Special Occasions Fashion Kit

When your aspiring fashion designer has lost interest in paper dolls and flimsy tissue paper gowns and has begun to tack together swatches of fabric and drape them over dolls, its time to introduce them to the next step in dressmaking and design. Special Occasion Fashions by Creativity for Kids is a kit with everything needed to design beautiful dresses and outfits. Gorgeously packaged it includes a soft dress mannequin specifically designed for pins to be stuck in , a satin starter dress, yards of pastel fabric, a variety of trims, good quality tape measure, thimble, sharp fabric scissors, sketch book, sketching pencils, fabric swatches and satin pincushion. To add that special pizzazz, the kit also includes sparkle fabric paint, two tiny tiaras and veil accessories.

This kit is an upgraded version of the original, specifically for young designers to allow their imaginations go wild on bridal and prom gowns.

Pros

The first thing you will notice is the high quality of each of the inclusions. Lace, satin and embellishments are supurb. The scissors are sharp and pins of seamstress quality .

The mannequin is a touch of genius as an inclusion with the kit.  Styled like the old fashioned Victorian dress dummies, the body is a stiff but very squishy foam; making sticking pins into very easy. This is perfect when draping the fabrics or attempting to fix a trim or neckline.

Another brilliant inclusion for the kit is that it comes with a simple satin dress, already assembled and ready to embellish.  I would highly recommend this as a starting point in testing trims and colours and point of discussion and observation.

The sketch book has high quality paper included, with each page displaying a style of dress the young designer can alter lines, colours and embellishments with.

Cons

Despite the kit including a very pretty pink bag to keep everything together and organized, a small compartmentalised two tiered box might have been a better choice for practicality and as part of training toward the next step as a designer. The bag simply lumps everything together, allowing threads and yarns to tangle and fabric to crumple.

The age range suggests that it is suitable for ages 9 and upward.  The ability to stitch and sew has long been lost in most young people.  Whilst this kit might have had a high appeal and practicality 20 years ago, the skill sets of a normal tweenager is vastly different now.

Older tweenagers may be more likely to have the dexterity, fine motor control and skills to cut and sew tiny dresses, but most would not have the interest or inclination to pursue this. A 9 or 10 year old will require heavily support, in order to successfully produce a gown.

Although the size of the dress would certainly fit a “Barbie” sized doll, techniques in finishing a dress are fiddly and time consuming.  Unless the child has a real passion for finishing projects and for high detail, I believe many will give up in frustration.

The instructions on Special Occasions Fashions state the intention for the kit is for children to design the gowns with the included fabrics and embellishments in mind; rather than to get hung up about the production of the dress itself. Although the instructions are clear and it gives good examples of starting points, I have my doubts that the skills involved in the production of even a simple dress would be abundant within most communities. However, all of this can be avoided if this kit is used in a learning environment where the mentor and young designer take small steps, chunk  time and effort and plan each project dress.  The kit has a lot going for it; good quality sewing supplies, attractive fabric and trimmings and a mannequin which allows the designer to pin and drape fabric directly onto the body. Certainly, it would be a perfect gift for a child whose interests in this area are already piqued and they need a push to develop the skills towards dressmaking and design.

For more information on Special Occasions Fashions and Creativity for Kids  check out their facebook page or website.

Images by Creativity for Kids own Website.

Annie would  like to thank Creativity for Kids for the opportunity they gave her family to play with their wonderful product. 

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue - a Review

Beguiling and charming, sweet and fun; TinkerBell and the Great Fairy Rescue shakes off the recent film animation trends to appeal to a wide range of audiences through multi layered languaging and gags - instead focusing on being a great childrens film; one strictly made for kids. 

Even the most sensitive young child would find it difficult to find any fear factors hiding within this gorgeously presented movie. Colours are vibrant, detail is sharp and the story so playful, it is certain to be a film which will be played over and over.

The story is set years before Tinker Bell meets Peter Pan, Wendy and the Lost Boys. Fairy friends visit the Victorian meadow lands where Tinker Bell meets Lizzy, a little girl whose belief in the power magic and  fairies is ridiculed by many.  Although her friends believe Tinker Bell has been captured and puts into place a daring rescue, Tink develops a special bond with  Lizzy, seeing that she and her father are in need of some magic of their own.

As you'd expect from Disney, it's a charming tale playing on the childhood hope of meeting magical creatures at the bottom of the garden; where both parties push the boundaries of their fears to discover new strengths.

An absolutely stunning production, devoid of high profile names, this totally inoffensive movie is one of the most delightful films I have seen specifically made for children for years. This is a must see for fairy believers of all ages.

The DVD is available in Australia from the 15th of Sept.  Check out your local variety stores for availability.


Annie would like to thank Porter Novelli for sending her the Tinkerbell DVD to review. 

Hanna Montana (Series 3, part 2)

A concern for many parents of growing children is the selection of appropriate television and DVDs. With increasing laxity in classification standards violence and questionable moral themes have begun to creep into the PG bands; making many parents wary of modern reality style shows depicting tweenage children and their daily lives.   With television one of the major influences for young people, its important, therefore to be careful with the selection of role models.

Unless you have been living under rock at the back of a distant cave, you will have been exposed at some point to the Empire of Hannah Montana, complete with its huge merchandising range and DVDs.  Unike some television personalities and shows which appeal to the tweenage market, the concepts and themes presented in Hannah Montana  remain clean, ethical and inspiring; despite its longevity.  August 4th marks the release of Series 3 part 2 of the DVD range and is certain not to disappoint.

For those who may have escaped her marketing and shows, Hannah Montana is a world famous pop star who hides her real identity behind Miley Stewart – a normal teenage girl.  The formula for episodes revolve around issues in the lives of Miley and her best friend Lilly; interspersed with  the girls’ gawky other friend, Oliver. Mileys real life father – Billy Ray Cryrus, plays her father, lending his experience and knowledge as he advises her through her challenges in her split lifestyle. Disney continues a popular plotline made famous with shows such as Superman or Bewitched where the main characters real identity must be kept a secret.  Girls in particular identify strongly with the clumsy goofy Miley and dream about being the confident and popular Hannah.

After three series, it’s become a little hazy on who’s ‘in’ on the teenager’s huge, unlikely, impractical secret, but since it’s basically become perfect fodder for most of the  jokes, it doesn’t ultimately matter. Every episode generally packs a life lesson where characters learn not to lie, learn about forgiveness, and humility. Overall, the series itself is about not forgetting your roots, which can be an important lesson for anyone to learn. As its often taught in a series of humorous events, viewers do not feel that they are being preached at.

Series 3 sees Miley juggle the challenges of growing-up such as getting her driver’s license, sticking her foot in her mouth on a radio talk show and dealing with secret crushes.  As always, with the help of her father and timely reality checks from best friends Lilly and Oliver, Miley learns valuable lessons in trusting her instincts and ways to make decisions which are right for her.  Series 3 part 2 also resolves the cliffhanger “What Will Miley Ultimately Decide?” left from part 1.

Disney is usually reluctant to allow most of their shows continue past 50 episodes, siting that the original ingredients cannot be reproduced over a lengthy period of time, that creativity dries up and fans become more demanding and specific about what they want and need to see their icons do and say.  In the case of Hanna Montana, they have made an exception.  With over 70 episodes now made, the Hanna Montana empire appears as strong and robust as it has ever been. Whilst the script may never make the Nobel Prize, its filled with fun and delivered with a freshness which is envied throughout Hollywood.  For die hard Hannah Fans, this is a must buy and see.  For those looking for entertainment for their tweenagers which will uphold a strong social basis, you could do alot worse than investing in the entire stock of Hannah Montana DVDs.

Image via Wiki

Annie would like to thank Porter Novelli for sending her the Hannah DVD to review.