A friend came over today for some sewing lessons. For a while she had been meaning to make some cushion covers but needed a little sewing guidance. I was more than happy to help her out, and am very pleased to have had the chance to offer design and construction advice. I do not take […]
Two pretty Easter baskets for two pretty Girls! I very much enjoy collecting little bits and pieces through-out the year for Easter. On Easter Eve I put them all together in the Girl’s baskets. The baskets and liners are from Pottery Barn Kids, the cookies and chocolates I found at the Chelsea Market, the books were […]
After three days of solid rain, all I could think was “Good weather for ducks!”. I enjoy a walk in the rain, but convincing Maya to do such a thing takes some coaxing…This I did not have the energy for, so we stayed in inside. Which led to the following creation. A duck pond for […]
It has been a while since I have made felt food. Missing Rainbows inspired me to make this colourful little cupcake. A lovely new addition to our play-food.
While I am VERY happy for Spring to be here, I felt slightly sad to say official goodbye to winter yesterday. To mark the end of winter we removed our paper snowflakes from our windows. I had been starring at our hand made snowflakes for days thinking I must take them down. They were so […]
On Thursday at play-group pick-up Maya had in hand a pretty basket with wheatgrass shoots growing in it. I was delighted to see such a beautiful Easter craft! Her Teachers organised the baskets, helped the children fill them with soil, and plant the wheatgrass seeds. The children watered the seeds, talked to the seeds, and […]
Oh my darling….oh my darling Clementine….thou art lost and gone forever…. At the end of winter in NY it can be hard to find colour in the park foliage. The environment is monochromatic browns, with splatters of dark ivy and fir green here and there. With spring so close, I am often scanning the ground, […]
Friends and neighbors from Beachcomber Drive, Jan and Charlie came for dinner on Tuesday night. Jan arrived with a bag from Pearl Paint with a gift in it for the Girls. Maya peeped inside the bag to find two packets of Claytoon. Bright coloured clay like play-dough that never dries out. Maya was enthralled by the […]
Some things I just don’t sew……like T-shirts and tanks for instance. I do however enjoy making them my own, by adding a few handmade touches. I also can be a bit (hmmm what is the word?) when it comes to clothes from old navy or kmart and so to set an item apart from the […]
We are heading up state NY for a few days to stay with friends, and I made these flags for one of their daughters for a house warming gift! What ever you decide to call them, bunting, banners or flags, they are really one of the hippest things that just seems to keep showing up in […]
Tree wrapping of a different kind…. This Artwork was a Site Specific Collaborative Installation that I directed a few years ago. Artists from the community volunteered to work with students at Shearwater Steiner School in Mullumbimby, Australia. The project guidelines were based on Reconciliation. In Australia, as sited from the Australian Government, “Reconciliation is about unity and […]
Japanese (washi) paper tape is great tape for kids. Fun for adults too, but what makes it especially appealing to children is that it is colourful and easy to rip or cut from the roll. It can be untangled and unstuck from itself and it can be removed and reapplied (for the finicky artists). You can […]
Bit by bit the pile grew. At first I had them sitting on the ground beside the table, and then the pile was in the way so I found a large flat box to put them in. Then another pile formed on the ground beside the table and I thought, this is getting out of […]
For Valentines Day I gave Cam the game of Scrabble and for Valentines Day he played it with me! This was one of those gifts that I gave because I wanted it, and he played it with me because he knows how much I enjoy it. Finding things to do together, (beyond raising children) is […]
I have been working on spring clothes for the girls, and have finished the first item of the ‘spring line’. A cotton voile skirt that actually fits both the girls but was made for Maya. Maya has lots of input while I make her things and is definitely part of the process, making her my […]
A simple Valentine craft……a string of hearts made from paint samples. You will need: Paint samples Large needle Thread or string I cut out the hearts using a mat knife or exacto blade, but you can use scissors of course. Then thread them on embroidery floss with a large needle. Create a pattern as I […]
The weekends at our house become a hotchpotch of creativity. I am often trying to work on a sewing project. Baby Elle likes to sit and draw, and Maya goes between doing both sewing and drawing. All of this takes place on our very small dinning table. Here is a sample of what I mean…
Playdough is a good old fashioned activity, that can provide hours of fun. I remember as a child, the joy of new playdough, I loved choosing the colour I wanted! Yesterday we made a fresh batch of dough. I divided it into six pieces, making each piece a different colour. The girls loved the sculptural […]
Having art supplies organised and easy to grab is an important part of making art with kids. For Christmas we gave the girls art caddies (that were being sold as cutlery totes at Macbeth Collection) full of a variety of medium. Maya’s (3yr) caddie is filled with colored pencils, coloured japanese paper tape, origami papers, […]
A couple of months ago Elle (15 months) started drawing, and my how she enjoys to draw! We now have large pile of lively, colourful, gestural markings to treasure. Our budding artist producing images unique to her personality at this precious baby time of life. Every day, often numerous times we set her up at […]