Christmas Past

This year, we have mostly been reprising favourite Christmas crafty/bakey goodies from previous years.  Broken nights with the wee boy are zapping me of the energy to devise anew, but I'm reassured that seasonal rituals are just what small ones find most reassuring.  So here,in the spirit of ritual, are some of our christmas activities from years past.

Activity-based advent stockings

 

Salt Dough Christmas Tree Ornaments

 

Potato printed christmas wrapping paper

 

Plaster cast christmas decorations

 

Gingerbread House

 

Origami Advent Calendar

 

King Winter/Winter Waldorf Nature Table

Hope you are enjoying some Christmas making rituals!

 

 

 

Autumn Window Trees; the reprise

Just a year ago (was that all it was?!), we created our window trees - see their first Autumnal incarnation here.  My goodness, I look back at this and it seems me and the Boo had all the time in the world, now we snatch babe's naptimes as our together time, and to be truthful, mostly we are are outside hunting for spiders and worms rather than creating anything much.  But the trees have been taken to heart as tradition so on they must go!

My current motto for living 'keep it simple' was applied to the trees this season and we simply did some wax leaf rubbings, cut them out and stuck them onto the window.  I say 'we' but Boo only did a couple, leaving me to ensure the trees didnt look completely bereft.  Boo enjoyed applying some of them floating down and on the ground. 

We are loving Autumn right now, with it's bright days (for now at least!), plentiful spidery wonders to be found, funghi sprouting everywhere, leaves fluttering and bulbs to be planted. 

My daughter, the collagist

 
If I have perhaps been feeling rather guilty of late in that I haven't been devising exciting art projects for the Boo, she has managed to lift my spirits and reassure me that given space, kids mostly just get on with what it is they need to do as and when they need to for their development.  I've provided scissors in Boo's making space since she was two and have tried on numerous occasions to teach her to use them with little lasting success.  Now, however, she has seized upon them and it seems to be all she wants to do.  Cut, cut, snip, snip, snip.  We have amassed a collection of old cards, magazines, fabrics etc, and she seizes upon any bit of printed junk that comes through the door to add to her burgeoning collection of material. 

Her collages are completed on the easel, often over a number of days and with multiple layers.  They are often based upon figures which are embellished with different clothing, strange objects for limbs and other people's eyes.  I am wondering how much of an influence on her young mind was our recent visit to the Surrealism exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery?!

 
Meanwhile, I have been busy working on a project of my own, which incorporates use of collage.  Like mother, like daughter.

Kitted-out Kitty

 
Hi there!  We've had family visiting for the past few weeks, and I've been spending evenings chatting and sewing... this lovely little creation from Clothkits for Boo.  By hand.  Every little tiny piece.  Somehow I just had to do it, and now I do think it's out of my system.  Phew. 

So I introduce to you Kitty, with her complete kit:

... dungarees

 
...in a pretty floral dress

 
 
... in her 'car outfit'

 
...and her sunflower kimono

this kitty knows how to wear her hat at just the right jaunty angle...

 
Kitty has been taken to Boo's heart and is now accompanying her of many of her daily adventures.

Boo in Okido

 
We have been fans of Okido magazine for a little while now.  We heart the art/science themes (e.g. the weather, babies, emotions etc), the funky innovative illustration and the age-appropriate stories and activities (mazes, doodles, finding characters etc).  Boo senses an alter ego in the character 'messy monster', as I am sure do many young uns reading his stories!  The 'Dirt' issue is particularly special to us, however, as, there on the inside cover are two pics of the Boo herself mucking about in muck.  She appears top and bottom right, in her wellies.  We affectionately refer to her as 'child of the mud', seeking out muddy puddles as is her wont, so she fits right in here.

Watercolour update

 
A few weeks back I blogged about our experience with wet-on-wet watercolour, and concluded that we would try again with some better quality watercolour paper.  I'm pleased to report that improving the quality of the paper has resulted in far more satisfying results.  I'm trying to remember the specs of the paper I bought, I know it was Arches rough, I'm thinking it was 90lb (tho I get confused about the weights). 

Here's Boo's watercolour gallery for your perusal..

 
 
 
 

Boo's Felt Board

 
A felt board for Boo, put together in a (short) naptime with a snip, staple, snip.  I had an old wooden stretcher from a past screen printing project hanging around, but you can buy wooden stretcher pieces from good art shops and choose the dimensions to suit you.  A large piece of felt was stretched over and stapled on the back.  Then we raided the felt stash and I just quickly cut out a few shapes as they occurred to me... we ended up with a duck pond scene!  I did cut out some more shapes using felted sweaters but the big ones of those turned out to be too heavy.  The ducks and pink flowers however just about worked so I think small items are ok using this material.

We will cut out some more shapes so Boo can have more variety to create scenes/stories; perhaps some more urban pieces.  I may also make some more abstract forms and see how Boo takes to working with them.  I'll be finding a corner to install this on the wall for some felt fun and play.