DIY Disco Decor Kit from STMT!

 

Horizon Group USA is company that has several different craft kit brands under it's umbrella, one of those brands is called Simple Trendy Modern Touch or STMT for short. Once a quarter I get sent a fun box of kits to try out with my kids & review here on my blog. Today I will be sharing the DIY Sparkling Disco Décor set with you that can be purchased on Amazon. The kit is recommended for ages eight and older due to small ingestible pieces.

This DIY kit has a lot of potential but it fell a little flat for us & I will go into why we felt that way about this kit. The kit comes with three décor items to decorate - a heart, a ice cream cone & an actual disco ball. Along with the foam pieces to decorate you will also receive some chains, key chain hooks, and several sheets of the small shiny plastic squares you will use to create your disco look. 

The first issue we ran into with this set is the plastic squares, each one has a tiny protective sheet on it that needs to be removed. It takes a very long time to get all of the little plastic pieces off! After they end up all over your work space & like to stick to your hands. The instruction sheet mentioned you can apply a piece of tape to the top & peel to get them all off at once, we tried it with two different types of tape and neither worked. My daughter ended up giving up trying to peel all of them off even with my help so her project still has them attached to a good portion of the squares. The second issue my daughter ran into was the shape of the pieces, because the little plastic pieces are all square & do not have any kind of bend to them it was hard to get them to sit properly on the decorative pieces without there being large gaps between many of the pieces that were easy to see when viewing the finished project. 

My daughter is still going to keep the one she did to hang up in her room & we are going to try to figure out a way to do almost a mosaic style on the other two in order to fill in the gaps. Normally we are big fans of the various Horizon Group lines & the kits they have, this one was just an oddball that didn't quite work out. I feel like with a few minor adjustments this kit would be so much better. They have tons of other great craft kits for a wide range of ages & all of them are quite affordable, you can check out what they have to offer on Amazon or local stores such as Walmart, Target, Michaels & more.

Disclaimer- Horizon Group USA provided the product above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Hello Kitty Sparkling Tumbler by Horizon Group USA!

 

If you or a child/teen in your life are a fan of Hello Kitty, Horizon Group USA sells a number of Hello Kitty DIY kits. We were recently sent one of their Glitzy Pop Sparkling Tumblers, this kit comes with everything you need to create two customized disks to decorate the front of your tumbler with. It includes the tumbler itself, a straw + lids, two decorative discs, two containers of gems and a gem pusher. 

It actually has way more gems than you will actually need for the kit so you will be left with extras to either use for another project or hold onto incase a gem ever pops out. The instructions have you pour a vial into the gem pusher & then you'll push the gems into the disc as the colors pop out. My daughter didn't want a random pattern so we poured them into a shallow dish so she could use the colors she wanted. 

The gem pusher is easy to use, she finished the kit in just a few minutes then gave the cup a good wash & made something to drink. The cup itself is cute, being able to customize it slightly gives it a little personal touch. Horizon Group USA sells their products on Amazon and also in select stores such as Walmart. This kit along with their other Hello Kitty DIY's would make a great birthday or holiday gift for the Hello Kitty lover in your life. They have several different product lines for various ages & most kits are under $20 which is fantastic. 

Do you have a favorite Hello Kitty Character?

Disclaimer- Horizon Group USA provided the product above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

10 Activity kits under $25 for Summer!

 

Most schools have let out for the summer or are about to finish, so you might be on the hunt for some activities to help keep your kids not only entertained but also help keep their minds engaged as well. My kids and I love doing craft & activity kits together, it helps occupy days when we might not have as much going on. Depending on what kind of kit you get, it can also be educational. Over the last few years I have worked along side Horizon Group USA reviewing some of the kits they sell across their various lines & I wanted to put together a list of our top ten favorites for you to check out this summer. None of these are in any particular order & I've included links to the full reviews for you to check out. Click on the name of the kit below to be taken to the full review of that kit which will include more photos and information.

1. The Young Scientist Club - Top Secret Spy Science.  - This kit is packed with fun small activities for your kids to do while hunting for clues to solve a secret spy mystery. It is currently on Amazon for $19.99, it is recommended for kids ages 8+

2. Sand Dough Handprint Stone - When the weather is nice, it is great to spend some time outside in a garden or area you like to relax in. With this kit you can make a stone with the imprint of your child's hand on it. You can even make one a year & show case your children growing. This can be purchased on Amazon for $8. 

3. Nature Adventure Pack - This is another great kit that has a lot of small activities for kids to do that are aimed out for getting your child to enjoy nature related games and crafts. This is currently listed on Amazon for $17.12 and is recommended for kids ages 14+. 

4. Rainbow Loom Bracelet Kit - This kit is fun for both adults and children. There are several different bracelet styles you can make with this in any color combination of your choosing. You can keep the pieces you make or share them with loved ones. This is currently listed on Amazon for $16.99 and is recommended for ages 7+. 

5. STMT Jewlery Making Kit - This collection of kits can be found on amazon for under $25. They have a few different jewelry making kits that have everything you need to create several pieces of jewelry. 

6. Tie-dye Kits - This is a kit from their Just My Style line, there are several different kits to choose from that range in price and colors. You can dye anything from hats to clothing and even purses to suit your style. 

7. DIY Candle Making Kit - Create your own candles from the scent, to color and even the label on it. This comes with everything you need to make two candles. This is currently on Amazon for $16.99 and is for ages 8+.

8. Extreme Fossil Dig - Fun for all gem & stone collectors or anyone wanting to start a collection. It comes with a large dig block which contains an assortment of gems and fossils. It can be purchased for $19.99 on Amazon & is great for ages 8+.

9. Dinosaur Sensory Bin - This is a fun one that can be re-used over and over again. The play sand is fun to squish, pull apart and shape. You can also add in other figures, add additional sand or different stones to spice up this set each time your child plays with it. It can be purchased on Amazon for $14.99 and is great for ages 3+

10. STMT Design art studio - The assortment of art supplies in this carrying case are quite nice & great for all ages. This set comes with brush markers, paints, gel pens, oil pastels, brushes, a paint palette, and more. I always loved sets like this when I was a kid, so I enjoy being able to buy my kids similar kits now that have higher quality materials in them. This set can be purchase for $24.99 and can be used for a number of projects and activities. 

What kind of crafts or hands on activities do you enjoy doing with your kids???

**For past reviews I was gifted the kits mentioned in the reviews. This specific post is not sponsored nor was I gifted anything for it, this is just a list I put together of our favorite kits we've previously received from Horizon Group USA.**

Build & Paint your own Bird House!

We recently received a bonus summer mail from Horizon Group USA, they sent use a build and paint your own bird house. I like putting out bird seed for the small birds we have in the area so I am hoping one of the lovely couples decides to make this house their home. This kit comes with all of the pieces you'll need for the bird house itself, along with smaller wood pieces to use as decoration plus glue, paint and a paint brush.

My son put this together and painted it all on his own and he wanted me to make a note about how easy this bird house was to put together. It was one of the easiest kits we've ever used to build a bird house. The little wooden birds they included as decorations are pretty cute, I also like the little fence pieces included. 

Some of the paint colors you will need a second coat otherwise it is a little too thin, otherwise we didn't have any issues or negative points with this kit. Adding the string to hang it from was easy peasy and took less than a minute to do, now we just need to find the perfect spot on the back porch to hang it up on. As a bonus this kit only cost $8 on Amazon! 

Disclaimer- Horizon Group USA provided the product above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Circuit Mess DIY STEM for kids!

My kids have always loved hands-on crafts, activities & projects that they can either do by themselves or with their dad & I. So when I was offered the chance to check out one of the DIY STEM projects from a brand called Circuit Mess, I couldn't refuse. We were sent Spencer to put together & do a review on, Spencer is a personal voice assistant that you are able to build & code on your own. Something that is good to know before hand is that some of the kits they have require the use of a soldering tool, if you do not have one they can be picked up at a number of stores locally & for younger children they may need assistance with the project. This specific kit is recommended for ages 11+. We were also gifted one of their shirts which features their Batmobile that you can put together. 

Everything you will need for this project aside from the soldering tool & a screwdriver are included in this building kit. It was well packaged so everything arrived safely for us to start working on. There is quite a bit of information packed into the building guide, so you won't find the guide inside of your building box. Instead you will need access to the internet on a phone, tablet or laptop that can be placed near you & is easy to look at during the build. The building guide not only has instructions on how to build Spencer, but it also includes information on all of the tools you will need for this, links to helpful guides and tips on soldering incase you've never had to solder before & more. I found the build guide to be quite detailed & very helpful, they even have plenty of photos in full color for the visual learners. 

I think that these kits are great not just for teaching your children practical skills such as coding or using the various tools you will need, but also life skills like patients and staying calm & collected while working with small detailed parts. You can purchase a one time box, or subscribe & you will get a new project to work on every one to three months (depends on your plan). Spencer is part of the STEM box which is for ages 11+, but if that is a little too advanced for your child they also have the Wacky Robots line which is for ages 9+ along with working on two other lines that are for younger children as well. The STEM box is $80 per box & is a once per every three months subscription, the Wacky Robots are $28 a box and are delivery once a month. They also sell bundles which have set prices and show you exactly which buildable you will receive, so if you've had your eye on a particular build of theirs then the bundles might be the right place to look for you.

My husband & Son enjoyed doing this project together, this fun to do together and the end results are something your child will be able to work on, adjust and play with for quite some time to come. They have a number of apps and more available on their websites and guides that will allow you to update and create your Spencer how you would like. With summer coming up these kits are a great way to keep your child's mind engaged & entertained over the summer break. My son is looking forward to checking out all of the various apps Circuit Mess has & playing with his voice assistant more. I think this would be a great subscription as well for adults who want to know more about coding.

Is this something you think your kids will enjoy as well?

Disclaimer- Circuit Mess provided the product above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

STMT Designer art studio review!

My kids love getting new art sets, so when we received this STMT D.I.Y designer art studio in our recent quarterly Horizon Group USA gifted box we were pretty excited to use it. This art set comes with a lovely selection of supplies which includes a white crayon, twelve brush markers, four gel pens, twelve tubes of watercolor paints, twelve oil pastels, four paintbrushes, a paint palette, seventeen die-cut designs, four watercolor resistant cards, and a notebook all inside of a golden carrying case. 

This kit can be purchased on Amazon for $24.99, it can also be purchased at big box stores such as Walmart, Target, and Local craft stores. My favorite part of this kit is the brush markers, they write so smooth & each color is vibrant + bold. I also like the notebook included in this as well, the paper is really nice and works well with the rest of the supplies in this kit. 

Along with this set Horizon Group USA sells dozens of other awesome craft & activity kits for a range of ages and interests. Check them out! I will be posting a list of ten of our favorite craft sets soon.

Disclaimer- Horizon Group USA provided the product above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

STMT jewelry making kit review!

Making your own jewelry can be a lot of fun, because you can make exactly what you want & how you'd like it. It can also be a great craft for kids as it keeps their hands & minds busy and focused, so if you are looking for a inexpensive & fun craft kit for your kids for the summer Horizon Group USA has plenty of them. Under their STMT (Simple Trendy Modern Touch) line they have several jewelry kits under $20, along with a jewelry stamping kit for under $25. The particular jewelry kit we were gifted to review, I do not see on amazon however they have similar kits & their products can also be found at stores such as Walmart, Target & Craft stores. 

This kit has everything you need to make ten different pieces of jewelry. Included in the kit is an assortment of chain & string types, clasps, rings, small pliers and several different types of beads and charms. There are not only earring hooks, but if you pick some up then you can use this kit to make earrings as well. For the price it comes with an awesome amount of beads & supplies, I like the assortment of letter beads that are included. The kit can be for an individual or you can make a jewelry party out of it. 

My daughter enjoyed using this kit to make some jewelry with her favorite bands names on them as some of the bands are hard to find merchandise for. I enjoyed being able to show her a few ways of closing the clasps instead of just tying it off on the ends, and being able to come up with color combinations with her. In the future we may pick up some of their other kits as well as each one has different goodies.

What kind of jewelry would you make?

Disclaimer- Horizon Group USA provided the product above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Build a wooden Gingerbread house!

 

Building a Gingerbread house can be a lot of fun, but they typically won't last that long so if you are looking for something to build with your kids that you can hold onto as a decoration for years to come why not build a wooden gingerbread house? Made by Me! has a build & paint your own gingerbread house kit which sells for $19.99 on amazon. 

When purchasing this kit I would also pick up an extra bottle of glue & a extra bottle of brown paint as there isn't enough of either in this kit otherwise we are quite happy with everything included. It comes with instructions on how to build the house, a little bit of glue, some paint, a paint brush, lots of pompoms & glittery stickers that look snow covered to put into your house plus the wood pieces to build it of course. 

The great thing about this kit is that it can be done alone or the whole family can participate by decorating different parts of the house. Your work station will get a little messy but it is no where near how much of a mess we usually make with the candy version of the gingerbread house, plus the walls held together much better & we didn't have to worry about gum drops falling off. 

I think this turned out pretty cute & there are still a few things my son would like to add to this to give it some extra holiday magic. I love that we can keep this for years to come & maybe even include in a Christmas village type set up. I am happy with the amount of time the craft takes up & the materials provided, for $20 this is a fun and worth while kit to pick up as a last minute Christmas craft or to hold onto to do next year.

Disclaimer-  Horizon Group USA provided me with the products mentioned above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Exploring Earth - Science Kit Review!

 

If your child loves to collect rocks, loves science or enjoys learning about earth then the exploring earth kit from The Young Scientists Club line sold by Horizon Group USA would make the perfect gift for them this holiday season. This fun kit comes with a dig kit along with supplies for a few science based hands on projects your child will have fun completing. It is recommended for ages five to seven, however I see no reason a child older than seven wouldn't enjoy this as well.

One or two of the projects in this kit can get a little messy so I would suggest doing this kit when the weather is a little nicer out so you can complete them outside & save yourself the hassle. If heading outside to complete the projects isn't an option, you can always lay down a plastic table cloth which will help collect any messes. In total there are sixteen activities included  in this kit & not all of them need to be completed at once so your child can spread them out over the course of a few days. The first project we dove into was the mineral dig, in the book it shows that it is supposed to come with eight minerals in total - four that have been polished & four that are unpolished. Our kit only came with seven of the minerals, we completely broke apart the block then even smashed the pieces into dust to check for the lost gem but it was no where to be seen, while a small bummer it is alright because we still love the others. It came with a little wooden chisel, but I was surprised that a little wooden hammer wasn't included as there is usually a chisel/hammer set in the dig kits we've done in the past. To help contain the mess we did the dig kit on the inside of the box everything came in & did it out on our front porch because the chalk the gems are buried in tends to get everywhere. 

The second project I would suggest potentially doing outside is the exploding volcano, chances are it won't end up everywhere but just in case we did this outside too for an easier clean up. Thankfully we have everything on hand that is needed for this project minus the volcano cone which comes with this kit. I like that the booklet that comes with this kit telling you how to complete the projects also has fun facts about the earth & spots for you to write down your observations of the projects you complete. This kit would make a great kit to use any time of the year & I think it would make a great gift as well for any child in your life interested in STEM projects. 

My son is nine so he was able to complete all of these projects by himself, younger children may need a help with a step or two of the process which works out because the projects are fun to do together. Horizon Group USA sells this kit along with dozens of others across their lines that are perfect for young children, all of the kits are fun yet educational, plus the best part of all is that they are affordable. You can purchase their products on Amazon, or at big box stores such as Walmart, Michaels Craft Stores, Etc. 

Disclaimer-  Horizon Group USA provided me with the products mentioned above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Paint your own ceramic pottery kit - Review!

Made by me! is one of the brands that Horizon Group USA creates & sells that offer hands on craft kits for kids that suit a wide range of ages. One of the kits we were recently sent to review is the Paint Your Own Ceramic Pottery which can be purchased on amazon for $16.97 and some stores such as Walmart & Target sell their products as well. This kit is recommended for ages 6-9, slightly older kids may enjoy it as well, even adults can use this kit to paint the ceramics. Painting is a low stress craft activity that can be quite peaceful, then after you are done panting you can either keep the items or gift them.

This painting kit comes with four different items to paint & decorate how you'd like. There is a small bowl, a vase, a flower pot & a dome pot. Sadly, our kit came with a broken vase that wasn't fixable so only three of the products will be shown on this post. It also comes with twelve bright acrylic paints plus a paint brush.  

All of the ceramics are light weight & take the paint quite easily. The kids liked that they didn't need to add several layers of each paint color to get the shade they were wanting to achieve. The kids had fun using different themes to paint the ceramics, the bowl my daughter did a underwater scene on & my son did the other two. The flower pot he did with a sunset theme & it has some glitter as well to give it a shimmer like a real sunset, and the dome he did a turtle shell however you can't quite tell in these photos. 

Which of the ceramics would you want to paint? Do you have a favorite craft or art type you enjoy?

Disclaimer-  Horizon Group USA provided me with the products mentioned above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

STMT DIY Custom Candle Making Kit Review

 

When it comes to craft & activity kits Horizon Group USA has become a household name for us, they have a number of brands which include Made by Me!, Simple Trendy Modern Touch, The Young Scientist Club & more that each have their own assortment of fantastic products. The best part of all of their kits is that they are all affordable & fun. As part of their influencer program I get a box once a quarter with some fun kits to try out & review. You can see some of the past products I've featured by clicking on this link. We recently received the STMT DIY custom candle making kit which can be purchased for $16.99 on amazon & can also be found at a number of stores such as Walmart that sell their brands. 

This candle making kit comes with everything you need to make two candles. You will receive three scents, two color dyes, stir sticks, scent recipe cards, two wicks, a pen and some decorating products to adorn your candle tin with. The stickers you don't use can be saved & used for other projects, you may also have some left over wax, scent liquids & dyes so as long as you pick up an extra wick or two you'll be able to make an additional candle.

Older children will be able to do this kit on their own with minimal supervision, however younger children will need help melting & pouring the hot wax into the tins. You will need a microwave safe bowl to melt the wax. You can make one candle at a time & mix the scents and color in the bowl before pouring into the tins or you can mix it around after you pour the wax into the tins. 

My kids really enjoyed using this kit, and were both quite happy with how their candles look & smell after it finished hardening. We enjoy this kit because after we make them we can either keep them for use around the house or we can add them to gift bags for the holidays/birthdays, who doesn't love a useful handmade gift? 

What is your favorite scent when it comes to purchasing or receiving candles?

Disclaimer-  Horizon Group USA provided me with the products mentioned above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.