• Twinkling H20s from LuminArte. These are watercolor cakes that are shimmery, non-toxic, acid-free, lightfast and safe for all ages. You simply dip a wet paintbrush or waterbrush into the solid cake of color and begin to paint. They now come in 12 delicious new colors: mandarin blush, go navy, pink crocus, heavenly bamboo, rubilite, black emerald, sweet alfalfa, fire & ice, mulberry, azurite, autumn butternut and winter mist gray.

• Chipboard "Gingerbread" House kits from Retired ... Let's Do Lunch. These die-cut chipboard, assemble-yourself, decorate-yourself kits are a fun alternative to the traditional Christmas craft. They come in several variations including a wedding chapel, cottage and Halloween house. Inventor Karin Barnes was known for her gingerbread houses, but she said "it seemed like a lot of work just to toss at the end of the season." Her kits make houses that can be used for table decorations and will last for years.

• Kaleidoscope images. Two companies, Kaleidoscope Collections and Poppy Hill Designs Inc, have come up with software products that allow you to use your own pictures and designs to create kaleidoscope designs that can be used for scrapbooking, card making, quilting, in fashion and home decor and other projects.

• Ribbon to Bead from Morex Corp. This product uses an attached wire needle on elegant ribbons to facilitate threading beads to create jewelry or paper crafting projects. The ribbon comes in three sizes and includes satin, taffeta, organdy, iridescent sheers and other ribbons.

• X-Acto for women. An X-Acto knife designed by women for women, it features a soft, easy-grip base and a swivel knife that works for cutting curves, circles and other designs from lightweight materials such as paper, plastic, balsa, cloth, photos and more.

• Photo Lite from SpringDale. This decoratable picture frame also comes with a motion-sensor night light. It's battery-powered, so it can be wall-mounted or sit on a table, and features an LED light. Decorating the frame could be a fun project for kids — and provide their very own night light. But adults could have fun, too.

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E-mail: carma@desnews.com