Over the course of time, there are some brands that become household names.  These have been trusted and reputable companies since we were children; and we have watched them grow and adapt to a changing culture, establishing themselves as understanding families and their needs.  Crayola is one of these forward thinking corporations still providing quality, trusted products for our families, as well as incorporating new technologies into their offerings.  In 2011, Crayola is so much more than a box of crayons.  We recently had the opportunity to review a selection of their newest products for adolescent/tween girls, Pop Art Pixies.

Our happy nine-year-old in "I'm-going-to-be-crafty heaven".

The winter months, when the weather often prohibits outdoor activity, can present challenges for finding activities that keep our children interested, challenged and creative.  Certainly video games, computers and TV are vying for their time and attention, but as parents, we still need to redirect their time and energies into pursuits that allow them to develop creativity, to think, and to be actively productive.  Pop Art Pixies can help us do exactly that.  When our nine-year-old heard that we were going to be conducting this review, she was simply on pins and needles waiting for the package to arrive.  The appeal is undeniable.  The quality is what I would consider the top of similar products.  The end results have been so incredibly satisfying, that it was almost an afterthought for our daughter to visit the Pop Art Pixies Virtual Clubhouse and set up her account.  Now, that she has done it, she enjoys visiting popartpixies.com and doing online projects, but by far, her favorite is the physical hands-on projects in the Pop Art Pixies Craft Kits.

Being "crafty" online at popartpixies.com. She makes cards and has designed some cute shadow boxes.

There are four Pop Art Pixies, Skye, who is interested in ecology and the environment, Naomi, whose passions lean toward music and technology, Tatum, a social butterfly that loves to throw parties and Maya who encourages creative expression.  Each of the pixies’ passions are expressed in one or more craft kits.  And these kits are wonderful!

Anxious to start the water bottle kit!

Happy, happy, happy with the finished product! This water bottle goes everywhere with her, now.

The kits are complete with everything necessary to complete the project.  I have not had to purchase a single item, in order for my daughter to make any of these high -quality craft projects.  I also have not participated, other than to  oooooh and aaaaah over the finished products.  She has read the instructions and independently completed each project on her own, leaving her feeling confident and accomplished.  So, far she has completed five and can’t wait to put her creative touches on the two remaining kits that we received.  I want to tell you about each one, but before I get involved in that process, I don’t want to forget to share this great deal with you.  Crayola and My Blog Spark have arranged for Busy-at-Home readers to receive a $2 coupon off any one Crayola Pop Art Pixies craft kit!  When you see the already great prices, you’ll know what a fantastic deal that is!  Plus at the end of this review, you’ll have a chance to enter a giveaway that will net your little crafter FOUR of these fabulous kits!

Tatum's Decoupage Glass Plate Kit

Plate decorating ideas.

She has decoupaged plates with Tatum’s Glass Plate Decoupage Kit.  No one was more surprised than me, to open the box and find not one, but THREE full-size glass plates and more than enough supplies to decorate them all.  This kit sells for $19.98 in the Crayola Store.  That’s only a little over $6 per plate and they would be awesome as gifts for a birthday or in a wall display in your daughter’s room.  To have three completed projects, that can actually be used when they are finished, is well worth that reasonable price.  The kit included three plates (2 square, 1 round), a paint brush, decoupage solution and three sheets of printed decorative paper that designs can be cut from.  Other pictures or thin scrapbooking paper you have around the house could easily be used, as well.

Skye's Water Bottle Kit

The first kit our nine-year-old grabbed from the box was Skye’s Water Bottle.  The aluminum water bottle was included along with paint and paint brush plus many peel & stick stencils she could use to help add the designs.  She finished the project quickly and waited (not so patiently) for the paint to be completely dry.  She takes the water bottle with her everywhere, now.  The kits aren’t just fun, they are useful and practical, too.  This kit can be purchased from the Crayola store for only $9.98!

Naomi’s Bento Stationary Box Kit

Naomi’s Bento Stationary Box Kit was so much fun to make and she love’s using it.  I initially had to Google “bento box” to learn that they are a traditional Japanese lunchbox.  After that, the design of this kit made a lot more sense to me.  The kit came with the molded box and lid, plus tons of stickers for decorating it.  There are two pens that fit into the lid and look exactly like chopsticks.  The kit also includes 25 sticky notes, 1 stamp pad, 1 wasabi-shaped stamper and 12 sheets of stationary.  The box could also be used to store jewelry or “treasures”.  No matter how she uses it, your daughter will enjoy the creativity of this useful and fun kit.  It’s also available at the Crayola Store for only $9.98.  Can you believe how great these prices are?!!!

Maya’s Glass Pendant Kit

Sample Completed Pendant on the included stand.

I can’t keep saying that each of these kits was my daughter’s favorite.  – lol-  So, I just need to express that she loved them all and Maya’s Glass Pendant Kit was no exception.  The glass pendant has a glass back that can be removed, so the colored insert syour little crafter creates can be inserted into the pendant.  (The kit includes 6 different insert designs, which can be changed to make a different fashion statement every day!)  After the insert is in the pendant, just replace the back and add the necklace cord and a few decorative beads.   My daughter actually danced over to her dad with so much excitement, to show him what she had made.  She will wear it over and over and you can bet she’ll change the design to fit her mood and outfit.  The cardboard stand included in the kit was our only disappointment, in working with all 7 of the kits.  It is not very sturdy.  She had no trouble decorating it, but it was difficult to assemble and not very durable after it was put together.  Her lovely pendant will likely just be kept in her jewelry box.  Even if the stand was not included in the kit, it would still be an awesome value at only $9.98.  The kit includes 1 glass pendant, accessory beads, 6 Crayola Recoloritz markers, 6 easy-to-change acetate disc designs that girls can change to match their mood, and two 30-inch nylon cords in black and brown.

Skye’s Wind Chime Kit

Sample of Skye's Wind Chime

Skye’s Wind Chime Kit gives me a hope for spring, even in this cold, winter weather.  I love that the kit includes not one, but two wind chimes!  It really does allow for imagination and personal creativity.  My nine-year-old painted hers in her fanciful, colorful personal style and they are adorable!  She is anticipating warmer weather, so she can hang them outside, but is enjoying them in her bedroom for the time being.  The kit includes six pots of DecoArt Patio Paint, a paintbrush, 8 aluminum rods to create the chimes, 2 decorative wooden pieces (a bird and a butterfly), string and is available at the Crayola store for only $14.98.

The two kits that our youngest daughter hasn’t gotten to yet, are Naomi’s Color Glow Lamp Kit and Maya’s Shadow Box Kit.  The only reason they aren’t complete is that I have been trying to encourage her to spread the fun over several days.  I have a feeling that these two will be decorating her room, by evening, though.  It’s just too much fun to create things that are pretty and useful.  She has gained a lot of confidence in her ability to make something that actually has purpose and looks good and I expect that her passion for creativity, art and decorating has been multiplied with the success of these kits.

Naomi’s Color Glow Lamp Kit is a Pagoda-inspired plastic shade that girls can assemble, decorate, and transform into a one-of-a-kind lamp that lets their self-expression shine through! Perfect for display in their room, Naomi’s Color Glow Lamp casts cool, colorful effects that will enhance any décor. The lamp can be lit in two different ways – press the on/off button once and the red, yellow, green, and blue lights flash in a random pattern; or, hold the button down as the lamp changes colors and release it when it lands on the color you’d like to stay lit. The kit comes with 1 accordion shade, 1 base with LEDs, 1 mirrored cone to refract even more color and light, string to hold the mirrored cone, colorful decals to decorate the shade, and instructions.  This kit is sold in the Crayola store for only $14.98.

Naomi's Shadow Box Kit

I am really impressed with how generously supplied the Crayola Pop Art Pixies Kits are; and the shadow box kit is no exception.  It actually includes two shadow boxes.  Maya’s Shadow Box Kit lets girls express their inner artist in more ways than one! They can paint their personal shadow box and create art for the interior with materials included in the kit or with mementos they’ve collected. The kit includes 2 wooden shadow boxes, 3 design kits, 35 foam squares to create a 3-dimensional look, 6 sheets of colored pattern paper, 4 pots of glass paint, a paintbrush, wood varnish, and instructions.  The dual shadow box kit is, also, only $14.98 in the Crayola store.

..

GIVEAWAY!!!

Crayola and My Blog Spark have arranged for a Busy-at-Home reader to win four of these fun craft kits for themselves.  The winner will receive Tatum’s “Decoupage Glass Plates” kit, Naomi’s “Create a Color Glow Lamp” kit, Naomi’s “Create a Stationary Box” kit, and Skye’s “Create a Water Bottle” kit.  What a fantastic prize package!

Giveaway Rules: You must be 18 or older and a resident of the U.S. to enter.  Mandatory entry must be completed for any other entries to count.  Giveaway Deadline is midnight (CST) on Sunday, January 23, 2011.  Winner will be selected in random drawing conducted with random.org.

Mandatory Entry:

Leave a comment letting me know which of the Pop Art Pixies Craft Kits you would love to try!

Optional Additional Entries:

1. Like Crayola on Facebook. Leave a comment below letting me know you did.  Be sure to include your Facebook name, so I can find you in their fans list.
2. Follow Busy-at-Home on Twitter.  Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
3. Like Busy-at-Home on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
4. Follow Busy-at-Home on Google Friends Connect.  Use the “Join” button in the right-hand sidebar.  Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
   
5. Subscribe to the Busy-at-Home Newsletter with this link (or in the right-hand sidebar).  You will receive an email confirmation with a link that must be clicked to confirm your subscription.  Once you click the email link to confirm your subscription, leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
6. Post this giveaway on your Facebook page.  I’m entered to win FOUR fabulous Pop Art Pixie Craft Kits from Crayola and Busy-at-Home!   http://busy-at-home.com/blog/crayola-pop-art-pixies-review-and-giveaway/
   Leave a comment below with a link to your post.
7. Tweet this giveaway (1x daily) : I’m entered to win FOUR fabulous Pop Art Pixie Craft Kits from @Crayola & @busyathome http://ow.ly/3yUI0  #review #giveaway #win Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.

../

I received seven Pop Art Pixies Craft Kits from Crayola, through My Blog Spark, in order to test them and conduct this review.  No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required.  The views and opinions expressed are wholly my own.