On Your Own, For Your Own

Love List # 62

2008-05-05T11:35:00.006-05:00

Green
Green
Green
Green
Green

Polish Wycinanki Paper Cutting

2008-03-21T09:20:00.003-05:00

MATERIALS:
Construction paper and White paper
Scissors
Pencil
Glue

DIRECTIONS:
Fold a piece of Construction paper in half
Draw a design along the edge of the paper with the fold
Leaving paper folded, cut out design
Glue design to a piece of white paper larger than the design
Glue White paper to a larger piece of colored paper

NOTE:
This project evolved into making paper dolls with 3 year old Mia doing the drawing and me doing the cutting.

From "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Japanese Star Streamers

2008-03-21T08:55:00.005-05:00

Tanabata is a popular Japanese festival based on a story of a Star Princess who was a weaver. She fell in love with the cow-heard star and neither star did their work. The star princess's father sent them to opposite ends of the Milky Way, only allowed to meet on the 7th day of the 7th Month. During the celebration, children write poems on streamers tied to the trees and streets are decorated with streamers made using origami folding techniques.

MATERIALS:
Origami paper or squares of construction paper or wrapping paper 4-5 " on each side
18" of string for each streamer
beads or cheerios, fruit loops, etc
Needle with an eye large enough for your string or yarn
Strip of paper to tie to the bottom long enough for a poem

DIRECTIONS:
To make one paper triangle:
Fold square in half (colored side in)
Fold that rectangle in half again
unfold completely
Fold in half diagonally (colored side in)
Unfold completely
Fold in half diagonally the other direction
Open completely, then using crease lines allready created, fold adjacent corners in making back to back triangles.
REPEAT !
Divide all your triangles into three sets
Thread needle and string triangles and beads. Put at least 3 beads or 6 cheerios in between triangles to keep them apart. Leave extra string at each end.
Knot at top and bottom to keep them from sliding around
Write a poem on slip of paper and tie to the bottom of the streamer
Hang using top end of string

From "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Indonesian Wayang Shadow Puppets

2008-03-21T08:41:00.004-05:00

MATERIALS:
Heavy paper or light card board (cereal box, poster board)
2 skewers, sticks, rulers, or dowels
Tape
Scissors
Notebook paper fasteners that spread apart in the back
Markers or crayons

DIRECTIONS:
Draw a body onto the paper MINUS one arm (use example or make one up)
Draw separately a bent arm and upper arm piece
Cut out pieces and color (optional)
Attach (LOOSELY) arm to upper arm, and upper arm to shoulder using the fasteners
Tape skewers to body and hand

From "Folk Art Projects around the World"

Indian Toran

2008-03-21T08:25:00.004-05:00

MATERIALS:
Large piece of felt (12" X 5")
Colorful and contrasting felt scraps
5" piece of drinking straw
Aluminum foil
15" yarn or string
Glue
Scissors
optional: Embroidery thread and needle

DIRECTIONS:
Cut out two pieces of contrasting felt 5" by 2" for ends of Toran
Cut out designs, animals, flowers, etc., out of the felt scraps
Move them around on your base till you are happy
Glue each piece down (OPTIONAL you can embroider them down around the edges)
Cut small circles of aluminum foil and glue onto Toran
Glue one strip to the bottom of the Toran (one inch on the front, one inch on the back)
Fold second strip in half, gluing only the edges, making a tube
Glue only the secured edges to the BACK of the top of your Toran leaving tube free
Insert straw into the tube, thread string through, tie and hang.

From "Folk Art Projects around the World"

Peruvian Mask

2008-03-21T08:11:00.002-05:00

MATERIALS:
Thick paper, file folder, or thin cardboard
Aluminum foil
Notebook paper fasteners (the ones where you spread them apart in the back)
Scissors
Markers
String or elastic

DIRECTIONS:
Draw basic mask shape like the one pictured and cut it out of the base
We opted to cut out eye holes so it is wearable
Decorate the mask with colorful designs
Cut small ovals out of the aluminum foil
Use the fasteners to attach them all over the mask loosely. You may need to use scissors to help punch the hole in your base.
Optional: Cut a small slit at the chin,overlap sides and secure and cut the base of the nose so that the mask has dimension.
Tie string or elastic on each side so it can be worn.

from "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Mexican Beaded Bowl

2008-03-21T07:59:00.003-05:00

Borrowed idea from the Huichol Indians of Mexico. Originally produced using dried half gourds, beeswax, seeds, kernels, pebbles, shells, etc.

MATERIALS:
Small lid or saucer (jar lid, plant saucer)
Modeling clay
Lots of big beads, beans, macaroni, pebbles, etc.

DIRECTIONS:
(ADULTS OR OLDER KIDS) Cover lid on the inside, up the sides and over the rim with clay at least 1/4" thick
Draw a design into the clay or let kids place freestyle
See pictures below for design ideas

From "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Columbian raised line sculptures

2008-03-21T07:48:00.003-05:00

Originally made by soldering gold wire to a flat sheet of gold.

MATERIALS:
Thin cardboard (poster board, cereal box)for
Black posterboard, or paint some black for background
Thin cotton cording or thick yarn
Scissors
Glue
Gold spray paint

DIRECTIONS:
Cut a circle from your thin cardboard
Cut a square bigger than your circle out of the black or painted cardboard
Draw a design similar to the one pictured onto the circle OR glue freehand
Glue cording over the design or let the kids just make designs on their own
Let glue dry
Spray paint entire circle with gold spray paint (ADULTS)
Glue gold circle to black background

from "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Love List # 61

2008-03-18T01:47:00.002-05:00

THUNDERSTORMS

Love List # 60

2008-03-17T23:17:00.003-05:00

"hello, blender...I think I like you."

Love List # 59

2008-03-16T09:17:00.001-05:00

New Projects! Yeay! Also, while I am doing tedious tree drawings, I am also making really cool masks and cultural art projects. I will be posting those soon on either the montessori link or the dress up and play link! This one is going to be a quilt for Mia of her lines. As far back as I can get, and room for more.

Love List # 58

2008-03-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

African Violets on the kitchen windowsill. This was a given for my great grandmother, Faith, according to her children. Mia was given her name, so I only thought it fitting to get one. Yeah, I love it.

More fun with paint sample cards

2008-02-22T13:17:00.006-05:00

After using paint cards to learn color gradients, we have come up with a few new ideas for them!

First is a game of memory. We use only 3 pairs right now, and can add more as she gets older.

Second is a calendar/schedule chart...still in the works.

Love List # 57

2008-02-21T21:10:00.002-05:00

Climbing trees. An alltime favorite activity. Whew, its been a while, but really missed this project. More to come soon.

Mom and me aprons

2007-12-14T08:32:00.000-05:00

I made a few sets of these for Christmas presents. Super easy. Lots of fun. Adult Apron: One strip of fabric cut 4" by 64" for the top, rectangle 16" by 32". Child apron: 3" by 48" strip, 12" by 24" rectangle.

Pretty much just hem and attach, gathering the large rectangle to be the same width as length and centered on the waistband. Voila!

Love List # 56

2007-12-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

Remember that scene from A Christmas Storywhen the little brother gets stuck on his back in his padded up snowsuit? It really happens. We had our first big snowfall today and the Snowsuit my mother sent from Sweden arrived this AM. Perfect timing. This afternoon was snow angels, snow ice cream, and snowball fights.

Love List # 55

2007-11-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

My favorite way to wrap gifts with old grocery bags, some raffia, and a sprig of the tree. Also favorites of Christmas time decorating are white lights, vintage metal balls, and fogging up the windows by baking something all day.

Love List # 54

2007-11-27T09:34:00.000-05:00

My all- time favorite Christmas book as a child, and now I get to read it to Mia. It is called "Letters from Father Christmas" by J.R.R. Tolkien. They are the detailed letters and drawings from "Santa" to the kids explaining the drama happening up there at the north pole (goblins, polar bear cut his paw, the pole fell on his house, the bath flooded the toy shop, etc...) Amazing stuff. Love him.

Love List #53

2007-11-25T00:34:00.000-05:00

My mother wanted to buy me a purse. I asked for some time, and made this for myself today. It is exactly what I wanted, of course, in exactly the fabric I wanted, with little touches of my all time favorite fishes fabric, which I have had for 10? years? The trout and the plaid just called to me. for me. I do these for a living, but the reason I needed a new one was that the one I used for the past 4 years was trashed! That is how it goes. The dentist always has bad teeth, the seamstress is always missing buttons...well, today, I made myself a present. and I love trout. and fly fishing. and plaid. and side pockets. and ...my bag.

Love List #52 Oh my goodness!

2007-11-23T22:39:00.000-05:00

The Kingston Sewing (and more) Center. In business since who knows when. Their goodies are all from the 60's through 80's and, while usually only 50% off the ORIGINAL sticker price, this month, they are going out of business and they took 60% off the total. CRAZY. Here are a few highlights of what I scored for a total of 14 dollars.

3 cd's, some 70's hair combs, lots of yardage of wide velcro which I use often, 20 or so zippers, a woodstock music festival coffee mug (original? dont care), some binding, ribbons and elastics. All things I need every day and buy online overpriced plus postage.

The things I reluctantly passed on (mostly because I had to get out of there soon to find a place to pee, but give an indication of the reason I love this place) were:

a gazillion records (no way to play them), a hair net or rain shield, kitchy 70's ribbons and ric rac, too many patterns to even look through, old metal file cabinets, weird leather hides only sold by the hide, pac man and carebear patches, threads of every other color than the one you need, metallic house shoes (think florida gma), trucker hats from the 70's, and on and on...

The place is TWO isles...and you need TWO hours. too much fun..love it.

Love List #51

2007-11-22T18:19:00.000-05:00

Watermelon and Karen Dalton.

Love List #50

2007-11-20T18:13:00.000-05:00

The changing of the pictures. I have 3 blank picture frames on the wall with drawings taped inside. Every now and then I replace the pictures. These are 2 of Mia's new ones.

Love List # 49

2007-11-19T15:01:00.000-05:00

Colby's new place....well, her actual house is up the hill behind this old burned down church. I love the church.

Love List #48

2007-11-18T14:52:00.000-05:00

We had a dual birthday party tonight and sometimes I just love a house full of 3 year olds jumping on the bed and screaming in delight. I am also thankful, though, that it is only once or twice a year...

Love List # 47

2007-11-17T23:17:00.001-05:00

My Mom: I love her 3 week holiday visit from Sweden. And I love her for taking over mommy duties sometimes and me not having to worry about if it was done right....(she raised me after all :))and for her telling me she can handle the meltdowns (when I am about to interfere) and for her telling me that I am a bit inspirational, and for her dancing to Bobby McGee on video with me when I ask, and for ..(I suppose) ..liking the same shoes.