We don't often struggle for ideas to fill our summer holidays because Lara and Holly are both incredibly crafty. Most days I could plonk them down in the front room with a new craft activity and they would while away hours making hand-made creations. This summer, Lara is very much into making trinkets and gifts for her friends and so the Cool Cardz Scratcheez kit is proving a hit.
The Cool Cardz Scratcheez kit from Flair helps your children make little laminated cards to fill any need that they can dream up - secret membership cards for their own little club, VIP passes for special events, party invites, thank you cards or simply a token of friendship to share with one another. Lara has even used these Cool Cardz to make laminated gifts for her teachers for the end of term.
This Cool Cardz kit comes with a set of boho-chic themed cards on which you can draw and write whatever message you fancy and adorn it with stickers (there are a few included). Each card also has a laminate wallet. Use the special roller to cover the card with laminate and turn it into a professional looking card that you can share with others. Lara enjoyed using the laminator once she had worked out how firmly she had to hold it, and how hard to had to pull to get the laminate to stay in place (it's actually very forgiving if you get it wrong you can just about get away with peeling it off and starting again).
But the Scratcheez kit for these Cooll Cardz includes another special touch that can turn your cards into a special message. Use the secret message stickers to cover over your design and allow its recipient to scratch it off to reveal the message - there is a scratching tool included but I think a coin would also work.
Our favourite part of the whole kit is the magical rainbow-coloured scratch-off stickers which appear black until you scratch them off to reveal a rainbow design. We all think they're a rather striking addition to a card. You can also finish off your card with sparkly boho-chic stickers of sparkly gem stones.
The handy laminator gadget also doubles up as a storage bag - there is space for all the gards and accessories, including the ring-shaped stampers. I can't see Lara using it as a handbag, but its a handy place to keep all the cards whether they are waiting to be made, or ready for handing out to friends and family.
The Cool Cardz Scratcheez kit costs around £19.99. It is great to know that you can buy refill packs with more Cool Cardz, laminating pouches, stickers and gems - it means that the kit isn't finished when you finish the first pack of cards - refills cost around £7.99.
If, like me, you have small creative people who can't get enough of making things, then they can join the Cool Create Club for free for creative ideas for the summer holidays at www.coolcreateclub.co.uk. Other Cool Cardz themed sets include Shopkins, Chic Boutique and Frozen.
