Perfect Summer Craft - My Friendship Bracelet Maker Review and Giveaway

UPDATE: According to Random.org, our winner is number 26! Congrats to Stephanie for winning!!! And Thank you to all the fab peeps that entered. Check the rest of the giveaway ongoing right now.

When I was in high school, Friendship bracelets were a huge thing. I remember making a lot of them back then and how my sisters and I enjoyed making them to the despair of my mom. See, she's an embroiderer, so of course, have an abundance of various colored threads! And you know what that means for thread-thirsty kids who are keen in creating tons of friendship bracelets. Ah, those were good times...

Lucky for me, I get to relive those great memories and pass on the fun to my daughter without the complexity of making them. Back then, I used to put strands of thread together just to make one thick strand. I also use to pin the knotted end between my toes to hold it in place whenever I create my bracelets. How "barbaric" it have been back then! But thanks to the My Friendship Bracelet Maker. It made the whole process easy. My FBM is a kit which was recently a huge hit at the 2010 New York Toy show and is now available at Michael's and retails for $19.99.


4 Features I like about this kit :

a) Ingenuity - The butterfly clip that holds the knotted end is adjustable which makes it easier to gauge the length of the bracelet according to your preference. The slots are the best selling feature to this kit! It holds and separate each threads which makes it quite easy to follow what thread comes next. Definitely eliminates confusion!

b) Functionality - The slide-out drawer which holds 56 pre-cut 60 inch threads in 14 different colors makes organizing and storing threads very easy. And all in one nifty place too. Very useful for kids who are messy and can't keep track of their stuffs.

c) Design - Definitely attractive! It captured the flair and color that girls like. The pink and purple colors were no-brainers since they're the popular favorite colors of girls of all ages, topped that with the dainty butterfly clip! No wonder my daughter immediately loved it just by it's look.

d) Compact - Handy and small enough for travels.We're going on a road trip next month and this definitely qualifies as a great road trip entertainment for my daughter.

My only complain:  The butterfly clip has no locking mechanism which makes it annoying at times when you're trying to tighten a knot or pulling the thread to eliminate the slack. The clip kept moving forward. This is especially frustrating for beginners like my daughter who is trying to learn the art. Maybe My FBM might consider this feature in the next model.

Overall verdict: I think the kit is a keeper. Though I was a little rusty, I enjoyed making a bracelet for my daughter. Kids and tweens will definitely love this kit. And with summer coming so quick, this will make for a great craft project option for them.

Win it! One lucky reader will win one MY FBM to enjoy!

Make sure to follow Mandatory Entry to be entered:

Mandatory Entry:

• Follow Zen MamaVentures publicly on Google Friend Connect
• Visit My FBM and Leave a comment here telling us which bracelet design you would want to try.

Extra Entries: (please leave separate comment for each entry)

• Subscribe to Zen MamaVentures RSS
• Follow me on Twitter: @MaricrisG and Tweet about this giveaway : Great Summer Craft for Tweens! Enter to win Friendship Bracelet Maker @MYFBM kit via @MaricrisG http://bit.ly/bus0IE
• Follow me on Facebok 
• Grab my button and link back to me
• Become a Fan of Zen MamaVentures on Facebook 
• Add my Zen MamaVentures to your blogroll
• Blog about this giveaway (3 entries - leave a link)
• Subscribe to Zen MamaVentures via email

Deadline: Wednesday, June 11th, 2010 @ 12:00AM EST. You must leave your email address so I can notify you if you win. Winner will be announced no later than Friday, June 14th . Random.org will be used to select winner. Open to US addresses only, 18 years and older. Winner will have 24 hours to response or another winner will be drawn. My FBM will ship the item to the winner.

Good luck everyone!



** My FBM provided a kit for this review and sponsored the giveaway **