Book Review: The Time Garden, A Magical Journey and Coloring Book

The Time Garden: A Magical Journey and Coloring Bookby Daria Song is an exquisite, beautiful, intricate coloring book that is also the story of a little girl and her encounter with a grandfather clock.

This is a stunning book.  The detail and imagination in each page provides rich fodder for a child or adult's mind and heart.  Combine this with the fact that the reader gets to color these pages to their likes and it's as if one has a custom book, partially created by yourself.  It really is lovely.  This would be an excellent gift to a child with the patience to color small, intricate pages or to an adult who enjoys the therapeutic value of coloring with pencils or markers.

The quality of manufacture of this book is excellent as well.  The paper is thick, the printed lines are crisp and clear and it's larger format makes it just right for working in.  I can recommend this book without hesitation!

Gorgeous!

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.
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Leonardo da Vinci: A Simple Unit Study

Leonardo da Vinci was a fascinating man.  Inventor, artist, writer, scientist.  God blessed him with a special curiosity that led to intricate knowledge of the world and a foresight of invention that was (and is) unparalleled.  I couldn't wait to study his life in detail.

Did you know that when you are excited about a topic your excitement naturally translates to your children?  Because of this, sometimes (okay, often) we study topics or people that are interesting to me.  I get passionate and they think I'm crazy.  But actually, they get passionate as well.  Even if this is not a topic that they "need" or that they will pursue further on their own, my interest leads to a general air of joy and curiosity.  Therefore, we spent a whole week with Leonardo!

Setting aside the structured curriculum for this time, we learned, explored and were fascinated by this incredible man.

We generally begin each day with read-aloud time and this week was no different.  I had pre-chosen a selection of books on Leonardo and gathered them ahead of time.  Most were requested from the library a few weeks prior and some I purchased.  I will share details and links below.

After some reading, we would do an activity of some sort. These included some paper models of Leonardo's journal sketches, a board game, card game and video.

At the end of the week, our study culminated in a visit to a fortuitously timed exhibit at our local Science Museum.  Leonardo da Vinci: Man-Inventor-Genius and Man-Artist-Genius was a collection of scale models of Leonardo's inventions and painting.  A lovely experience after learning so much about him!

Resource List

Books we read aloud:
Monday with a Mad Genius
Leonardo's Horse
Leonardo and the Flying Boy
Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer
Neo Leo
Who was Leonardo da Vinci
da Vinci by Mike Venezia
Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley

Books we used as reference or for the kids to browse:
Lives of the Artists
Leonardo da Vinci for Kids
Amazing Leonardo Da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself

Activities:
Leonardo da Vinci: Animated Hero Classics DVD (find at your library or purchase used)
Da Vinci's Challenge Game
Go Fish for Renaissance Artists
Inventions (the paper models)

I'm sure you can find other wonderful resources.  Plan a simple unit study and have some fun learning about Leonardo da Vinci!

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Recharging with Nap Times

My creative space during a nap time art making session

Many of us relate to the feeling of relief that happens when a fussy child finally falls into peaceful rest.  Many women run around like headless chickens while their babies are napping or having a quiet rest time. While this is effective for keeping up on the housework, it may not be the best use of these hushed moments.

When my boys were small, a wise women told me not to use nap time to accomplish work that can be done when the babes are awake.  Now, every mother reading this immediately thinks, “Okay. I understand that. That means I should fold the laundry and sweep the floors and prepare dinner. I certainly can’t do those things with littles underfoot.”  Guess what? You CAN do those things when your children are up and with you.

Read the rest here.

Allowing creativity to flourish

Last week, the kids and I headed to the library for our twice monthly library visit. As I was looking over the section of biographies written for children (an excellent section, I might add), the boys asked me to help them find the crafts section in the children's department.

Once I pointed them to the correct bookshelf, they choose a few books each to look over. This is our standard routine: they choose some books, look them over and add them to my "to-be-checked-out" pile. I look through them briefly to be sure there isn't anything that conflicts with our morals and values.

Once they had the craft books out, they sat together and found a craft that they wanted to complete. I was still wanting to look over the biographies, but now they were excited and ready to return home.

At home, they ran around gathering materials which included begging my mom to drink more water so they could have her Aquafina bottles. Once that was done and I had supplied some small pieces of velcro, they dove into working on their space shuttles. Those are not complete yet, I but will post a photo once they are.

I think that my children can engage so easily with activities such as these because I make a conscious effort to say "yes" more than "no" to crafts, building projects, forts, etc- things that require their imagination and initiative. I want them to be brave to tackle any projects that come their way with bravery, ingenuity and fearless-ness. Sometimes, this means they gather the supplies, make a big mess and then promptly lose interest. That's okay- we clean up the mess together and they move onto something else. This is not to say that there is a spirit of giving up- if I have asked them to complete a project or they have labored to a certain point, I do my best to re-engage them and teach them the value of following through.

Do your best to let go of the tidy house, the carpet with no stains, the always clear table tops and occasionally (or often) allow your children to dive into a project. Show them where the craft section of the library is instead of steering them clear of it!

Making a Mess...

...and having a great time!

Treasure Chest

I got a plain treasure chest from Michael's and then looked online for ideas of how to decorate it... let kids have input and choose the images. Turned out so well! They get to choose a treasure from this when they reach the end of their board game that they earn turns on during school time. It takes them a couple weeks to reach the end, so they better be great prizes! :) I am going to have Eric add a latch to the front. So much fun!

Where Does Inspiration Come From?

I been thinking about where I find inspiration to create art and I've discovered it to be much more varied than I would have thought. The easiest place for me is in photographs because I am having so much fun making personalized collages with photographs.

But where else do I find it? Yesterday, I was totally inspired by the movie, Bright Star, about John Keats. It was absolutely visually beautiful. Awesome. I'd like to go again just to check out the backdrops more carfeully.

I also find inspiration in songs- a line of a song will trigger a thought or a picture or an idea of something to chase creatively.

So.... look around you, listen, observe... find inspiration. Then write or draw or pray or glue or decorate or plant flowers... get creative and get yourself out of your mommy brain!

love you!

Book Arts!

I am so excited to be taking a class! It starts this week at UCSD. I am hoping for inspiration, new skills, and relaxed time for my stressed out mommy brain. Anyone want to join me? :)

Click here for details

For Dad

Here is the latest creation in mixed media. I gave it to my mom last week on the third anniversary of my dad waking up in heaven. It is two shadow boxes made with significant details.


The box on top contains pieces of the last project he was working on, including the glasses he wore. He loved my boys immensely and he adored creating a fancy model railroad for them. (and for him: part artist, part craftsman, part historian, .. come to think of it, all those labels sure sound familiar.)

The box on the bottom contains a model car that he built when he was a boy, a hood ornament from one of the old model BMWs that we passed around the family (the cars not the hood ornament!), as well as a paper with notes about his golf swing in his handwriting.

Some close ups of the details.



The last picture of Dad. and one of us in 1977 when my sweet sister was born. Miss you, Dad!

Bye Bye Princess Suki Love

My sister's beloved dog, Suki, went to doggie heaven recently. When I saw her dog tags at my mom's house, I immediately wanted to create something to honor Suki's memory that my sister could display. This is what I came up with.

I love this!

My sister sent me this link... and what fun! I can't wait to make one!

http://www.curbly.com/Chrisjob/posts/4164-Curbly-Video-Podcast-How-to-Make-a-Handbag-out-of-a-Recycled-Book-

A Fun Little Project

Okay, so this look like a complicated and time-consuming project, but I completed it during a 2-hour women's ministry event at our church. Doesn't take too much time to be creative! What are you working on these days? Try to establish some sort of creative habit that is restorative for you before the holiday craziness descends!

The base is small paper lunch bags, folded, hole-punched and ribboned together. I used the little flaps to add small pictures and the "inside" of the paper bags holds a pull out photo.

Then I mailed it to the boys' great grandmother in Massachusetts who was thrilled! (I have no idea why blogger rotated my photos... sorry about that!)

Selling Art! This is scary for me!

I just posted a collage to ebay....

Click here to see it!

This is my first attempt to sell my art. I have given away many creations, but thought I would give it a go. I ultimately want to sell on etsy but I didn't have the time right now to set up my storefront...soon!

Be brave- do something scary today!

Art Studio last one

I know, you are tired of hearing about the art studio... here is the last picture for a while. I had Eric hang "gallery lines" around all 4 walls so that I can hang old and new art of my own, the kids' and whatever else inspires me. Everything up now is my own. I also covered three bulletin boards with fabric. The large one is so unorganized b/c I need some push pins! :) Soon. Anyway, get out there and do something creative. Find a craft, a camera, a pen and create!

Redone Closet!

Yeah for organized closet! It might not look that different to you, but I consolidated and cleared out and decluttered and rearranged. There's even an empty plastic drawer near the bottom! Well, it's not empty now, but it is just holding the misc empty box lids and such that were drawer dividers.

The most fun part was putting my beads and buttons and misc knick knacks into an old spice organizer that we got for a wedding gift 12 years ago. I'd been saving it for just the right purpose and today it was just what I was looking for. I haven't redone the labels yet because that will involved soaking them and scrapping off the old ones first. Any good ideas out there for taking off 12 year old paper labels? If you zoom in, you can see wooden beads, buttons, and spools in three containers.

The black open bin is a bin of old sketch pads as well as various drawings and paintings from about Junior High on. They will be fun to go through and pick out a few favorites to put up on the walls around me.

The cardboard boxes on the bottom are old family photos. There is also two bins of Heritage Album supplies that is in progress. And will be for a long, long time! :)

Now, I can't wait to get a bulletin board up for inspiration and color ideas. Soon. Then, it's PROJECT time! :)

Studio in Progess

Okay, so here is the new table and the not-yet-re-organized closet. I had to document the "before" of course so as to be even more thrilled with the "after." When I get to it. When my kids are done barfing. :)

By the way, here's some tips- when your kids have an upset stomach, put a little step stool in the bathroom for them to sit on as they lean over the toilet. This has helped us tremendously with missing the toilet (ick), splashing (even more ick) and them just being comfortable while they sit there waiting for their insides to turn inside-out. It's been a fun week. (sarcasm sarcasm). Actually, trying to be grateful for the little moments, like how cuddly Josh is when he's sick. I love that. And Jack, when he's not having a tantrum is actually quite cuddly too. Watching loads of TV while eating dry cheerios and drinking clear fluids provides ample opportunity for cuddles. Of course, this extremely type-A Mommy has a VERY hard time letting go of the t0-dos and just sitting... but when I can, it's great. For them and me. You should try it. :)






the new desk (made out of a $19 door from home depot, painted with two coats of already-on-hand glossy white paint). On the right are the new drawers from Target. ($23 per cube- much less expensive than the "Crop In Style" brand and perfect for my uses.) I really like the ones with 4-drawers, but it appears that no Targets carry them anymore. Not online, not in 3 local Targets that I've dragged the sick kids to this week.


closet with shelves from costco that we installed years ago when we moved in. Best idea ever- the things holds SO much and I can SHUT the doors to hide it all. :) Really desiring to made it more organized and pretty and happy to look at- been looking at art studios online all week- but don't know when I will get to it. Hopefully soon.

Jack-a-Nory

Here is the latest. I wanted to create a collage for the boys' room that incorporated their obsession with construction machines.

The divider line in the road is made up of a Mother Goose rhyme that says:

"I'll tell you a story
about Jack-a-Nory
and now my story's begun;
I'll tell you another
about his brother
and now my story is done."

I am thinking about moving my "art studio" (i.e. cluttered small corner of the garage) into the computer room. Wondering if I will like working upstairs... there is plenty of storage space in the office which would be very helpful. I also want to have a place for the boys to work alongside me, so I have to make some little diagrams and test the space that way. Ideas anyone? Email me photos of your own creative space if you have one! juneberryblue@gmail.com