Monday, November 16, 2009

My Friendship Bracelet Maker {Review}

When I remember back to sixth grade, I remember three things.

One, we had Journal Time every day and I could never think of anything to write about. How exciting is life for a 12-year-old? Two, I got a really short haircut that I liked... until one particular mean kid teased me mercilessly saying that I looked like a boy, which made me cry. Three, you just weren't cool unless you had friendship bracelets. You had to not only be wearing them, but pretty much at all times had to have the makings of one safety pinned on the leg of your jeans so that you could work on it at any free moment.

I never really knew how to make any of the interesting patterned friendship bracelets, but I still loved tying those tiny knots and watching the colored threads turn into any young girl's beloved jewelry. What was difficult, however, was figuring out a place to put the unfinished friendship bracelet so that it wouldn't get ruined or damaged before I had a chance to finish it, as well as storing all of the threads so that they didn't end up in a tangled pile.


The creative people over at Crorey Creations have come up with the perfect solution for all of the Tweens out there that are just like I was. My Friendship Bracelet Maker (MFBM) is an innovative way to not only have a designated place to make friendship bracelets (no more little holes in my jeans!) but it provides a convenient holder to store and neatly organize your threads.

The perfect gift for girls 6 and up, MFBM has a cute butterfly clip and string holder that are not only a great way to hold your creation while you are making it, but they allow you to stop your work at any time and know that when you come back to pick it up things will be just as you left them. As a huge bonus, MFBM even comes with 56 precut threads (individually wrapped so that they are ready to use right away) in 14 different colors to get you started crafting your own friendship bracelets.

Since sixth grade was, well, decades ago, it has definitely been a long time since I made a friendship bracelet. However, both Big Sister E and Little Sister B were intrigued with MFBM and eager for me to get it out and show them how it worked.

Worried that I wouldn't remember how to even begin, I appreciated the step-by-step instructions (with pictures) that MFBM provides right on their website. In fact, they even have short video tutorials for those of us who like to visually follow along and see the motions in action. If you're not near a computer when it comes time to make a friendship bracelet, no worries. There is also a small instruction sheet that comes along with it to help get you started.

After watching a few refresher courses on MFBM, I felt as though I was prepared to take a trip back to my youth. Big Sister E carefully selected the colors that she wanted in her bracelet and I had no problem getting them tied and set in their designated places in the holder. As I began, I had a few problems with the butterfly clip not holding the top in place, but after adjusting it once or twice so the grips caught the knot better, I was off.

In the end, I felt as though there were major benefits to using My Friendship Bracelet Maker. It was much easier to not have to find a place to attach the bracelet while working on it and I was able to stop and start many times without worry of the strings being tangled or twisted when I returned. The string holder allowed for plenty of space between each string and kept them in place without making it difficult to remove or replace them.

At $24.95 per kit (which includes free shipping to anywhere in the continental US), the My Friendship Bracelet Maker makes a great gift for the young girls in your life. I imagine that if I had used one as a kid, there would have been far less frustration over knots or tape during car rides, plane trips or sleepovers. To see MFBM in action, to order one of your own or to see their list of retail locations, visit their website. You can also keep up with them on Twitter or Facebook.

As for me, I was happy to have made a token of affection for my little friend. Thanks for that, My Friendship Bracelet Maker. You too, Mail Carrier. Couldn't have done it if you hadn't brought this unique item up to my door.


(Other than the My Friendship Bracelet Maker that I was sent, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my opinion of this product and its uses.)

4 comments:

Mandee said...

How cool! :)

Tanya said...

Very Neat. I remember the friendship bracelets, you couldn't take them off they had to fall off. The product looks cool, but its just not the same.
Tanya

Anonymous said...

I want not agree on it. I think warm-hearted post. Specially the designation attracted me to read the intact story.

Unknown said...

my niece would love that

knickgirl_3 at yahoo dot com