Crafts

Announcing A Year of Creative Workshops!

I have exciting news! I’m announcing my first ever Creative Spark year long workshop series for adults. It will last from June 2019 to June 2020, and I’ll host a Creative Spark workshop at my house on every even month! As always, the focus will be on low pressure, deeply creative experiences, which inspire and…

Little Houses

Little Houses [art journal page] 9×12″ collage on journal paper $120 Cost includes shipping (international included). If you live locally, I’m happy to arrange a pick-up or drop-off with you and I’ll deduct the cost of shipping. The piece fits perfectly in a 9×12 frame (I am partial to the glass clip frames for pieces…

CloseThe Door Behind You

Close The Door Behind You 9×12 watercolor paper acrylic, gouache, graphite, Copic marker, oil pastel $150

Creative Spark :: Storytelling Art Class

My Creative Spark class is back for Fall 2017! Join me for a Storytelling Art class where children will design their own imaginary worlds using projects from my award winning book, Show Me a Story. During part of the final class, families and loved ones will be welcome to see all of the creations. [Details]…

Journal Sparks

Hello, friends! I’m so excited to announce that my new book, Journal Sparks, is now available in stores everywhere! I’m currently hosting a virtual book tour on Instagram and Facebook, so join me there to celebrate the release with inspiration and reviews from some lovely artists, authors, and educators. Here is a little interview where…

Art Scraps and Tiny Poems

This is my favorite re-purposed art project. Use your beautiful scraps to turn your journal page into a captivating display of color, words, and texture. Each time you (or the children in your home or classroom) make art, there are always little piles of scraps left over. Learn to love your mess! Paper used for color…

The Deep Breath Collage (for when everyone needs a break)

I call these my Deep Breath Collages because they require focus, but not too much, which allows my brain to gently sink into a peaceful artistic place without feeling any kind of pressure. They really are perfect for the moment when things feel off, and you need something to make things more calm, peaceful, and…

Craft Foam Printing Blocks

DIY craft foam printing blocks are one of my favorite ways to print. Because it is a simple, no fuss way to print, I can spend hours making blocks, playing with color, and experimenting with shapes. The one limitation with craft foam relief printing is that it doesn’t capture fine lines and small details well. …

Potato Stamping project for Playing with Food

Oh, I love printing with vegetables. I really do. It is a perfect way to play with color and experiment with form and shape. And, potato printing is one of my favorite kinds of vegetable printing. There is something so magical about turning a brown lump into a bright, colorful bit of art. I am…

Summer Creative Classes for Kids

S P A R K Creative Workshop for Kids This playful workshop encourages kids to experiment with color, texture, words, and abstract shapes. Each workshop features an engaging art project meant to celebrate experimentation and inspire creative thinking. There will be collage, non-dominant hand sketching, watercolor, printing, and story stones along with opportunities explore words…

DIY Garden Homes

Here in the northeast, it is finally time for bellies in the grass and fingers in the dirt. It is the season where my children come home from school, but never actually make it into the house. They wander around, finally sinking into the grass with a book or the toys that were played with…

Hand printing with celery

Celery printing is a simple and satisfying art project for children. When you find yourself at the end of a bunch of celery, slice it and store it in the refrigerator until you have a some time to make art. The worst case scenario is that you never get to it and there is a…

Interview with the Art Studio Educators at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

I am fortunate to live only two miles down the road from the gorgeous, always inspiring Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. When I close my eyes and remember the time when my daughters were toddlers and preschoolers, I see park picnics, circle time at our town’s family center, rainy playdough mornings, warm banana…

Community Paper Garden — Teaching Notes

During my April workshop at the Worcester Family Partnership, the children and their loved ones gathered together to plant a community art garden. I brought the garden plot, which was a large piece of kraft paper, as well as the materials to plant paper flowers. We used circle objects to trace and cut circle shapes,…

DIY Nest with Eggs

I posted this Nest & Eggs building tutorial in March of 2011, and I thought I would share it with you again today. Wouldn’t be fun to make gold eggs, hot pink eggs, and maybe even spotted eggs? And, isn’t this the perfect way to encourage garden clean-up? You can make nests and wreaths with…