July 2010 Notable Toys — Arts & Crafts

This set comes with four bottles of poster paint and four spill-proof paint cups. Also included are an easel paper roll, chalk, paint brushes, a dry-erase marker and an eraser.
— In a November 2011 survey, 2 out of 12 retailers said art supplies from Melissa & Doug were their best selling educational products.
— Mark Rosenblum from Hobbytown in Fairfield, Conn., told TDmonthly in a January 2015 survey that Melissa & Doug was one of their best-selling brands of arts & crafts toys.

PhotoStory includes the complete cost of a professionally produced, full-color hardback photo book. A unique kit number is provided to help kids make a book online with user-friendly website. The bonus photography guidebook will teach kids how to use their camera. "Kids are getting digital cameras at very young ages and have no outlet for thier photos besides social networking sites. While there are many photobook options, we are the only one with a focus on this young market. We have hundreds of preloaded stickers and backgrounds which can be added to layered pages and are designed around what kids are photographing," Chapelle Brunk, Marketing Specialist, Creations by You, told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Creative Child Magazine Kids Product of the Year

The Nano Christmas Dome with real motion includes a miniature decorated Christmas tree illuminated with 20 LED lights and surrounded by meticulously hand-wrapped color foil packages. A tiny train moves on an elevated oval track around the holiday tree, and the high-quality, hand-blown glass dome rests securely in a recess on a resin base to provide dust protection.
Awards: 2009 USCA San Diego Award in the Professional Engineers Category

This kit includes all the art materials a child needs to create. The plain brown paper exterior allows kids to personalize all sides. The set includes 18 colored pencils, 12 oil pastels, eight watercolor cakes, a paintbrush, a sharpener and an eraser. It measures 9.75" x 5" x 1.75" and has a rope handle and closure.

This 5.5" vintage mechanical pencil has a matte charcoal finish with chrome accents, a push button that advances lead .125" at a time, and a built-in pencil sharpener at the top. The tube of "fat" leads includes one each of pink, red, blue, brown and green, along with two graphite. "Our Chubby Mechanical Pencil is the perfect gift for artists and draftsmen of any age!" Emily Meluch, Xonex art director, told TDmonthly.

Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art home. This individually packaged design includes more than 400 peel and stick tiles in 12 assorted colors and styles for a Fire Engine mosaic.

Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art home. This individually packaged design includes more than 400 peel and stick tiles in 12 assorted colors and styles for a T-Rex mosaic.

Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art home. This individually packaged design of a Clown Fish includes more than 400 peel and stick tiles in 12 assorted colors and styles for mosaic creation.

Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art home. Package includes black and white numbered templates for preschoolers to create any of 20 fun designs with the 600 half-inch magnetic foam cubes. The cubes are easy to handle and the large easel can be flipped into either portrait or landscape orientations.

Features:

•  600 Magnetic Foam Cubes
•  20 Reusable Templates
•  12” x 17” Easel
•  Convenient Easel Stand

Awards: 2008, Learning Express Best Preschool Toy Award

Kids can design sparkling mosaics using the metallic foam magnets of Magnetic Mosaics Metal. The package includes peel and stick tile sheets in seven assorted colors and styles. The tiles are reusable and easy to store with the provided bags.

Features:
    * 2100 metallic foam magnets
    * 12” square playing surface
    * Four reusable templates
    * Seven zip-lock storage bags
    * Colorful creative ideas poster

From ancient Greece and Rome to modern times, artists have been using simple tile sets to create beautiful and intriguing patterns. Using only 64 square tiles, Mosaica unlocks hidden creativity and inspires the creation of colorful works of art.
Features:
    * 64 colorful 3/4” square tiles
    * Insert with suggested patterns
    * Magnetically receptive play surface

Designed for young mosaic artists, My First Picture Maker allows children to create sparkling mosaics through following numbers or colored symbols.
Features:
    * 300 magnetic 5/8” square tiles
    * 12” square playing surface
    * 10 reusable templates

Magnetic Color Cubes is a pocket-sized set of half-inch wooden cubes in lustrous colors allow the creative edge to flourish.
Features:
    * 100 colorful magnetic hardwood cubes
    * Travel tin and suggested patterns
    * No assembly required

Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art home. The Fairy Tales package includes peel and stick tile sheets in 14 assorted colors and styles, used to create four designs featuring Humpty Dumpty, the Tortoise and the Hare, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Ugly Duckling.

Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art home. The Fairies package includes peel and stick tile sheets in 12 assorted colors and styles, used to create four projects featuring fairies.

Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art home. The Unicorns & Ponies kit includes 11 sheets of peel and stick tiles in assorted colors, used to create four projects featuring beautiful ponies and sparkling unicorns.

My First Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art to preschoolers. Package includes seven sheets of peel and stick tiles in assorted colors to create up to five circus-themed projects: Trapeze Monkey, Circus Clown, Ferris Wheel, Big Tent, and Carousel Horse.

My First Sticky Mosaics bring the fun and excitement of mosaic art to preschoolers. Package includes seven sheets of peel and stick tiles in assorted colors to create five mosaic projects.

The Klutz Glossy Bands book kit lets kids make their very own durable rubbery jewelry. The kit includes four tubes of non-toxic, acrylic gel. Kids can follow the instructions to squeeze and swirl the gel into beautiful patterns that turn into one-of-a-kind bracelets.
— Deal Seeking Mom Tara Kuczykowski declared, “If your child is into the Silly Bandz craze, he or she is sure to love making Glossy Bands!”
— Jennifer of 5 Minutes for Mom reported that her 11-year-old daughter “loved this kit, and it’s something she could do on her own, without help or hovering from me.” Jennifer liked that the Klutz Glossy Bands book “provided enough instruction to get her started, and enough leeway for her creativity to grow and her to try new things on her own.”
— Jo-Lynne of Musings of a Housewife gave the book to her daughter, who spent several days making bracelets. Her daughter’s love for the kit led Jo-Lynne to call the Glossy Bands Book “the perfect birthday gift for your craft-obsessed little girl.”

This designer clear In the Garden stamp set designed by Max & Lucy includes 12 flower and garden inspired stamps to add a touch of nature to card, paper and craft projects. Made from a non- yellowing clear silicone, Janlynn's Designer Clear stamps are easy to use. Simply peel the stamp from the protective backer and stick to a Designer Clear acrylic block, sold separately.

This Designer Clear Pets stamp set designed by Max & Lucy includes 11 pet inspired stamps. Made from a non- yellowing clear silicone, Designer Clear stamps are easy to use. Simply peel the stamp from the protective backer and stick to a Designer Clear acrylic block, sold separately.

The Designer Clear Butterflies & More stamp set designed by Tara Reed Designs includes 22 stamps to mix & match to create beautiful card, paper and craft projects. Made from a non-yellowing clear silicone, Designer Clear stamps are easy to use. Simply peel the stamp from the protective backer and stick to a Designer Clear acrylic block, sold separately.

Recommended for up to 30 individuals, Tee Juice Fabric Art Marker Class Packs are designed to bring students and teachers all of the fun and unlimited creativity of Tee Juice Fabric Art Markers in affordably-priced quantities suitable for group projects. These versatile markers can be used to create designs on clothing, shoes, linens, canvas bags and more. Simply draw, let dry and heat set with an iron. The PEN1KIT contains broad tip fabric art markers in yellow, red, blue, black, purple, green and brown.

The art of marbling paper has been historically associated with the craft of bookbinding. The technique of marbling involves creating a multi-colored pattern of paint that floats on the surface of a gel-like medium. Paper or fabric is then laid on the surface to pick up the floating paint and transfer the design. This pack allows students to create elegant patterns on fabric or paper. The pack comes with: eight (2 oz.) bottles of Jacquard Marbling Colors, alum for treating the paper or fabric), methocel, cotton fabric (two yards of 61" cotton sheeting), eight droppers for applying paint and easy-to-follow instructions.