Fabulous Flowers: A Springtime Nursery Rhyme

Lynn, Lynn, just can’t win,
when getting her to garden grow.
But with paper flowers
that don't need showers.
She'll chase away the snow.

It seems like forever ago that I was fighting off the early spring blues with paper pups and twisted critters. Now, almost a month later, we’re still bouncing back and forth between spots of sun and the threat of snow. Gosh, will the warm weather ever be here for good?!

As the old saying goes, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I’m still wearing a warm smile and finding little ways to let Mother Earth know I'm ready for spring. 

Paper flowers get a sophisticated twist with Klutz’s Fabulous Flowers. Bright colours, bold patterns and a little bit of sparkle make these faux florals hard to ignore! 

It's easy! Just punch out the pre-cut pieces and glue on the stems. Wrap, twist, or roll each colourful piece to give your flowers dimension. Then slide them on the stems and secure them in place with some glue. Before you know it, you'll have a beautiful bouquet that's sure to make Mom smile!

I've got another Mother's Day craft in mind for next week, so I've sprinkled my green garden with bright paper blooms. And, you know what? I think I can already feel the temperature rising!

Looking for more ways to make some fabulous flowers? Chicken Sock’s Paper Flowers is packed with bright, easy-to-assemble blooms for the ages four & up crowd. Or check out Fairies for an out-of-the-box way to use fake flowers to make tiny little petal people.

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...

Twirly Q-ties

Easter weekend has come and gone in a whirl of good food, family and lots and lots of chocolate. I was one busy gal all weekend, crafting up a storm of Easter goodies. With my Capsters all set to go, I was on the hunt for something sweet to deck our Easter table. Then I spotted that cute little bunny, on the right, in my fresh crop of Klutz books and knew I had found the answer.

Twirly Qs doesn’t come with much—just some corrugated cardboard strips, a shaping tool and super tacky glue—but that is all you need to make all sorts of colourful creations. Just roll the cardboard strips into tight little coils, give them some dimension with the handy shaping tool, then glue them all together for the most twirly, whirly, too-cute-to-resist cardboard creatures!

I chose these three little guys for their cute Easter colours, but with instructions for everything from a little brown mouse to some truly wacky little monsters, there is a Twirly Qtie for every occasion!

Capsters Egg Hunt

Pretty pastels, fluffy white bunnies, yummy chocolates and marshmallow peeps. Is there anything sweeter than Easter? I think not!

But there’s one Easter tradition on which I’m not so keen: dyeing eggs. Coloured eggs are cute and all, but the mess, oh, the mess! It’s too much for this clean-crafter to bear, so this year I’m giving my Easter eggs a modern, mess-free twist by making treasure-filled Capsters for the whole family!

It’s so simple! Just load up the Capsters with trinkets, stickers, beads and whatever else you’ve got on hand. Then set it in the special glaze, let it dry and you’re good to go!

Create personalized place cards for the dinner table, decorate cards and gift bags, and hide them around the house for a food-free Easter hunt, or set this Klutz book out on the big day and let everyone have a turn making their own bottle cap treasures.

Happy Easter crafting all!

A Klutz Trip Down Disney Lane

Disney and I go way back. Back to a time when I could recite every word to Beauty and the Beast and would stage kitchen productions with nothing more than a cassette tape and a love of singing that could not even be discouraged by my horrible voice. And though I still delight in returning to my old Disney friends, I have never quite been able to recapture that magical bond we once shared.

Then I happened upon these two Disney-fied Klutz kits, Buzz Lightyear Foam Gliders and Make Your Own Princess Tiaras, and I had an idea that just might work. So, I called in some reinforcements—my favourite little kiddo and my kid sister—and found that getting back to that special time was as easy as one, two, three!

We set to work bedazzling tiaras, popping together planes and chatting about what we did over Spring Break, and I could already feel that familiar buzz of excitement beginning to return. I was reminded that four chairs and an old blanket can magically transform into a castle, and a handful of colourful plastic magnets can be anything from a cobblestone path to a fire to roast marshmallows over.

With my child-like enthusiasm sufficiently renewed and our tiaras set aside to dry, it was time to head outside for some flight practice. Setting our sights on our target—the Evil Emperor Zurg—we practiced our flight pattern and battle formations in the hopes of defeating our enemy. Turns out we weren’t terribly successful, but we had a ton of fun trying and boy, did those little planes really hold up in battle!

Eventually Zurg was defeated and the galaxy was safe once again, so we headed inside to celebrate in royal fashion. Belle is my best gal, but its Ariel’s voice that really makes me swoon, so I paid homage to my favourite mer-princess with a pretty pink crown decked out in seashells. And with expandable Velcro closures, thankfully these tiaras will fit even the most grown-up of heads. Decked out in our glittery gear, we smiled for some shots for the paparazzi and our adoring fans.

Finally, when we’d flown our last flight and twirled our last twirl, I remember another thing about being a kid—it’s exhausting! So I headed off to dreamland and my Disney adventure was complete.

Paper Pups and All Things Spring

Somewhere between the icy chill of Monday and this flurrying Friday, spring sprung up to say hello. So, I kicked off my winter coat and dreamed of splashing in puddles and picnics in the park. I felt silly and fun and carefree! (The first signs of spring will do that to a girl.)


Sadly, this spring break was short-lived, so I’ve put my plans on hold. But I’m clinging to the memories of that glorious day in the sun with some crafts that are sure to cure my spring fever.

First I took some Paper Pups out for a stroll! Pajamas and tutus and swimwear; oh my! These mess-free pets, dressed up in their finest, are enough to melt the heart of anyone!

Next some Twisted Critters came out to play. I twisted, twirled and wrapped a bumbling bee spreading pollen for spring, a baby carrot peeking up out of the ground, and an little yellow chick hatching just in time for Easter.

Finally, I made some Super Simple Sewing accessories that even the littlest of hands can fashion. Pretty pastels, felt florals, and a little pink coin purse, just begging for some warm weather to show themselves off!

Surrounded by a few of my favourite spring things, I’m already starting to feel my fever subside. And with only 11 days left till spring’s official start, hopefully I won’t have much longer to wait…

One final note for French readers out there: I wanted to let you know that a lot of Klutz activity books are now available in French! Click here to see what's available.

A Not So Long Time Ago in a Living Room Far, Far Away...

As the daughter of a computer programmer, when it comes to cool, I never really had a chance. Give me a book or a video game and a comfy couch, and that’s where I’d rather be any day!

So, it’s an embarrassing blow to my nerd credentials that I've never actually seen the original Star Wars Trilogy. I have a vague memory of watching The Empire Strikes Back in daycare, and being promptly put off by a man inside the carcass of a very large animal. I have never tried to watch them since... 

Then last week, a video game swap left me with a copy of Lego Star Wars. As I played through the levels, I felt ready to give the movies another try. When I discovered there were some awesome Klutz kits to make my movie marathon extra special, and I knew the time was right. I hunkered down on the couch with Star Wars Folded Flyers, Draw Star Wars, a giant bowl of popcorn and all six movies, and began.

I folded out paper versions of a Jedi Starfighter and the Millennium Falcon, zooming them around the living room in time to the action. And, since I’m now a drawing superstar, I whipped up some Clone Wars characters to get in on the action. I may have even been caught in the middle of a paper-Star-Wars-theatre production, but I didn’t care. I was having too much fun!

Now that my two Spring Break goals are officially complete, I’ve decided to tack on a third because, hey, March has only just begun! Next week I’m challenging myself to show some love to animals, which if you’ve been paying attention, for me is no easy feat. 

Stay tuned!