Author Archive
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
If your kid is craving creativity, but your feeling uninspired, don’t underestimate the power of experimentation. Get out some paper plates. Pour a few circles of different colored acrylic paints and encourage kids to mix, blend, stir, and swirl. Don’t forget to include white because it offers a fabulous way to subtly change colors.
Not only will your little artist have fun, she will also learn so much about the building blocks of color.
In the end, they might even discover their favorite shade of blue.
Have fun!
Emily
Categories: Crafts, Everyday Fun, Fun, Group Activities | Tags: art, blending, children, color, craft, creative, experiment, fun, kids, mixing, paint
Friday, May 3rd, 2013
It is May and (for most of us) vibrant flowers are in full bloom. For those of you with snow on the ground today, your flowers are coming soon, soon, soon! Here is a sweet little round-up of beautiful flower crafts that are perfect for decorating and gifting!
1. willowday offers a tutorial for a gorgeous, simple, peony inspired Felt Flower Necklace.
2. Make punchy floral fabric covered terracotta pots with Christine!
3. Visit the Purl Bee where Molly offers a tutorial for making Felt Anemone Flower Magnets. Aren’t her color choices gorgeous?
4. This Paint Chip Hyacinth tutorial provides a creative way to use up all the extra paint chip samples you’ve collected.
5. Make bright and beautiful Paper Ranunculus Flowers with Sarah (free template included!).
Don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers.
Happy Friday!
-emily
Categories: 5 Bright Spots, Crafts, Everyday Fun, Fun, Group Activities, Seasonal | Tags: beautiful, color, crafts, creative, fabric, flowers, fun, kids, magnets, paper, template, terracotta
Wednesday, May 1st, 2013
This past fall, I ran a Story Disk workshop at the Boston Children’s Museum and had the honor of spending the day in the art studio with the incredible Arts Program Manager, Alice Volger. The studio is gorgeous — inspiring, organized, and filled with most beautiful creative work. I found myself especially captivated by the communal twig and tape sculpture that dangles from the ceiling, cheerfully greeting visitors.
Alice told me a bit about the process. Children filtered into the studio all day long and used twigs and colorful masking tape to add to the sculpture. By the end of the day (or perhaps it was a few days), the twigs were intertwined in the grandest of ways. It is breathtaking, really.
Why not try this at home? Ask children to gather sticks and twigs (yard clean-up!). Leave the twigs and multiple roles of colorful masking tape at a craft station for a few days. Show children photographs of sculptures and encourage them to experiment with making their own unique creation.
If you have small children and are anywhere near Boston, definitely stop by the museum for a visit!
-Emily
Categories: Crafts, Everyday Fun, Fun, Group Activities, Inspired, Nature, Outdoors | Tags: children, colorful, communal, craft, creative, fun, group, kids, masking tape, museum, sculpture, sticks, tape, twig
Friday, April 26th, 2013
1. Jessica at scrumdilly-do posted a simple, creative, fun paint chip plant markers tutorial. Not only does this reuse materials, but it also encourages children to plant some seeds!
2. These egg carton boats are adorable! via crafty crow
3. I’m kind of obsessed with the thought of making these superhero hand cuffs for my daughters. Made using toilet paper tubes, they are simply magnificent!
4. Mmmmmm. Chocolate Flowerpot Cakes! What a sweet way to celebrate the earth and its flowers!
5. Amy offers some artistic inspiration for making homemade wrapping paper out of painted newspaper. Pretty!
Happy weekend!
xo emily
Categories: 5 Bright Spots, Crafts, Everyday Fun, Food, Fun, Group Activities, Nature, Seasonal | Tags: boats, cake, celebrate, children, chocolate, crafts, earth, earth day, egg carton, flowers, fun, paint chip, paper, reuse, seeds, superhero, tubes, wrapping
Thursday, April 25th, 2013
It is yard clean-up time around these parts! This weekend, we have grand plans to rake, pull, and trim in order to make room for all of the new growth that is coming our way.
Hook your kids into helping with the promise of beautiful decorations. Encourage them to collect vines, twigs, long grasses, and dried stalks –all leftover from last autumn– to use as materials for crowns and wreaths.
They can twist, tie, wrap, and shape until the vines and grasses become circular and perfect for hanging or wearing.
Happy day!
xo emily
Categories: Crafts, Everyday Fun, Fun, Group Activities, Nature, Outdoors, Seasonal | Tags: backyard, beautiful, children, clean-up, creative, crowns, fun, nature, spring, twig, wreaths
