Coquette Maman

Handmade Beauty Box - DIY Delivered To Your Door

There's nothing I love more than making craft projects, especially with my daughter Chloe. Recently, we tried out the Handmade Beauty Box, a new DIY kit subscription service created by crafter Anne-Marie Faiola who is the Soap Queen and runs Bramble Berry Soapmaking Supplies.

Our project was to make beautiful two-toned loofah soaps. Everything was included in the kit to make the soaps including containers, labels and raffia string. It made things easy for me to just have all the supplies ready to go! The instructions were clear and we had fun adding our own twist to things.

Chloe loved pouring in the soaps! Here she is after finishing a few bars. If you're interested in making this yourself, the full tutorial for the loofah soap project is up on their blog.

Handmade Beauty Box is a great way to have a project delivered to your door each month. Each box includes how-to instructions and all all the supplies –– to make soaps, lotions, mineral makeup, bath fizzies, lipsticks, nail polishes, salt scrubs, candles, and more. You can choose from various subscription plans: $31.50/ month, $29.99/month for a 3 month subscription and $28.79/month for a 12 month subscription. In addition to the fun you'll have making projects, just think of all the cool gifts you'll be able to give!

Find out more at Handmade Beauty Box.

Review box was provided by Handmade Beauty Box

Review: One Minute Paper Airplanes Kit

This week Chloe had the flu so when she finally felt better yesterday, we decided to do some crafts. She has loved folding her own paper airplanes for years now and she was particularly excited about this kit, One Minute Paper Airplanes ($12.01 on Amazon by Andrew Dewar (published by Tuttle Publishing). Finally she said she could make a really fast high-flying plane. The kit comes with 12 beautiful planes that can be easily popped out by my 6 year old. It comes with a 32 page color booklet with instructions and also comes with a rubber band catapult launcher.

She decided she wanted to make the Streaking Comet. She punched out all the pieces and I helped her make sure the folds were done in the right places. She only needed my help when it came time to stapling the nose of the plane. For older kids, they could definitely do an entire plane by themselves. We live in a loft space so we had plenty of air to launch our Streaking Comet right away! Wow could it fly far! It was lots of fun and highly satisfying for her to complete a project so quickly that she could play with it.

Purchase One Minute Paper Airplanes on Amazon.

Review: My First Origami Kit

Origami is a fun craft for kids to do. I love how you can take a small, flat piece of paper and turn it into a wonderful 3D object. Trying to teach Chloe has been slow going because for the most part, instructions I've found online or inside a package of a origami paper set, haven't been too clear. Now with the My First Origami Kit ($13.46 on Amazon) by Joel Stern (published by Tuttle Publishing), Chloe and I have been having fun making cute animals. The kit comes with everything you need which I love because you can easily take the box to go. It comes with book filled with step by step, clear instructions for 22 origami projects. The kit also comes with 60 two-sided origami sheets and 150 decorative stickers from eyes, paws and more. The instructions are very clear and perfect for my 6 year old to grasp.

The origami papers are very different and fun. They come in a wide array of patterns and colors – definitely way more exciting than just a rainbow of colors you typically get in a pack of origami papers.

Also, if you're like me and always going to kids' birthday parties, this kit makes a great birthday gift!

Here are some of the animals you can make:

Shelby the Turtle

Quakers the Duck

Buy My First Origami Kit on Amazon.

Review kit was provided by Tuttle Publishing.

Toca Ink: Temporary Tattoos From Your Favorite Toca Boca Games

If you're a parent, chances are you have many of the Toca Boca games on your mobile phone or iPad for your kids to play with. Chloe is obsessed with most of them but the one at the top is the Toca Hair Salon (both 1 and 2). Now kids can wear their favorite Toca Boca characters on their arms, hands – where ever they wish! Toca Ink ($10) was created in collaboration with Virginia Elwood, a renowned Brooklyn-based tattoo artist. These temporary tattoos would also make great stocking stuffers or birthday party favors. One pack of tattoos includes 8 tattoos featuring characters from various Toca Boca games.

Each pack includes:

• 1 x Nova from Toca House
• 1 x T-bot from Toca Train
• 1 x Walter from Toca Cars
• 1 x Babe the blue Ox from Toca Kitchen
• 1 x Blox the Builder
• 1 x Larry the Lion from Toca Hair Salon 1
• 2 x Toca Boca logo

The tattoos are also excellent quality. The colors and details of the illustrations are amazing and they last through multiple hand washings. (Simply scrub them off at bath time with a warm soapy towel.) Chloe chose the T-bot from Toca Train but since this post she's had about 4 other tattoos on her hand from the Toca Boca logo to Nova (her favorite) from Toca House.

Pick up the Toca Ink temporary tattoos for at shop.tocaboca.com.

Wee Society's Halloween DIY: Create a Spooky Story

Around my house, Chloe can't get enough of making her own little story books. The creative folks at Wee Society have a great DIY project for your budding writer. Just download the fill-in-the-blanks story worksheet which includes instructions for DIY stamps and ideas for illustrations (inspired by Ed Amberley).

I also love their alternative to candy on Halloween night like little toys, stickers or temporary tattoos to pass out. These super cute Spooky Spider or Boo Crew Tattlys are designed by Wee Society.

Finally, if you still are looking for costume ideas, check out their paper bag DIY costumes from last year here.

Wee Society's DIY Halloween Costumes: Brown Bag It

Wee Society has added three new designs (a dinosaur, unicorn and koala) to their collection of DIY Halloween Costumes. All you need is a brown grocery bag and colorful construction paper. Simply choose what animal your child wants to be and download the PDF that includes the instructions and templates.

Once you've completed your paperific costume, take a pic of your kiddo in the costume and upload it to the Wee Society Facebook page for your chance to win a free Wee Alphas art print!

Wee Society Celebrates their First Birthday with DIY Crown Project + New Letter App

The Wee Society celebrates their first birthday with lots of cool new things! First up is the Wee Wishing Crowns, a DIY project where kids can make and decorate their own crowns. The pdf comes with instructions and printable templates for your little ones to have plenty of crafty fun.

One of Chloe's favorite new apps is the Find Your Special Letter App (free download through August 8th on iTunes). She loves finding the letter shape within each animal. The extra little animations on each page are too cute! Kids can also choose their favorite letter and trace it to practice their writing skills. My favorite letter is "U" for the Unicorn where the rainbow colors animate. The app is just filled with beautiful design and illustrations you and your kids will enjoy.

DIY Kids: Pressed Flower Art

At the start of summer break, I bought a few craft kits to keep Chloe busy while at home. She loves art projects and nature so I thought it would be fun to try our hand at pressing flowers. After searching online for a few different ones, I ultimately chose the 4M Pressed Flower Art Kit ($9.50 at Amazon) for it's simplicity and it's price point. We couldn't be happier with this kit. It's a fun way for kids to incorporate nature into their artwork.
The kit comes with a 4" flower press, glue, tiny brush, double-sided tape, cards, bookmarks, foldable boxes, and instructions. The glue only comes in a plastic pouch which would get very messy so make sure you have your own glue pen at home so it works better. We had a small glue pen from a Klutz kit so we simply had to just do tiny dots of glue along the flower or leaf to paste it into the card. Since the flowers are delicate, it's probably best a parent helps younger children carefully peel off the flowers from the pressed paper.

My Town by Delphine Doreau - A Paper Town Kids Can Build

We love crafty things in our home and when they are small and cute, it's extra special. My Town: A Little World for You to Build ($11.48 on Amazon) by my friend Delphine Doreau is just that sort of special, magical book. The book (translated into English from her French book Mon Village) features perforated buildings and animals that can be made into a fun play town. Featuring Delphine's adorable illustrations of animals, you'll love building the various stores and houses that make up the little town.

The back of the book features a pull out map that acts as a sort of playmat for the buildings. The pieces were easy for my 4 1/2 year old to punch out and I helped her fold them into place and glue. I loved how each building had it's own special magic to see from the pastries in the bakery to the fruits and veggies at the grocery store. There are also pages where your child can color in their own buildings and animals. This is the perfect activity to keep your child busy and entertained. Chloe would build each little house with me and start playing right away with the characters. We are looking forward to making more together on the weekends.

(Photo: Non Dairy Diary)

Here's a version Delphine's son built complete with cars at each house and a big truck. I love how each child can interpret their own imagination into their own special town. Read more about it in her post here.

My Town: A Little World for You to Build ($11.48 on Amazon)

For daily inspiration, visit Delphine's blog at Non Dairy Diary. She has lots of paper toys you can download for free.

Style Mom: Stephanie from All About Ami Talks Pregnancy & Nursing Fashion

(All Photos: All About Ami)

Stephanie Lau from All About Ami doesn't just crochet cute amigurumi animals. She's also a very fashionable new mom to six month old Myla. I became friends with this Canadian beauty a few years ago when I was an editor at CRAFT and she did her first published pattern, this crochet spring bunny. I have been loving her recent blog post on her nursing fashion tips so I decided to do an interview with Stephanie on how she stays so stylish and fashionable as a new mom.

How would you describe your fashion style?

I would describe my fashion style as classic and feminine. I love wearing dresses and romantic pieces such as delicate crocheted shawls and items with ruffles and lace. With that being said, comfort is also key for me, and I enjoy layering different pieces together (such as my chambray tops and oversized sweaters), which is key to surviving the Canadian winter! I also love accessorizing as I feel that accessories really help pull an outfit together. I'll usually sport my stud earrings, a necklace and a stack of bracelets when going out! I loved accessorizing from a young age as I have pictures of myself as a toddler wearing chunky beaded necklaces and bracelets with little clips in my hair!

The first few months post-pregnancy is probably the most fashion challenging for a new mom. What was your solution to looking great?

I remember my "What to Bring to the Hospital" pamphlet stated to bring a going-home outfit that would fit you when you were 5 months pregnant… And so, I knew to expect to continue to look somewhat pregnant for a little while even after the baby was delivered! I definitely did not fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans and most of my bottoms, so I continued to wear what I wore when I was pregnant (flawy tops and leggings)! This turned out to be a little more challenging as well since I was also nursing. Now all of my outfits had to be breast-feeding friendly, particularly since newborns feed so frequently! I layered pretty cardigans, oversized sweaters and blazers over my nursing tank tops to continue looking stylish post-pregnancy!

What 3 pieces of clothing could you not live without?

I could not live without my jeans, my leggings and my little black dress.

When you were pregnant, what maternity pieces did you live in?

When I was pregnant, I lived in my leggings, long tunics, maternity jeans and maxi dresses. I continued to accessorize a lot and I also belted my outfits to help give some definition and to make them look more polished. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to style my ever-growing baby bump!

What are some of Myla's favorite things?

Myla absolutely loves her pink bouncer- she enjoys sitting in it and taking in her surroundings. She likes it even more than her swing or any other baby item! She also has a little ribbon tug blanket that she loves playing with: this minky blanket has ribbons of varying textures along the edges that she enjoys feeling and tugging! Myla loves it when I sing songs and read books to her as well. She especially likes books that have songs associated with them, such as "Five Little Monkeys" and "Ten in the Bed"- it's really cute because she vocalizes along when I read and sing to her!

You are also a very crafty mom. How does crafting/crochet play into your life as a working mom?

I am currently on maternity leave, and I am really enjoying my time with Myla. Everyday we have story time, song time and floor time. Myla is so inquisitive and curious. She enjoys watching me do everything, from washing the dishes, preparing meals, to doing my hair! It's definitely been more challenging finding time to craft, crochet and finish projects, but thankfully Myla actually enjoys watching me crochet. I think she likes seeing the yarn and crochet hook moving so quickly! However, I do most of my crafting when she is napping or at night when she is sleeping. I continue to enjoy crocheting items for Myla and designing new projects. Crocheting is so therapeutic for me, and the blog motivates me to keep being creative and working on new projects!

Visit Stephanie's blog All About Ami. You can also see her previous post on her maternity fashion.