An embarrassingly long time ago, Quirk Books sent us a review copy of Pom-Poms!: 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects (affiliate link). I had agreed to review the book because I thought craft-loving seven-year-old Emma would enjoy it, and I was right! So right, in fact, that she ran off with it as soon as it came in the mail, and then it took us a few weeks to find it. You wouldn’t think that a book could stay lost for so long in my small house, but then again my ERGObaby carrier has been missing for over two weeks now, and it is much larger! And more devastating, since non-walking Anna lives in it when we’re out and about. We’re off to borrow my sister-in-law’s tomorrow…
Back to pom-poms! This book is incredible. It will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about pom-poms, and more. It has ideas of how to make pom-poms out of just about every material imaginable, and it has some very cute projects – like the hedge hogs on the cover, and the pom-pom pinata that Emma and I will maybe/hopefully get made for her eighth birthday party (how is it possible that I will soon have an eight-year-old???)
The book shares all sorts of different ways of making pom-poms. Emma decided to go with this Clover Large Pom Pom Maker (affiliate link) that we already owned from a previous pom pom project. I had used it, but she hadn’t. She was able to follow the instructions in the book (the pom-pom maker actually doesn’t really come with very good instructions, so the book was very helpful!) to make this pom-pom out of some of her Kool-Aid dyed yarn!
Four-year-old Lily was so impressed with Emma’s pom-pom that she decided to give it a go! Lily loves tiny things, and so it was no surprised to me that she chose to use a fork (following instructions in the book – a technique I had not seen before, but that works really well!) to make some tiny little pom-poms!
Lily doesn’t read, but she was able to look at the pictures and get some help from me to make a bunch of white “snowflake” pom-poms that are now decorating our tree. So pretty! Looking at this photo, I want to try hanging them with fishing line next time for a more magical effect!
Is this a book you and your kids would enjoy? Do you hyphenate the word “Pom-Pom”?
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Love the pom poms! They look great on your tree. Oh, and by the way, thanks for ordering some Christmas ornaments!
We are not that crafty around here. I think my kids would like to make pom poms but we probably will never do that. Lily’s ornament turned out great though!
That sounds like a title I’ll be requesting from the library after the holidays, though the tiny pom ornaments are adorable. I don’t need yet another holiday craft this year…. But I have loads of yarn scraps that the kids already enjoy playing with and this seems like a fun way to stretch that.
Absolutely! It tells how you can make pom poms out of non-yarn materials, also – there are some very cool ideas in the book!
Oh no! I feel for you with the ergo!!! I love the pom-pom ornaments and I agree with you that they would be even more lovely hung with fishing line. Your girls are so crafty!
I was able to borrow my sister-in-law’s ERGO today, and it was SO nice to have one again! Still holding out hope that mine will show up, but I think it must have, somehow, gotten left somewhere.
Wow totally not what I was expecting! I didn’t think that the kids would actually be making the pom poms (and instead thought about gluing them on paper or something). Very cute :)
That’s a great pom pom activity, too! We play with pom poms in our sensory bin all the time, but I haven’t made time to blog about our sensory bin yet!
How fun! Your girls – and the pom-poms (yes, I guess I do hyphenate it) they made are so sweet!! What a terrific tree decoration.
There really is something sweet about pom-poms – and little girls!
I love both there Poms Poms :) And I hope you find your Ergo soon, it is ok – it is the same here, so don’t feel embarrassed :)
Thanks, Veens! I really hope I find it soon…
I’ve got about 4 Christmas presents I sewed hidden somewhere in this house. The kids “put them away,” which means stashed them somewhere I can’t find.
I’ve had mixed results with pom pom crafts, some have been really cute, but most have glue problems.
These don’t use any glue, but I can see how if you were trying to glue them onto something that would be tricky!
Good luck finding your presents!
I understand things going missing in a small space! I can’t seem to find my maternity clothes. It drives me crazy that things get lost/misplaced in such a small space. We’ll be searching for them this weekend. I also frequently lose my cell phone, but I also never have the volume on, so it makes it harder to find it when I call it.
It looks like the girls had a good time with pom poms. Great review!
Thanks, Jessica! I hope you have better luck finding your maternity clothes than I have had finding my ERGO carrier!
They had a great time with this book, and there are several other projects in the book we plan to try!
Your girls are so very crafty! I’d be shocked if Smarty did even one project – this is why we usually borrow craft books from the library instead of owning them. Hopefully you will find your Ergo after all!
I’m still looking for it…
I was a kid who ADORED craft books, and my girls seem to have inherited that :)
Oh yes, I had my set of keys lost for over 2 weeks… and when I grabbed my Ergo… jingle jagngle, there they were! My goodness, these ERGOs! :)
I guess I should be grateful that it is the ERGO I am missing and not my keys!
This sounds just like a book for Quinn!! Thanks! I was actually looking a Debbie Bliss knitting book of mine and thought, ” Oh, I could manage the snow.white pom-pom garland or have Quinn do it.” So, this book fits perfectly.
I love having kids old enough to make projects from craft books!