Wednesday, October 31, 2012

My Image Bracelet Maker {Review & Giveaway}

My Image Bracelet Maker logo
When I think back to the popular fads when I was in sixth grade, I think of slap bracelets, the introduction of Nike's shoes that could be pumped up, and making friendship bracelets during any and all free time.

While the craze over the first two lessened as time went on, I'm pretty sure we had those bundles of embroidery thread safety pinned to the knees of our jeans for most of the year (and probably into the next). There was just something about giving a handmade, custom, affordable gift to your friend that couldn't be compared... and, receiving a bracelet and knowing that your buddy had put in so much time and effort made it all the more special!

Fast-forward to this generation, and it almost seems foreign that kids would focus on something that doesn't require a charger, plug or batteries. Fortunately, there are companies like Choose Friendship that offer creative ways for kids to show their bond with friends or siblings, while displaying kindness, affection and thoughtfulness. Thank goodness!

Choose Friendship

From friendship bracelets to ribbon barrettes and more, the Choose Friendship Company combines simple crafting techniques into their ever-expanding product line to allow kids to engage in self-expression while promoting the message of friendship.

So, while I was familiar with the idea of making a bracelet out of little knots or winding pretty ribbon on a hair clip, even I was intrigued with the unique idea of making jewelry featuring your own custom pictures. But that was exactly what we were able to do with the arrival of the My Image Bracelet Maker!

My Image Bracelet Maker

Designed for ages 6 and up, the My Image Bracelet Maker is one of Choose Friendship's new releases that is sure to please any creative young minds.

Coming complete with images, tiles, elastic, a cutting mechanism and more, all it takes is an imagination and a little bit of time to assemble a personalized, one-of-a-kind masterpiece. As an added bonus, all of the parts and pieces store safely right in the Bracelet Maker so that they are never lost or in danger of spilling out.

My Image Bracelet Maker review

Big Sister E and Little Sister B were immediately excited about the prospect of designing and creating a bracelet that would truly represent themselves and it wasn't long before we were getting started.

After Big Sister E selected the colored tiles that she liked best (they are included in six different colors)...

tiled bracelet

...we measured the elastic bands around her wrist to see just how long the bracelet should be for the best fit.

elastic bracelet

After popping the tiles onto the elastic bands, it was time for Big Sister E to decide on what images to use to make jewelry that would be all her own.

I love that the My Image Bracelet Maker not only comes with six pages of preprinted image cards featuring letters, icons, animals, food, flowers and much more...

My Image Bracelet Maker images

...but that you can actually use just about any pictures that you choose. Select your own photographs, magazine pictures, internet images, drawings — whatever your heart desires!

My Image Bracelet Maker even includes easy-to-use online software that allows kids to upload and crop their favorite photos, then simply print them from a home printer (or send them to a local photo processing center) so that the options are pretty much limitless.

When it comes to cutting out the images, I also appreciate that the My Image Bracelet Maker includes an enclosed cutting mechanism right on the top.

My Image Bracelet Maker cutting mechanism

Simply place the image of your choosing right into the box (which helps show exactly what will be cut), and push down on the yellow lever on the side. The cutter safely trims your picture to precisely the right size to fit on the tiles, while small fingers never come into contact with a blade. Perfect!

craft bracelet

After Big Sister E had cut out all of her images and arranged them in the order of her choosing, it was time to use the included child-safe glue stick to adhere them to each of the tiles.

image bracelet

As these colorful tiles are reversible, we then flipped the bracelet over and she was able to affix images to the other side for a completely new look!

Once the tiles were finished, I simply tied the elastic strings together and trimmed the excess. While I attempted to use the included Knot Key Tool to slide the knots into one of the tiles to keep them hidden, I found that simply pulling on the strings also did the trick (although you definitely have to be careful to not pull the knots out, as then the tiles end up sliding off and the trimmed elastic is difficult to thread back through).

After repeating the process with Little Sister B, we set the bracelets aside to dry... although both girls were more than excited to get to wear them right away. We did find that the glue didn't end up holding some of the images on and we needed to reapply a few more layers, but it wasn't long before we were ready to show off our finished creations!

Choose Friendship My Image Bracelet Maker

Too cute!

The girls love the way that the elastic strings make these bracelet easy to slip on and off and being able to flip them over to have a totally different look on the other side ends up with twice the fun. Similar to a charm bracelet that tells a story, these Image Bracelets have a way of inspiring and telling all about the owner. Plus, what a great gift to give to a favorite friend to let them know that you care about their interests!

Sold in the Mindware catalog and online at Mindware.com, the My Image Bracelet Maker retails for $29.99 and refill kits (sold separately) sell for $12.95. To find out more about this innovative new product (it has already won the Creative Child Magazine Kids Product of the Year Award 2012 in the Creative Play-Accessories Category!) visit the My Image Bracelet Maker website.

And, thanks to the generosity of Choose Friendship, one person will soon have a great gift for the crafty kid in their life as well, because...

One lucky person will win a My Image Bracelet Maker!


(Enter with the Rafflecopter form below. If you have any questions or problems entering, there is a video tutorial found here that can help.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A big thank you to Choose Friendship for providing a My Image Bracelet Maker for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.   

129 comments:

Kayla said...

I would love to have a cupcake on mine :).

Carolyn said...

I would put a ladybug on it for my little girl

Carolyn said...

I would love to send the fall splendor bouquet

Emily N said...

My daughter would like a cupcake.

Lori Thomas said...

I`d like a book on mine

Danielle M. said...

Love that you can add photographs :)

wigget said...

cupcake

Sandy VanHoey said...

I would love for my granddaughters (twins) with an image of each of them since you can put your own photos on this

Jenny Stanek said...

A heart that says Mom :)

orangestar17(at)hotmail(dot)com

jmajor4870 said...

i would love one of our new puppy

Wild N Mild $$$ said...

I'd like one of my grandson with his Dad teaching him to ride a bike.

Jennifer Rote
wildnmild4u at yahoo dot com

SueZH said...

I love my flowers

apple blossom said...

heart

susie said...

luv hearts and flowers. thx

Jackie said...

I'd like a dog on mine!
Thank you!

Unknown said...

I would love to have a cupcake

julie said...

#1 MOM !!!! would be my image that I would like to see

Unknown said...

I would like a kitty

john said...

If i win it will be donated to a hildrens charity...I have no favorite

Sndrdee said...

I would like the dolphin on mine!

KayeDean said...

I would like a sunflower

Chelsea said...

I'd like a picture of each of my kids :)

Terra Heck said...

My step-daughter would like an image of a monkey or the Coca-Cola logo. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I would love to have a cupcake! Thanks so much for the fantastic giveaway!
Reneewalters3@yahoo.com

natalie rose machowski said...

I would love to have a four leaf clover on mine.

Michelle said...

I would like images of my kids! Thanks for the chance to win!
mrsmchappell at gmail dot com

Ann Fantom said...

I would like to have an image of my daughter.

abfantom at yahoo dot com

ariannasma216 said...

My kids and pets

kimi said...

id love to have a snail on mine

Julie L said...

a soccer ball

Dave said...

my daughter would use flowers and butterflies...if she made one for me< i hope it iskind of masculine!
Entered as Davis

bison61 said...

I would like a rose

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I'd love to have one with my kids on it, or Pfeiffer Beach where I got married. :)

kim burnett said...

One with my kids on it!

Debra Holloway said...

I would love to have the cupcake!

melanie e said...

my daughter of course!

sarah79harding said...

I would like pics of my kids or peace signs. Sarah79harding@yahoo.com

Linda W. said...

My kids, flowers, hearts and butterflies.

Auri Lae said...

My 2-week old darling son :)

Unknown said...

Me and my daughter would like the cupcake...too cute!!!

Unknown said...

I would put bugs on one for my daughter since we call her bugs and she loves bugs.

Cserafini said...

A picture of my children.

Anonymous said...

my children love butterflies and darker colors star95011()yahoo)(com

Anonymous said...

I'd like the Heart with the Flames

pattifritz2000 at yahoo dot com
thank you

Unknown said...

The butterflies, love them!

Jessica said...

My oldest would love a horse, and my youngest would love a tiger. Thank you for the giveaway!

savvygirl65 said...

puppies
Sherri J
savvyblog@yahoo.com

mscoffee77 said...

A beach picture!

Unknown said...

A picture of each of my kids and hubby :)

Stacey V said...

I would love a pic of me and my niece

mmc123456

Anonymous said...

My children

Melissa said...

i wo uld have pictures of my daughter and make one with cupcakes for her

Anonymous said...

Black and white pictures of the kiddos

Judy said...

Awesome review!! This is a great giveaway too:) Thanks for a chance to win!

Anonymous said...

I would like a dolphin on mine!

Michelle jonassen

Helen Keeler said...

My three granddaughters.
helenkeeler1949@gmail.com

Rebecca Williams said...

I'd like a pic of my two daughters

Twingle Mommy said...

I like the cupcake.

Tara V. said...

I would love a cupcake!
designbytara @ gmail.com

Nicole said...

I would love a picture of my kids

Pat said...

I'd like pictures of my family members
pbabcock2004(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

My daughter's smiling face!

Sarah MomE25 said...

I would love the Butterfly.

Kristen said...

I'd like to have a hydrangea.

Amo said...

I'd like a picture of a mommy taking a nap on mine! :)

Jamie Leigh Martin said...

Pictures of my lady.

aaltw_515 said...

a picture of my kids

sethandtjay@yahoo.com

Kerry said...

My kids

Tabitha said...

i'd like a german shepard dog on mine
kayleefaith1228@aol.com

Candie L said...

I like the starfish. Thank you

candieluster(at)gmail(dot)com

Debra said...

i'd make ladybugs

*Mirage* said...

Just one image? But I have 4 kids! :D If I was wearing one I'd want pics of my kids. :)

ReviewsSheRote said...

a pix of my kids is a must...then a shoe =)

danielle t. said...

I would love the cupcake!

Tamar said...

I want pics of the family.

tina reynolds said...

pictures of my kids : )
eaglesforjack@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

my kids names
tcogbill at live dot com

Diane Zielinski said...

Flowers.

oceanrena said...

two hands
oceanrenaatyahoodotcom

Sadie said...

I would like a tennis ball on one
sadie b

Anonymous said...

A butterfly for my daughter.
jcristig@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

hahaha well, the images that one little girl in particular that I know would adore is "unicorns and pegasus". What else? besides kittens and ponies?

This is an awesome kit. The kids have informed me already that "YOUR presents are THE BEST" gramma!! They said they love crafts and art projects more than toys.
I rule! LOL Yes, these things are much better than toys.

cman said...

Family photos.

Charlene S. said...

A photo of my chihuahua :)

furygirl3132 said...

I would love to put an image of my girls and a soccer ball on my bracelet as both of my girls play the game. Thanks so much for hosting this great giveaway!

Eloise
furygirl3132[at]comcast[dot]net

Unknown said...

I would like to use flowers!

dispatcher_kristy said...

an owl would be cute

Jessica said...

I would love pictures of animals!

jessicaahays at hotmail dot com

susansmoaks said...

i would love a heart on my bracelet
susansmoaks at gmail dot com

Jennifer Peaslee said...

a dog, to represent my two dogs!

AEKZ2 said...

I'd like a panda bear.

Musings of a newlywed said...

Our nieces would do a photo of their dog!

daveshir2005 said...

A dog would be cool

email/ daveshir2005@yahoo.com
fb/ shirley greenawalt zolenski

Unknown said...

a cupcake - we love making them here!

sarahyurga@yahoo.com

melissa said...

I like the kitty cat

Jo said...

photos of dragonflies

Jana said...

My Daughter loves rainbows so I know she would love that on a bracelet

dropcqueen at yahoo dot com

Grandma to Twins + One said...

A picture with my grand-daughters and their daddy.

ladystingray72118(at)gmail(dot)com

Karen F said...

a butterfly

Adrienne said...

My initial....A

Nicole said...

My 7yo would love to have this. I would put an "H" on my bracelet.

Anonymous said...

hearts trishbazin(at)yahoo.com

MoneySavinDiva said...

I would put a picture of my son - so whenever anyone asks to see a photo of him I have one handy :)

moneysavingdiva (at) gmail (dot) com

DistractedMommy said...

A rainbow and sunshine!
shiebs24[at]gmail[dot]com

Erica C. said...

I'd have dog pictures!
ericacarnes(at)gmail(dot)com

Tonic67 said...

Would love a soft kitty image and recycle image if they have one and a puppy.
toni marie caravello feimer
reannennt at aol.com

Alison said...

Probably a picture of my dog.

Andy & Jen Armstrong said...

a cupcake

Kathy P said...

id want a lady bug i think they are so cute :)

Gennie Lancaster said...

I would love to have a cupcake or ladybug on mine.

c allen said...

i would love a heart on mine thanks crystal allen

Annie said...

Owl!

tracey said...

a picture of chocolate
ty
rochelle johnson

Star S said...

Owl for me

Unknown said...

he Heart with the Flames

Julie said...

I'd put a birthday cake on it!

Tylerpants said...

I'd like a butterfly on mine. tylerpants(at)gmail.com

amanda whitley said...

pics of my family

Theresa said...

I would get hearts on mine!

cc_girly(at)yahoo(dot)com

KrazeKatLady said...

Cupcake.
krazekatlady at gmail dot com

Renee G said...

I would like to have a cupcake and puppy on mine.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(DOT)com

Lisa Garner said...

I like the seashells/dolphins.

Lisa Garner

corey1971 said...

The cupcake (Corey Olomon)

Jenny Q. said...

My daughter would love to make these. What a nice craft time idea.

lace said...

My nieces would love this. Thanks

julescar74 said...

I'd love to have a fairy bracelet

Lanicsha Wynn said...

Butterfly or a star
iloveher6923 at yahoo dot com

Emiller said...

A dog

Vikki Billings said...

I would like my kids and grandkids images.

vikki.billings@yahoo.com