Forest Puppets Dreamer Pad

Dream on, dreamers! We can’t stop talking about our new line of kids’ craft kits and supplies available at Michaels nationwide – Handmade Charlotte Kids! Today we’re sharing a closer look at the Forest Puppets Dreamer Pad, one of the three dreamer pads in the line – see the other two here and here! Create your own puppet play using all the playful characters included in the activity book.

This dreamer pad even includes activity sheets and SO many beautiful stickers for hours of creative fun. Stage a puppet show featuring lumberjacks, Mr. Fox, a unicorn, and all your wildlife friends – we have a feeling your audience will be begging for an encore. ;) Keep reading for a closer look at everything included in the kit!

Contents

• 50 brads
• 12 straws
• 10 page activity pad
• 1 sheet of glue dots
• 1 storage envelope

How-To

Step 1
Pop the shapes out of the activity book along the perforated lines.

Step 2
Use the brads to attach the limbs onto the bodies of the characters through the pre-punched holes.

Step 3
Apply a glue dot onto the back of the paper puppet and attach a straw. Voila! Continue popping out the paper props and backgrounds and perform a play for your friends!

What story will you tell with these colorful wildlife puppets? Share your photos with us using #HCKidsClub!

Live from Mt. Pom-Pom

Meet the Artist

Japanese artist Misaki Kazwai works with just about every medium possible – paintings, sculptures, wall murals, furniture, toys, books, even writing her own music. Born to an architect father and a mother who liked to sew and make puppets, her psychedelic craft-art is clearly the perfect combination of their influences. We’re hooked!

“The Doggy Dog” (2011, Malmo Konsthall)

“Big Bubble” exhibition (2011, Malmo Konsthall)

“Wet Shiny Surprise” exhibition (2011, LOYAL Gallery)

Children’s furniture, “Love from Mt. Pom Pom” exhibition (2012, CMA NYC)

Be sure to check out Misaki Kawai’s super fun online shop!

DIY Skywriting with Project Kid

Handmade Charlotte hopped aboard the Project Kid train with Amanda Kingloff to craft and celebrate her second book for the Project Kid series – Crafts That Go! We’re head-over-heels with every single craft in this book.

Our littles and I headed over to our favorite Atlanta kid’s store, Seed Factory. We made cereal-box cars and geared up for a bigger-than-life race with the coolest kids in the city. With the second book in the series, Amanda focused on crafts that “fly, sail, race, and dive” and we love it!

The beautiful fall day was filled with craft supplies + friends to celebrate at Seed Factory. Thanks again to Project Kid. Handmade Charlotte is forever appreciative to be a apart of your quest to have all kids flying!

Excerpted from Project Kid: Crafts that Go! by Amanda Kingloff (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2016. Photographs by Alexandra Grablewski and Amanda Kingloff

Shopping List: Play Ball

Shinola Detroit

Keep your eye on the ball with this collection of individually hand-cut and sewn leather footballs, basketballs, and baseballs from Shinola Detroit.

Mitchell Bat Co.

Mitchell Bat Co. has developed a cult following around their custom wooden baseball bats, hand-painted to order in crisp, bold colors.

Lineaus Athletic Co.

From a workshop just outside Marfa, Texas, Lineaus Athletic Company handcrafts old-school leather medicine balls (considered the world’s best), training bags, and footballs.

Warstic Wood Bat Co.

Texas-based Warstic makes their bats from American White Ash, Rock Hard Sugar Maple, and Dense Yellow Birch, all designed for ultimate performance.

Killspencer

Best known for bags and accessories, Killspencer’s Athletic Collection features vintage-inspired, handcrafted gear for boxing, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and more.

A Fresh Coat of Paint to Kick-Start Your Fall

We recently collaborated with the styling + entertaining guru Annette Joseph to pull together our best tips for putting together a modern, stylish party in an affordable way. The centerpiece of the party was our tray of Waverly ® Inspirations Super Premium Semi-Gloss Acrylic Paints. These gorgeous, glossy paints are multi-surface and work flawlessly both indoors and outdoors. With 50+ shades to chose from, it was no easy feat to decide on a color scheme.

But now that the weather is cooling down and fall is in full view, we couldn’t resist throwing a nature-infused party. We covered everything from our front door to our place settings ranging in dreamy shades of lemon lime and evergreen.

We count ourselves lucky to be living in Georgia – our home is surrounded by lush green forests and plant-life, which couldn’t have been more perfect for our nature-inspired party. Keeping mother nature’s amazing colors in mind, we decided to paint our front door evergreen to match the ferns that grow abundantly along the walkway. It was so simple to apply the paint and the resulting saturated blew us away. Waverly Inspirations’s new line of super premium semi-gloss acrylic paints is not only heavily pigmented, but extra durable too, perfect for high traffic areas like our front door.

We’ve called this barn home for 19 years with our 5 kids, while the barn itself has been around for over 50. We love the lived-in, cozy atmosphere that the exterior provides for our family. With the added bonus of a fade-resistant formula, we didn’t hesitate for a second before giving our door a colorful makeover!

Isn’t is amazing how a simple coat of paint can make a world of a difference? Painting your front door is such an affordable way to change up the look of your house and add some high-impact curb appeal. Plus, our guests would get to see a sneak peak of the colorful party awaiting them inside! We were so pleased with the results, and knew it was the perfect addition to our nature-themed gathering. We couldn’t wait to welcome all our party guests through our fabulous evergreen door.

Here are three trips to getting you painting your front door for a fun weekend DIY project!

1. Start out with Waverly ® Inspirations Super Premium Semi-Gloss Acrylic Paints. We used the rich and vibrant evergreen paint for our front door!
2. No prime needed! We used 2 coats of the Waverly ® Inspirations Paints to get a streak-free and beautiful finish that will stand up to any wear-and-tear.
3. Accessorize! We created this fabulous fall-inspired wreath to accent our freshly painted door. Check out the step-by-step process with Waverly.

When we began to dream up the details for the perfect party, we knew we had to work with lifestyle and entertainment expert Annette Joseph. With over 20 years experience styling, cooking, and entertaining for some of the best magazines and websites around, we had no doubt that Annette’s expertise would bring our party to a whole new level. With Annette by our side, we had a blast brainstorming creative ways to bring our nature theme to life.

It was so much fun to have our party theme and decor be inspired by an amazing color scheme. We can’t wait to show you the rest of our nature-inspired party -with Waverly Inspirations super premium semi gloss acrylic paints in our toolkit, it truly was a breeze! And don’t worry, there’s no need to be green with envy, we’ll be sharing all our tips, tricks, and DIY techniques so that you can achieve a colorful party all your own!

Join Our Super Silly Sticker Club!

My entire childhood was covered in stickers. I collected soda cans to collect the 10 cent return money to add to my sticker obsession. My love crush for sticky cuteness is now for real. I could pinch myself and jump to the moon. I’m so excited! We designed the cutest stickers ever and you can find them at Michaels Stores and Michaels online right this very sticky second.

And now for the big reveal! Our very first Handmade Charlotte sticker collection and keeper…

Candy Sticker Keeper

Available for $9.99 at Michaels.com.

Lunch Club Stickers

Available for $3.99 at Michaels.com.

Ice Cream & Cake Stickers

Available for $3.99 at Michaels.com.

Let's Go Donuts Stickers

Available for $3.99 at Michaels.com.

Circus Stickers

Available for $3.99 at Michaels.com.

A New Reason to Play with Your Food

It’s hard to keep a smile off your face while browsing KOM’s online shop. The Argentina-based company creates playful home goods that are made locally, using environmentally and socially responsible materials and processes. Ceramics, textiles, furniture, office supplies, clothing – they make it all, and boy is it adorable!

Monkey Set, $38.95 (ceramic plate, place mat, wooden spoon)

We especially fell in love with their line of animal-inspired plate sets. Each one is a piece of art! There are six friendly faces to choose from – our personal favorites are the thoughtful frog, the cheerful monkey, and of course the bright yellow jaguar. Each set comes with an illustrated rainforest placemat and a mini wooden spoon – all together, they are so bright and fun that your kids will surely be coming up with wild adventures and playing with their food.

Jaguar Set, $38.95 (ceramic plate, place mat, wooden spoon)

And an added bonus: all of KOM’s ceramics and pottery are both dishwasher and microwave safe! No need to change your food prep routine to fit these guys in. :)

Owl Set, $38.95 (ceramic plate, place mat, wooden spoon)

KOM also makes some simpler animal-inspired ceramic pieces. Their cups and bowls are less colorful than their plate sets, using mostly black and gold accents for a more minimalist feel. Wouldn’t these be perfect for a jungle-themed party? Drink tea from your favorite animal cup or why not serve corresponding snacks in the bowls: peanuts in the elephant, banana bites in the monkey, and honey flavored cookies in the bear bowl!

Elephant Cup, $13

Elephant Teapot, $64

We love all the attention to detail, especially on their night lights. The gold touches add some fun for the daytime hours, but once illuminated at night, all the focus is on this jaguar’s happy face and the fern design that you can see just peeking around his back.

Jaguar Night Light, $171

And how could we not include this beautiful wooden crib? The aqua fabric along the side is one of KOM’s handprinted textiles – we love it! They also sell some of their textiles by the yard, so you can sew up some matching accessories for a super sweet nursery.

Cuna Crib, $1021

And last but certainly not least, meet Mr. Jar! He’s just a few inches tall and is such a happy little fellow – I bet he’d be just tickled to share his snacks with your kids!

Mr. Jar, $27

We love all of KOM’s designs and products, and always welcome a whimsical spin on everyday items. Visit KOM’s online shop for more!