Crafterina Ballerina Book and Materials Review

The giveaway has now ended. But please check out my review and ideas for ways to use Crafterina materials in the post below.

(Note: I received a copy of each of the downloads offered in the giveaway in exchange for my review. My opinions are honest and my own. This post also contains a Montessori Services affiliate link.)

I have a lot of fond ballet memories as a parent of a dancer, and I know how much young dancers appreciate materials that fit with their artistic interests.

My daughter, Christina, was obsessed with dance from an early age, and she appreciated anything dance related. (Note: We followed Christina’s interests, and she trained in dance for years, becoming an international ice dance medalist and professional ice dancer/skating coach/choreographer. She still loves dance!) My daughter collected ballet books, and I have no doubt that she would have loved the Crafterina Ballerina book and materials.

How I Learned about Crafterina

I first discovered Crafterina through a Google search for materials for my post on Montessori-Inspired Music Appreciation: Carnival of the Animals. I used Crafterina’s Carnival of the Animals Puppet Theater, which I loved … it was easy to put together and perfect for what I needed. (I had put previously together a post on Montessori-Inspired Music Appreciation: Swan Lake that the Swan Lake Puppet Theater in this giveaway would have been perfect for.)

Later, I used Crafterina’s Tortoise and Hare Mask Set for my Montessori Inspired Activities for the Tortoise and the Hare.

The Creator of Crafterina

Crafterina’s creator is professional dancer and visual artist, Vanessa Salgado. If you have a young dancer, you’ll especially enjoy reading the Crafterina About Page.

Here’s the profile for Crafterina Ballerina on Etsy:

New York City based, Crafterina is an Educational Resource & Online Boutique Specializing in Creative and Whimsical Crafts for Young Dancers and their Parents…

The ultimate goal of Crafterina is for children to experience the pure enjoyment of art making & imaginative play. Combining music, dance & visual art in one, young people are empowered to make their dreams come to life!

Awesome goals!

On her Crafterina website, Vanessa has tutorials for making lovely dance crafts along with some dance resources.

You can follow Crafterina on Facebook at Crafterina Ballerina and Continuum Contemporary/Ballet. You can also follow Crafterina on Twitter and Pinterest. You’ll find optional entries for following Crafterina on the Rafflecopter form!

The Crafterina Ballerina Downloads in the Giveaway

I put together a copy of each of the downloads. They sometimes required fairly delicate cutting but were simple to prepare. I really enjoy Vanessa’s artwork, and I’m always happy with how the materials look assembled.

Both the book and downloads would be great for summer fun for ballet lovers. I know I used to spend hours and hours playing with paper dolls, especially during the summer. The Crafterina Ballerina materials would all be fun summer activities (or activities for any season).

Many of the downloads would be wonderful for outdoor summer play under a tree.

The Crafterina Ballet Flashcards work well as a concentration game or for matching. You just have to print out two sets. Or you could use one set for a movement activity. The flash cards are the only material I laminated. The other materials were easiest to assemble if they were just printed on cardstock and then cut out and assembled. (The blue rug is a small hemmed work rug from Montessori Services.)

 

The Crafterina Shadow Puppet Theater would be awesome outdoors or indoors at night … lots of fun with a flashlight! It would be especially fun for camping or sleepovers. 11 different shadow puppets come with the set, so it’s very versatile.

The Playtime Tableau Set needs still conditions, so it’s definitely best used indoors. There are twice as many ballerinas in the set as shown in my photo, so a young dancer can gain experience as a choreographer putting together different scenes.

Products the Winner Will Receive

 Crafterina Children’s Book

Crafterina children’s book is written & illustrated by Vanessa Salgado with Donna Salgado. An autographed copy sells for $14.99 (You can purchase the book and playtime tableau set together for $20.00). You can buy the book through Amazon or iTunes. If you purchase from Crafterina, your copy will not only be autographed, but you can match the complexion of your child. In addition to the version shown in the image, you can order Dark Complexion Crafterina, Brunette Complexion Crafterina, Olive Complexion Crafterina, Golden Complexion Crafterina, or Blonde Complexion Crafterina. If you win the giveaway, you may choose the complexion for your Crafterina book.

Here’s the Crafterina book description from the Crafterina Etsy Shop.

The Story:
Crafterina is a little ballerina who loves to create and dance! In the afternoon she first makes her craft and then she is free to prance! By using her imagination and her heart (and a little craft glue!) she is able to make her dreams come true! She dances in all of her adventures! She loves reading, playdates, pretending, butterflies, creating, crafting, tutus, cupcakes, daydreaming, and of course, dancing in her Saturday morning ballet class!

The Message:
CREATE YOUR DREAM

If you’d like to know more about the book and see inside a copy, check out Crafterina on Amazon.

Playtime Tableau Set

The Playtime Tableau Set sells for $7.50 from the Crafterina Etsy Shop. If you purchase the Crafterina children’s book and Playtime Tableau together, you only need to pay $20.00 total.

Playtime Tableau Set description from Crafterina Etsy Shop:

The Playtime Tableau Set is designed for children to learn how patterns and formations are made on stage! Inspire your child to make creative decisions just like a choreographer! Crafterina crafts are designed to engage the mind and inspire the imagination to create original moving art!

Kit Includes:
-Printable Tableau Backdrop
-12 Printable Crafterina characters

Crafterina Paper Doll

I love that you can purchase more than one variation of the Crafterina Paper Doll. Both the Crafterina Paper Doll and the Crafterina Dark Complexion Paper Doll are $5.50. If you win, be sure to let me know if you prefer the dark complexion paper doll. The Crafterina paper doll includes possible Nutcracker tutus.

Crafterino Paper Doll

This is another Crafterina material I really appreciate … the Crafterino Paper Doll in recognition of male ballet dancers. It’s only $3.50.

Description from the Crafterina Etsy Shop:

Meet Crafterina’s little brother, Crafterino!

Boys can dance too! Inspire young boys to dance ballet! Dance is for everyone!

Kit includes paper doll, two different outfits, and two different pairs of ballet shoes.

Printable Ballet Flash Cards

The Crafterina Ballet Flashcards don’t need to be used as flashcards. I printed out two sets and put together a concentration game. (I just used 10 pairs rather than the 18 pairs in the flashcards.) The flashcards would also be great for matching or used as movement command cards.

If you want more than one set, it works well to purchase the printable Crafterina Ballet Flashcards for $5.50. If you just need one set, you can order Printed Ballerina Flashcards for $5.50.

Ballet Class Puppet Theater

The Crafterina Ballet Class Puppet Theater is $4.50.

Description from the Crafterina Etsy Shop:

Download Includes:
-Theater PDF
-3 Ballerina Paper Puppet Templates
-Dance Studio Backdrop with Piano, Ballet Barre, Waterbottle, Wand, & Shoes
-Blank Backdrop template for your child to design their own ballet too!
-Instructions

Swan Lake Puppet Theater

The Crafterina Swan Lake Puppet Theater is $4.50.

Description from the Crafterina Etsy Shop:

Download Includes:
-Theater PDF & Directions
-Odette Ballerina Paper Puppet
-Odile Ballerina Paper Puppet
-Swan Queen Paper Puppet
-Swan Lake Ballet Backdrop
-Blank Backdrop template for your child to design their own ballet set!
-Instructions

Shadow Puppet Theater

The Crafterina Shadow Puppet Theater is $4.50.

Description from the Crafterina Etsy Shop:

Download Includes:
-Theater PDF & Directions
-Ballerina Paper Puppet Silhouette
-Fairy Princess Paper Puppet Silhouette
-Castle Paper Puppet Silhouette
-Fairy Tale Paper Puppet Silhouette Page
-Blank Backdrop template for your child to design their own ballet set!
-Instructions
*Great as a gift, for long road trips, or ballerina sleepover parties!

Giveaway Details:

What You Will Win: 1 lucky winner worldwide will win the Crafterina Ballerina Book and 7 Ballet Printables with a value of approximately $50!

Who is Eligible:

This giveaway is open to anyone 18 and older worldwide. The first entry is mandatory. You must leave a blog post comment telling why you want to win the Crafterina Ballerina book and materials (and be sure to click the green “ENTER” on the Rafflecopter form to let me know you left your blog post comment and to open up the optional entries)! After you’ve completed your mandatory entry, there are lots of optional entries. You have many chances to win! (Note: For the extra entries, you may count ways of following that you already do. For example, if you previously “liked” Living Montessori Now on Facebook, you may still count that for your “like” Living Montessori Now on Facebook entry!)

It’s easy to enter giveaways with Rafflecopter! Just follow the directions to enter.If you still have questions about the Rafflecopter form, here’s a 52-second video with quick directions for entering through Rafflecopter. (Note: The Rafflecopter form has been loading slowly lately. Please just wait for it to load. It’ll appear right under the line with the smiley face. If this form doesn’t work for you, you can also sign up on the Rafflecopter form at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page. Just be sure to leave your blog comment here!)

You must complete the Mandatory Entry to qualify for any additional entries. The giveaway closes 10:00pm MST on Wednesday, June 5. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UPDATE:

It’s Thursday morning, June 6. I really appreciated the 713 entries. A winner has been selected using Random.org through Rafflecopter!

The winner of the Crafterina Ballerina book and materials (ARV $50) is Dorothy T!

I’m so happy for Dorothy, who had multiple entries! (Note: Dorothy, you have 48 hours to respond to my email, or a new winner will be chosen.)

The comment for Dorothy’s mandatory entry (why she wanted to win) said:

“I have 5 granddaughters who are always looking for something different to do and this would be wonderful, I have printed out and make paper dolls for them and they loved it, they love to wear their tutus and do twirls and fancy poses this would be fun for them.”

CONGRATULATIONS, Dorothy!!! A HUGE THANK YOU to Crafterina for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway – and thank you to everyone who entered!

But that’s not all! Crafterina is giving a coupon code for my readers for 15% off all items in the Crafterina Ballerina Etsy shop. The code is BALLETCRAFT. The coupon is valid through Wednesday, June 19th, 10pm EST.

And, always, thanks so much to all my blog sponsors!

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