how to make simple earrings

Happy first day of Spring!! It's snowing again, but I believe the cold days are numbered (please!). I have some hopeful girls making more spring earrings as I type. Trading beads and designing their jewelry is the latest obsession around here. My daughter is happy to show you in pictures just how easy they are to make. 

You will need these supplies:

• needle nose pliers
• wire cutters
• beads or charms
• headpins
• earring hooks

HOW TO:

Thread beads onto headpin.

Snip off excess wire if your head pin is long(they come in various sizes) and save the discarded wire for other jewelry projects. You'll need enough wire to twist a loop at the top.

Using pliers bend top into a loop.

It will look like this.

Make a pair.

Open the loop on the earring hook.

Connect beads to hook. Slide them on to hook from the opposite side that you just opened.

Pinch the hook opening closed.

viola!

There is no limit to the design possibilities with this simple technique. My ten year old daughter and her friends could make these by the thousands… the only limit is their allowance! Find supplies at your local bead stores, Michael's and Jo-ann's. 

creativity camp summer 2015

 There may still be snow on the ground, but the birds woke me up this morning… the vernal equinox is upon us, and summer dreams are not far behind. Time for planning some adventures! I am so happy to announce that Creativity Camp is returning this summer in full force! I will be directing three fun filled weeks for local girls 9-12 years old.

 

Each session will have a specific theme, but the focus throughout everyday will be building self-confidence and awareness through self-expression and the learning of new skills. My passion for art will merge with my background in education and psychology to inspire and encourage this magical time in our young girls' development of self and their creativity. 

 Camp will be held in an 1850's country farmhouse, nestled on 5 acres of meadow, creeks, and woods. Visualize improvised studio-space under a canopy of 200-year-old walnut trees with plenty of opportunities for running in the field, dancing in the back meadow or gathering blackcaps by the hedgerow.

 

 July 13-17

rock*paper*scissors will be a week long immersion of inside/outside crafting following the rhythm of each day’s weather forecast. We will use our beautiful meadow to work with natural dyes and paints, "Goldsworthy" art installations, nature costumes, found materials transformed into jewelry and sculptures, miniature shelters for woodland creatures and maybe a fairy or two! When the temperature soars or a summer storm rolls in, we’ll turn to working with the abundance of paper in need of rescuing in everyone's house. Painting, printing, stamping, stitching, gluing, cutting, bookbinding… all will be explored!  We’ll even add some creative writing into the mix. The last day will feature a showcase of everyone's work for parents to enjoy.

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July 27-31

stitch*craft will focus on basic hand sewing techniques and an intro to sewing machine skills. Projects that have immediate use for the maker are very exciting and inspiring. We will learn how to repurpose favorite clothing and fabric into new items that celebrate each girl’s unique design sense… from bling to au naturel and everything in between. Weaving, embroidery and fabric printing will be incorporated into our week together- culminating in a showcase on the last day for parents.

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August 3-7

stitch*craft 2 is for girls with sewing machine experience, who want to take their skills to the next level. Everyone will choose several projects to complete throughout the week from our extensive craft/sewing library. They will get familiar with reading patterns/instructions while increasing their sewing techniques repertoire. These new skills boost confidence and strengthen passion for their craft. Embroidery, applique and fabric printing will be incorporated into our week together- culminating in a showcase on the last day for parents.

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If this sounds like a good fit for your daughter, please let me know soon so that I can reserve a spot for her and send you more details. mayaluna(at)yahoo(dot)com

 Can't wait for summer to get here!

calling in spring

The steady drip of snow melting off rooftops has joined the chorus of birds singing their return. While  still buried, we are aching for color and I think my daughter has come up with a solution. She and her friends have discovered how much fun it is to create earrings with beads and headpins- and have been on a making frenzy. I believe all of the bright and sparkly supplies are extra enticing while the world is still white. 

 

A display space for all of her creations was needed, so out came another embroidery hoop. She picked out happy spring fabric and got to work organizing.

 This hoop of baubles sings "happy spring!" doesn't it?

The sun is returning to us for sure!

The Artful Year- a review

I'm so excited to share one of my new favorite books with you! Today we are part of the blog tour for Jean Van't Hul new book. She has written another "soon to be" classic with The Artful Year, published by Roost Books (my favorite publisher!). It celebrates each season and holidays with crafts and recipes for the whole family. The essence is on creating memories and traditions together by following the rhythm of the seasons, which Jean feels are "ideal for introducing children to visual arts and natural science, both of which begin with observation".

Jean and I have been online friends since the early blogging days, and I was honored to contribute to her first book, The Artful Parent. Her blog, of the same name, is a wonderful source of inspiration for how to bring creativity into your children's lives. I love that Jean focuses on projects with an open-ended process. Nature is surely woven in, as well. The Artful Year is a wonderful reflection of that emphasis,  even though there are plenty of crafts that end in a wonderful gift, a celebratory decoration or a wonderful new holiday dish.

The Artful Year is brimming over with activities (175!) for all ages, lending itself well to families with mixed age siblings. It's organized by season, including a chapter on things to do anytime of year. There are reading lists for kids and parents… and there are recipes! I've always believed that cooking with children is just another creative outlet for families, and I love how many fun and festive recipes have been included.

As we push forward the clocks today, I am aware that spring might come after all. I've poured through the Spring chapter with gusto and there are over 10 different kinds of ways to decorate eggs- ten!

You'll  also find nests to make for your eggs and nests to bake and eat! Instructions are simple and straightforward… photographs are inspiring because they're great guides and not too glossy. I've noticed that many craft books for children often have an unattainable quality to their perfect end products. Jean's photographs are real and beautiful.

This book is truly a must have for anyone raising or working with children. If I could only keep a couple of books on creativity with children, The Artful Year would be at the top of my list. It's really that good.

 Here's a little peek:

And if you'd like to see more, check out the blog tour right here and hop on over to some of the other stops. 

Congratulations, Jean! 

priorities

February break is in full swing. This year has felt like one long winter vacation with all of our snow days. My kids and I aren't complaining- we love cozy days and any excuse to hang out together. There's a ton of baking, music making, and crafting going on… I just don't have the ability to chronicle it the way I used to (thank goodness for Instagram).  Being a single mother has impacted blogging regularly, but it hasn't altered my priorities around time with my children. In fact, I believe it's only strengthened my desire to give them everything I've got. This love flows out to their friends too… which must be why we always have a full house! And why I might find myself ironing yards and yards of rainbow chevron fabric for a curtain making project.

Yesterday while snowed in, again, we stayed in pajamas to sew and knit… for hours. Listening to music and talking while handcrafting inspire a deep connecting that I want my daughter and her friends to experience.  I'm not opposed to technology for this next generation, but I'm determined to expose them to the kind of communication that doesn't involve hashtags. There is an art to sharing time together- and I believe it is our job to teach our children how to "operate without screens", as well as with them.

Connecting with a community online will most likely be part of their future, as it is ours right now while you read this. Showing these sweet girls what quiet REAL TIME TOGETHER feels like is essential. 

mini-crowns

A little Sunday evening post was in order to tell you about our new happy head wear. It began last week when Maya used a toilet paper tube as her prompt of the day for her Frivolous Project. I couldn't resist! In 10 minutes I had made and photographed this definitely frivolous cat hat. 

So fun, right? Our "serious party animal" seemed to make a lot of people smile on Instagram. So I made a second.

This weekend my daughter and some friends wanted to get in on the action. "Pet crowns" were the initial goal, but they changed gears once we added some metallic paints to the mix. Royal crowns of their very own were whipped up. With a hole punch and elastic thread, these work beautifully for people. What a fantastic party hat- or just what's needed to feel like a queen for the day. Because they're miniature, these have a "cool" factor that makes them a little more sophisticated then a typical paper crown. Important to keep in mind for 10 year olds. Elastic thread is the key to them feeling "barely there" and being able to sit jauntily on the side of your head.

The sky's the limit to the design possibilities. We just used a few supplies and were totally satisfied.

Mini-Crowns

 

Need:

• Toilet paper tube
• Scissors
• Washi tape
• Hole punch
• Elastic thread
• Metallic paint
• Paint brush

Make:

1. Cut 1/4 of the tube off. Use the rest.
2. Slice shapes out of the top. Classic crown triangles or fringe have been our only designs so far (we really need to branch out!) Fringe can be wrapped around a pencil to create the curl effect on the top or bottom of the crown.
3. Decorate with paint and tape or whatever strikes your fancy. Let Dry.
4. Punch two holes on opposites sides from each other.
5. Knot elastic thread through one hole. Try crown on pull the thread to the other side to gauge the length you'll need for your own comfort. Cut and tie the thread to other hole.
6. Slip your crown on… your Majesty!

the paper playhouse

A light hearted energy has landed in my home this week and with it came a desire to play. Katrina Rodabaugh's new book, The Paper Playhouse (Quarrybooks), arrived just in time!

 It's filled with children's projects using recycled paper, boxes and books. This focus makes me happy for all of the obvious green reasons, but also for utilizing materials that are so easy for kids to find around the house... and for their parents to gratefully hand over to them for experimentation and creativity.

 

 There are plenty of perfect invitations for parents to collaborate with their younger children around craft, creativity and imaginary play. Lots of the projects can be made independently by an older child. In the back there is an extensive gallery of paper artists and their work for further inspiration. Just a few of the many below. And YES those are my newspaper and sewing pattern flowers! So happy to be included here with such a great group!

Congratulations Katrina! What a lovely book to share our kids!

gold leaf

 Our magnolia tree is finally releasing her leaves. On Saturday I had two assistants to help me gather some for an experiment.

 Silver and gold paint. Leaves. Foam brushes. Some newspaper spread on the floor. Hours of engagement! The largest of the leaves are thick and very sturdy, but not so much for the smaller ones.

A couple of days have passed and the smalls are curling up as dry leaves do. The process ended up being far more rewarding than I had anticipated, so if my planned end result morphs that's ok by me.

"Metal" leaves are definitely a new favorite around here.

foxy friends

Last week I got the call from Quilter's Corner that my sewing machine was ready to be picked up after a much needed servicing. It's always a happy reunion when I've been separated from my favorite machine (a Pfaff classic). My daughter accompanied me. She has the same response to fabric stores that all sewers have... excitement, inspiration, and a desire for just one (or two) more bits of fabric. However, she often claims that she is NOT a sewer- and doesn't like to sew.  Humph. This dichotomy always leaves me a bit bewildered.

When she discovered a foxy flannel fat quarter and began "nicely" begging with clear intentions for what she would make out of it, I couldn't help but get my "mama sewer" hopes up. She knows just how to hook me- and we went home with the sweet flannel below.

Her idea was to utilize the space around each fox and make mini stuffies- a whole family of them. And she did- immediately.

She even taught her friend how to make some later on that day during sleepover. It was a fox frenzy!

One fat quarter of this, makes a lot! And keeps little hands stitching happily for hours with some very immediate results.
The girls even made fox storage pouches and  accessories... sleeping bags, pillows, bowls, messenger bag and a chicken drumstick! And then carefully arranged them for a photo shoot. Thanks girls!

Wouldn't these make perfect little gifts?  Great stocking stuffers or fun presents kids can make on their own are always welcome additions to the holidays... glad my girl got inspired!