I asked my daughter one night what she wanted for her birthday. She mentioned that she had a cake that she could cut apart and serve as part of her kitchen arsenal, but thought it would be fun to have a cake that she could decorate. 

"Because I really like to organize and arrange things, Mom." 

Gosh I love that kid.

So, here is what I came up with:

I bought two paper mache boxes like these. Then, I measured the top and sides and added a half inch seam allowance for all sides. The top is just slightly different in size. Labels and arrows help very much!

                            

Sew right sides together first to the top piece of the box. Then, down the sides. 

Trim the seam allowances as needed.

 Turn it right side out, place it over the box, and trim the bottom as needed.

Now, it's time to make and collect decorations! There are so many great tutorials out there for felt flowers and felt food. Just take a look here and here and here.

Also collect ribbons and rick rack and just cut out shapes from felt to use as decorations.

The BEST part... all those decorations can be stored right in the boxes!

Both of my kiddos love to decorate.

Surrender to the Mess -- Especially if it's Cultivating Creativity

I told you about my "word for the year" in my previous post -- Surrender.  When I was mulling over this word, it was mostly in regards to world events. 

However, I am finding that I am actually MOSTLY needing to surrender the little things that happen in my daily life. 

See that mess of pistachio shells. I desperately, DESPERATELY want to clean it up. 

Cleanliness is something I can control.

Control eases my anxiety.

It took all of my strength to sit and eat breakfast with that pile of shells sitting there. But breakfast (mostly likely the meal we eat at the table all together for the day), is sacred. I don't need to be cleaning up. I want to enjoy conversation with my family.

After eating, my daughter picks up a shell and asks "what can we make out of these?" She is SO creative. She LOVES to take junk and make it into something. This is one of her most common questions.

You would think that as an artist myself, I would be all about the messes and the freedom to express creativity. 

You would be wrong.

I am probably the cleanest, tidiest artist you've ever met.

So, when Gwenyth gets into creative mode, I cringe. 

Must. SURRENDER.

Because:

Now, she is seeing beyond the shell and making little bugs... each with a personality and story all it's own.

She is building fine motor skills coloring on those tiny shells.

THEN:

My husband joins in and they start making a colony of bugs. A colony of bugs needs a queen. A colony of bugs needs workers. The queen bug lays eggs which hatch into larva. What can we use for larva? Macaroni, of course.

Are you kidding me? My husband just turned this into a school lesson! Whoa. He's amazing.

Now, they are making plans and rules to make a game out of the bug colony. A game which, I'm sure, will involve strategy and numbers and all kinds of good things for learning. A game which needs lots of pieces which will be more easily made in an assembly line. Whuuut?!

I wish I could tell you that I am completely at peace and my skin isn't crawling at how the little shells have now completely taken over the table AND they are "flaking" into minute little crumbs. I wish I could tell you that I am not chomping at the bit to consolidate all the markers back into their container.

I am simply making the choice to encourage the creativity rather than take control for my own sake.

SURRENDER.

Amen. 

The Importance of Play -- Paper Dolls

I am incredibly passionate about play. 

Kids need to play. 

I firmly believe that there should not be separate times... "learning time" vs. "play time." Play time IS learning time. Even when it doesn't look like kids are learning, their little brains are working very hard to connect all kinds of things.

I definitely think that technology is a great thing and can be used effectively to educate, but I DO believe that technology has begun to overtake our culture. Overuse of technology by our children has had major effects on motor skills development especially.

There is a difference between grabbing, holding, and placing a physical puzzle piece versus clicking and dragging a digital puzzle piece with one index finger. Both are good for the brain, but one is way better for motor skill development.

I'm not telling you that we don't play games on our devices, because we do.

I try my best to limit it, and I try my best to decipher games and apps that are replacing physical, motor skill developing activities.

For instance, paper dolls. My daughter loved a "paper doll" dress up app. With this app, you didn't even have to click and drag! Simply tapping on a new clothing item would instantly change the doll.

Well, I was over that.

That was motivation to finish a set of paper dolls that I actually started for another project that just never happened, because well... life.

I printed the colored version on heavy card stock, cut them out and attached magnets. I found the metal try at a thrift store and painted it with a primer/sealer. The 'fridge, of course works perfectly too, but they tend to play this while I am working in the kitchen and need quick access to it.

If you would like to, you can purchase these in my Etsy Shop for instant download.

You can get the color your own version or version that are already colored.

I also plan to do more! I'm working on some boys. Even though Reuben likes playing with these, he'd love a boy. I envision some pirate clothes or knight clothes which would also fit on the girls : )

It's Christmas Time!

Oof! Sorry this wasn't up yesterday. I was doing so well with scheduling my posts and keeping up with things. Then, Thanksgiving weekend came, and I had way more fun being with family and eating good food that I unplugged from my computer. Then, I got sick. Blech!

So, to make it up to you, here's some free stuff. 

Use these on your Christmas cards or scrapbook pages or right on your photos... like this:

Simply right click and Save As to your computer.

Enjoy!

Personal use only, please. Thanks.

I Make Some Artists Mad -- Why I Believe in Accessible and Free

I am an artist. I love to create. I will make stuff and take photographs whether I get paid or not.

Most artists would do the same. In our love and passion for what we do, artists are usually united.

It's our views on how much we should get paid to share our craft is where we clash.

I have been in the company of other artists and photographers who complain about other artists who just "give their stuff away" or "are so cheap they totally devalue art and other artists."

There are artists out there who absolutely lose it if their photos or art are posted to a blog without permission or copied or scanned and distributed.

I just sit and listen and sort of slump down in my corner, because well, they would hate me.

Some would say that I have a "middle class mentality" and they are probably right. I don't have a desire to be wealthy, and I really want art to be accessible to more than those with a lot of money. It makes me angry that someone can't have good quality family photos, because they can't afford them. Why are people more deserving of art because they have more money?

Why is art a luxury?

When I price and package things, I really try to think about what I, myself, would ultimately like to pay for something. I do take into consideration man hours and expenses and all of that as well. I feel like what I come up with is reasonable. I certainly don't feel I am devaluing myself. In fact, I know there are people that still can't afford what I charge, but certainly more people can. 

I am kind of astounded to see price listings for the prints that you often HAVE to order through the photographer. Usually a minimum of $500?! Then, every time you need another print, it's another charge, because the images belong to the artist. It makes no sense to me. 

What the heck am I going to do with photos of your family?! Why hoard images of other people? 

The other reason I am willing to sell things at an affordable price or give them away is simply because of my minimalist lifestyle. I don't want this stuff piling up in my studio! I don't want it sitting around taking up space I need to make more stuff! 

As for the art I give away, that's my prerogative isn't it? My art is not your art. My living is not your living. If your copyright is yours, then, mine is mine. Don't say I'm devaluing the arts. I value my art so much that I want everyone to see it and be encouraged by it! I don't want to hide it away until someone purchases it.

All of this to say. Enjoy some free art! Print it out and frame it. It makes for beauty (and encouragement) in your home.