Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

WikiStix – The Perfect Crafty Christmas Gift

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We (my 2 and 4 year old kids) just had the pleasure of playing with WikiStix One of a kind Creatables . What are they? Literally sticks that stick. You can bend them, shape them, stick them to paper, stick them to themselves, stick them to anything to create a stickable creation.

We tested  played with 2 items The Activity Set  and the Tons of Fun pack (see details below) both retail for $16.95 and both of them have won Toy awards.  Both sets were great fun and we enjoyed playing and creating.  The kits come with activities to help guide your creativity such as dot to dots in the Activity set and Blank faces in the Tons of Fun pack. (plus heaps more)

If you are looking for a Christmas gift for a child 2+  you can’t go past either of these. The Ton’s Of Fun pack would be my favorite gift idea as it has so many things to keep your child occupied and the presentation of the pack makes it a perfect present for older children who can follow activities. If you just want to stick and mess (my 2 year old did) then you could even grab a simple stix pack that just contains the  WikiStix.

These stixs have so much potential as they are tactile and versatile making them perfect for sensory education, Home-schooling or a classroom (Check out their bulk packs 600 stix for $33.25)

Check out their website for great ideas and loads more activity packs including party favor kits and Alphabet learning packs.  I am a grown up and I had fun so imagine what kids will think!

To make gift giving easier Wikistix have created their own Christmas Gift Guide to help you select a product to suit your holiday needs.

 

  The Activity Set  $16.95 


 Contains 84 Wikki Stix in 16 colors and two sizes (48- 8-inch and 36 -6-inch), plus multi-use playboard, handy storage bag and eight page booklet of fun ideas and illustrations. The Wikki Stix Activity Set is ideal for younger children, ages 3-5 or so, as there is no right or wrong way to play. They can use the playboard to learn letter formation…or simply “smoosh” the Wikkies down, and peel them back up!

 

 

 

Tons Of Fun pack $16.95
Make critters and creatures… make a Wikkidoodle! Play the Do-Wikki game… decorate cans and bags. Design cards… take along for travel time! Includes 96 Wikki Stix for endless Wikki fun…all packed in a see-through vinyl case with red braid trim and handle.Wikki Stix Learning Toys are the original — trusted by parents, schools, and teachers everywhere. Wikki Stix are more than a craft toy and more than a learning toy, they’re a fun interactive teaching tool! Wikki Stix Educational Toys conform to ASTM D-4236, the safety standard for use in the schools. Recommended for ages 3 & up.

Looking for an Australian Supplier Check out Eurekaconcepts

Have you read?

My Great Fabric Flea Market Experiment – Should You Sell Your Fabric Stash?

You know that moment when you open your fabric cupboard and it groans at you? Yeah. That was me last month. After years of cheerful hoarding (“Ooh, this linen will be perfect for… something!”), I’d reached critical mass. My stash had officially become a fire hazard and my husband said no more fabric. 

So I did something radical: I loaded up my car with unloved fabric and took it to the local flea market. No fancy booth, no display—just me, my boot (trunk for my US friends), and a handwritten sign that said “FABRIC – MAKE ME AN OFFER.”

What followed was equal parts hilarious, heartwarming, and mildly chaotic.

The Good, The Bad & The “Wait, What?” Moments

The Bargain Hunters

Within minutes, a woman in a neon pink sunhat descended on my car like a fabric-hungry hawk.

Her: “Is this silk?” (Holding up very obviously cheap polyester)
Me: “Uh… no?”
Her: “I’ll give you 50p.”
Me: “Sold.”

Turns out she makes carnival costumes and needed “anything shiny.” Godspeed, glitter queen.

The Emotional Connection

One lady nearly teared up over a scrap of 90s Laura Ashley floral.

Her: “My mum made my wedding dress from this exact print!”
Me: “Take it. It’s yours.”
Her: “But I don’t even sew!”
Me: “Then frame it and yell at it occasionally like it’s your mother-in-law.”

She left cackling. Mission accomplished.

The Unexpected Haggler

A very serious 8-year-old approached with a £1 coin and the negotiating skills of a Wall Street broker.

Him: “I need fabric for my guinea pig’s birthday party.”
Me: “That’s… specific.”
Him: “He likes blue.”

Obviously I gave him ALL my blue scraps plus a ribbon for the guest of honor. Best sale of the day.

The Surprising Joy of Letting Go

Here’s what shocked me: I didn’t miss a single piece. Not the “I might use this” chiffon. Not the “too nice to cut” Japanese cotton. Watching people light up as they found their perfect project fabric? That was the real dopamine hit.

  • The quilting club ladies who squabbled over my batiks like seagulls over chips
  • The art student thrilled to find cheap muslin for her sculpture project
  • The retired tailor who tutted at my folding skills but bought 5m of wool “for teaching the grandkids”

Every piece went to someone who’d actually use it—no more guilt-tripping me from the depths of my stash cupboard.

 

What I Learned (So You Can Do It Too)

  1. Price Everything at “Please Just Take It” Levels
    • My pricing strategy: “Would I rather have £3 or closet space?”
  2. Embrace the Chaos
    • Let people rummage. Half the fun was watching two strangers bond over the same floral cotton.
  3. Bring Backup
    • Shoutout to my friend who brought a flask of tea and periodically hissed “That’s vintage, charge more!” like my fabric pimp.
  4. Take Pictures
    • For every sad “I never used this” moment, I got three “look how happy this makes someone” moments. Worth it.

The Aftermath

My car is lighter. My sewing room breathes easier. And somewhere out there, a guinea pig is living his best blue-fabric-life.

Will I stop buying fabric altogether? Don’t be ridiculous. But now I ask: “Will I love this enough to keep it forever, or is this a future flea market treasure for someone else?”

Your Turn:

  • Could you sell your stash, or does the thought make you hyperventilate?
  • What’s the weirdest fabric purchase you’ve ever made? (I once bought 10m of glow-in-the-dark satin. Why? No one knows.)
  • Should I make this a yearly tradition?

Spill your stash confessions below – and if you’re local, watch out for my boot sale sequel: “Notions I Bought For Hypothetical Projects” coming this autumn…

(P.S. For those asking – yes, the guinea pig’s party was a success. He wore the ribbon as a cape.)