Paper Modelling: Bookmark, Matchbox

Two Paper Modelling tutorials today! This is the bookmark and the matchbox. Enjoy! 

Paper Sloyd: Envelope

Just one today, the paper sloyd envelope tutorial. Enjoy! 

Paper Modelling: Cart, Kite and Screen

Three more Paper Modelling tutorials for your homeschool fun! These are the cart, kite and screen! Enjoy!

Paper Sloyd: Handkerchief Box, Card Case, Comb Holder

Another three paper sloyd tutorials for fun craft time with your Charlotte Mason students! Enjoy! This is the Handkerchief Box, Card Case and Comb Holder. Good luck! Have you ever done sloyd? 

Paper Sloyd: Portfolio, Thread Winder, Match Scratcher

Three more paper sloyd tutorials for your homeschool day. Enjoy! 

Paper Modelling: Chair, High Backed Chair, Settle

Three more paper modeling tutorials. Enjoy!

Paper Sloyd: Key Tag, Stamp Book, Triangular Catch All

Three more paper modelling lessons! These videos cover the key tag, stamp book and triangular catch all. Hope these videos help you as you homeschool your little ones through sloyd. Good luck! 

Paper Modelling: Barn, Rabbit Hutch, Trough

Here are three more paper modeling tutorials for those taking their kids through Paper Modelling by M. Swannell. Enjoy! Do you do paper sloyd at home in your homeschool? We love it here-- though it is very hard and frustrating at times. Good luck! 

Enjoy the Barn, Rabbit Hutch and Trough from year one. 

Paper Modelling (Box and Lid, The Basket, Coal Scuttle)

Some more delightful handicraft videos for your homeschool! These are from the book "Paper Modelling" by M. Swannell. Enjoy these Year One tutorials--I will post them three at a time to the blog. 

I am about to do these over again with Becky this summer and I am also teaching a paper sloyd class to kids at a local camp this fall. Beyond excited! 

 

Handicraft 2022

For handicrafts this semester we are doing bookbinding! We are going through Bound. I have never done bookbinding before, and it has been such fun! We picked up a very inexpensive bookbinding kit from amazon and have done 5 of the projects so far.

This is the flip flap tab book. 

Crafts are my favorite part of homeschooling. Well, it's a toss up between that and reading. We read a lot. But crafts are something God buried a deep love of into my heart when he created me, and it is amazing and wonderful to share my love of creating things with my children. 

Hugs and happy homeschooling!

Paper Sloyd (Fan, Bon Bon, Book, and Spool Basket) Tutorials

These videos cover the fan, bon bon box, book cover (and sheets) and spool basket. Enjoy the tutorials and happy paper-sloyding!! This ends our "year one" crafts! 

You can download the paper sloyd book here for free. I also made an update video talking about what I learned (and what was hard) for paper sloyd after we finished all the year one projects in Paper Sloyd by Ednah Anne Rich.

 

Paper Sloyd Tutorials (bookmark, basket, pencil case)

More paper sloyd tutorials!! As always, you can download the book by Ednah Anne Rich here. Enjoy!! 

 

How to Be Creative with Kids

I am a creative person. I love to make, to do, to list, to plan, to dream. I am Choleric. I am an ENFP.

I have two kids and have decided to home school--meaning I will have to be really intentional about forming boundaries to be creative.

Here are two major things I have learned about myself and about how to keep my creative spirit alive with two kids, a house, and a life.

1. Spend less time wasting time. I am, like most millennial and generation x-ers, the proud owner of an apple iPhone, a computer, a Nintendo switch, an Audible account... you get the idea. I can waste a lot of time consuming and thus have less time for creating. It is all right to relax, but I know I can get lost in the rabbit hole of YouTube and suddenly two hours are gone and it is time for dinner. I try to pick up my phone as little as possible. This helps me be productive and creative with the tiny amounts of time I have to myself.


2.  Create space for myself to create. With two kids, I can work forever. There is laundry. Dishes. Noses and bums to wipe. Crafts to do, mac and cheese to cook, hair to comb, baths to run.... the list goes on and on. Now that Becky is two, I try and give myself some me time every day. We do a hour of tv or video games after dinner, and while Becky watches Daniel Tiger and Reuben plays Mario on the Switch, I do whatever I want. It has helped me feel like a new person, giving me time to read a book or knit. I try not to get on the computer because I have found that spending my time on the computer leaves me frustrated. Spending my time creating leaves me feeling motivated and ready for the evening, with dishes to do and a kitchen to clean. 

I used to feel really guilty about allowing any television in my house. I no longer feel that way. I realized I was parenting for my fantasy self--aka what I thought a good parent should do, what I thought the "ideal" parents was. I need to be realistic, and an hour of media a day is not going to ruin my kids. It doesn't mean I am a bad parent.

Even when I create space to be creative, I still suffer from frustrating feelings. I find time to knit and read, but I no longer have time to sew--something I used to dabble in before I had kids. I try to accept that this is a season, and be real with myself. I acknowledge my own constraints and am honest with how much I can reasonable finish in the time I have. It's a processes, and I am far from perfect.

How are you creative with kids? Any tips for this stay at home mom? I'm linking up with Brita today for her Love Blog challenge!

My Old Doll House

I had a really awesome doll house as a kid. Well, I think I did. My mom helped us make one with old crates and project board. I stumbled upon these pictures when I was going though some old photos last week, that I'd put on a jump drive and forgotten about! Oh, this brings back memories. My sister and I played dolls for hours and hours every day until I was around fourteen or fifteen years old. We would create elaborate adventures of escape and discovery games with our dolls. They would caravan around the country in the 1800s and go on space exportations to discover lost civilizations.

These pictures from our doll house were from when I was 8 or 9. I really hope I find some of when I was older, because we had a lot more walls up!

The kitchen. I wonder how long it took my mom to draw in all the squares on the wall?

Living room.

This is the kitchen in my sister's doll house. We each had a separate house.

 My sister loves animals. This was her pet room!

Wow, so many memories. And yes, in the above room I did tape Pokemon to the wall. I was obsessed with that card game as a kid!

Pen-Pal Program

Hi guys! I don't know about you--but I love writing letters. SO today I wanted to let you know that I would love to write you!

Just send your mailing address to my e-mail and next month I'll draw your picture and write you a letter. I won't sell/abuse/flame/or otherwise use your address. I'll just scribble out some thoughts and you can write back if you want :)

Tote

I made this lovely little tote out of an old 100% wool sweater!

Tutorial coming soon :)
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In other news: I'm so busy! I've neglected my poor little blog. Being an adult in the working world really does have its drawbacks as well as its perks, dear readers, as I'm sure you all know.

For Beth

So my good friend Beth's birthday was last week! She is so amazing and wonderful so I made her this cup! I also sent her two articles of clothing. I hope she loves them :)

Beth is a photographer and fashionista in MD and VA. Go wish her a (belated) happy birthday!

Totoro Cup

I've been having cup envy problems over the amazing Totoro mugs on etsy...

But with my tiny budget I could never justify spending 40$ on a cup, even if it does have one of my favorite movie characters on it! 

DIY to the rescue! I found this tutorial on Pinterest and decided to give it a whir. 

Basically you can draw on a cup with sharpies and bake it in your oven, and the design sticks (more or less).

Thus my Totoro was born. I got the mug for 50 cents at Goodwill but it was originally from Ikea! 

What would you draw? I have several more ideas in mind...this would also make an amazing birthday present! 

Felted Slippers

A lonely prince made me some magic slippers.

I never realized how easy and soothing felting. The whole process is completely beautiful, amazing, and unique.

These slippers have inspired me to give felting a try. I am already searching over Ebay and Etsy looking for destashed lots of roving, dreaming of inspiring and intimate moments of me, felt, and bluegrass music.

Felting is like magic.

Pants

I made some amazing colorful pants today :) I just let my emotions and thoughts flow when coloring and shaping the swirls.

To make these, I used a mixture of prismacolor markers, hilighters, and sharpies! Super fun. Anyone can do it. Really!

For the next pair, I tried a less abstract, more fantasy method. What do you think?

 I have some ideas for stripes on the next pair!! Can't wait to try it out.

Amazing pants and crazy pants now in the shop!