Throughout these past few years, we have collected all kinds of toys: people, cars, trains, firetrucks, farm animals, buildings, signs, etc. (You get the point right? I sure hope I’m not the only Mom accumulating all of these toys!) I’m not quite sure where or how we have so much, but it’s true, it’s all here. There are so many “little pieces” that are jammed packed in our toy boxes that I thought it was necessary to pull them all out and play in a, uhm…’organized’ way.

While I was…

It is sensational to look at an old classic book and find a modern use for it. There are thousands of books that make the list of classic treasures that students are forced to read throughout their educational careers. Some of those books stand the test of time and others do not. Some classics make me smile when I think of them, like The Communist Manifesto. Other classic books make me scream in…

We had planned a nice little outing to Erlangen today. Richard wanted to buy a new music stand since his old one has gone missing after the last concert; we wanted to look for a new pair of shoes for Lily and pick up some groceries on the way home. On the way, we stopped really quick at the corner store to drop off a letter at the post office. I got back in the car and.. nothing. I tried a couple more times but still just a clicking from the engin starter and flickering from the dash board…

Have you met Katie? Katie's lovely stories can help you introduce your children to art and paintings and she's on Story Snug today.

http://storysnug.com/2013/01/katies-picture-show/

Conceptual Baby.

Few things are more frustrating for a parent than dealing with a whiny, frustrated, agitated, inconsolable child.  When you can take that situation, and turn it into something positive, your child might learn a lesson that will stay with them forever.



Maybe.



Hopefully.



A couple weeks ago we painted pictures of autumn for Artist's/Writer's workshop.  A big part of the method is modeling, so I created a crayon-resist watercolor of  autumn while the kids…

The kids created crayon-resist watercolor paintings and poems about Autumn.  We read a book about Autumn prior to creating the pictures, and several poems about Autumn before the writing portion of Artist's/Writer's Workshop.  While we read poems by other authors, we highlighted words and phrases that spoke to us, then we brainstormed words and phrases of our own that matched our pictures.  We mixed things up a bit this time. Normally we brainstorm words together for my picture, and then…

I made a quick trip to Grand Rapids to take in the sites of Art Prize. I enjoyed the event so much whileliving in Grand Rapids for the last 2 years, that I had to come back and see what the artist would come up with this year. The boys and I joined the Grkids.com team on the Art Prize trolley that made strategic stops all over the downtown .…

Hello all you Parents and Grand parents, I wanted to let you all know about a great program called Crayons Club. This is an awesome club that ships you crayons each month for a low monthly fee of $9.95 You will also love the free coloring contest for members and special offers. Follow us on Twitter @CrayonsClub. We are looking forward to becoming friends with other Crayon Lovers all over the World.…

From Cobwebs, Cupcakes And Crayons

Remember when I framed one of Annabelle’s old t-shirts, which I thought was just too sweet to pack away?  (If not you can read all about that …

I am a sucker for beautifully crafted jewelry. My newest love is Leather Jewelry. I found the company Leather Jewels. They make some beautifully crafted Jewelry and I wanted to share with everyone.  …

momstown Winnipeg is gearing up to launch this summer! We are beyond happy with the overwhelming, positive response we are getting! Moms are excited about a momstown.ca chapter coming here to Winnipeg. 

Art of Gift Giving: Buffet of Thoughtfulness

Framed Art: Freshen up a Room and Highlight Special Memories

Updated: Madeline Lord's Garden Sculptures: Inspiring Thoughts of Spring…

I did something last month that made me literally feel giddy inside.  I purchased my first sculpture, created by a wonderful metal artist, Madeline Lord.…

Make this holiday season special with personalized, original paper presentation of gifts.

Does yellow make you feel like a banana? Is red just like lava? And does purple make you feel like an onion? If so, then you, too, will succeed as an Art Mom in my child's classroom.

Being an Art Mom is simple: You prepare a little program that teaches the kids about artists or color or a style of art, and then develop a little project to go with it. It's a lot of fun - second graders are a very appreciative audience.

I decided to talk about color and moods - you know, how does…