A good place to start… Come on in!

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Ann

Today I am sharing a bunch of my favorite posts strung together with info about me and Doodles and Jots’ trajectory. I think my tag line says it best: Ideas for, diversions from, and celebrations of family life from a creative mom. You can also get to know more about me by checking out my About page, My ABC’s post, and Pregnancy Test Trees and a Pickle Baby (about me becoming a mom). I started this site in October 2011 with the encouragement of my sister who is a long time, successful blogger at Life Learning Today. Her blog is full of great advice on healthy, happy, purposeful living. Definitely check it out!

To read more about why I started this blog and my thoughts on the benefits of blogging, check out Why I ♥ Blogging.

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Blooming Bookmarks

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Ann

Are you in need of a handmade Mother’s Day gift idea? Does your lawn need weeding? Does Mom love quiet reading time?

I saw this idea on Pinterest for transferring the pigment from leaves onto paper and I thought, “gee, that should work for flowers too!”

So, how about trying this…

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Ultimate Baby Nursery Wishlist (accessories)!

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Ann

Rockin' Mama (felt-tip pen on marker paper)

A few months ago I shared with you my Ultimate Baby Nursery Wishlist. I am pretty sure my family is complete but I love babies and had a blast pretend shopping at the Land of Nod.

As a product designer, I really appreciate their design aesthetic. Their selection of quality furniture is clean and modern yet also warm and inviting. In this list I am going to accessorize my Ultimate Baby Nursery Wishlist selection. I am thinking of my furniture picks as the foundation and here I am going to bring this baby nursery to life and give it personality. This is REALLY the fun part!

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I ♥ Tread Setting!

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Ann

Here is a pattern I made with one of my Tread Setting photos from yesterday. I tried a few, but this one was by far the coolest and to think, I made it with my car! I think of driving as being such a masculine activity but this is definitely evidence of driving’s feminine side! I think yesterday was winter’s last hurrah but if it snows again I will be looking for another empty parking lot!

Tread Setting Pattern (photo in Gimp: levels, posterize, colorize, then arranged multiples into pattern)

Tread Setting

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Ann

This morning I discovered a really big blank canvas. It was so big in fact that I needed to use my car as a paint brush!

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Bubbles of Fun

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Ann

Are you fascinated with bubbles? Are you running low on stationary? Are you looking for something fun and educational to do after school? Do you enjoy combining art and science? Do you need to sharpen your observational skills? Do you have a bowl, water, dish soap, straws, tempera paint, and card-stock?

Then why not try this fun craft…

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Leapin’ Lizards II

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Ann

Leapin’ Lizards were a big hit at our house yesterday!

The idea that you can make a toy in just a few minutes that actually DOES SOMETHING is delighting to children at any age! Check out yesterday’s post for instructions and video demo: Leapin’ Lizards. You can choose to simply print on colored card-stock or white and then color with crayons.

Another idea is to add realistic lizard texture with bubble-wrap! Continue reading →