hello summer!

Summer solstice...longest day of the year...official start to the summer...Grandma will arrive!!! My mother adds a little extra laughter and spontaneity to all the usual summer goodness...swimming, outdoor meals, juice pops on the porch...and she's become famous for her washtub bass performances! We're all so excited...she's on the plane right now.... on her way across the continent to spend the summer very close by. She'll start out with us..in the new studio/guest room (almost done, Mom..but don't stub your toes on the boxes)...and then move into her very own barn! Yup, my mom will live in a barn...it's her dream come true! A year ago she bought her very first house, ahem barn, and we worked all last summer to transform the interior into a livable home. Actually, it will be much more than livable, it will be straight out of a dream (or magazine) and I can't wait to share it with you all summer long. My mom is an artist and a collector of all things funky and beautiful. She has moved around many (too many) times in her life and this will be the first time she can truly unpack her beautiful things...hint she's a garage sale genius, flea market sensation, and a vintage queen. Unpacking her collections and setting up house is going to be extremely fun! My mother loved the way the barn looked on the outside and tried to maintain the integrity of it's original character as much as possible. The inside is a stunning combination of upcycled old resources with industrial materials all mingling in with the barns history and charm. I'll be sharing the unveiling of it throughout the summer so stay tuned.... We have a big open-house to prepare for in mid July so we'll be working hard and I'm sure to have a barn post at least once a week.
Here's the barn when she first laid her eyes on it...
This is when it was lifted into the air and placed on its new foundation...easy does it!

Here's the barn almost complete...not too different on the outside...but just wait!

Have a great official start to your summer and I'll be back on Monday!

a room of my own

I'm sorry I haven't been around much this week, friends. I took on a huge project this weekend and it stretched into the week. I am creating my studio...an inspired, organized space for making lovely things! I've had such an explosion of projects in the last few months and it had become evident that I (and all of my STUFF) needed a lot more room. So I am taking over the office/guest room, and my very supportive husband is being relocated to a little spot outside of this distinctly maya*made room. All of our books will still live on one wall in here and guests will still sleep on the futon...but most of the time it will be for ME. I am so excited I can barely write! You see, I generally put myself last...my needs seem to be easiest to take care of quietly...no fussing, here....so to claim something this big feels revolutionary! First off, I needed to paint. It was so much fun just picking out the color...forget-me-not blue!! So the room is still in chaos, but the paint is dry and a corner is emerging. I had really wanted to complete everything...put up curtains...paint my chair...but I'm way too excited to share this with all of you! Maybe you can even help me with your own great ideas. I'm open to all suggestions...like what kind of curtains would work best...maybe my sewing table or the cubbies will change colors ..who knows...I'm just happy to have a place to play in.

As a mother, I've spent so much energy creating interesting environments for my children...how liberating it is to do it for myself! So here is the tiny introduction to my studio... let me push a few boxes out of the way...scoot those garbage bags filled with fabric (temporarily, of course) off to the side...ready...camera....click...ahhh!




..and I'd like you to meet Goldie, my muse. You'll see her again, I'm sure....but always wearing something new (her wardrobe is predominantly made up of vintage aprons).

I really would love to hear about your creative spaces...part of the creativity is just figuring out how to carve out some room of our own.

nature collections for children...and the rest of us!

I was just getting ready to post this, when I saw that The Crafty Crow has featured our fun kite tutorial! Welcome to all new friends...hope you have fun poking around maya*made!

It's that time of year again...little foragers (and even big ones) come home with bulging pockets filled with nature's treasures. What do you do with all of those beautiful shells, feathers and more? We display our favorites and then move them back outside, or give them a permanent home in our "museum". Labels help us remember, as well as identify what they are.



I find having nature guides, either in book form...

...or as wall charts, adds so much to our learning about the natural world. They also help me answer the many "whys?" and "hows?" my children ask.


Here are four of the children's nature books I use most:
-Trees, Leaves and Bark
-Tracks, Scats and Signs
-Nature Smart A Family Guide to Nature
-The Kid's Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences

In addition, Margie, from one of my favorite places: Resurrection Fern, added some of her recommendations in the comment section...go check them out!

Happy exploring!

happy 90th birthday!!!!

Yes, it's true this little baby boy is my grandfather, and he turns 90 years old today! He has played a tremendous role in my life...more of a parent than a grandparent. He is also the most brilliant person I've ever known. My grandfather built the first solar-heated home on Long Island in 1947...he was a true visionary, and I grew up in a world where we were always way ahead of our time... thanks to him! My summers were filled with him playing his harmonica until I fell asleep in the little bed that he made, collecting bark to make fire by flint and steel (I think I can still do it!), being taught to swim with a piece of styrofoam from a television box (he cut a hole out of the center for me, and then kept cutting pieces off...until nothing was left but me...swimming!), picking vegetables in his abundant garden, and listening to night time sounds on the porch swing while he identified them. My grandfather had the answers to all of my questions about nature, the stars, and beyond. Thank you for the memories that are as endless as my childhood summers were long. Happy Birthday!!

fathers

PLAYING TOGETHER - my father and me at Ocean Beach in San Francisco

LEARNING TOGETHER- my husband and son practicing at home.


FINDING THE WAY TOGETHER - my children with their loving father, today..."daddy day hike" in Watkins Glen.
Happy Father's Day to all dads everywhere...there is no work more important than this.

local

We had some local goodness this week. There so many sources for delicious, organic vegetables, dairy, and meat in our neighborhood. This time of year makes me feel quite spoiled. Hot night... cold dinner: Asian asparagus noodle salad. Even the egg noodles were from a source down the road...with the farmer's own eggs! Check out your local farmers market or join a csa.

I also wanted to pass on a little "materials" info for my stone dolls. I changed from a cheap craft paint with a semi fine brush to Liquitex Professional Acrylic Artist Color (something I've used to paint on canvas before...not too much$$) and very fine tipped brush. It made a world of difference in the experience of painting and in the end result. Stones are porous in varying degrees so results seem to vary from one to another. Happy painting!

the goose hatched!!!

Well...it quietly happened on Monday morning. Kelly Moreland (pictured above), founder and owner, opened the doors to the brand new location of her very popular children's resale shop, Mama Goose. There had been several weeks when the little Goose was closed as it transitioned over to the greatly expanded new site. The regular customers didn't need a huge grand opening announcement...they'd been hovering around the front doors for days with many "when, oh when will you open?!" So, this initial soft opening had quite a turn out. I stopped in on Tuesday...not as a designer, but as a shopper. My growing nine year old needed new shorts...and with Mama Goose's expansion, comes more stock in older children's clothing...hurray! There was a constant (moving) line at the check out...
I loved watching the expressions on everyone's face when they walked in through the front doors...total amazement... it's an incredible transformation, if I do say so myself! The windows, which had been covered during the entire "make-over", were flooded with sunshine. It's quite a thrill seeing some of my little touches incorporated into every corner. In the following shot of the tween section, note the bunting in the window and the floor cushions. Underneath the window benches, made from recycled crates, are galvanized locker bins filled with chapter books and modern light fixture was a craigslist find. you can click on any picture for a close-up.



I even got immediate great feedback on the baby wall ...from a mother who was so grateful to be able to put her infant in a safe spot adjacent to her, as she shopped. Her baby gave the best compliment of all...she didn't want to stop spinning those wooden shapes or touching the sensory frames!
Kelly is such a visionary, and we worked so well together as we put the new design into effect. She is definitely my favorite brainstorming partner, and I feel a bit wistful as this project comes to a close. Might need to call you, Kelly, when I choose colors for my studio...how can I ever look at paint chips without you, again!? Helping to design the new Mama Goose has bee a turning point in my creative life, and I'm thrilled to have helped someone make their dream a reality! Congratulations, Kelly!

stone dolls

Well it's official, I'm completely smitten with stone painting! They are such a perfect little canvas! Holding a little part of the earth seems to ground and inspire me all at once... mmm...smooth stone in hand and time disappears. Last night I could have painted dolls until the sun came up...but I knew the price to be paid was too steep! Thursday mornings are a flurry of activity around this place...a little sleep helps. When I collected these stones at the lake on Monday, I had no idea that I'd be needing more...so soon! I think I see another Father's Day project happening this afternoon...whoops! Hope you're not reading this, sweet husband... who feels like I've traded him in for a pile of rocks!

As much as I've loved creating stone dolls, my daughter has enjoyed carrying them around and playing with them. I've been reminded of a beautiful children's book by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, Elizabeti's Doll. This is a Tanzanian story of a young girl who longs for a doll to cuddle, when a new sibling is born. She finds a stone that is just the right size and shape to nurture and carry on her back (just like her mother). What a gentle and universal tale.

I must have been tapping into something deep and primitive within...I've discovered stone dolls have an ancient history. Archeologists have uncovered a 4000 year old stone doll (Bronze Age). They thought it was a religious artifact, at first, but it was found in the children's quarters next to a set of tiny dishes. Click here for the article. I encourage you to forage for natural materials for your children's play...and the art you create ...sticks... stones...nuts...seeds...

meet our garden friends

Well, it's your friend Midnight Blogger, here. I've been meaning to post this all night, but I couldn't stop painting stones...I'm hooked and I perfected the technique with better tools and materials...more on that next time. While the stones are drying , please indulge me in one more post about the flower folk...

We had so much fun playing and taking pictures of these "new fairies" in the garden today. Combining magic with dramatic play made for some very elaborate story-telling by my 3 year old. I'll let you make up your own with some of these images. Meet Lupita (of the lupines) and her children: Primula (primrose) and little Bud.

the wee little people

When I was a girl, I believed very strongly that there were little people...miniature flower folk that lived hidden in gardens and tucked away in secret places in the woods. I'd spend every summer building elaborate stick and stone dwellings....little landscaped villages with ponds and streams (hand dug and filled by a hose). I just knew that they came every evening to play in their little fenced yards and sleep on their mossy beds...sometimes, I even saw their tiny, fading footprints when I'd do my morning check for traces of their visits. As I got older, my belief started to waver...but along came my little sister (nine years younger and a flower fairy, herself)...The summers of the little people continued as I created for and with her for many magical years.
During the spring my son turned two, I began making little flower folks for him...we'd bring them out to the garden and let the natural surroundings guide our play with them. I made them seasonally and shared them with all of the children in our life. Now, seven years later, I am introducing them to all of you. This is Rosita, in her rose petal skirt (she's been with us for a while)...she's on her way to meet the new little people in the neighborhood. She'd be delighted if you'd stop back tomorrow to meet them, too!

sticks and stones

We're in the middle of an insane heat wave! Just about 100 degrees today! Staying in water seems to keep everyone happy and comfortable. We all love hanging out at our lake...there's a special spot that remains quiet, even on a scorcher, so we had the beach to ourselves and frolicked for hours.
I got to incorporate my need to make, desire to collect, and wish to stay focused on my children all into one morning. How? We happily collected art supplies right on the shore as we waded and played.
I have been admiring some beautiful stone creations on flikr, like this and that. I was looking for the perfect round dome-like river stone...well this is a lake, so nothing fitting that description was to be found. I started to notice what kinds of rocks we did have...triangular, pear-ish, female-shaped stones. I've collected these before, but all of sudden...LIGHTBULB! These looked like the nesting dolls I've also been enjoying...like these! I couldn't wait to get my white paint out.

This is just the first set...I'm excited to see how they evolve...they were such a pleasure to create...I think they are just the right size for my daughter to enjoy! And the sticks...drift wood? Right now, I'm just loving them in the bucket, but soon I think they'll help to suspend something new...we'll see! So look around you, whether you are out in nature or hanging inside...the resources for creating are staring right at you...just waiting to be looked at with a fresh new perspective.

vintage rescue

In 1947 my grandparents built their home with a beautiful nursery school attached to it. They lovingly ran the Huntington Cooperative Nursery School for over fifty years. I was born there and spent every summer of my childhood in that magical paradise. Imagine having a huge, beautifully equipped nursery school for your child... all to themselves...to reign as prince or princess. My grandmother graduated from Bank Street College of Education and knew exactly what materials were best for three and four year olds. Being the nostalgic woman that I am...I remember each and every toy I lovingly played with. Unfortunately, when my grandparents retired, they sold the nursery school fully stocked...so that it could continue to run as it always had. One of the original dump trucks is all that remains. I've been grieving for some of these lost pieces of childhood to share with my children...and my mother has saved the day! She has started to rescue some of these worn, but still wonderful Community Playthings people on ebay. They arrived in a little box on Saturday. I remember them so well...I would build villages and cities out of blocks for them. I've been a bit teary-eyed seeing these old friends and introducing my kids to them!

goose tour!

I can't believe it...the Goose is ready! If you've been reading along, you'll know that I have been involved in a major expansion for a local children's resale shop, Mama Goose. It looks incredible...I think our town is in for a quite a surprise when we open the doors next week. The windows are still papered so that you can't peek in...but would you like a little preview? Many talented people contributed their time, sweat and creativity to make this store so unique... so come on in...but first admire the new front entrance...you know how in LOVE I am with galvanized buckets, well take a look at that mother of all buckets (2x2x6 trough from The Tractor Supply Co.)! Ok, now you can check out several interior shots:

1. Tiered table made from recycled wooden crates/stands (going out of business sale) and plywood: featuring local wooden toys made by Gunther Kiel of Wild Apple.2. Local goods made by kiddilidivy.
3. Baby play wall (designed/made by me) using assorted wooden pieces from a local artisan, each piece spins easily and on a differing axis....four sensory frames too!

4.Over sized galvanized magnetic wall...I want one in my home!
5. Book Table: great idea...empty paint cans bolted to the table for secure book ends..love it!
6. Galvanized pipe for clothing rack...upcycled old fryer racks suspended from chains to create shelves for things with little and loose pieces.

a is for apron

My daughter is the recipient of all of her big brother's hand-me-downs...mostly books and toys. She also inherited his hand-made aprons, most of which are made from truck and train fabrics. I've been meaning to make her several of her own... and here is the first. I used a set of two coordinating dish towels( got them at Target on clearance...couldn't resist), ribbon, and bias tape.This is a simple pattern I created for 2-5 year olds. I've probably made about 20 of them in the last eight years. Aprons make great birthday presents... pockets stuffed with cooking utensils or art supplies. I was so determined to make this that I stayed up late, I mean really late... again! I'm calling myself the Midnight Blogger. When else can I get on the computer or settle down to make something uninterrupted? I've got two early-risers, so a.m. isn't much of an option. I figure I'll sleep a lot when the kids go off to college :)
I'd love to hear how others squeeze in their creative moments. When do you find the time to make and do all of your projects?