Organize

09 Thursday Feb 2012

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The supplies in the art room were getting out of hand, so we made a trip to Ikea.  Lucky for me, we took a wrong turn into the kitchen section and discovered these wooden silverware caddies.

I like that two small trays can stack the width of the large tray.  Supplies for a specific project can be grouped and carried to another room.  They would also be perfect for small tools and house projects.  Ikea’s site is notorious for not allowing you to buy directly, so you will need to make a trip.  (You can also find them here, but they are more expensive).  Clear zippered pouches keep small supplies visible but contained.

We keep a square of floral oil cloth under Ada’s easel.  It wipes off with a sponge and the retro patterns are always so cheery.  Now I don’t spend so much of my precious time in the studio cleaning up after the kids.

Alphabet Book

08 Wednesday Feb 2012

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This alphabet book is one of my favorite projects for preschoolers.  We started about a year ago and add to it as we get catalogs or magazines to cut up.  Each letter has a page or two where we paste in different fonts as well as pictures of things that start with the letter.  (P for Peanut, Popsicle, Parrot).  You will need:

*Big notebook.  We used this one by Art Alternatives,  but any large blank book will work.  I like the spiral because it makes room for bulky pages.

*Gluestick

*Scissors.  (I initially cut out the pictures, but now Ada likes to use the scissors).

*Recycled magazines, catalogs, grocery circulars, stickers, etc.  We LOVE these Eyelike sticker books because smaller kids can help without the use of glue or scissors.  The Eyelike images are amazingly detailed and the stickers are reusable.

This book is a great way to make learning letters and the initial concepts of reading more like a treasure hunt.  I love the collage aesthetic and that one of  the books Ada likes to look at on her shelf was made by her.

Dye

07 Tuesday Feb 2012

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I cannot bear throwing out special baby clothes that have been stained with sweet potatoes.  So I started dyeing Ada’s clothes as an experiment to see if I could cover stains and brighten colors.  I used to use Rit black dye and pull it out early so it made a lovely dark purple.  But Chris made fun of the Goth baby clothing and it eventually faded to a sad gray color.  Then I discovered Idye and I am kind of in love.

Idye’s colors are bright and beautiful.  It is super easy to use and the colors stay.  The clothes will need to be washed with like colors for a bit, and you cannot use a dye pan for cooking,  but the results are worth the separating.  It is also easy to do the whole process in your washing machine.  I especially like playing around with this alchemy on dreary winter days.

Washi Tape Wrap

06 Monday Feb 2012

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My latest favorite way to wrap gifts is with Japanese Washi Tape and brown craft paper.  We used the tape here to label the card as well.  Happy Birthday Asher!

There are so many beautiful tape options…I could spend days looking.  Here are some great Washi tape choices from Etsy.  (Oh Etsy, how I love you!)

Window Hearts

03 Friday Feb 2012

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We made these wax paper and melted crayon hearts last year and have been waiting to hang them back up. The original project is Martha Stewart’s, (Oh Martha how I love you).  Ours came out a bit differently because we only had washable crayons at the time and Ada insisted on working the crayon sharpener.  They packed away beautifully and we were happy to see them brighten the windows of our new house!

Heart Felt Valentine

02 Thursday Feb 2012

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These wool felt hearts are really reversible magnets for the fridge.  They are flat enough to put through the mail and make perfect valentines or invitations to a Valentine’s Day party.  You will need:

*Felt.  We used two colors of wool felt from Woolfeltcentral.com

*Embroidery Floss in contrasting color

*Stuffing

*Two small, strong Magnets.  (You only need one if you don’t want the heart to be reversible).  We used Tiny Mighties

*Glue

*Cardstock, or paper to make the pattern

1. Fold cardstock in half, draw half a heart along the fold. Unfold and you will have an even pattern.  Trace onto felt and cut.

2. Glue magnets on inside top of each heart cutout.  You don’t need much glue because the magnets will end up safely inside of the heart and won’t fall off.

3. Place a little stuffing on one side of the heart.  You can adjust stuffing position as you sew, and the stuffing will help prevent the strong magnets from sticking to each other.

4. Blanket stitch the hearts together.  Stuffing and magnets will be inside.  Push any stray stuffing inside as you sew.

5. Allow glue to dry.  If you are putting the heart through the mail you may want to fold it inside a note before putting it in the envelope.  We used vellum envelopes from Envelopemall.com

XOXOX!

Dragons and Caterpillars

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

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We spotted this egg carton dragon idea walking around the halls of Ada’s school.  Good school art projects are really important to me, and helped us decide to send her there.  The school dragons were made for Chinese New Year.  Ada suggested we also make a caterpillar version. You will need:

*Egg carton

*Paint

*Glue

*Googly eyes

*Feathers, sparkles, pom poms, popsicle sticks, glitter glue, etc.

*Pipe Cleaners (for legs and antennae)

*Ribbon (for the tail)

1. Paint the egg carton and let it dry

2. Glue on eyes and decoration

3. Push pipe cleaners into carton at desired locations.  Use scissors or a sharp pencil to make holes and squirt in some glue to keep them in place.

Dragons

31 Tuesday Jan 2012

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We went to watch the Lunar New Year parade on Sunday in Manhattan.  These huge flying dragons were in the park nearby and were made from hundreds of recycled bottles and plastic shopping bags. I love the use of plastic shopping bags here because Chinatown residents seem to carry an amazing amount and variety of them on the streets.  I also love the idea of the empty plastic bag being turned into a flying dragon sculpture – instead of just flying around in the wind like they usually do in the city.

Mitten Bowl

30 Monday Jan 2012

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A bowl near the front door helps keep mittens, hats and scarves organized.  The kids can help take care of their own things when they come in from outside, and you will always know where mittens are on your rush out the door.

We found this vintage Pyrex bowl at a stoop sale, but they abound on Ebay.  The scarf pattern is adapted from one by Pat Feeley for High Country Knit Wear.  You can also find super cute animal scarves at Acorn Toys in Brooklyn if you are more of a shopper than a DIYer.

Drying

27 Friday Jan 2012

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I love my drying rack.  I searched for the perfect large wooden clothes rack that would fold down to fit in our closet and this is it.  It is made by Robbins Home Goods, a multi-generational family business.  They make their products in Maine from recycled and sustainable wood.  We have had this for years and there are no signs of warping or strange stains like cheap drying racks seem to gather.  The design is simple and beautiful  and it is well worth the price.