CrEaTiViTy

"It is in nature, among the things which God has created, designed and brought forth himself, that we are in the most natural atmosphere to be inspired. Creative ideas are apt to flow in the midst of the creativity expressed in God's creation, as one is temporarily from the confusion of conflicting voices..." 

Edith Schaffer

The Hidden Art of Homemaking

Easing of Tensions

Wherever you are drinking your tea,

whether at work, in a cafe, or at home,

it is wonderful to allow enough time to appreciate it.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Today I'm sharing a Royal Albert teacup and saucer with you. It's covered with peaches, plums, pears, and berries. Inside the teacup, a cluster of red cherries dangle from their stems. Gold guilds the edge of the teacup and saucer's edges.

The tea is Apple Cider Spice from TeaSource,  a blend that claims to be 'steeped in experience'.  It was a gift from a friend, and it is delicious!  The packaging says to imagine  Red Delicious and Braeburn apples  that are bursting with aroma and flavor with a  few wintry spices tossed in.  And it lists the flavorings as cloves, cinnamon, ginger,  orange peel, rose petals, and safflower. There's nothing that says APPLE on  the ingredient list, but that's alright, the apple cider spice flavor is rich and full.  It's a comforting tea that is full-bodied, spicy,  and it's perfect for a relaxed moment or two.

There is something nearly as relaxing as sitting in contemplation with a cup of tea. Beads, strung onto string or wire repetitively, allow for creative and purposeful détente. Stringing beads AND sipping tea? The ultimate in the easing of tensions. Tranquility.

An Atmosphere of Beauty

"Children growing up in an atmosphere where beauty is considered an important part of daily life cannot help being inspired to develop their own original ideas in these areas, nor can they help being prepared to live aesthetically themselves. There is a 'togetherness' in sharing a prepared table that even very small children feel, although they cannot express it verbally." 

Edith Schaeffer

These are words that guided me on my homemaking journey at the beginning of my child rearing years. Mrs. Schaeffer speaks so eloquently when she writes; she creates word pictures of simple things that speak so profoundly to our souls. In another place she shares that every dinner table should have a centerpiece that is vibrant, interesting, and transitions with the seasons and experiences of life. Such a focal point provides family members with objects of nature and beauty to enjoy. Flowers, moss, rocks, shells, seed pods, and more can be gathered outdoors and be brought inside to make creative points of interest without added expense or fuss. Including children and grandchildren in the process might mean adding points of color found in small toys like Lego's, plastic figures, or miniature tea sets. An atmosphere where creativity is encouraged can inspire a child and set the stage for original ideas as they grow through life.

Happy Creating!

When our children were small and we were developing our parenting and educational philosophy, we decided that creativity was a trait that was important to us and one that we wanted to develop in our children.  According to one of my favorite books on the subject, one of  the best gifts we could give our children is to provide them with ready-materials and time.  It’s important to let children invent, create, and have fun.  It sure makes a mess, but it’s worth it!  Arts and crafts projects that don’t use pre-drawn patterns or designs allow children to create and develop according to their view of the world.  Here are some ideas for some of the craft projects.  Maybe they would be something you would enjoy doing with the children in your life.
 
1.  Paper mache’ — create sculptures or scenes using newspaper and flour & water glue.  After it dries, paint with Tempra paints and add twigs, stones, dried moss, aluminum foil or mirror rivers and lakes, etc.  Great fun!  We once created the Garden of Eden doing this!

2.  Sawdust and glue — similar to paper mache’ but using fine sawdust and Elmer’s glue instead.

3.  Make kites — use a plain template and paint or color designs on the kite body to make your own design or check online or the library for books and kite shapes.

4.  Wooden objects — children seem to enjoy crafting with wood, so we bought lots of different ‘wood’ things from the craft store and let them paint, decorate, hammer, nail, etc. to make things.  Stencils are helpful in adding designs like planes, trains, etc.  When homes were being built around the neighborhood, we would ask the contractor if we could take the wood scraps home.  They were happy to get rid of them and they provided raw materials for some great building projects.

5.  3-D art using foam shapes, twigs, dried legumes, etc.  Fun to use a basic design on tag board and then glue objects on it to make a collage or work of art.

6.  Computer art — using simple programs that teach 3D animation, computer graphics, or photo editing.

7.  Kits — lots of fun!  Go to Michael’s or Craft Warehouse and look at all the kits that are available.  Latch hook rugs, felt art, beading, etc. can all be fun for both girls and boys.  Boys enjoy making latch hook rugs in an airplane theme!

8.  Candle-making — either dipped candles, molded candles or rolled candles using beeswax.  Kids especially have fun with this project:   take an aluminum pie plate and hold a regular candle up in the middle of the plate.  Then pour melted, colored wax into the plate.  Gently dip the plate of wax in a sink full of cold water.  The hot wax will rise to the top and will ‘hug’ the candle, making a candle holder.  Work as a team, as hot wax can burn.

9.  String art — look online for designs.  A pattern looks somewhat like a dot to dot page, but without the numbers.  Colored string is sewn on the page in sequences that create a woven effect and make beautiful pictures — of ships or buildings — etc.

10. Watercolor — really fun and helpful if you can find someone who is willing to give a few lessons first.  Use ‘cheater’ techniques to help get started with watercolor (like dot stickers that keep paint from sticking somewhere when you first coat the page, etc.).  Small paintings make great Christmas gifts for family.

11. Boys love sewing machines!  And so do girls.  Make them earn their driver’s license first (to teach machine safety) and then give them small projects where they create designs — hot pads, pillows, and other small things are fun.  Or, have them turn a t-shirt inside out and sew up the neckline and the sleeves.  Turn right-side-out and stuff will pillow stuffing.  Then stitch up the bottom.

12.  Theme quilts — have them make quilt blocks on a theme (we made one with a dog theme and another with an airplane theme).  Use muslin for the blocks and cut them out in 10″ squares.  Using fabric crayons, permanent markers, appliques, buttons, or photo transfers (where you print off photos onto transfer paper and then iron them onto fabric) to create blocks in the selected theme.  Give grandma a block to make — and one to dad — and one for mom — etc.   Then have the child sew the blocks together with printed fabric (also in their theme — they have fun going to the fabric store and choosing something that strikes their fancy).  The quilt top is pretty easy to make.  Add a back (stitch together like a pillow case with thin, rolled padding for the middle and then turn right side out).  Tie with yarn and stitch up the turn-space by hand.  Easy and really valued by the child when done!

13. Make wicker and twig (or silk flower or dried leaf) arrangements or wall hangings.  Cool glue guns, fabric ribbons (printed in themes kids like) etc. all work together to make small objects, arrangements, wall-hangings, etc.  The fun is the process — and they make nice gifts for family members.

14. We had a great time with ceramics!   A ceramics shop has green-ware that they will show you/your child how to clean (using tools kind of like a dentist uses).  After it’s cleaned, they will bake it for you in a kiln for a small fee.  Then have child apply a glaze and take it back to the ceramics shop to be processed in the kiln again.  We chose projects like gazing balls, vases with multi-colored glazes that melted and make funny patterns, chess game pieces, etc.  You can also get plain clay from them — like play-dough.  Statues, objects, free-form pots, etc. can all be made.  When done and dried they can be fired and glazed as well.

15. Model rockets and model airplanes — plastic or paper — ones that fly or are used just for decoration — all are fun and teach creativity and following directions.  Allow your child to think ‘outside the box’ as they create on their own using the base kits that are available at craft stores.
16. Model airplane paints work great for painting designs on stones for paper weights.  Be sure to buy the type of paint that is safe to breathe!

17.  For art — never negate the value of Legos when it comes to developing creativity!  So many skills are learned with Lego building.  You might assign specific projects with Legos — a complete village or building or vehicle.  Take a picture of the finished project to remember it by.

Happy creating!  Remember, children are only limited by time, resources, and their imaginations!


~ Thanks, Katie, for sharing a fun afternoon and for posing for the picture! ~

Painting with Puff!

 

When I was a child, my first grade reading book was Dick and Jane.  They had a dog named Spot and a cat named Puff.  I always thought Puff was a cute name for a cat!  But this post isn’t about reading or about cats.  It’s about a fun art project that uses ingredients mixed together that create a paint that puffs up when microwaved.  How fun is that?  Here’s the recipe.  May it keep the children in your life happily entertained for at least an hour or two!


In a small bowl, combine:

2 Tbsp. self-raising flour*
6 drops of food coloring
2 Tbsp. salt

Add enough water to make into a creamy paste.  Using a paint brush or sponge, create a design on tagboard or cardboard.  Make another ‘batch’ of puffy paint in other colors if desired.  Paint, paint, paint.  When done, microwave the design on high for  15 – 30 seconds.  The paint will puff and should dry completely.


*To make your own self-raising flour, blend 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 Tbsp. baking powder.

~ Thank you, Allison and Levi, for cheerfully posing for this picture! ~

Cute Idea!

Paula has been busy creating new things out of old! I love this table that she has for sale in her shop. With her son's assistance, she made this pretty coffee table out of an old cabinet door and four spindles from a banister. A picture doesn't do it justice. It is a very sweet 'shabby chic' in pink and turquoise. The old pink paint, scratches, or dents just make it all the more endearing. Isn't it lovely?

Visiting Meg at Crabapple Hill

Last week Karleen called and asked, "What are you doing today?". "Hmmmm, dishes, some laundry, and a bit of weeding in the yard. Why?" She responded with "How about coming with me on a part of the quilt hop? Crabapple Hill Studios is open to participants this week." That's all it took! I forgot about everything else. Crabapple Hill Designs are my favorite embroidery designs and are especially famous in our area. Meg's studio isn't open to the public, selling instead to quilt shops and online internationally, but she made an exception this year for this special event. It was even better than I imagined! Our adventure started when Karleen picked me up and we headed for a quilt shop in town. There we received our 'secret' instructions and an address. Using the GPS TomTom really helped as we maneuvered from one freeway to the next, finally taking a winding country road until we saw the sign "Quilt Hop" printed on a banner and attached to a fence! A long driveway wound about until we ended up in front of an inviting and cozy studio. Flowering plants and a sign welcomed us from the outside. Inside, cheerful voices and smiling faces greeted us with graciousness. Yes, I was welcome to take pictures for my blog! Yippee! I knew that blog readers would enjoy this little tour. I especially thought of Elizabeth from Turtle Cottage, who stitches daily and loves Meg's designs. Displays of beautiful designs and sample projects, patterns galore, three types of embroidery floss in any color you could imagine, and more were a feast for the eyes. It was difficult to choose between serious shopping and visiting with the pleasant ladies who were working there. I left feeling I did a little of both, but not near enough of either one! Crabapple Hill Studios is my kind of place! Please check out the Crabapple Hill Studio website for awesome designs and project ideas. And if you really love hand-stitching like I do, you'll enjoy Meg's blog, Knot-y Girl's Stitchery Club as well. Now, off to start a new embroidery project --- shall I start on tea towels or a wall hanging? I'm trying to decide. In the meantime, enjoy the slide show. Be sure to go 'full screen' and turn on the sound!

Recycling Fun!

A recycled photo and a recycled project. Karleen made this adorable bag from a pair of old jeans. Handles of colorful strips of fabric are woven together and tied on the belt tabs. Once stuffed with tissue paper (for bulk) it made a the perfect container for spring flowers and gifts. Isn't it fun to create something new from old? What ideas do you have for crafting pretty things from recycled goods?

Fast Film Festival

Brandon and Rylan teamed up with university friends last week to enter the Fast Film Festival sponsored by the communications and foreign languages departments. An intense week of filming and editing resulted in a Grand Prize winning short film. I never thought my sons would produce a film in which French was the language spoken --- but it was very effective and elicited great emotional response. Etre Singulier Pluriel --- great job, guys!