Darn Good Yarn One of a Kind Sari Scarf Review

Disclaimer: I received complimentary product through the Apogee Agency in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Darn Good Yarn is an online yarn store that is dedicated to supporting women's economic empowerment, fair trade practices, and principles of environmental sustainability. Not only do they sell many reclaimed and sustainable fibers and lovely yarn, but they also sell project kits, patterns, notions and tools, clothing, accessories, home goods, etc. This is a treasure trove of rare and special items to those who love to knit, crochet, do crafts, or just have something as unique as them.

The One of a Kind Sari Scarves are very distinctive They are great for summer because these scarves are light and airy. Made with 100% recycled materials from reclaimed saris by partner artisans in India and Nepal. No two are alike and these can be worn many different ways. These are a great gift to help give back.

 

 

My Thoughts:

I received a One of a Kind Sari Scarf. This one was a gorgeous bright color of red, neon green, and pink with cream as well. It has a leafy heart pattern on it. This particular pattern would be great for Valentine's day. The only problem with this scarf is that when I opened it up and examined it I noticed that it already had a small snag in it before I got to wear it. This flaw was a bummer, but it still is a lovely scarf. I love how they are recycled and made ethically and sustainably. This particular scarf is hand made in India. It is eye-catching and a great piece to frame an outfit with and I love that it has good coverage for more modesty.

This scarf is so versatile! You can wear it as a sarong, headband, hair/head covering or wrap or tie, belt, shawl, neckerchief, or scarf. You can also decorate your home with it, cover a small table, use it as a wall covering/art, tie back curtains with them, or use it as a purse or tote bag accent.

I would recommend these scarves. While you probably won't get this particular scarf I am confident that you will love the one you do get. These scarves make the outfit fun with a splash of color and pattern and would be a great unique gift.

 

I noticed a small snag in the fabric when I took it out of the packaging (this is quite zoomed in).

 

Here is a video about them...

 

It can be worn different ways as you can see...

One of a Kind Sari Scarf worn as a shawl.

One of a Kind Sari Scarf worn as a head covering.

One of a Kind Sari Scarf worn as a sarong (albeit a bit messy one).

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You can purchase the Darn Good Yarn One of a Kind Sari Scarf here. Add 2 Scarves to your cart and use code SUNFUN to save! Code expires 7/5/21.

Emily Lex Watercolor Package and Classes Review and May Flowers Giveaway #EmilyLex #Watercolors #WatercolorClass #MayFlowers #favoritethings #emilylexstudio

 

Disclaimer: I received complimentary product through FrontGate Media in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Emily Lex is an artist that makes pretty watercolor art and words of encouragement. Her work has been featured on HGTV, Better Homes & Gardens, Magnolia Journal and more. She also has a shop full of lovely things that she has created: watercolor workbooks, art prints, Truth for Today cards, Kids Truth for Today cards, Freely and Lightly book, Twirl children's book and stands for the cards. She also teaches online classes on how to paint with watercolor and do fancy penmanship.

 

Emily Lex package of products.

 

We received a very generous package for this review:

• A watercolor flowers workbook
• A watercolor animals workbook
  
• Truth for Today cards
• Kids Truth for Today cards
• A brass stand
• PLUS free registration for all 3 of her online, go at your own pace watercolor classes including one for kids! 

 

Emily Lex Watercolor Workbooks: Animal (above) and Flower (below).

 

There are two watercolor workbooks: Watercolor Workbook Flowers and Watercolor Workbook Animals. Each watercolor workbook has you create 10 watercolor pictures with the help of a reference page, instructions, and a faint sketch. They have forty-two 7" x 9" spiral bound lay flat pages professionally printed on slightly textured paper. Each workbook has original watercolor artwork + sketches by Emily Lex. The reference page has a picture of the completed art, paint palette of colors, and simple instructions to help you. The sketch page has a light sketch outline that gets you started with the art. This sketch page can be painted directly onto it because it is made of watercolor paper.

 

Examples of Emily Lex Truth for Today Cards (left) and Kids Truth for Today Cards (right)

 

There are two different packs of Truth for Today cards: one regular version and one for kids. Each card set has 31 cards with original watercolor artwork by Emily Lex and a scripture verse. These are 4" x 4" cards made out of 120lb cotton texture eggshell paper. There are also two different types of holders for the cards to sit in: brass and gold card stand. They are both sold separately from the cards. We received brass card holder. It is solid brass with a brushed finish. Emily Lex has three courses you can take: Simplified Penmanship, Simplified Watercolor, and Watercolor for Kids. These classes are online and you can watch them on any device. After purchase you get instant unlimited access to the video course chosen. You can work at your own pace and can pause and replay any lesson at your leisure. Each course has 8-10 video lessons. Supply lists, project templates, and guides are included. Simplified Penmanship is a course to learn better handwriting skills. You can use this to write notes, letters, address envelopes, create artwork, write on a chalkboard, and write legibly and beautifully. Simplified Watercolor is a course that teaches watercolor basics and then helps you create lovely watercolor paintings that you can be proud to display. Watercolor for Kids is a course for kids of all ages. These lessons will teach your young aspiring artist techniques for mixing paint, caring for a brush, and stroke-making, then practice making fun watercolor art cute enough to proudly display.

 

My Thoughts:

I have not done very much watercolor painting on my own, except for the "Paint With Water" books I did as a child. These were fun, but did not really teach me the fundamentals of how to paint with watercolor. I have always wanted to learn those basics, but never took the time or had the chance. When I received the opportunity of reviewing the Emily Lex Watercolor Package and Classes I jumped at the chance. 

I first received the package of watercolor goodies in the mail and opened it up. There were so many fantastic things inside. I cannot wait to thoroughly dive into everything offered.

I looked through the watercolor booklets and am very excited especially to do the whale in the animals workbook and the sunflower in the flowers workbook...2 of my favorite things! There are so many other pages that look like fun also! The instructions on the reference pages look fairly simple to follow and you can paint directly onto the page with the outlined sketch, so no need for buying a watercolor pad of paper. The sketch makes it very easy to know the outline of the painting and you do not need to know how to draw to do these. There are also blank pages to practice what you have learned with watercolor or just do your own thing. I also love that they are perfect for taking with you on trips or outdoors when the weather is nice and they don't need any screen time to do.

The Truth for Today and Kids Truth for Today cards are just lovely. I love the illustrations from Emily Lex and bible verses on each one. These are gentle reminders of scripture truths. They are a wonderful way to start the morning with and would be great as gifts for someone that needs uplifting. Both sets of cards are great for anyone, regardless of age.

I love how the Truth for Today cards can be displayed in the brass holder that we also received. Make sure to place the cards in it the correct way so that the card angles slightly back not forward this way you can read the bible chapter and verse number. This sleek and stylish brass holder can also hold other things as well...like a recipe card.

Here are my finished art from some of the Emily Lex Simplified Watercolor lessons.

There were three different courses that we were also given: Simplified Penmanship, Simplified Watercolor, and Watercolor for Kids. I have been doing the Simplified Watercolor class. It is a great step-by-step watercolor class for a beginner like me or artists who would like the practice. You can go at your own pace watching the videos, pause at anytime, go back if you missed something, and skip over the parts you already know if you want. In this she begins describing the supplies. I only had a cheap set of crayola watercolors, a nice paintbrush set I got as a gift, and a watercolor pad from my kids using our watercolor crayon set. She said that using the cheap paints would be fine, but as you get better with the art then you might want to purchase a better set and she listed a few. She went over some techniques in the third and forth lessons and then we started painting actual pictures of things. There are also bonus lessons at the end as well. I loved how it also checked off the lessons I had done so that I would know where I was the next time I logged in. I could also still go back through the finished lessons if I needed to. I loved painting the Seascape the most so far, but the Dot Project was fun too. I know that my kids are going to enjoy the Watercolor for Kids class. I looked it over and I might even do the lessons right along with them. The Simplified Penmanship class is going to be very good for me. My penmanship is not too bad, but I would love to do better with my writing and learn some fancy lettering too. I cannot wait to get all the way through these. I have learned so much already and there is so much more to go.

I highly recommend all that Emily Lex has to offer. Her products and classes are so much fun and would make great gifts. I am very pleased with everything we received and want to thank her for being so generous so that we could try a bunch of things. Everything here is fabulous! I encourage you to check Emily Lex out for yourself.

 

 

WIN IT

• Prize: Win the May Flowers Giveaway
  
• Host: Emily Lex.
• Who Can Enter: Open to US and Canadian residents 13 years or older.
• Selection Process: 3 Winners will be selected on 05/30/2021.
  
• Where to Enter: Go to this link https://emilylex.com/may-flowers-ga and fill out the form to enter.

 

BUY IT

Purchase products and classes from Emily Lex's Shop.

Learn more about Emily here: https://emilylex.com/about/ and on IG: https://www.instagram.com/emilylexstudio/ and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilylexstudio/

YWAM Publishing Heroes of History George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist and Unit Study Curriculum Guide Review

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of reading the Heroes of History - George Washington Carver from YWAM Publishing for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

YWAM (YOUTH WITH A MISSION) Publishing is a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes books that help Christians make a difference in the world by giving a portion of every dollar spent to buy books through YWAM Publishing to children and adults in other countries that are in need. Their books focus on evangelism, educational training, prayer, discipleship, and mercy ministries.

YWAM Publishing has two popular book series; one called Heroes of History and the other called Christian Heroes: Then & Now; in which true stories are told of real people that lived in our history. In the Heroes of History series we learn about great men and woman who changed the course of history. In the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series we learn about ordinary people who have put their trust in God and in doing so accomplish extraordinary things. Both of these book series help us as: parents, teachers, and caretakers; give our children wholesome biographies to read or be read to that teach good character traits, values, and virtues.

 

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist

 

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist by Janet & Geoff Benge is part of a series of 29 biography books called Heroes of History by YWAM Publishing. This series covers the years 1451 to 1951. This book tells the true life story of George Washington Carver who was a brilliant American agricultural scientist, inventor, and professor. This Christian biography book from YWAM Publishing about George Washington Carver teaches great character traits, values, and virtues too. This book covers the years 1864 to 1943. It chronicles his life from a baby to his death in 1943. It is a total of 16 chapters and 189 pages long.

 

George Washington Carver Unit Study download page tab.

The Unit Study Curriculum Guide that is paired with the George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist book that I received was in the digital downloadable format and opened as an executable file. The digital version is downloadable in a zipped format, so you will have to unzip before you use it. After selecting where it will go on your computer, unzip it, and find the folder it placed it all into. Find the file version you need: __MACOSX for Macintosh and the other for PC. Click on the file that has START HERE in its title and it will open in a new window in your browser. You can then read a very short synopsis of the biography under the George Washington Carver tab, download the unit study under the Unit Study tab, etc.

The Unit Study downloads in PDF format. It also has a 25 page guide for classroom and homeschool as well as a 12 page guide for a small group that tells you how to best use the unit study. This shows how flexible you can be with the unit study. You can do the whole study or just parts of it. It is all up to you how you use it. The unit study goes in depth to help you go above and beyond the book and explore other areas that pertain to the material like: crafts, cooking, art, and writing assignments; has questions to ask your children to see if they comprehended the reading, and quotes to use as copywork to enhance handwriting or memorization. The unit study is broken into two parts.

Here is the Unit Study Curriculum Guide Contents:
Part 1 -
Introduction (how to use the study)

1. Key Quotes (great for copywork, memorization, theatrical presentation, or art display)
2. Display Corner (an area designated for hands on display of items relating to the reading)
3. Chapter Questions (questions that enhance the reading: 1 vocabulary, 1 factual, 2 comprehension, and 2 open-ended)
4. Student Explorations (essay questions, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts & crafts)
5. Community Links (field trip ideas)
6. Social Studies (places, journeys, terms/vocabulary, geographical characteristics: mapping, timeline: plotting historical events, conceptual questions)
7. Related Themes to Explore (cultures, math, literature, history, current events, science & medicine)
8. Culminating Event (sort of a show and tell ending, ideas include: invitations, clothing, competitions, presentations, food, displays)

Appendix A: Books and Resources
Appendix B: Answers to Chapter Questions

Part 2 -
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles

 

Zari reading YWAM Publishing Heroes of History George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My 11 year old daughter Zari and my 13 year old daughter Teela read the book. Both have been doing the study guide with me. We learned more about George Washington Carver's life from reading this book than any textbook we had read or movie we had watched previously. It was quite refreshing to learn more about this important man.

After each chapter Zari and I did the first three questions from the study guide which are geared toward the younger students. They include a vocabulary question, a factual question coming from the reading, and the first comprehension question. The study guide is geared toward ages 10+. Zari and I would look up the words in a dictionary and thesaurus as well, for more understanding. My daughter, Teela, had no problem with the reading and vocabulary, but that is because she is a voracious reader. I had Teela do all of the chapter questions. Besides the chapter questions I had Zari do copywork from the key quotes and I had Teela memorize them and say them back to me. I will have Teela do an essay as suggested in the study guide under the student explorations and essays. She will also be doing some creative writing.

We also tried to go to the websites in the books and resources section of the study guide to learn more about George Washington Carver, but most of them were unfortunately broken. We looked up our own and found some pictures of his paintings of flowers and explored the George Washington Carver National Monument Park in Missouri by virtual tour and multimedia. We didn't know he was an artist as well as a botanist and inventor until this study. He was a very well accomplished man.

There was so much to learn and explore in this unit study. We were amazed at the very complexity of it all. We are going to check out some more books and biographies that they recommend in the study guide later. We didn't even begin to scratch the surface and were still very engaged in this lengthy unit study. This would be a great study to incorporate for Black History Month.

The YWAM Publishing biographies are historical and true. These true stories along with the unit studies are great for homeschooling families. We hope to get to read about Theodore Roosevelt next in their extensive biography list. I highly recommend these!

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Website - https://www.ywampublishing.com/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/YWAM-Publishing-482973445102/
• Twitter - http://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing
• Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ywampublishing/
• YWAM Publishing Blog - http://www.ywampublishingblog.com/
• Suggested Hashtags - #hsreviews #ywampublishing #christianheroes #americanheroes #christianbiographies #truebiographies #historicalbiography #HeroesofHistory #christianheroesthenandnow #herobiographies #TrueStories #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschooling #americanhistory #americanhistorycurriculum #Teachthemwell #GeorgeWashingtonCarver

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YWAM Publishing Heroes of History - George Washington Carver book:
Regular Price: $9.99 YWAM Price: $7.50

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Figures In Motion Famous Figures of Ancient Times Review

 

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying Famous Figures of Ancient Times from Figures In Motion for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Figures In Motion was created by Cathy Diez-Luckie an award-winning illustrator and homeschooler. One Thanksgiving she came up with the idea of making articulated puppets for her children of Pilgrims. Her children loved them so much she decided to make more historical figures and the company was born. Now Figures In Motion has 8 books dedicated to movable paper figures throughout history, including a book on dinosaurs! They also have 6 different coloring eBooks as well. 

The Figures In Motion paper puppets for kids consumable books make up different time periods. They have Famous Figures of Ancient Times, Famous Figures of Medieval Times, Famous Figures of the Middle Ages & Renaissance, Famous Figures of the Early Modern Era, Famous Figures of the American Revolution, Famous Figures of the Civil War, Footsteps in Faith Queen Esther, and Dinosaurs on the Move. Each book is softcover with perforated pages to tear out for easy access to each paper doll. The pages are made of card stock material. In the front of the books are short descriptions of each historical figure. Then it has a reading list for each paper puppet to further learning. Each historical figure has a full color version and a black and white lined version to color. The costume illustrations are historically accurate. On the back of each paper puppet's articulated pieces are how they are put together with the help of a letter key. After they are cut out, these pieces are hole punched with a ⅛" hole punch where indicated and put together with mini brads so that they are moveable at the joints. You may purchase the hole punch and brads separately at most craft stores (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc.) or on the Figures In Motion website. They allow moms to copy the line art pages to use with more than one child in your family. They do not allow them being shared at coops, or between other families or school settings. They have licenses for coops, church groups, and classrooms.

Figures In Motion Famous Figures of Ancient Times

 

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We received the Famous Figures of Ancient Times physical book from Figures In Motion. Figures In Motion was very generous as they also gave us a hole punch and brads in the correct size for the review. This particular book had 21 historical men and women (19 men and 2 women). Figures include Jesus, Moses, David, Julius Cesar, Alexander the Great, Aristotle, and more! We will be studying more on each figure as we read about them with our ancient history lessons at home. The included book list will be a great teaching resource so that we can further our learning. We love learning about history especially if it is hands-on. These books make history incredibly interactive.

 

Zari assembling Leizu.

 

Zari looked through the Famous Figures of Ancient Times book to pick out a figure to articulate. She was very surprised to find there were only two women in the book. She picked Leizu, a Chinese empress, to learn about, cut out, and put together. We read the blurb about Leizu first. Then, Zari chose the full color version of her because she wasn't in a coloring mood. We pulled the page out with the perforated edge and she cut out all the pieces. Besides letters to match up we noticed that the back of each piece had either back or front on them so you could place them in the correct position on the articulated doll. I showed Zari how to line up the hole punch correctly and punch out the holes where the dots where located on the doll. She placed each body part on the doll correctly and lined up the holes to place the tiny brads. After she was finished putting the doll together she danced her around the table saying, "Oh no! A cocoon dropped into my tea!".

 

Zari holding the articulated movable paper doll, Leizu.

 

We highly recommend Figures In Motion Famous Figures of Ancient Times. These are great for kids to have a hands-on tactile experience learning history. Because they are moveable they are more fun than your standard paper doll and they are super easy to assemble. This is a great arts and craft to enjoy along with the learning. Kids can put on a puppet show to reenact historical events with these. They are great educational play and the imagination. The historical paper dolls are wonderful to be used with biographies, with lap books, as a unit study, with a timeline, or with any ancient history curriculum.

 

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/figuresinmotionbooks/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FiguresInMotion 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/figuresinmotionbooks/ 
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/figuresinmotion/_created/ 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwr8ROHgSkGmCrutlMg76KQ
• Hashtags: #hsreviews #figuresinmotion #homeschooling #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #kidsactivities #learningathome #montessori #homeeducation #paperdoll

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