Publication Date: Wednesday Jul 7, 1999

Klutz on the road

Good news: Summer has arrived. No school, hot weather, the pool is open and vacation plans are in place. Bad news: Gas prices are soaring, my checking account is shrinking, and I only work 10 months out of the year, making June my last paycheck.

With all this in mind, I packed my kids in the car to take a much needed and anticipated trip to Santa Barbara to see my son, who has just finished his first year at college.

As we load up the car, I give the girls my rules for the road: no side trips (gas is expensive) and use your Walkman sparingly (do you know the price of batteries?). I just can't afford new CDs or cassettes for this trip, so let's learn to share.

The girls roll their eyes and let out a groan that leads me to believe that this trip isn't going to be exactly what they expected. We leave Palo Alto and head to historic Santa Barbara, where the sun is shining, the beaches are beautiful and gas prices, amazingly enough, are lower than in the Bay Area.

As we close in on our destination and the batteries do in fact run down, my 9-year-old daughter reaches over the seat to take out a box of Klutz books that I have been asked to review. These are the newest Klutz books on the market.

My girls immediately grab two black spiral-bound journals. The first one, "My Life According to Me," has immediately caught the attention of my 9-year-old.

I take a look at my 16-year-old, who has one called simply "Journal," in which you can make daily entries, using a shiny silver pen on the black, blank pages of the book.

"My Life According to Me" is by far the more interesting of the two. It is a perfect balance of a diary, a journal and a book to doodle in and share your secrets with. The introduction tells you to "fill in the kinds of things that you-and-only-you can really answer. Bonus! All your answers are right!"

It encourages you to "use your book every day. Tell jokes, make lists, dream dreams." It has pages that encourage you to "fill out a picture of what your dreamy husband-to-be will look like." Next to that is an empty spot that you can fill in on Jan. 1, 2014, describing what your husband actually does look like.

The book includes a page where you can design a wedding dress or favorite outfit or describe your most embarrassing moment. We have since bought three copies to give out as birthday presents, and they were the hit of each party.

My older daughter preferred the emptiness of the "Journal" for recording her thoughts, writing poetry and noting the daily dilemmas that occur when you're 16. She also has given the Journal as a gift, and each recipient loved it.

The Klutz "Simple Sewing Book" comes with everything needed to make seven projects, plus step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow. (Trust me, I have a strawberry pin cushion to prove it.) The back of the book has patterns you will need for each project, enough felt for everything and rulers lining the back cover of the book to help measure exactly how much is needed. Needles, thread, bias tape and material are also included.

By the end of our trip, we had a dish towel apron with pockets and a scented sachet. But the biggest compliment to the Klutz publishers? We had to go out and buy two more copies for a couple of college boys who thought it was an incredibly useful book!

Klutz also included a book that I'm sure was written especially with me in mind, "Drawing for the Artistically Undiscovered." One of my fears when my children were young was seeing them draw and then look up and say, "Mom, will you draw me a crocodile?" I would do my best, but the end result was always the same: "That's not a crocodile!"

While my 9-year-old had difficulty concentrating on the book (it contains a lot of words and explanations, instead of colorful pictures), my 16-year-old found the definitions and explanations very helpful.

We always have one Klutz book in each box we receive that is an instant hit. For us this year, it was "Create Anything With Clay." As with most Klutz books, you realize the minute you open it that there's more to it than the cover might suggest. This book comes with the clay you'll need for probably all of the projects listed inside.

The introduction includes a chapter on the basics of clay sculpting. In these two pages, you'll find out what kind of clay you're working with (Polymer) how to store and bake it and tricks you can use--such as nonclay add-ons--after you've made your creation. There are tips for tools, how to mix colors and how to make a mold.

My 9-year-old made a pair of braided barrettes that look just as good as the ones we've purchased for her in a department store. The list is endless of the creations you can make. My kids spent hours making dozens of the projects listed in the book.

Once again, Klutz came to our rescue in the nick of time, making our weekend trip a hit. "The books just make me want to use my imagination," my younger daughter said.

THIS PART MAY BE RESTORED: had an unexpected bonus for us. My 9-year-old was lucky enough to get in on the photography session while the book was being finished, and this was her first chance to see the end result.

We definitely come from a family of nonsewers, so I was amazed when she came home from that photo session with a bright purple drawstring pouch that she had made herself.



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