The events begin on Friday, Feb. 4 at all U.S. and Canada Michaels stores, with a Knack Free Family Event from 4 - 6 p.m. where families can make a Valentine's Day candy photo holder, and continue through Sunday, Feb. 13 with a free card-making event. For a complete schedule, go to www.Michaels.com/ValentinesDay.

"Of all the holidays, Valentine's Day is the most sentimental and it's a great time to show someone how special they are to you with a handmade gift or card," said Michaels' Chief Marketing Officer Paula Puleo. "All of our in-store events - from the candy photo holder workshop to the Valentine's Day puppets - offer creative, fun ways to give gifts from the heart."

In addition to its family-friendly events, Michaels debuts a new Valentine's Day webisode featuring Creative Expert Jo Pearson showing how to make a heart-shaped candy box with a special bonus - a sweetly hidden chore chart that kids can make. Dozens of additional ideas and inspiration for Valentine's Day are available at www.Michaels.com.

For classroom card exchanges and parties, Michaels offers Creatology foam card making supplies, foam and tin mailboxes that kids can decorate. Michaels also offers a wide range of holiday decor, themed gift packaging for handmade treats and gift cards.

Source: Michaels

The Memory Keeping Collection Web site offers the finest Scrapbooking products and a forum where Scrapbookers and Crafters alike can talk about their passion, share ideas, and meet others with similar interests. Combined, these features help Scrapbookers create inspired personal projects that preserve family memories for generations.

Memory Keeping Collection is dedicated to bringing Scrapbookers the most current and up-to-date Paper Craft tips and techniques in the industry.  With creative ideas and advice, daily blogs feature well-known Scrapbookers and crafters such as Lisa Bearnson, Eileen Hull, Jennifer Goode, Michelle Cummings, Candice Windham, and Lisa Rojas.

Plus, Memory Keeping Collection offers exclusive Scrapbook and Card Making kit programs from top designers.  These kits, designed by experts, provide Crafters with coordinated, themed layouts, custom materials and instructions to help them complete beautiful creations destined to become family heirlooms.

"At its core, Scrapbooking is all about preserving your memories and having fun while you do it," says Memory Keeping Collection's Jeri Glowicki. "Scrapbookers have told us what they want in a Scrapbooking resource - something that's easy to use, but totally creative and yielding expert guidance for impressive results.  With our focus on design, that's exactly what Memory Keeping Collection delivers."

Memory Keeping Collection was developed for all Scrapbookers - regardless of their level of experience - to support all aspects of the hobby.  Articles are focused on the cutting edge of the latest in Scrapbooking techniques and feature how-to tips to make Scrapbooking and craft projects with timeless appeal and unique flair.

Continuing its mission of sharing everything Scrapbook, Memory Keeping Collection has extended its vibrant and dynamic Scrapbooking community to Facebook, where it has just launched its Fan pages.  The Facebook Fan pages provide yet another venue for Memory Keeping Collection to help hobbyists share their love of Scrapbooking.

Fans will have access to contests, sweepstakes, drawings and prizes, as well as special product promotions exclusively for the Facebook Community. Through October 31, 2010  Scrapbooking enthusiasts can enter an exclusive drawing to win a Cricut Expression® Cutting Machine just for being Facebook Fans.

"Being named one of the top 20 festivals in the U.S. by Sunshine Artist Magazine was fantastic news for the staff and board members of Paint Creek Center for the Arts," said Ellen Hughes, Marketing Director. "The Art & Apples Festival is a year-round effort and the #20 ranking gives merit to our hard work and dedication."

The second largest fine art festival in Michigan, Art & Apples boasts more than 265 artists from across the nation showcasing a wide variety of mediums including textiles, watercolor, woodworking, glassblowing, pottery, jewelry and more. "We have to thank the 2009 Art & Apples Festival artists for ranking us so highly against other festivals and will continue to present them with a fabulous platform to exhibit and sell their works," said Laura Bates, Events Manager at PCCA.

According to Sunshine Artist Magazine, "The 44-year old Art & Apples Festival has jumped between our Fine Art & Design list and our Classic and Contemporary Craft Shows list in the past, it has begun carving out a place among our fine art rankings. And not only that, the show is rising fast. On the 2009 fine art list, the Art & Apples Festival leapt to #29. This year, the show climbed up to #20."

The 2010 Art & Apples Festival will be held in Rochester Park in Downtown Rochester from September 10-12.  Parking shuttle service is available at Rochester High School. The festival also features the popular Kids Art Zone, Activity Zone, live entertainment, great food and an apple pie and dessert contest. Proceeds benefit Paint Creek Center for the Arts, a regional, nonprofit art center.

For additional information about the Art & Apples Festival, please call (248) 651-4110 or visit www.artandapples.com.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

HANDMADE UNDER $100:  NEW in 2010, this new feature highlights craft at more affordable prices. Artists in this category offer many of their one-of-a-kind pieces at $100 or less.  Perfect for those starting a collection.

LAWN & GARDEN: Also NEW in 2010, this category features artists who craft outdoor and lawn-specific furniture, décor, accessories and more. 

GREEN CRAFT: Artists using found, recycled, eco-friendly materials and techniques will be featured throughout the show.

ALTCRAFT:  This section features rising indie craft artists whose work illustrates the innovative techniques and materials of the burgeoning handmade craft movement.  These twenty artists have been selected through a special jury process and will exhibit their work in a loft-like space at the show.

$5 AFTER 5 EVENT: On Friday, August 13, show hours are extended until 8pm and admission is just $5 beginning at 5pm.  Shop the show, sample wines and participate in the Museum of Craft and Folk Art CRAFT BAR with ETSY Labs - a live, hands on workshop where you create your very own object to take home!  CRAFT BAR will take place in the demo area in Festival pavilion beginning at 5pm on Friday.  Seating is on a limited first come, first served basis. 

CHILDREN'S CRAFT WORKSHOP:  San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design bring their popular MakeArt Children's Workshop to the show floor.  Children can create their very own work of art to take home!  Saturday, Aug. 14, 1-3pm in the Demo Area in Festival Pavilion. 

LOCATION
Fort Mason Center, Herbst and Festival Pavilions.
Enter Fort Mason at the corner of Marina Blvd. and Buchanan Street.
Click here for directions.

DATES AND SHOW HOURS
Friday, August 13 (10am - 8pm)
Saturday, August 14 (10am - 6pm)
Sunday, August 15 (10am - 5pm)

ADMISSION
$12 per person
$18 for a two-day pass
**Special Friday night admission: $5.00 at 5pm! Starting at 5:00pm admission drops to $5.00 for the remainder of the evening (8pm). No discount offers apply.

Hosted by Sean, Sprout's co-host of The Sunny Side Up Show and master artist, Noodle and Doodle features arts, crafts and healthy recipes inspired by real preschoolers' experiences. With his new friends Noodle, a loveable puppet who likes to help in the kitchen, and Doodle, a virtual, electronic friend who lives in a tablet style device, Sean leads real preschoolers and viewers at home to make all kinds of kid-friendly creations. Sprout viewers will discover healthy recipes and clever crafts that families can create together using materials from around the home, as well as recycled elements from the items used in the actual recipes. All of the cooking and crafting takes place inside a whimsical double-decker bus where Sean and his helpers demonstrate step-by-step "how to" creations in an engaging, simple way that families can recreate at home.

Also along for the ride is Sean's dog Doggity, an adorable beagle with the special ability to take viewers into his imaginary, animated world where culinary canines use teamwork to solve problems and cook up treats in their own kitchen. This segment on Noodle and Doodle is called Doggity's and was created in conjunction with series creator John McCoy working with the design and animation team of Ka-chew!, a division of Klasky Csupo, the production company behind smash hits like the Rugrats and Wild Thornberrys.

"Noodle and Doodle is the perfect addition to weekends on Sprout as we expand The Sunny Side Up Show - our top performing original program for viewer engagement - to seven days a week," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president, programming at Sprout. "Since the live block launched in September 2007, Sprout has collected over one million viewer submissions, and we anticipate even more viewer interaction now with the launch of Noodle and Doodle."

He continued: "We are so excited to be debuting this first-ever, long-form original series. This is also the first time that Sprout is making an original program available for international licensing."

A companion website with sharing galleries, how-to videos, games and more will be available at SproutOnline.com after September 25. For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules, or to play games, download free coloring pages or find great activities for kids, visit SproutOnline.com. To find out where Sprout is available in your area, call 1.8.SPROUT.411 or go to SproutPlease.com.

You need:

• Tank Top
• Rick Rack or Other Trim
• 1 Yard of Cord
• Appliqués
• Fabric Glue
  
• Small Scissors
• Safety Pin

Instructions:

Using a small, pointed scissors, open up about 1" of the hem of the tank top. Attach safety pin to the end of the cord and push the pin with the cord through the opening into the hem. Work the pin and cord around the entire bottom until you reach the hem opening again. You should have both ends of the cord sticking out of the hem opening. Remove safety pin.

Pull cord end gathering up the bottom of the tank top as tight as possible. Tie ends together, double knotting. Trim ends. Push the  knot up inside the hem. Glue a large appliqué over the opening on the bottom on the bag. Decorate edges with rick rack and appliqués.

We all like to stylize our homes with most recent gizmos and electronic gadgets which add to the general ambiance and feel of our rooms. Plasma and LCD Television sets can be excellent equipment to spruce up your home. We obtain furniture for so many reasons and your TV furthermore calls for furniture like TV stands, which is fashionable, manageable and can also maintain your highly-priced TV set securely.

Acquiring a TV stand, particularly designed for plasma and LCD, really needs to be broad and powerful to be able to prevent avoidable deterioration to the TV set. The plasma stands are also a wonderful means to aesthetically combine to your home entertainment setup based upon the layout you opt for which subsequently will depend on the existing room's interiors. You can find countless possibilities readily available in the market to make a preference. However, before you decide to spend your hard earned money on a full entertainment center, there are few essential points to be kept in mind about plasma stands and LCD TV stands.

Many plasmas and LCD TVs require wide TV stands which are obtainable in different types and thus you need to be sure you are opting for the one that best fits your necessities. The primary stage of creating the perfect entertainment center is to consider the space or room available. Calculate the area of living room or bedroom where you would like the plasma stand to be positioned. This will help you estimate how wide the stand needs to be, staying away from the chance of purchasing Plasma stands or LCD stands of more than or below size.

Another thing you want to take notice of is the dimension of the LCD TV or plasma TV you have. You undoubtedly don't need to purchase a wide TV stand just centered on the measurement of the room's area.

Once you are crystal clear about the measurement of the TV screens and space, think of the type of wide TV stands or consoles you will require. Know what you want and decide on it. There are stands which provide easy flat surface where the LCD and Plasma can be attached with ease. In case that you want a storage area underneath the surface to fit in your DVD player, cable boxes, tape collections, home theater system, etc, there are stands which come along with spare cabinets under the surface.

These TV stands are additionally readily available in different colors made from numerous resources. They likewise also come in wood in order to match them up with your room interiors like the ones in Greentea Design, making your room look elegant and stylish. So, decide what you want and enjoy the process of completing your own home entertainment center.

The history of Highlights as a children's publishing powerhouse is the foundation for this new licensing effort. Generations have grown up reading its flagship title, Highlights, currently the best-read children's magazine in North America. The special connection Highlights holds with parents and children is behind the success of its magazines and book club titles such as Puzzlemania, which reaches more than three million families each year. Translating acclaimed Highlights puzzles, imagery and children's activities into educational and fun toys and products is an exciting step in the company's 64-year history.

"We're proud to have partnered with companies whose focus is the same as ours - providing engaging high-quality, creative products for families," says Highlights VP of Licensing, Robin Sayetta. "Crafts, activities, games and puzzles have always been a part of our magazines. Now, with our first partners, we will bring these activities from the pages of our magazines to store shelves."

Horizon Group USA and Highlights have signed a multi-year agreement to create a collection of Highlights "make your own" craft and activity kits. Horizon will adapt existing and new Highlights puzzle, game and activity content to 3D formats that expand and enhance these time-tested experiences for children. A combination of tried-and-true components like stickers, markers and crayons, and new color and paper technologies, will add fun and creativity to the line. The collection will debut at specialty and mass retailers beginning in fall 2010.

Discovery Bay Games and Highlights share a commitment to families, education and fun. The game maker's mission is to bring friends of all ages and families together to play, interact and laugh together. The product line will launch in 2011 with three original games that will take inspiration from Highlights content as well as its philosophies about children and play.

Trends International, LLC, the leading publisher and manufacturer of licensed posters, calendars and creative fun, has signed on to create 2012 calendars that will leverage Highlights' diverse games and activities. The calendars are planned to debut in the summer of 2011.

Ravensburger USA, Inc, a division of the European-based leading, family-owned company for meticulously-made and beautifully designed puzzles, games and arts, and crafts products will produce a variety of puzzles featuring Highlights unique imagery and content. The new Highlights puzzles from Ravensburger will perfectly capture Highlights play activities and illustrations with products that encourage togetherness and inspire learning and creativity, including traditional flat puzzles and innovative 3D puzzleballs. The premiere collection will debut at Fall Toy Preview in October 2010.