Create With Me

Stampington has a brand new publication focused on parent/child creative collaborations: Create With Me. It arrived in my mailbox yesterday... and I'm not the only one curious to check out what's inside.
Doesn't that look familiar? My daughter's 6th cat birthday party is featured... even announces it on the cover. So exciting! I think what's so special about highlighting this particular party is how low-glitz it was.

There are so many gorgeous and fancy kid's parties these days...
and as inspiring as they are, I find them to be somewhat unattainable in the reality of everyday life and most family's budgets. I'm honored that our extremely successful, but quite humble handmade party, has been recognized this way. Big thanks to editor: Amber Demien! And a big hand to all of my daughter's wonderful "cat" friends that made the day so special. One of the best parts of her birthday has lived on and is now framed in her room. She had worked so hard on (and been so proud of) her cat portrait for Pin the Hat on the Cat, that we saved it.

To honor it, we cut it out and mounted it to a painted canvas. A mini bunting was added that I snipped out from the my very original newspaper bunting. Her birthday cat now lives on the wall across from her bed. It's the first thing my daughter  sees when she gets up in the morning.

And remember this Valentine Stamp that she made? It's in this issue also!

As you can imagine, my daughter's feeling mighty happy! Me too.  I've never seen her so interested in an art magazine... we poured over the pages together.




Yay, there's our friend Jennifer Casa who has two girls the same age as mine!

Create With Me should be hitting the stands at any moment. Go take a peek!
And here are some links from this post that you might find fun:

• cat party! part one 
• cat party! part two
• The Piñata
•  diy stamps for children
• those pajamas my girl's wearing in the top are still going strong from way back here. 
• if you look closely at this photo from my recent classroom at Squam you can see the snips in the bunting that I made for the cat portrait. waste not want not!

my grandmother::creative therapy

A couple months back I was invited to be a guest artist on Creative Therapy. Thanks Karen! I was asked to choose a prompt or catalyst for creating a piece. I chose "who is your favorite relative" instantly. My grandmother is my hero, as you may know... if not, you might like to read this. Her 89th birthday was coming up, so I made this collage as her gift. I even got to deliver it  in person... that was back in February! She hung it where she can see it when she awakens each morning... a reminder of a life well lived and of a chapter so long ago, when her body was young and strong and small, chubby hands were constantly wrapped around her neck or pulling on her skirts. This is my favorite photo in the entire world! My young grandmother is surrounded by her clothesline and her children... radiant and relaxed. The reality was:   she and my grandfather were building their home while living on the work site, she was teaching nursery school, and had a 4 year old and one year old... phew! Yet, look at that smile!When I worked on this, it was hard not to think of the passage of time... of moments frozen... of the innocence and vulnerability of young mothering. The 1940's may seem like a foreign age compared to the present, but if I could step into this picture, I bet I would find similar struggles and joys in my grandmother's daily life to ours today. Clothes lines symbolize so much to me and this one has the added reminder of my girlhood summers with this same lovely woman hanging our laundry out... as I swung on the porch swing nearby. Sometimes I helped, but honestly  I mostly watched and absorbed her methods and movements... and we'd talk... and talk. I'd give anything to swing on that bench today, but I feel so lucky that I still have her to talk to. In fact, this last week I've taken to calling her every day... just to check in. Aging is never easy, you know... but my grandmother's middle name is Hope. For real!

I knew I had to incorporate that into her collage. I loved stamping it onto a mini cloth (diaper, perhaps...) and hanging it on the line. Shouldn't we all hang our HOPE out on a line?  (You can read more about the details of the collage techniques I used over at Creative Therapy , where I just became the 113th catalyst.)  And I invite you to create something for and/or inspired by your favorite relative. It will be time well spent, I promise. Did that special person jump into your mind when I said that... who might it be?

natural accessories

 Remember these sweet bracelets? They truly make any nature walk that much more magical. Skip to my Lou is sharing a featured craft (from a different blogger) every day for 30 days to jump start summer with "craft camp". Nature Bracelets are featured today.  I also think that the crowns and cuffs from fall would be wonderful reinterpreted as accessories for a summer solstice celebration... don't you think?

Hope your weekend has been just right!

art saves

All week long I have the honor of being a guest curator over at Crescendoh, Jenny Doh's new site. I will be sharing  links each day to inspire, in addition to my story: Art Saves. Each curator writes on how art has impacted, healed, transformed... or just plain SAVED them, and the archives are filled with deep and inspiring words from amazing women. I encourage you to read through them when you have some time.

The creating I do today, is so much about celebration... of the natural world, my family, and the simple moments in each day. It was not always this way. I invite you to read my short story right here.

sprouts and arugula pesto

 I really appreciated how encouraging and interested you all were in my latest project: the spring cleanse. Returning to a macrobiotic diet has been exciting. The limitations have rejuvenated my creativity in the kitchen. I'm trying all kinds of new things and remembering old favorites. For instance, I haven't sprouted garbanzo beans since the good ol' days when I managed the (now gone) vegan Garden of Eatin' Cafe (Marin, Ca.). We had a constant tub of red lentils and garbanzo beans soaking/sprouting for a signature salad we offered. There are so many resources online that I didn't have access to in those days. Here's a bunch of sprouting ideas I'd like to try out: Quick and Easy sprouted bean recipes. If you'd like to do some of your own sprouting, check out this post. I still really love all of  the info at Sprout People, and they give great instructions for sprouting everything, including assorted beans. Sprout bonus: kitchen science with children!


 Increasing the amount of raw foods I consume, feels like an obvious next step. Local farmer's markets are getting in gear and foraging in the backyard yields plenty of raw edibles. I also had to do something with those gorgeous greens/arugula my neighbors gave us. Pesto!

 Arugula Pesto

Toss into the food processor:

• a bunch of greens
• a few glugs of  cold-pressed olive oil (maybe 1/4 cup)
• small clove of garlic
• little handful of raw walnuts
• squeeze of lemon juice
• umeboshi plum paste or sea salt to taste.

Blend until it's smooth and creamy.
I served it on carrot "planks". My kids are pesto lovers, and I wasn't sure if they'd feel this stacked up to their favorite original version. They ate them all with gusto!  I'm happy to have an alternative until our basil crop grows. Exposing children to new and varied foods keeps their taste buds open to eating adventures and minimizes the "picky" ruts that so many fall into. I always find finger foods to be more enticing when introducing something new... no matter what the age group.

petite purls spring issue

I'm happy to announce that the spring issue of Petite Purls is up. Petite Purls is an e-zine dedicated to knitting for the littles, with some lovely sewing mixed in. The patterns are gorgeous, the articles are wonderful, and the photography is stunning. Sounds pretty good doesn't it? Also included in each issue are interviews, book & product reviews, and a great selection of articles. Editors, Allegra and Brandy, have done a truly terrific job with this latest one... and did I mention, it's their GREEN issue! I happen to have little project in there, too. I know I can't stop talking about sachets... I did this to you about the same time last year, as well. It seems that lavender helps usher in the spring for me... So what else could my project be, but a sachet that uses up the smallest bits from your scrap basket! It's actually a little (and very adapted) version of my love-letter pillows that were so enjoyed last year. So go check it out, and then please explore the entire magazine... I was so excited to see what incredible women were along side me in this issue. I think you will be, too. It's a good one!

sew,mama,sew! handmade holiday

Have you visited Sew, Mama, Sew! recently? They are celebrating November with the 3rd annual Handmade Holidays. Every day they have a round-up of incredible tutorials all centered around a theme. Also included is daily gift guide, recipe, give-away, and more. It's quite an extravaganza... and I've been bookmarking like crazy. Today, I was so happy to have my Elf Slippers featured under their category of Deck the Halls. Those slippers will go down in history as one of my favorite designs. It' sbeen so fun to share the instructions with all of you. Go over get some inspiration for your holiday gift making!

Press, Interviews and Publications

INTERVIEWS

• HandMadeNews
• Indie Fixx 
• The Artful Parent
• CraftSanity Podcast
• Apartment Therapy's Ohdeedoh
• WhipUp.net
• Etsy: Featured Seller
• Craft Synergy
• Resurrection Fern
• Melissa Loves
• also find my "Art Saves" story at Crescendoh

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Contributed to the soon to be released book by Lark Publishing: Craft Hope- Handmade Crafts for a Cause. Due Summer 2010

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maya*made was honored with the title of Best Green Home Design Blog of 2009 by Apartment Therapy! I couldn't feel more proud, nor could I be more grateful to my amazing readers who voted for me.

and recently was one of...

Apartment Therapy's: 10 crafty blogs we love


Around the web

I'm incredibly grateful to the many blogs that have been enthusiastic about my work and designs! Huge thanks to these sites for their frequent features:

Craft
The Crafty Crow
Whip Up
One Pretty Thing
Ohdeedoh
Bloesem Kids
Apartment Therapy
Sew, Mama, Sew!

and a special thanks to these wonderful sites, too:

Design*Sponge
Three Potato Four
Poppytalk
Bloesem
Modish
Bliss
Betz White
The Long Thread
Knack
Melissa Loves
Craft Gossip
Sew Liberated
Soule Mama

For a full list of features and links please email me at mayaluna{at}yahoo{dot}com.

E-zines

Petite Purls spring 2010


PUBLICATIONS

Where Women Create summer 2010 
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Sew Hip volume #12 2010

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GreenCraft volume 2 March 2010
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Sew Hip Issue #11 2009

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WhipUp.Net 2010 Calendar: August
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Premier issue of GreenCraft Magazine August 2009
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Artful Blogging summer 2009
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Country Living May 2009
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small magazine winter 2008
diy contributer


Contests

Green T Reuse Design Contest: Grand Prize Winner

Ohdeedoh and Cookie Magazine's "Now You See It, Now You Don't" Contest 2008:

Winner in the clothing category

Design*Sponge DIY Contest 2008:Finalist

This page was last updated on
-May, 2010

nature crowns and cuffs

September is a riot of color: between the sunflowers and zinnias giving one last shout and the maple leaves beginning their flaming show. It feels like nature's send off before the dark, gray days of winter. What a perfect opportunity to celebrate with some outdoor crafting. We created nature crowns and cuffs for a garden tea party.

I love how pretty even the remains of our snack looked.

One of the cuffs became Grandma Bunny's crown...


Please find the instructions below or check out Bloesem Kids for the instructions and more crafts.

Irene has a wonderful line up of weekly craft projects on Bkids that I'm delighted to be contributing to every now and then. Please make sure to stop over there regularly to see what's new. Happy last day of summer!

 Instructions

This nature inspired project is great for a group and would make a perfect opening activity at a birthday party. We will be creating crowns decorated with assorted flower petals and leaves. Extend this activity by beginning with a walk to collect your materials and end it with a garden tea party or picnic!
What you will need:
*assorted flowers and leaves
*large tray (optional)
*duct tape
*scissors
* paper bag or Kraft paper

Crown
step one
Have your child dissect the flowers by gently pulling apart all of the petals. Suggestion: consider sorting by color and size.
step two
While they are engaged in their work, cut two strips of paper that equal the length of your child's head circumference plus 2 inches and are 1 inch wide. Suggestion: cut a side of one piece to be be a decorative crown top with a triangle repeat.
step three
Cut a piece of duct tape equal in length  to your paper strips. Lay it sticky side up on your work surface. Carefully adhere the strips along the top and bottom edge of the tape.
step four
Have your child embellish his/her crown with collected bits from nature.
step five
Fit crown to head and attach with one more small piece of tape.
Cuff
step one
Cut a piece of tape to fit loosely around the wrist: sticky side out.
step two
Decorate as you did for the crown.
Invite your garden royalty to tea!

an interview at Crafty Synergy

I love the excitement of a new season... the transition into autumn has me singing! Singing what? Oh, I don't know... just happily humming along! I think I'm in an especially good mood, because a little dream came true. You'll find me at Crafty Synergy today ... a place I've always hoped to go. Thank you so much, Patricia, for graciously inviting me to take part in your inspiring interview series. Please grab a cup of something good and go on over for a visit. If this is the first time you're hearing about it, you're in for such a treat. Patricia has been interviewing artists since 2006! You'll find endless inspiration pouring through the archives.
my Crafty Synergy interview
Crafty Synergy
Patricia of A Little Hut

Note about the above photo: I spent yesterday printing with those beautiful antique wood blocks from India. I'm incorporating them into linen pillow slips and a new line of fall scarves. I'm so excited about these scarves! Printed linen on one side and a little surprise on the other... here's an in progress glimpse.

happy monday!

Happy Bench Monday! I'm joining in the fun! Suddenly there are an amazing amount of women jumping on benches (or upturned buckets) with their camera timer buttons on. For the last several Mondays a rapidly growing flickr group, "Bench Monday", has been captivating me. It's so deceptively simple: a self portrait of feet standing on a platform... but each photo tells such a story. Check it out when you have the chance... maybe you'll jump on a bench, too!
The above photo tells a little bit about about my weekend. I'm holding a bucket that I made for my Anatomy of a Coffee Sack workshop on Sunday. My lovely participant, and wonderful friend, Pat has such a beautifully written post about it that I think I'll just send you right over to read it... and to see her fantastic bucket. Thanks Pat! I learned so much from you, yesterday! She, not only took the class, but was also my pattern tester. Yes, bucket patterns are slowly in the the works!.

Within that bucket, I'm holding is the most recent issue of Artful Blogging.

I've been waiting for weeks to see it and finally got a hold of a copy when it hit the news stands on Friday. Some of you have already seen it and have left me such sweet comments. A belated, but heartfelt "thank you" to each of you! Artful Blogging is so much more than a magazine. It's a gorgeous pictorial guide and companion to some of the amazing art/craft/food blogs we all admire so. I can't tell you how grateful and humbled I am to be included in their impressive line-up. I keep pinching myself. This is the stuff of dreams... and has got to be one of the most exciting moments of the last year for me! I'm beginning to feel that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. Really!

It's also nice to have an editor that believes in you, too! A special thanks to the very thoughtful and kind Christen Olivarez... I couldn't have asked for more.

So have a great Monday and don't forget to find a bench!

Country Living

The May issue of Country Living just hit the newsstands. It is the most exciting issue of any magazine I've ever read... can you guess why? Page 42 is very special to me! Do you recognize that cork board? Or perhaps the pincushion? I was asked to contribute some of my burlap products for their round-up of feed sack items. Can you believe it? I certainly can't, and I've known about it for over three months!

I was thrilled then, but seeing it in print has put me on a cloud. Never in a million years did I think one year ago that I would be on this exciting ride today. I'm so grateful you're all here sharing it with me. It makes it that much more special. So I'm off to set some fireworks... I mean pour myself a glass of wine and read my magazine! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!