much appreciation

Irene, at Bloesem Kids, was kind enough to feature maya*made and my portable art studio yesterday. I've been reading her regularly since I started blogging and was so thrilled to see myself up under her banner. If you're not familiar with Bloesem Kids make sure to pour yourself a cup of tea (coffee) and set aside a little time to hang out at her fabulous site. She offers everything I love for children in a beautiful, understated format. Bloesem Kids finds gorgeous handmade/indie clothing and accessories, in depth children's book reviews, wonderful craft projects by Arounna Khounnoraj, and gives Open Houses (tours of interesting family homes). Irene just opened her own shop filled with wee footwear (some handmade by her) and vintage children's books. Recently, both her adult (Bloesem) and child blogs were included in Martha Stuart's Best of The Blogs: Editor's Picks...congratulations Irene!




I would also like to give a long over due public thanks to Cassi at The Crafty Crow, a children's craft collective. She took me under her wing and has been my biggest on-line supporter. I can't thank her enough for the many opportunities she has given me to reach out to new readers. The Crafty Crow is the most amazing resource for parents and teachers that I have discovered...ever! The amount of thought and energy that she puts into each post is daunting. She consistently makes our lives more creative and beautiful with our children by having a daily destination for inspiration... that is varied and accessible. Cassi you're my hero!

I have been extremely excited and humbled by the nice attention brought over to my blog throughout the web and am finally getting around to organizing some of the links for a portfolio, of sorts. I've noticed other bloggers keeping track of their "press" and my previous post was the only way I could figure out how to create a linked page in my sidebar through Blogger.

maya*made is always evolving and I'm always looking for new ways to organize, tidy up and present myself to you. I'm also planning a couple of additions to my regular posts, such as:

-blogroll showcase: choosing a favorite artist or crafter from my blogroll to highlight with a mini interview
-children's book reviews: this has been in the works for too long!

If you're doing a little blog cleaning and updating, as well, I'd like to direct your attention to this informative article over at Indie Fixx today.

Special Topics in Calamity Business by Lyndsey McDonald - 8 Tips for Writing Your Blog for Search Engine Optimization

My hope is to keep inspiring you to bring ingenuity and creativity into your lives, as I strive to do the same.

as seen on...

PUBLISHED

Premier issue of GreenCraft Magazine August 2009
______________________________________________________________

Artful Blogging summer 2009
______________________________________________________________

Country Living May 2009
_____________________________________________________________

small magazine winter 2008
diy contributer
_________________________________________________________________

INTERVIEWS

Crafty Synergy
Resurrection Fern
Melissa Loves
_____________________________________________________________

AROUND THE WEB

Bliss
10/28/08

The Crafty Crow, a children's craft collective
5/17/08
6/17/08
7/01/08
7/03/08
7/18/08
8/01/08
8/11/08
8/16/08
8/26/08
8/30/08
9/08/08



design*sponge
3/12/08
7/18/08
10/21/08
11/20/08



Craftzine
7/24/08
8/7/08
8/23/08
9/22/08
1o/21/08
1/22/09

Apartment Therapy
4/15/08
8/22/08
9/18/08
10/21/08
11/21/08
11/24/08

DESIGN MOM
8/08/08


WHIP UP
8/12/08
8/21/08
10/22/08
1/18/09
1/20/09
2/10/09

Indie Fixx
8/26/08

Folding Trees
8/22/08
8/28/08
2/03/09
paper and stitch
9/11/08

Free People
8/08/08

How About Orange
1/08/09

One Pretty Thing
just about every tutorial has been linked here: thanks so much Rachel!

for the love of words!

I'm putting my "teacher" hat on for Monday morning. It was a rainy, indoor kind of weekend and my daughter spent a lot of time drawing and creating little books. Labeling and explaining her pieces was a critical part of her process, and "how do you spell...?" was asked every few minutes. I knew it was time to make her a "key word ring" and thought I'd share it with you, too.

I used word rings for my son when we were trying to help his writing abilities catch up to his reading level at age six. For my daughter, who has early writing skills, these rings will aid her in learning sight words (recognizing familiar words). They also help her gain some independence and keep me from spelling the same favorite words over and over again. Word rings are great for everyone...and look they're portable (you know I love that)!

They are based on Sylvia Ashton-Warner's work with Maori children in New Zealand in the 60's. She was an educational pioneer who wrote the book Teacher in 1963. In it she says, "First words must have an intense meaning...they must be already part of the dynamic life of the child." Warner recommended beginning reading instruction with a "key vocabulary"... sight words a child uses in conversation that have deep emotional meaning for him/her.

You don't typically think of a three and a half year old writing (attempting) the word unicorn, but unicorns are my daughter's passion so she constantly wants to draw and write about them. She's so proud of her unicorn "word" on her ring! We chose words that had significance in her life and that she asks for repeatedly. We keep a couple blank ones on hand...ready for a new word request.


If you have a new reader/writer I urge you to make them their own personal ring to keep close to their writing and drawing supplies.

Materials:
-Index cards
-hole puncher
-binder rings (2 inch is a perfect size)... shower curtain rings can work also!
-paper cutter for quick halving of the cards (optional)

Hope you have a great start to your week!

window wip

I wish I had a recipe or tutorial to send you on your weekend with, but I'm madly at work on a window display for Mama Goose. I have just enough time to quickly share some "work in progress" sneak peaks, and then I'm off to pick up my children and head out to a pumpkin farm...if the rain doesn't come.
Mama Goose is a resale shop for children, and I'm creating an Autumn scene out of recycled materials. I'm predominantly using newspaper and brown paper bags. This "not quite finished" owl will be sitting on a branch looking down at some traditional woodland icons made out of un-traditional materials...or at least I hope! It's all in the works, so wish me luck this weekend... and I'll share photos once it's installed on Tuesday or Wednesday.



Hope you can make time for some fun and creativity this weekend!

the barn's bar

It's been far too long since I've invited you over to the barn. How about coming in for a little glass of local white wine. Hop on up to the bar...it's the best seat in the house... ahem, barn. My mother and I deliberated over this bar for ages. The main room is small and we didn't want a table to crowd and clutter the open floor plan. The bar has been better than we could have ever hoped for. We lowered it to counter height, which seems just right. The plank was from an antique/rummage shop. The mismatched brackets, securing it to the wall, are from an architectural salvage store. The bar's surface is wide enough for a place mat, as well as a laptop computer. It seats two perfectly...but this summer we actually had all four grandchildren slurping spaghetti at "Grandma's pasta bar"... and they were quite comfortable!



My mother had the brilliant idea of putting up a little ledge for condiments, candles and napkins.This keeps the dining surface clear and provides a little stage for a couple of rotating vintage pieces. The ledge was originally upstairs in the barn builder's workshop. There are different sized holes all along the length of the narrow board, and we believe he stored his tools in it. What a wonderful way to bring it back to life! The napkins are held in place by a lovely section of an old cigar box my mother couldn't part with.

The little red house is an original toy from my grandmother's nursery school. My mother kept it by her side during the years she was searching for her first home (to buy)...a symbolic little reminder of what she wanted and where she came from. What's so amazing is its resemblance to her dream home...her little barn.

on my desk...

As is often the case, "my desk" has traveled to another corner of the house. On my desk...the players.

On Saturday I received a very exciting box in the mail...I had some idea of the contents and therefore waited until I could give it my complete attention. My daughter and I opened it up together in this morning's sunshine...I know I won't do this magical box justice, but here it goes...
Karen, of the blog Beelieve, participated in my give-away and alerted me to her own Mixed Media Give Away Contest. When I saw the amazing assortment of art materials and vintage treasures she was generously sharing, I immediately signed up. I was thrilled to be the winner and couldn't wait to see it all in person. I wasn't prepared for the true depth of this box. Karen was like my creative angel...lovingly packing each incredible item with sensitivity and obvious thought as to what would inspire. I'm still catching my breath!
Click on any picture to get a close up.



In it are all the materials, notions, ephemera, and eclectic vintage supplies to excite any artist...but she made it personal and touched me so deeply.




I recently signed up for Smoothpebble's Illuminated Phrase, and now I have everything imagineable to make it happen. I was needing a little nudge and this collection just got me very fired up!

Thank you Karen, for your loving attention to details and courage to get personal and go deep with someone you've never even met. This world of blogs keeps blowing me away!

The above photo is of the card Karen created and included in the box... "Art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life".

reflections on balance

Just a brief update on my Etsy plans...you've all been so supportive and encouraging, and I wanted to thank you and let you know my latest thoughts. After much reflection, I've re-evaluated my priorities and now understand what I can do...and still keep my family happy and me creatively energized. I've always loved being a teacher, and this blog has become a platform for sharing my ideas and inspiring you to be creative... and interpret my projects in your own unique ways.

Tutorials incorporating sustainable design for children, ideas for simple living, and innovative give-aways will continue to be my main focus at maya*made. My shop is in the works, but it's ultimate design and purpose is still evolvoing. Thanks for being one of my favorite parts of this blog...your enthusiastic comments keep me inspired and motivated!

fall leaves

The nights are getting brisk, the trees are beginning their colorful transformation, and the apples are ripe. The first official day of Fall has arrived. We welcomed it with our traditional salute...adorning the house with Autumn colored leaves. Here's what we do...

1. Gather leaves of interesting shapes and sizes... doesn't matter if they're still green.
2. Set up a leaf studio with crayons (beeswax blocks are our favorite for rubbing) and watercolors.


3. Taping leaves to your surface first makes it easier for little artists. Place tape on the front of leaf and flip over. The back side of every leaf gives a better outline.


4. Cover leaves with paper and rub your crayons (we choose only fall colors) over each one.

5. Wax resist some of them... add watercolors to each leaf for a little batik effect.


6. Any age can participate in the first steps, but the final step, cutting them out, should be reserved for older children and adults (for safety reasons and less frustration).

We attach the leaves with a small bit of double sided tape to our windows and watch the sun stream through them.
You know how much I love newspaper...I'm about to do a window display for Mama Goose and I'm playing around with this idea...

More on that soon...
Happy Fall!

portable art studio: a tutorial

I discovered this vintage book at my mother's barn and instantly read it from cover to cover. It turns out that this original copy is the very same one that my grandmother used in her nursery school. You can imagine how deliriously happy I was to hold it in my hands...to be able to use it with my children, and to share with all of you. Last week I left you with thoughts on creating art out in nature.

My new (vintage) book contains plans for constructing a portable table top easel out of an old box. How perfect for taking out to the picnic table...I couldn't wait to try it. I also wanted to design a recycled art caddy that could tuck into the easel for storage. I used a milk carton!


I'm so excited about the outcome and my resident artist confirmed that this traveling art studio is a hit. Both the easel and caddy can be assembled with minimal effort and supplies from your recycling bin. Wonderful for any age: three to adult!


EASEL PLANS AND INSTRUCTIONS:

-I modified the original plans. I'm sure you could make this in a larger size without having to do too much math. Start by copying my drawn image onto a piece of cardboard in pencil.
-Using an x-acto knife and straight edge, cut along the black lines and score along the dotted lines.
-Fold along all scored sides and tape securely...I love white duct tape. Here's the original picture...similar to what you will create.




TUTORIAL FOR A MILK CARTON CADDY:

1. Gather a clean and empty milk carton, duct tape, and scissors.
2. Open top of carton.
3. Detach spout (if there is one).
4. Fold top flat.

5. Turn carton on its side and tape around the entire bottom. Make sure to secure the opening first.
6. Cut out a center handle. This will be the first rough cut.
7. Leaving the handle intact, cut off the top portion of the carton to create the caddy. Shape your handle and trim any jagged edges.
8. Cover entire outside of carton in duct tape for increased stability and a uniform look.

To continue with our recycled theme, I used baby food jars for the paints and a small tin can for pencils.

This project combines some of my favorite things... upcycling, portability, and art. Hope you enjoy it too!