Being creative never has been easier.

• Position: WHAT'S NEW? Holiday Gift Guide - Creative Art Activities Inc. product range

It's a sort of tradition we've built up with the folks at Faber-Castel over the years. Each holiday season, we're sent its catalog. We then give it a thorough perusal, looking for gift ideas. Inevitably, we end up conceding, "Everything looks great; just send us all the new stuff." This, not surprisingly, produces a couple of crates filled with the latest innovations from the creative minds at the Cleveland-based company. This year, though, the juices really must have been flowing out in Ohio for the company's Creativity for Kids 30th anniversary celebration, as our usual request was met with a series of deliveries that produced a mountain of amazing merchandise.

Let's start with the Do-Art series: Landscapes Made Easy, Say It With Flowers, Drawing Power, and Face to Face. This is where drawing, crafts, painting, and glitter all come together to help youngsters create breathtaking landscapes, vibrant flower watercolors, drawings beyond belief, and realistic portraits that reflect the subject's personality (or not, should you choose to go Face to Face Pablo Picasso style).

To set the mood for these artistic exploits, there is the Paper Lantern; this battery-operated light can be decorated with silky fabric fringe, sequin flowers, and butterfly accents. Be sure to finish the design with a silky tassel and trendy origami accents.

For those into "reflecting" on beads, there is the Beautiful Beaded Mirror and Beaded Dresser Set. The former lets kids embellish a-wood-framed mirror with sequin trim and prestrung beads. Reverse the mirror and use it to frame a favorite photograph. The latter includes iridescent beads, delicate tulle ribbon, wooden hand mirror, ceramic heart frame, and matching trinket box--absolutely a young girl's delight.

Keeping those same girls happy remains a snap with All Dressed Up Jewelry Stand and Decoupage Diva Jewelry Keeper. The Stand is for decorating a pretty-as-a-princess dress mannequin with sequins, ribbons, and tulle fabrics. ("Project Runway," here we come!) The Keeper, meanwhile, allows young ladies to store all their jewelry essentials inside a cleverly designed armoire that can be decorated with decoupage. It includes fun paper accents, sequins, and sparkle glaze. Now all these neat things can be kept in a room labeled and decorated...