map making

My girlies are big into imagination, dress up & role play and over the years I've had the opportunity to fashion many a garment or costume into their latest characters. We've done the whole gamut from princess' to mermaids, brides & grooms, pirates & thieves. Lately the girls prefer to make their own costumes out of things around the house, whatever they can get their hands on - and that just suits me fine - little designers in training.



But once in a while they ask me to help them when they are stuck or they need a little bit of mumma encouragement, I'm always willing to lend a helping hand. On this particular occasion they needed pirate maps for their treasure hunt. Originally they drew their own detailed maps on paper but soon decided that their paper wasn't old enough looking. This is where I come in ...and off to work the three of us went.



First we soaked their map in clear water for about 30 seconds after which we then hung it to dry for about 20 minutes. While the paper was drying we made a coffee paint with 1 TBSP of instant coffee to 1/4 cup of water. The plan: paint the paper with the coffee paint to give it that brown leathery look. The smell of the "paint" was divine and I highly recommend having some extra coffee on hand for drinking purposes ;) After one coat of paint we hung the paper to dry and repeated the action until both the front and back were adequately aged.





The next step was to crumple up the paper so that it has those fine wrinkles that you would expect to see with an aged map. Carefully unfold the paper and then place some distinctive folds (in the map) for effect, if so desired.



The final step is completely optional but since I had just finished reading "the Girl Who Played With Fire" I was feeling cheeky so we burned the edges of the paper with a flame. Obviously this needs to be entirely done by an adult with kids at viewing distance only - safety first! I prefer to do this kind of thing outside where the burning smell can disperse easily. When everything was cool and dry we rolled our maps up, tied them with jute and off my pirates went to play. I'm not sure if they found any buried treasure but then again would a real pirate share that secret anyway?



Happy Map-Making Monday, xo

a sort of wordless wednesday

 

"the most regretful people on earth 
are those who felt the call to creative work, 
who felt their own creative power restive & uprising 
and gave to it neither power nor time." 
 

~ mary oliver

remix: feed the birds

We revisited an old idea this week that we love making time for: bird feeders. It's a fun activity for both child & mumma (or dadda) and the most basic of tools come from your own recycling bin; from there you can add (to your project) other items on hand such as string, tape, exacto blade - with supervision, etc.... really the possibilities are endless.

I won't go into much instruction, instead you can follow along the with the photos and visit my previous posts for more information and inspiration. 

Abby was my very willing helper this time around and we decided to use a discarded yogurt container and a 2 litre jug of milk. As you can see our design was pretty simple: cut a hole, make a perch for the bird to sit on, fill the feeder and equip it with string for hanging. A little play antics is optional and highly recommended.

    

Don't forget to top up the outdoor feeders that might be empty. 

Next time you are looking for an afternoon activity with the kids raid your recycling bin. It's an easy craft that children enjoy participating in and it goes without saying that the connection to nature is invaluable for all involved.  Have a great weekend! 

sketching

Oh that puppy, she has been with us for almost 4 weeks now and because of her I haven't had any decent studio time.  Hard to hold it against that sweet (puppy) girl in all her cuteness.  But when she's awake she requires supervision and when she is sleepy she requires holding, that's my personal opinion at least. (Cut me some slack here people, after 4 babies I know how fast these cute moments pass and in the puppy world a couple of months is like a year so cuddle I must).  

I did however, manage to carve out a little creativity with paper and pencil.  Do you ever surprise yourself when you discover another artistic outlet? I never did much drawing when I was growing up, in fact I'm not sure I ever did much of anything crafty, I was an on-the-run-kid who chose athletics as a hobby. Now my adult years are all about making up for lost time in the creative realm.  

My sketching inspiration was a recent thrift store find, a sweet vintage Bambi book with the most adorable images. The book itself is pretty beat up but that doesn't matter as my intention is to use some of the intact images in the girls' bedroom for wall art.  I've been mulling around the idea of (loosely inspired) vintage bambi room. I'm not looking for disney bambi per-say but rather my  interpretation of the beloved story.  

When I sat down that evening for a movie I though I was merely going to be jotting a few design ideas down in my sketch book which up until this point had been it's primary use.  Quite by accident I started sketching.  Within a few minutes my eyes and hand starting working together to re-create the cover art of the vintage book and by the end of the movie there was Bambi and thumper on my page.  Life is filled with surprises :)

bath bombs

I should have published this post over the weekend but I confess to having a weekend of holiday laziness. I love when holiday time can actually be a holiday.

But of course it wasn't completely all rest and no make, I did pull together some goody bags for a family gathering that we hosted on Friday.  After seeing Linaloo's bath bombs, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I made my first batch based off the tutorial that Linaloo linked to, but they were really just way to greasy for me. Mine didn't even hold together in the mold, so that batch sits in a jar for those days when I really need to soak my feet. Which will be soon now that garden season is right around the corner.  

For my second attempt I did a search on the internet looking for bath bombs with the most simplest of ingredients. NotMartha  has a great tutorial with pictures and explanations, I recommend you read through her tutorial for some great hints and know how.  I tweaked the recipe she provided for what my sensitive skin can handle and also for what I had on hand. It is available for download here: bath bomb recipe and also in the side bar.

If you have any questions about the instructions or supplies, shoot away.  Happy Bathing :) 

paper weight

Good morning you Monday faithfuls!  How was your weekend?  Mine was fairly uneventful, boring in fact.  I spent 3 days Friday, Saturday and Sunday dealing with the administrative mess that I had been avoiding for quite some time now. Piles of paper were shuffled from one filing drawer to another, it wasn't pretty.  It wasn't just me either, seems the hubby had been suffering from the same trouble.  (I really am astonished at how much paper just collects especially when most of my bills are paper free!)  

Not the best way to spend the weekend so to compensate for the lack of sewing going on around here I found my pencil crayons and gave into the paper in a more creative way during an evening movie.  Even if I can't get to the fabric, I am always thinking about it.  What do you think?  Would it make a nice sampler?

winter scenes

One of my girlies was down with fever yesterday.  I’m not sure what is going on in this house but over the past few weeks each one of my kidlets take their turn being feverish and wiped out.  It lasts about 24 hours, then they wake up fine the next day.  Miss J is the last one to succumb to the symptoms and I’m hoping it is just a kid thing if you know what I mean.

I was planning to work on the cabinets until Miss A realized she was a playmate short for the day.  She compelled me with those big brown eyes to color and keep her company.  It’s so rare to just spend time one on one when you have twins that you take it when you can get it.  After the coloring our attention turned to paper cutting, practicing the scissors is a good skill when you are 5.  While Miss A cut away I availed myself of the exacto knife.  I couldn’t resist making a little winter scene.  I had to make do with construction paper, my box of acid free paper is currently in storage.  Miss A let me happily create but she did dictate that a certain white rabbit should be in the picture.  This little exercise really got the wheels turning about a diorama...of course I should wait until the office is set up before I distract myself with more creative projects....patience is a virture, right?

what do you see?

I see:

• • children • •

• • color • •

• • creativity • •

I'm enjoying the bird's eye view of things on this end and loving how something as simple as an egg carton can spark the imagination.

A big welcome to the SewMamaSew readers.  I hope you enjoy the tutorial and thank you ladies for the feature. xxx

art-easy

For birthdays in our home I like to have at least one handmade addition to the "purchased" gift that we give the birthday child.  Since the youngests of our crew, the girls, are avid artists in the making it seemed only common sense to support and encourage their creative gifts with a special little package all their own.  In the past I've made the coloring rolls and totes for such an occasion but as with creativity, I like to mix things up a bit and change the design now and then. 



Introducing the latest in the line of "art on the go".  Made with Heather Ross fabric, which I adore, each girl received her own all in one art kit complete with doodle pad and crayons.  There are extra spots for pencils and a pocket just above the crayons to allow for additional creative items.  We are big fans of the Peaceable Kingdom sticker/scene activity kits and usually tuck one in the pocket when we are heading out the door.  The local store I pick them up at is Toad Hall Toys, which carries a large selection including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, you can bet I'll be visiting there again. 



The entire art-easy tote folds and shuts simply by inserting the long strap handle through the metal loop, easy-peasy for little hands. Makes for a quick set up and clean up.  The girls are over the moon with their new art-easy totes and to keep things extra special, and simple, is their own appliqued initial which aids the homeschooling effort in terms of letter recognition.  Personal and practical, just the way I like it. 

Have a happy weekend everyone filled with warm fall days and endless family fun!  xxx. 

"art on the go" giveaway

Happy Monday!  I'm having a bit of a slow start today.  I woke up with a terrible headache which kept us home from swimming lessons but things have subsided and I'm feeling much better.  Let's get on with the giveaway, shall we?



I promised I'd do one back in my 300th post but needed a bit of time to figure out what would be up for grabs.  I've been making crayon rolls of late and selling them in local craft
fairs and since it is that back to school time I'd like to keep the
theme going.  If you're a fan of linen and cotton, you are going to love this giveaway.



The giveaway, let's call it "art on the go" will entail: one mini crayon roll - it's a  bit smaller than the originals I've made in the past - which will come filled with large size crayons.  I really like the larger crayons because they seem to be a bit sturdier for the little hands and less likely to break.  Also included is a
9" x 6" doodle pad with 100 pages for endless coloring.  Finally, both items fit neatly inside a matching, fully lined art tote so nothing get's lost during transport or around the home for that matter.  Perfect for your little bug lover :)



The giveaway details are pretty simple, leave a comment and you are entered!  It's that simple.  I'll leave the comments open for the week and announce a winner on the weekend.



Come one, come all and comment for your chance to win. Oh and please feel free to blog about it and share the love.    

ETA: Oops, I've been really busy getting ready for a garage sale that we are having this weekend (Saturday/Sunday).  So busy I forgot to close the comments.  Silly me.  Anyway, I'll officially close the comments on Sunday around 6:00 pm CST.  I'll draw the name and announce a winner on Monday, August 31st.  Hope everyone is well and enjoying their weekend.  Be back soon, xxx.    

Sunday 8:00 pm:  Comments are now closed!  Thank you everyone for participating. 

art supplies

Some details in the "everything room":

In this room we try to keep everything in visual range, the idea being that if one can see it, one is more likely to use it.  Of particular importance for our family are the art supplies.  With 4 kids, you can imagine that “arting” (our family word) is high on the priority list.  There is always a creation in the works in this space, something this mumma completely supports and understands, ahem.

The kids medium of choice these days is drawing centered.  From oldest to youngest, there is a constant use of pencils, crayons, pencil crayons, & markers so accessibility is paramount.  I have always stored these supplies in various plastic bins, that have over time broken down, cracked or lost their lid.  This was always a temporary solution for me as I waited for my brain to think through an alternative.   I contemplated the coffee can – too tall for short crayons/markers,
small can – too sharp, jars – still packed in the garage (and still too
tall).  After awhile I considered small wood boxes but asking the hubby
to make one more thing in a no-renovation summer would be hypocritical
after all.

  

Enter the art caddy, with a little adaptation via cardboard and exacto
knife, it now holds our daily supplies.  It spins like a lazy susan to keep
all the hands at the table happy (remember accessibility) and it looks
completely at home in the everything room. 

And the best part for me is getting just a little more organized for the home schooling year ahead. 

How do you store and organize art supplies in your home?   

everything

We put a halt to our renovation efforts for July and August in favor of enjoying the long days of summer.  It's a short season and when we aren’t out frolicking in the sun, which would be on those endless rainy days, we migrate to the everything room.  You can see more on the progress of the room by starting here: original room, the redo, painting, and getting funky. We've come a long way baby.  



The everything room is easily the most organized room in our house and one of the first rooms we completed (well almost completed, there are a few finishes touches that need to happen but they are minor).





It's a room filled with everything and everything has it's place. Guitars and a piano, books, books and more books, laptops and a desktop, homeschooling, art supplies (more on that tomorrow) and of course any decent "everything room" in a house of kids has to have it's toy/play zone.



I love how this room turned out and believe, over the coming years, it will adapt just fine to the changing needs of our growing family.



Where does your family gather on rainy days ?