great! There’s nothing like hitting the beach, playing in the waves and soaking up the sun (through a thick layer of UV protection, of course!) without a care for too loose straps or a recurring wedgie.

So, in preparation for my summer swimsuit search, I grabbed a copy of My Fabulous Look Book to try and pick out my ideal styles before I hit the stores.

I mixed and matched bright neons with classic black, a retro high waister with a bustier top, a daring strapless beauty with a pretty gold accent, and a Minnie Mouse inspired skirt suit that I absolutely love!

So many choices, so much time in the change room avoided. Knowing what you’re looking for is half the battle. Now my only problem is deciding which I like best!

Sticker Shock (with Sticker Design Studio)

My love of stickers began one hot summer day when I was nine and my mom took me to the Sandylion Warehouse Outlet. I stood amid rolls and rolls of stickers, and wondered how I would ever choose just one to come home with me. The shiny stars? No... the fuzzy puppies! But what about those glittery hearts? I needed the glittery hearts!

Unable to cope with the pressure of this monumental decision, I threw a total fit and sobbed for my mom to buy them all. This (obviously) didn’t have the intended effect and instead my mom swept me out of there, empty-handed and brokenhearted. I don’t think I’ve ever really recovered…

Until this!

  

Sticker Design Studio is pretty much the coolest thing to happen to stickers since the sticker book! With page after page of cute, funky, and even sparkly stickers to colour, I felt the hurt of my childhood sticker trauma start to disappear. I might have even stayed up into the wee hours of the morning because I just. couldn’t. stop. colouring!

The next day, I confessed the embarrassing source of my sleepiness to my friends and one chimed in with a story of her own. She had purchased Sticker Design Studio to share with one of her babysitting charges. But when she set the little girl up to start colouring, the glittery stickers caught her eye and it wasn't long before she plopped the girl in front of a movie and stole the sticker book for herself.

Stealing stickers from a baby… Oh yeah, it’s that good!

Turkey Day Treats (with Twisted Critters and Window Art)

Happy fall y’all!

I’m headed to my cottage this Thanksgiving weekend for fall colours, family fun and, my favourite, pumpkin pie! And I’m bringing some Klutz-made turkey day treats to spread my holiday joy.

Make your own Thanksgiving-themed Twisted Critters. With tons of colourful pipe cleaners in different shapes and patterns, it just takes a little imagination to bring your favourite Thanksgiving icons to life. These easy-to-make critters can be made the day-of, with hands of all ages helping to create the perfect centerpiece or place settings for your turkey day table.

And deck your chilly windows in festive peel-and-stick Window Art, in it's new boxy format. Freehand your favourite fall designs or print out some clip art, slip it inside the clear plastic sleeve and get started! First, trace your designs in the black paint, then it's time to do some colouring. You can even mix paints to get that perfect pumpkin orange or a warm fall brown. These colourful window decals really add that autumn feel to my house, and with a quick slip into a Ziploc bag and a not so quick six-hour ride up North, they'll do double duty at the cottage too.

Can't wait!

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Got any fun crafts to share?
Wherever you are and whatever you do, I hope your Thanksgiving is turkey-tastic!

Back in Time (with Spiral Draw)

If I had to name my three favourite childhood toys, 
they would probably be:

1. Easy-Bake Oven 
   (Because making your own desserts = awesome!)

2. Speak-and-Spell 
    (Nerd alert!)

3. Spirograph

Can I get a hands up from all those who loved their Spirograph too? It was so simple, but felt so high tech, and there was something incredibly hypnotizing about that swirling, whirling, geometric art. So, I was super excited to discover that Klutz had given my childhood fave a second lease on life with Spiral Draw. It's got in-book activities, a no-slip frame, tons of colourful gears, and a six-colour quick-switch pen for some seriously rainbow-coloured spirals, which means I’ll be taking this nostalgia trip for days!

 

And in case you need even more to be excited about, Klutz books now come in a deluxe new boxy format, which makes them even better for sharing, and easier to wrap. So wrap up a new boxy Klutz book and spread some craftiness!

My Write in White Doodle Journal Education

I won’t lie: doodling saved me from seventh grade history. (Just don’t tell my parents, okay?)

It’s not that I didn’t listen; I tried, I really did! But as my fingers traced the textbook to the tune of Mr C’s rumbly, monotone voice, my eyelids started to droop and my head began to nod, and I just didn’t think I would make it through.

Then one day, my friend Britney and I were commiserating about Mr. C’s class and discovered that we sat in the same seat, but two periods apart. So, we devised a plan to keep ourselves alert, and that’s how my doodle education began.

It started out simple enough, with little pictures or special messages in bubble letters, elaborately bordered pages or entire sheets of flowers. It didn’t matter what we drew, only that we kept our pencils busy. Then we’d slip them under the chair for the other person to find and answer back with an even more elaborate masterpiece. To this day, my eyes swim with pencil sketches when anyone mentions the War of 1812.

Basically, when it comes to doodles, I’ve seen it all. Or so I thought…

When Klutz came out with Write in White Doodle Journal, it changed everything! This book has got pretty patterns, swirling designs and inspiring quotes, all on a backdrop of dark and moody colours, so that when you put your white pen to page, your pictures really pop! 

Now I'm starting my degree in Write in White Doodling and hope to graduate with honours. But, boy do I have big shoes to fill, because check out what the masters at Klutz can do...