I’d Like to Introduce Myself

Hello everyone,

I’m Heather Holbrook and I’m really excited to be the new stamping editor here at CraftGossip! I’ll be bringing you info on all the latest and greatest in absolutely everything to do with stamping.

Here’s a little info about myself: I’ve been stamping for over 12 years, I went to my first stamping class with my mom and some friends just for fun not really knowing what to expect and I instantly fell in love. I’d always enjoyed doing different crafts but when I found stamping I thought “this is it, this is for me!” and I’ve been stamping ever since. I loved it so much that a couple of years after that first class I opened my own stamp store, Stamps Galore, in Lexington KY and ran it for three years. My love of stamping expanded into a love of all art that uses paper so I also enjoy scrapbooking , collage, altered art and making soldered jewelry with paper as well. I’ve taught all different types of stamping and paper arts classes over the last 10 years and really love staying on top of the latest products, techniques and trends so if you’ve got a question about stamping please don’t hesitate to ask.

I’m looking forward to sharing my passion of stamping with you!

Heather

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?