Gift ideas for creatives for under $20!

Growing up I was always creating and crafting. I remember early on taking empty Kleenex boxes and creating doll houses out of them. I had a small sewing kit and I hand stitched clothes for my kitten. I used my moms sewing machine in middle school and created hair scrunchies for every outfit and I signed up for art class that I was offered at school.

I loved to create.

I still love to create! It's just part of what I enjoy doing. So if you are like me, I put together a list of gift ideas for creatives. The best part is, that all of these ideas cost under $20.

20 of the best books that will encourage your elementary age kids to become readers

The days are ticking by. There is a countdown going. We have barely a month to squeeze every bit of fun out of this summer that we can. In no time, the kids will be heading back to school and I will start substitute teaching again.
Last year, I started subbing at the kids schools and I really enjoyed it. One of my favorite parts of being in the classroom is reading. I love reading and have since I was quite young. I love being able to encourage that love of reading in the kids that I work with.
Part of being able to do that, is knowing what books are kids favorites. Having success with a good book usually encourages that kiddo to seek out more books and that my friends, is how you get a kid to develop a love of reading.  Kids also love series. If they read one book by an author and love it, chances are, they will read everything by that author.
I have created a list of the top 20 favorite books for the kids that I work with the most...elementary aged children.  I promise you, these books are kid approved and are sure to become favorites of your children.

Must read books in 2015

I'm a sucker for a good book.  I have a beach trip coming up, which means ample opportunity to catch up on some good books.  I'm always looking at lists that have people's favorite books on them, and since these lists are helpful to me, I thought I would offer up my favorite reads, in case that was helpful to someone else looking for a good book.

Craft Fail book review

We've all had them.

It doesn't matter if you are an expert crafter or someone that doesn't have a crafty bone in their body.

Craftfails are the worst!

It's hard to believe that an expert crafter such as myself would have any craftfails {please insert your eye rolls and take note of the sarcasm} but they happen to me all the time.
I get these ideas, usually inspired by pinterest, and think "what could go wrong." Trust me, things go terribly wrong all the time!
I was laughing out loud while reading this new book by Heather Mann titled "CraftFail When Homemade Goes Horribly Wrong." I could totally relate and have even tried a few of the projects that were in the book.
Sharpie mug craftfail? Been there done that.
Wreath using a wire hanger? Yep, screwed that up and broke glass ornaments in the process.
My tissue paper pom poms never turn out the way I want them to,  I've melted iron on heat transfers more times than I would like to admit  and don't even get me started on the recipes I have tried and failed.
I've even had a few craftfails that turned into happy accidents. As my mom used to say, you never know until you try.
If you have a crafty friend, CraftFail is the perfect book for them this Christmas. Or add it to your wish list. I promise, you will be laughing out loud while shaking your head in total agreement at the over 100 projects featured.
What was your worst craft fail? C'mon, I know you have one!

Books I read this summer

You would think that when it takes 30 hours 

{one way}

to get to your destination that you would have a fair amount of time to read.

I prepared long lists of books to read on my flight to Africa, 

downloaded what I could 

{for free}

on my nook, and got audio books for my iPhone.

I had no idea how enticing the little TV screen on the back of the seat of the airplane could be!

Thankfully, I'm not much of a movie watcher, so there were seemingly limitless titles for me to veg out on.

I even watched some movies based on books that I had read.

The books are always better.

But alas, if you think my brain totally went to mush this summer, you would be wrong.

I did read a few things and while I started several books I didn't finish, 

the list below are the books that I would recommend.

from left to right, top to bottom

The One and Only by Emily Giffin

The Signature of All Things by Emily Gilbert

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Atlas Girl by Emily Wierenga

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett, John Perkins, Brian Fikkert

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Interrupted by Jen Hattmaker

If you haven't read these books yet, you should.

You will love them.

Anything you don't see on my list that I should add to my reading cue?

I'm always looking for a good book to read!

Share a book with Holy Craft. Things I've been reading and suggestions for books I should add to my list

It's been a few months since I shared with you what I have been reading.

I'm a big reader and with a trip in a few weeks with some girlfriends {to Hawaii!!!} I will need some help from you to add a few titles to my "to read" list.

Because I'm a giver, I thought I would share with you some of my favorites first and then you can comment below and share with me some of your favorites.  'k?

I've compiled a list of 10 books that I have read in the past few months that I think you should read too.

1. Orphan Train This book is my new go to book that I recommend to anyone who asks. I loved it!  It's a good mix of historical fiction with a story of today.  It's a story of an unlikely friendship and second chances.  You won't be disappointed with this book.
2. Living the Gospel in the Grey This book is a fantastic encouragement for how to live evangelism.  This book is written by our former campus pastor and isn't bogged down with theory that can get overwhelming but real life examples of living out the gospel.
3.Astronaut Wives Club An interesting look at the wives behind the spacemen, though not as in depth as I would have liked.  While it says that it's a true story, it doesn't seem like any of the wives were actually interviewed during the writing of this book but rather facts were gathered from research that she did.  Interesting none the less, though don't expect to know any more about the wives than what you would assume a wife of an astronaut would have gone through or been like.
4. Orange is the New Black This is a memoir of a woman you would least expect to find at a woman's prison serving a year.  It was interesting to me to get an inside look at a minimum security facility and the relationships that were formed while serving her time.
5. Loving Frank  Frank Lloyd Wright was an interesting man and while I learned a bit about his personal life, I found that I actually liked him less the more I got to know about him.  While this is fiction, there is fact mixed in to the story line.
6. These is My Words This book is written like a diary over the course of 20 years.  It is another book that I have taken to recommending to anyone who asks.  I loved the story of survival, love and coming of age and got even more excited to find that there are two more books in this series.  
7. Luke the gospel of amazement I am reading through this book with a group of friends as a sort of Bible study.  I love the way that Michael Card looks deeply at the context of the gospel of Luke, and uses historical details to interpret and understand the gospel of amazement.  If you can get through the preface {or skip it}, it's an incredible read.
8. One Way Love I have spent the past few months tackling legalism and going back to the heart of Christianity and the radical truth of the gospel.  This book is a wonderful look at grace and why we should be sharing grace with others.
9. Dad is Fat This book is written by a stand up comedian with five small children.  It's a great look at parenthood, and if you are in the thick of raising small children, you will easily relate.
10. Kisses from Katie As a parent, this was an extraordinary look at how we can support our children when they have been called to a different success then we envisioned for them.  It's the story of a young woman who is living a life of obedience for God and at the age of 22 had adopted 14 young girls in Uganda.  It's about breaking out of our comfort zones and looking at life outside of the United States.  It's a challenging and inspiring read.
Have you read any of the 10 I mentioned? What did you think?
These are a few of the books on my nightstand or in the que at the library: Boys in the Boat Happy Happy Happy Kicking and Dreaming Sarah's Quilt Star Garden Tell the Wolves I'm Home Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Jesus > Religion
Now it's your turn. What would you recommend? I would love to add a few titles to my list.

My picks for the 12 best books for boys

I'm a big reader.

In fact, I've shared with you a ton of my book recommendations over the past few years, but I don't think I have ever shared with you my recommendations for books for kids.

We do a lot of reading in our house

and it's translated into kids who love to read.

My youngest son {8} has been on a huge reading kick, so I thought I would share with you a few of the books that we have read together and some that he has read on his own.

All kid tested!

All would make perfect gifts this holiday season.

So pin this, and get your list started!

1. Treasure Hunters by James Patterson was a page turner.  My son would ask multiple times a day to sit down and snuggle just so we could read a few chapters.  Treasure Hunters is a story of four siblings raised on a boat whose parents are under sea treasure hunters.  The Kidd kids work together to solve the mystery that their father left them before being swept off of the boat in a storm.

2. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is probably one of my all time favorites!  I read it out loud with my son, we passed it on to my husband and then to my daughter.  Ivan is a story that has been inspired from a true local story of a silverback gorilla that was locked in captivity for 27 years.  It's told from Ivan's perspective and it's an interesting look at the relationship of humans and animals.

3. Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems is a story about a monster who isn't so good at being scary.  It's a picture book, but one we don't get tired of!

4. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke is a story of two orphaned brothers who run away to Venice and find a friend in the leader of the lost children that calls himself the Thief Lord.  The boys enter into a life of petty crime and end up with a detective hot on their trail.  But not for what you would think!

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney is a series that all three of my kids have devoured more than once!  It's a hard book to read out loud but it's a great book for the kids to get their feet wet with chapter books.

6. Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins...yes, the Suzanne Collins of The Hunger Games fame.  Gregor is a young boy in New York on a mission to find his father.  He falls into a grate in the laundry room of his apartment and falls into an underworld full of large bats, cockroaches and evil rats.  Through the series Gregor grows and matures as he faces new challenges and becomes a warrior in this Underland.

7. The Notebook of Doom by Troy Cummings is a new book series that we picked up last week at the Scholastic book fair.  Owen just ate the book up in one sitting, got the next book in the series from the library and finished that in record time too!  I just love a series that engages kids and gets them reading.  
8. The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon is a series that my husband and son keep coming back to.  My husband grew up on this series and my son is loving the many adventures that these brothers go on together.
9. Double Fudge by Judy Blume is one of my favorite books to read out loud to the kids.  In fact, I love the whole series!  Fudge is the hilarious kid brother of Peter Hatcher and the real life drama is something that all kids can relate to.
10. Holes by Louis Sachar follows a boy named Stanley who has unjustly been sent to a youth detention center where the boys have to dig holes all day in the hot sun as punishment.  It doesn't take long to figure out that there is more that is being looked for in digging these holes than just character improvement.  It's a great story with a fun twist on the curse that Stanley has been given by his Great Great Grandfather.
11.  Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park is hands down my favorite book series of all time!  The writing and improper use of grammar takes a bit to get used to as a reader, but once you can figure out how to read the books, Junie B. Jones is hilarious!  We can all relate to this outrageously sassy 7 year old.
12. The Dangerous Book for Boys by Hal Iggulden is the complete book of skills every boy should know.  From building a tree fort, to tying knots and learning to fish, this book has anything and everything your little man needs to know or might be interested in knowing about!
Those are my recommendations. Hopefully I found a book or two you can add to your gift list for that favorite little guy in your life. Do you have any you would add?

Books to Read

It's been a few months since I have done a Good Reads with Holy Craft, but I do have a few books that I would recommend for you. Get your lists ready! 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excecss I'm not a huge self help book reader.  I don't love to read devotionals just for fun, but the way that Jen Hatmaker writes this book makes for a fun quick read.  I would love to sit down and have coffee with her sometime!  It seems like we would be fast friends.  In fact, that's what it felt like you were reading.  A blog, written by a good friend.  This book will have you thinking about how you view your "stuff". God & Your Stuff We had a fantastic sermon at church about tithing.  Everyone's favorite subject!  And it had me instantly volunteering to teach some type of class at church on how we as Christians can be good stewards of our money.  I wanted to base it on my "Living Well on Less" series and found that this book was a good companion for that.  It was a great book for exploring the connection between our eternal souls and our earthly possessions. Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse I love this PBS series and have already recommended book one.  When I saw book two at the library, I snatched it up.  It's such a revealing glimpse into postwar London.  If you have watched the series many of the stories will be familiar to you.   The Secrets of Mary Bowser This book is super duper long.  I've had to renew it twice just to get through it!  At times the book drags on and probably could have been made into a series of books or even cut by a few hundred pages, but all in all, it's a really insightful look into the life of a freed slave during the time of  the Civil War.   Mary Bowser is a real individual who helped spy on the Confederate Army by pretending to be a slave. If you like historical fiction (the author took some liberties, so while it's a non-fiction character it's not all historically accurate) it's a fantastic book. My current read is Garlic and Sapphires  This is one of those books that got lost in the stacks.  It's older but totally worth the read.  It's an interesting look into the life of a food critic.  Ruth was a successful food critic in LA and made the move to New York. Ruth quickly realizes that anonymity is the key to a true food experience.  The red carpet gets rolled out for her when she poses as Ruth the food critic, but when she shows up in character, she has a whole different experience.  It's interesting to see the restaurant industry in a whole different light. What have you been reading? I want to add a few things to my request list at the library.

A few books to read

Between my trip to Maui, and Christmas break, I have been doing some reading the past few weeks. I have a few good books that you can add to your list. The Light Between Oceans  by M.L. Stedman I'm adding this book to my favorite books short list. It's a story about a lighthouse keeper and his wife who has suffered numerous miscarriages and still births, when one day a boat with a dead man and his infant daughter wash ashore. The couple is faced with the dilemma of what to do with the infant and the book explores the couples decision and how their decision effects numerous people. After I recommended Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn to you, I proceeded to read the other two books that the author has written.  I was not disappointed! Sharp Objects and Dark Places are two titles you should add to your list if you liked Gone Girl On a flight back from Maui, I saw several people reading Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo It was an amazing story of a little boys journey to heaven and back told by his pastor father. It gave me goosebumps! and finally, The Litigators by John Gisham It's the story of a young attorney tired of the long hours and stress of a large law firm.  After leaving his career, he finds himself working for some ambulance chasers and comes into his own as a lawyer.  It's a fascinating story that will keep you on your toes. Not my Daughter by Barbara Delinsky is the story of 17 year old Lily, whose mother is a single mom and principal of the High School.  Lily and several of her friends have made a pregnancy pact and her decision effects not only Lily, but the whole community.   So, what have you been reading? I would love to hear what you have to recommend.

Book recommendations for you

It's been a few months since I have posted my book recommendations. {If you are interested in seeing any of my past book recommendations click on the "reading" tab on my sidebar.}
Not because I haven't been reading, but because for the life of me I couldn't remember what books I had read!  Guess that's the problem with library books.  There isn't much of a trail!

I happened to be at Target today and walked down their "best sellers" aisle. If you ever want to know what to read next, just take a little detour down this aisle at Target. Seriously, it's what I do. My little stroll reminded me of some of the recent titles I have read and that I would recommend to you.   Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
For months people were recommending Gone Girl to me.  Being forever cheap, I had to wait for a few months to find it in my lucky day section at my library.  It finally was in {I was on the wait list, but I was number 567!} and I set aside the new J.K. Rowling's book {sorry, just couldn't get into it}, to dig into this book.
I immediately was engrossed.  While I am still about 100 pages from the end of the book, every little guess I had about "who done it" has flown out the window with twists and turns and surprising revelations.  As you can guess, it is a mystery novel written about a husband and wife who are experiencing marital difficulties.  The wife goes missing on the couple's fifth wedding anniversary and every clue points toward the husband's involvement.  It's a book that is hard to put down, and I know you will love it too!
    Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
A terrible accident forces a family that has been torn apart to come together and make a tough decision.  Family secrets, a father's obsession, a runaway son and an ex-wife are all brought together to make a hard choice that they will all have to live with in the end.  It will have you wondering what you would do in the same situation.
Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
I'm not usually a fan of Emily Giffin's work, but actually found myself engrossed in this novel.  A 36 year old New York resident and TV producer is forced to revisit her past decision of placing her now 18 year old daughter for adoption years ago.  Both women take a journey together to find out what they have been missing in each other's lives and have a chance to come to terms with where each of them belong. 
  Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Just beyond the luxury hotels in Mumbai is a community called Annawadi.  Annawadi is a slum and during the book you are introduced to several hopeful members of the community.  The glimpse inside the life of a garbage sorter and the injustices of the cast system are eye opening.  It's a well written book with painful real life truths about this community.  
Just in case curling up with a good book doesn't sound as good as sitting down by the fire and getting lost in a television show, then I want to recommend my new favorite show to you. PBS has done it again {no need to have cable!} with the series Call the Midwife. Call the Midwife is an intimate look into nursing and midwifery in 1950's East London. The show follows a community of midwives that live with an order of nursing nuns.

You can catch up on any episode that you have missed here. I haven't watched Downtown Abby, but I'm told if you like that series, you will like this one.   So, what are you reading {or watching} now? Anything you would recommend?

A few good reads. Rachel's book selections just for you!

So it's been a few months since I posted Good Reads with Holy Craft.I guess I haven't been reading much. Or maybe I wasn't reading anything worth sharing.Whatevs
Today, I finally have a few good reads to share with you.
Wild Things The Art of Nurturing Boysby Stephen James and David Thomas
This book was recommended to me by a friend of mine (thanks Jenny) and mom of three very active little boys.  It's a LONG book (took me longer than I would like to admit to read through it) that is written by two therapists who are also fathers raising five sons.It's got lots of practical advice and addresses the various stages of development broken down by age group, focusing on the physical, spiritual and emotional parts of boys.Not a beach read, but definitely worth reading if you are raising young men.
**as a side note, my daughter saw the book on my nightstand and was confused by the fancy font on the title.  She read the title out loud questioningly asking "the art of neutering boys???"
As much as I love books, I also love encouraging reading in my kids.
One of my favorite series by far is Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park.

The first time I picked up a Junie B. Jones book I didn't get it.  The grammar and misspellings threw me off.But after I read it in the tone of a 6 year old, it has by far been our favorite series to read with the kids.The humor in the Junie B. series keeps both my husband and I on our toes and often times has us laughing out loud.I add this book series to my list because for the past few months, we have been re reading through the entire series with our younger two kids and loving story time each night.
My Name is Mary Sutterby Robin Oliveira My Name is Mary Sutter is a historical novel following a young midwife determined to be a surgeon in a time when having a woman in medicine was unheard of.  This book follows Mary's career as she leaves home and travels to Washington DC to help the wounded men in the Civil war.
The Best of Meby Nicholas Sparks I'm not normally one to like this type of love story, but I needed an easy read to get my mojo back and thought this book might do the trick. The Best of Me is a Romeo and Juliet type love story with the High School sweethearts reconnecting after a 25 year separation.  Unfortunately, 25 years of separation includes a marriage by one of the lovers, which in turn leads to infidelity.  Then after the infidelity, the book becomes very predictable.  Sorry peeps, one of those books I read but wouldn't recommend.
One For The Moneyby Janet Evanovich I have had several friends recommend the Stephanie Plum novel series to me, but hadn't paid much attention until I found it on my library shelf one day and thought I would give it a try.  One for the Money follows Stephanie Plum on her new job as a bounty hunter trying to capture a local vice cop.  She has no experience and has lots to learn.  It's a good easy beach read to add to your summer reading list.
So, that's what I've been reading.  What have you been reading?

Good Reads for February

Welcome to what has become a monthly feature here at Holy Craft.

You can read some of the past selections here.

January

December

July

This month I read

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
It's the story of Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley as they fall in love, get married and move to Paris in the twenties.  A very interesting glimpse into their life.  Definitely worth reading.


I also read


A Love That Multiplies by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar
Since we don't have cable, I catch up on old episodes of 19 Kids and Counting at the gym.
It's really the only reason I do 45 minutes of cardio 4-5 days a week.
I love the Duggar family.
It's a very insightful look into their family and amidst all of the criticism their family receives
this book is a good explanation of their very purposeful parenting.



The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Such a sweet book written from the perspective of the family dog.  If you are an animal lover, it's totally worth picking up.

It's been a slow reading month so I thought I would also review a few books that I have read in the past but hadn't talked about yet.




Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
I read this book last year on a recommendation from a friend.  It was a bit of a slow read, but it was a good story that I still remember quite well, so obviously it stuck with me.  I think this summary  from google puts it the best:

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution.  Moving from Addis Ababa to New York City and back again, Cutting for Stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miracles—and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
This book has recently been turned into a movie.  I didn't think it was the best book I have ever read, but it was an interesting story line.
Here's what amazon says about it:

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life. 




Spring break is quickly approaching so I thought I would mention a few other books that I enjoyed.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford


Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman


Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

I would love to hear some of your picks.  Stump me, I read a lot!