I was always a super crafty kid growing up.  I can vividly remember crocheting blankets, cross stitching stockings and even sewing clothes when I was a tween.  None of these crafty outlets were very cool for a 10-year-old, but then I discovered friendship bracelets!

I would spend hours upon hours knotting bracelets of every pattern and size I could think of to give to my friends.  I even liked to coordinate them with my outfits, for at the time, they were the only jewelry I could afford.  I was thrilled to learn that the friendship bracelet hasn't gone anywhere, thanks to MyFBM.  They've created several unique products designed to provide your tween with hours of fun and bracelets and barrettes galore.  Keep reading to learn more!

That old adage, "a friend in need is a friend indeed", is as relevant to innocent kids as it is to wise adults.  In this crazy world of bullying and hurtful words, youngsters need a support network of best friends.  A visual reminder of that bond is the friendship bracelet - a tween emblem of acceptance and self-esteem.

Choose Friendship is not only MyFBM's new name but also its mantra.  The family business, started by a Detroit automotive executive learning to braid a bracelet with his young granddaughters, has gone global in two short years, bringing innovation to simple crafting techniques.  The joy of the product line is its ability to engage impressionable kids of the importance of friends and self-expression, no matter how cool or kooky.

In fact, Choose Friendship has even created a video to send kids the message that they should choose friendship over bullying, which has become such a destructive force for kids today.  Proceeds from all song and t-shirt sales will be donated to non-profit organizations that support anti-bullying initiatives.  You can check out the "Inside Out" music video for yourself at http://www.myfbm.com.

I was thrilled to receive the wide assortment of creative craft projects from Choose Friendship (formerly MyFBM).  Back when I was a friendship-making bracelet machine, I used an old clipboard to make my bracelets.  It wasn't long until my embroidery floss was a tangled mess and I was quite frustrated.

The My Friendship Bracelet Maker has absolutely everything you'll need to create one-of-a-kind friendship bracelet masterpieces.  The set is designed for children ages 6-years-old and up and includes the My Friendship Bracelet Maker board with 56 precut threads in 14 different colors that are stored inside a sliding tray under the board.  There's even a slot in the tray for the instruction leaflet, so you'll always have help there when you need it.

I especially loved the resources available to make some of the coolest and most unique friendship bracelets anywhere!  This assortment of friendship bracelet patterns are quick and easy to follow and there's also plenty of video and other tutorials for beginners.

Making a friendship bracelet using the My Friendship Bracelet Maker is quite simple.  The handy butterfly clip secures the strings during the knotting process and there are ten slots to hold the different colored threads.  The only downside to this is that your friendship bracelet can be no wider than five pieces of embroidery floss.  If you want to make a 7 or 9 string bracelet, you would have to somehow double up certain strings in the holders and I'm pretty sure the threads would be more likely to tangle that way.

I really liked how well the unique string holder worked with the strings.  It didn't take me long at all to get back in the swing of friendship bracelet making again and I realized that it's still quite fun!  The My Friendship Bracelet Maker Traveler works in exactly the same way as the original, except that the pull-out tray is smaller and comes with only 20 pre-cut threads.  The colors are also less girly (green, yellow and purple) so that boys can feel free to get in on the bracelet-making fun too!

This item is perfect for long car rides or to use as a self-contained activity while on vacation.  It's also great to keep children active and focused on something other than video games or television if they can't go outside to play.

I have to admit that I've never made a ribbon barrette before receiving the My Ribbon Barrette Maker, though I loved them when I was a little girl and was very excited to finally learn how to make one.  I couldn't get over how quick and easy it was to do!  The My Ribbon Barrette Maker is also designed for kids 6-years-old and up and worked in much the same way as the My Friendship Bracelet Maker, except that only two pieces of ribbon per barrette were needed.

This set comes complete with 8 Barrettes, 16 Ribbons in 8 Different Colors and 128 Tri-Beads.  There's a specialized post on the Barrette Maker's table made just for holding the hair clip still while you braid around it.  As I was making this barrette for my daughter, I envisioned making a wide assortment to match every outfit she had...maybe even in her future school's colors to show some pep and school spirit!

After I was finished, I simply knotted the ribbon again at the bottom of the barrette and added a few matching beads to the ends of the ribbons.  Now this was one super cool barrette that literally took me about 10 minutes to make.  I can just see my daughter when she gets older, there will be no limit to what my little fashionista will create with the My Ribbon Barrette Maker!