Monday masters, part 1 - painting like Seurat

This summer, my plan is to introduce the kids to some famous painters and their artwork. At this age, my kids may not appreciate a major art history lesson, but I want them to get a taste of it. This afternoon, I introduced them to George Seurat and pointillism. We used Q-tips to dab dots of paint onto paper. This is what was created during our afternoon paint session. Not quite Seurat, but still worthy of a spot on the fridge.

You can visit KinderArt for more ideas.

Teacher appreciation gifts

H has several dance teachers, so I had to think of a simple gift that I could make in multiples. Since this year the recital theme is Candy shop (H is dancing to Sugar Pie Honey Bunch and I Want Candy), I thought these little candy bags would be fitting for the occasion. For H's grade 2 teacher I bought a Chapter's gift card and had H make a bookmark for Mrs. K. 

I always get a little teary-eyed at the close of another school year because it means the kids have grown up a little more. It's wonderful to see the growth and development, but at the same time, a part of me wants to keep holding on to these primary years.

Dance recital time

It's that time of year around here - dance recital time. It's always a little crazy at the end of June with getting H ready for dance photos, dress rehearsal and two recital shows. And with school finishing up on Friday, it's going to get even crazier at home. So if things get a little quiet on this blog, it'll be because I'll be on summer vacation. Not! The kids will be in summer holiday mode, and I'll be in full mommy mode, trying to keep both kids busy and content.

Craft hope - project 3

Remember the doll I made for Craft hope? Well she is with 404 doll friends now, waiting to go to Nicaragua. 405! That's how many dolls were made and donated for the project. There is a photo of the dolls here. What a beautiful sight seeing all the dolls together. I feel lucky to have been a small part of this wonderful cause.

Craft hope has project 3 up. They are looking for people to make blankets, booties and beanies for newborns. Go here for all the information. 

Paper crane - a father's legacy

This photo of a paper crane is in memory of my father, who passed away four years ago. Whenever I see paper birds, I am always reminded of my dad. He made paper birds like this all the time for me and my two siblings. I would watch in amazement as he turned an ordinary sheet of paper into a bird. It didn't look like a traditional origami Japanese crane. Oh, but this bird could flap its wings when you pulled on the tail. As a kid, getting one of these birds was always such a delight. I eventually learned how to make them myself. I unfolded and folded and refolded, until I had memorized the sequence of folds it required to create one of these fascinating birds.

I think my love of paper and paper crafts started with my dad. He had planted that little seed in me. It is amazing how the simple act of folding a paper crane connects me so strongly to my father.

So my wish to all the dads out there is that you are creating little legacies for your children. One day, those seemingly ordinary acts will become something extraordinary and a gift of unmeasurable worth.

Happy Father's Day.

Felt strawberry jar topper

If you've been strawberry picking, chances are you have baskets full of strawberries. If you have lots of strawberries, you may want to make some jam. And if you make jam, you'll need to put it in a jar. After you've put your jam in a jar, you may want to decorate your jar like I've done here. And if you've dressed up your jar of jam, then you can give it to someone you love. (I think I've read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff, way too many times.)

For other strawberry crafts, check out these cute ideas.
Strawberry basket and strawberry-shaped gift box
Strawberry origami
Strawberry pincushions

Naoko Stoop - free art download

Isn't this adorable? This little girl's hat reminds me so much of a strawberry. This artwork by Naoko Stoop can be downloaded free from Feed Your Soul. There are lots more free art available since the last time I visited this site.

To learn more about Naoko Stoop, you can go here. For more artwork like the one shown above, you can visit her Etsy shop.

'Tis the season - for strawberries

It's June, which means that strawberry picking season is upon us. Mmmmm.  I can smell the sweet scent of sun-kissed strawberries already. Will you be heading out to the strawberry patches? 

The week will be dedicated to this lovely red berry and all things strawberry. Stay tuned.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fun with shapes - stamping with cardboard tubes

I saw Patricia from A Little Hut do this with her kids. She had them print onto fabric napkins using fabric paint and cardboard tubes. I thought it would be a fun activity to do with my three year old, except we just used washable paint on paper. I folded the toilet paper tubes into different shapes. N really enjoyed stamping the various shapes onto the paper. He found it especially fun when we did patterning. I stamped out a series of patterns and he had to name the next shape in the sequence. Learning while having fun, that's the best combination.

Tip: Yes, those are dog bowls you see in the photo. I use them all the time when the kids paint. I bought these plastic dog bowls on sale for ten cents each at Ikea. They make great paint trays and are perfect for holding water in which to clean the paint brushes. They are stable and don't tip over.

Mahar drygoods - a treasure of a site

I finally tackled the job of cleaning up my craft corner. Amongst all the cut paper, felt scraps and thread, I found a small piece of paper with the name of a website written on it - www.mahardrygoods.com. I do this a lot - jot down the names of interesting blogs/sites. I suppose bookmarking or subscribing would be a better way of keeping track of the great blogs I stumble upon. I just can't seem to let go of the whole pencil to paper thing. Anyways, finding this paper was like digging up lost treasure. Mahar Drygoods is an online place for vintage and artisan crafted goods for kids. There is a blog as well, and lots of other goodies to get lost in.

And thanks to Mahar Drygoods' blog, I discovered lmnop. It's a "free quarterly, pdf magazine for hip, stylish parents and their children". I love this magazine. Not because I'm a hip, stylish mom or anything. It's beautifully designed. The current issue is alphabet themed - a real treat for letter loving types like me.

Fruity spreads and fabulous fabric

For our anniversary, we went on a weekend getaway to Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was wonderful to spend some quiet, uninterrupted time together - walking, talking, eating ice-cream, savouring our long, leisurely meals. It was delightful. And with all the quaint little shops around, I just couldn't help myself to a few purchases. These spreads from Kurtz are absolutely delicious. G and I spent half an hour just sampling all their spreads and tapenades. I also came across a small store full of beautiful fabrics. 

It was a relaxing weekend that was cut short when we received a call from my sister-in-law, informing us that H had a fever. Oh, such is life - back to being mommy.

A boy, a dress and a circular saw

It was a day in April, 2008, that began ordinarily enough. The kids were puttering around the house. Eventually it became quiet. Not quiet in a good sense, but too quiet, which means the kids might be up to something. I knew where H was - nothing to worry about there. But little N (two years old at the time) was nowhere to be found. Then I heard rustling in my closet and felt relieved. Relief quickly turned into concern when I couldn't completely open the closet door. Inside, I had a tall plastic storage container which holds wrapping paper. N had knocked it over, which was now lodged against the door. Panic set in as it became clear that N was trapped inside. My closet swings inward, which means that the hinges are on the inside of the closet. I was ready to call the fire department at that point, until G had the idea of using his circular saw to cut through the door.

N was quite calm, probably too young to understand the situation he was in. I knew we had to move quickly though, because it was close to nap-time and he was getting tired. His big sister, on the other hand, became very emotional. I remember her crying. "I'm not going to have a little brother anymore."

We could only open the door about four inches. So, with my arm squeezed through the small opening, I held N down on the floor in one corner, as G sawed through the door. My focus was on keeping N still and calm as the saw whirred loudly above our heads, sawdust flying.

And then I heard G yell out, "What is this - insulation?" A few seconds later it dawned on me. That white stuff coming through the door was my wedding dress. Apparently, hanging your wedding dress behind the closet door, is not the best place to keep a cherished keepsake.

Luckily, we were able to set N free, unscathed. The bottom half of my wedding gown, however, was not so lucky.

What do you do with a shredded wedding gown? With our thirteen year wedding anniversary coming up in a few days, I finally did something with the dress.



I took some of the salvaged fabric and made a mini wedding dress. At least now, the dress is not just gathering dust behind the closet door. This shadow box holds only a small remnant of my dress, but represents a special memory of our wedding day and of memories we've made since then.

Mini notebooks - upcycled cereal boxes

I find that the best thing to bring along when we go out is a notebook and a pen. When N gets a little restless, especially in a restaurant, having a notebook to draw and scribble on keeps him happy and occupied. I made these notebooks for such occasions. Cereal boxes and other similar weighted cardboard boxes can easily be upcycled into little notebooks like these. The unprinted side of cardboard boxes make wonderful, neutral covers. I used ready-made labels and added a security envelope pattern to the spine. I love how these turned out. I think I'll be making more.

Cathedral windows quilt

I fell in love with this pillow cover with cathedral windows by warmnfuzzies over at Etsy. I love the detail on it. The first time I saw this, the question I kept asking was, "How do you make that?" Well, I came across a great tutorial for making cathedral windows at Hyena In Petticoats. She has taken the mystery out of this quilting technique. It is now on my list of projects to try. In the meantime, I've been experimenting with the technique using paper.



So for any non-sewers out there, you can try making a paper quilt like this. It won't keep you warm at night, but I think it would look great framed.