Dear spring, Warm, sunny days and cool nights are the best. You’ll stay around for awhile, won’t ya? xo e
covered
This fancy little number is really just a plain old $1.09 composition book in disguise. I read about this technique in an old Martha Stewart Living magazine a couple of years ago, and finally decided to try it out. The key players in this project are the glue stick, book binding tape, x-acto knife, and…
spring stones
Here are Chick’s finished fabric collage stones. She made these while I worked on the story stones. I am so fascinated by the bright, sunny colors she chose. Don’t they look like Easter eggs? Chick cut up her own bits of fabric and then glued them onto the stones using Mod Podge. After they were…
necklaces
Here are my newest creations. The stamps are hand carved, the wood is hand painted with non-toxic paint and drilled, and then I’m using really nice Irish waxed linen for the cord. There will be some for sale in the shop soon. xo e
story starter game
Lately, I have been thinking about story telling and how it seems to be the gateway to highly imaginative and intricate play. I watch Chick create fantasy worlds where nothing but torn pieces of paper become the characters from the last play she saw or a chapter from a book, and it helps me to…
more story stones
Some birds and dinosaurs have joined the picnic. I was scheduled to have jury duty this morning at 8:00 a.m. sharp, but as I was closing the car door, a court guy leaned outside of the courthouse and told me it is canceled and that I should just go home. Tom was sure that he…
story telling stones: mouse picnic
After months and months of drawing pictures of mouse picnics with Chick, I decided that we should make a mouse picnic for her to play with. This project began with peaceful stone gathering and then turned into an excuse for indoor water play since all of the stones needed to be rinsed. The very very…
meow
I made this cat n’ yarn design months ago as a special order. Miss Sophie, our shy feline, was the inspiration for the shape and posture of this polka dotted friend. I used cotton fabric and wool felt for the applique, and the black tote is 100% organic cotton. This one is now for sale…
circle garland tutorial
I came up with this project because I was looking for a do-it-together-in-stages project that would be satisfying for both me and my four year old daughter. This project took us a few days because we wanted to take it easy and have fun. Tiny toddlers and pre-schoolers love it because there is lots of…
late afternoon
3 Trees in a Row This is print that I made for a charity auction for Chick’s school. I urge anyone local to come check it out because it is going to be a super fun time. A rockin’ band will be playing, there will yummy food, wine, local hard cider, home brew, and lots…
remake :: sunny bird string
Chick and I used brown paper grocery bags from my new best friend, the recycling bin, to make groovy sunny bird strings. First, we painted. Then, we let our new blue paper dry in the sun. I decided to use two different blues and purposely made it streaky because I like how it makes each…
open
My *red bird crafts* shop has some items for sale for the first time ever. I’m just saying. xo e
remaking
I love garbage! Well, not fully. But, I do love sifting through junk mail and recycling to find little treasures. Since coming to realize some new ways to use my beloved recycling, the cheery crafter in me decided that this could all be a big, fun personal challenge where I encourage myself to use five…
inside
Even though it was 23˚ outside this morning, we are busy cultivating spring inside. A friend gave us this hearty crocus that seems to want to grow more and more new flowers each day, and I have been concentrating on carving woodsy animals and plants that love to frolic outside in the warm spring air….
stamps
I am finding that hand carved stamps are kind of like poems. They are small wonders packed with texture, meaning, and little bit of irony. And, I am in love with them. I started by making little designs that could be used in repetition to make patterns. Then, I moved on to making little realistic…