Designed for boys and girls ages 8 and up, these woodcraft construction sets – part puzzle, part model – offer a test and an outlet for creativity. This year, look for Legendary Dragon and Enchanted Unicorn kits. Construct the puzzle from its wood pieces and paint the dragon or unicorn in a variety of shiny pastel paints, then decorate with glitter glue and rhinestones.

Kids can create their own sudsy sentiments using sheets of amazing soap paper. The cards can be embellished with fun soap paper shapes that stick in place with water. A skin-safe marker for writing messages is included. So are mailing envelopes and a sponge applicator.

Kids can decorate a duo of adorable dinosaurs with Bobble Dinos. There’s one large dinosaur and one baby dinosaur in an egg to decorate with markers and glitter. The 3-D diorama shapes are included for play and pretend with the bobble heads.

Creativity for Kids has come out with a brand new flip-flop kit that gives tween girls a little elevation: They have wedge-style heels for maximum fashionability. The kit comes with two flip-flop styles so it makes a great mother/daughter activity or fun for two friends. The larger pair features a fun, chunky heel and has blue and pink stripes, and the smaller pair is pink with circles. They come with self-adhesive sequin trims, sparkling angel eyelash yarn and iridescent butterflies. The kit was launched in February 2006.
— “Flip-flops have been hot,” enthused Michelle Deutschmann, owner of Kaleidoscope Toys in Falmouth, Mass. Half of retailers who sold make-your-own clothing kits said that flip-flops were their best items, and it was the most popular kit in this survey.
— “Flip-flop kits keep selling,” agreed Rich Gordon, owner of the Learning Express in Exton, Pa.
— “Flip-flops have been strong for a couple of years,” said Kate Tanner, owner of Kid Stop Toy & Book Store in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Each box comes with two hats. The kit includes an adjustable fabric baseball hat and a visor. Peel-and-stick felt shapes let little hands decorate with ease. The hat can be finished off with pretty fabric ribbons. Launch date: 2006.
— “It’s really darling,” enthused Trish Garlock of Treasured Child in La Grange, Ky. “There’s also a ribbon-and-felt tote bag that looks like it’ll match.”
— Of the 14 retailers who carried make-your-own clothing items, 10 said that Creativity for Kids kits were among their best sellers.
— Boys who want cool caps, too, can make CFK’s “Creature Caps.”

This quality art supply set of non-toxic art colors for children allows them to let their creativity run wild. It includes 36 colored pencils, 12 watercolor pencils, 46 crayons, 15 medium tip washable markers, a grip eraser, a design pencil sharpener, a watercolor paint brush, a paper pad with 20 sheet and a beautiful wood case.

Kids discover the secrets of ancient Egypt as they wrap a mummy, paint a sarcophagus and construct a pyramid bank. They can decorate their artifacts with specially formulated water-activated plaster gauze, sand paint, shiny jewel rhinestones and metallic accents. Designs are finished with authentic hieroglyphic stickers. The kit includes latex-free crafting gloves, table cover and a handy no-mess mixing tray. It was launched in March 2006.

This 17-piece ceramic tea set comes with four cups, four saucers, four plates, a teapot, a creamer and a sugar bowl. Girls can paint the tea set with any pattern or design using ceramic paint. A tea party is a timeless activity enjoyed by both children and adults. Older girls will enjoy painting this miniature set as a collectable for their room or as an accessory for their doll collection.

This unique sharpener has three holes, one each for regular, jumbo and colored pencils. The sharpener actually makes colored pencils last longer, and is super easy for kids to hold and use. It collects the shavings to boot for a very unmessy pencil sharpening experience.

These triangularly shaped, bold colored pencils have soft grip dots lining each side. The unique pencils were raved about in recent consumer testing. Both moms and kids loved how they are easy to hold, have beautiful color lay-down, use leads that will not fall out if they are dropped and that they will not roll off tables. They also come in a pack of 12 for $3.99.

The Getting Started Drawing & Sketching Set from Faber-Castell is a complete set to learn basic drawing and sketching techniques such as hatching, shading and smudging. The set comes with a fully illustrated 24-page instruction booklet to help students get started with drawing. The set features four graphite sketch pencils, two charcoal pencils, one blending torchon, a sharpener, an eraser and a pad of acid-free art paper.

Portraits and personalities are made easy. Trace and carbon-copy photos of friends and family. Use Color Grip watercolor pencils to paint portraits on sand-textured paper and velvet. Try realistic, cartoon and Picasso styles. The finished products can be framed and displayed on a wooden easel. Katie Culotta, owner of Victoria’s Toy Station in Baton Rouge, is a fan: “So many kids love to draw.This gives kids an in-depth idea of how to do it.”

The new design for the Faber-Castell markers features an end cap that lets kids snap together the markers and draw with multiple colors in their hand. Now kids can draw or write with their favorite colors all at once. Also new are the connecting clips that let kids build shapes with the swoop of their hands. The non-toxic markers contain washable inks and are ACMI-approved safe for children.
— "It’s probably some of the markers [from] Faber Castell," said Lori Lind, owner of Brainwaves Toy Shop in Narragansett, R.I., when asked by TDmonthly for popular school supply items with her customers.
— Lind said she sells about 10 units a month of the Faber-Castell markers. Nine of 45 retailers said that markers, pencils, erasers, pads or other drawing-related products are the hottest-selling school supply items in their stores.
— "The Connector Markers have a unique end cap design that lets you snap together the markers and draw or write with multiple colors," said Heather Lambert-Shemo, children's brand manager for Faber-Castell. "The connector clips that come in each package let you build all kinds of wonderful shapes."

The Glow-in-the-Dark PlayFoam activity set includes five bricks of GlowFoam, glowing antennas, eyes and other glow-in-the-dark craft accessories that allow kids to make the coolest creatures ever.
— “Creativity for Kids’ glow-in-the-dark set is most popular,” Dennis, owner of The Toy Store in Atlanta, Ga., told TDmonthly.
— Laura Pearson, manager of The Durango Kid in Durango, Colo., told TDmonthly that when it comes to Creativity for Kids (CFK), “We sell approximately 100 a month.”
— When speaking with TDmonthly, 15 out of 60 retailers named CFK as their leading arts-and-crafts manufacturer.

Aaaarrrrggggh, let the haunting begin! Adrift at sea, this easy to assemble glow-in-the-dark wooden pirate ship includes a pirate skeleton, tattered sails, cobwebs, treasure filled chest, keg, acrylic and glowing accent paint.

Calling all horse lovers. Create your very own show horse complete with saddle, mane, tail, blanket, moveable head, realistic paint pallet, flower garland and an award ribbon. Fun to pain, fun to pretend. Horse measures 8.5" high x 9" long and features a diorama style box. Great for play and display.

Create a self-portrait, a picture of your pet, or a caricature of your favorite friend or family member. Includes 8 Faber-Castell Gel Sticks, 6" x 8" artist canvas, practice paper, blending stick, paint brush, outline marker and hang tabs. Add a little water and a few brush strokes and turn your portrait into a painting.

A tool so cool, you have to try it to believe it! Awesome technology combines the fun of wood working with the safety and ease of foam crafting. Kid-safe and fun. Just guide the foam patterns through the machine. Wire heats up and magically glides through the foam. Includes paint and glue to create a variety of fun foam craft projects. Operates on 2 D batteries (not included).

Dream up your own designer originals and get ready for the runway. Ultimate set includes a dress mannequin, sewing essentials, sketch book, yards of fabric, swatch booklet, trims, embellishments, stain dress form, garment bag and a fashion design manual. Embellish the dress included in your kit or use the material provided to dream up your own creative couture.

The newest edition to our Create Your Own Books series. Set includes two high-quality hardcover pop-up books 8.5" x 8.5" and 6.25" x 6.25", stickers, eight markers, and pop-up designs. Just add drawings, photographs and your own imagination. Illustrated instructions include story-starter ideas and step-by-step pop-up ideas.

This eight-pen set ideal for manga drawings includes waterproof shades of black and gray. ASTRA retailers at Toy Fair 2008 expressed interest in the manga drawing supplies from Creativity for Kids/Faber-Castell.

Part of the Creative Studio line, this set includes three PITT artist pens made with India Ink (black superfine, black brush and grey brush) and a 28-page instruction book with helpful hints on doing manga drawings — with lessons on everything from basic shapes to light and shadow. It showcases a variety of head shapes, and the kit also includes the following: a poseable figurine on a stand to help guide artists in their drawings, a graphite pencil, an eraser, a sharpener, a stencil, a ruler and a 20-page sketch pad. Specialty retail members of ASTRA were impressed with this kit at Toy Fair 2008. Launch date: May 2008.

This new line of 18 books includes a 50/50 mix of coloring and activities on premium quality papers, such as watercolor, vellum, and heavy duty drawing paper. Every book was distinctively designed in partnership with artists, without clip art. The square shape is user friendly with a plastic coil binding so that the books can lay flat for easy coloring. Furthermore, the perforated pages are printed on one side and can be easily removed for displaying. Each book has its own blend of enriching activities, creative projects, fun facts and even stickers. Launch date: October 2009.
— Elisabeth Dahl of Calico Cat Toy Shoppe in Bainbridge Island, Wash., who discovered this product at the ASTRA Marketplace 2009, told TDmonthly she appreciated the spiral binding and perforated sheets.