Tag Archives: creativity

Favorite Books with Flaps

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favorite lift-the-flap books

It wasn’t that long ago I was thinking about how books with flaps were kind of redundant.  I mean why not just have another page?  I don’t think anyone would deny their basic value to babies obsessed with peek-a-boo, but for older kids?  Not necessary.  Then recently we discovered some great ones and it reminded me of other great ones.  When they are good they create further interactions with the book and add suspense.  They invite your child to make discoveries.  When they are great they can do even more!  It made me realize that flaps, folds, and die-cut pages when utilized and executed thoughtfully and creatively can really add value and richness to a story and a picture book reading experience.   Continue reading →

Happy New Year

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Happy New Year Everyone!  The new year is a great time to reflect back and set goals for moving forward.

You know what I do not miss about working full-time at a company?  Performance Reviews!  And I worked for an amazing and incredibly fair company!  It is just that I don’t like any mention of areas for improvement.  I suppose you could say that this avoidance is an area for improvement of mine but who cares because I make the rules here!  Here we focus on success, how to build on it and how to migrate it towards my latest whim.  So here we go…   Continue reading →

Blogging Tools

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I am participating again in a fun link up at Artchoo, my favorite art and design for kids blog!  She co-hosts with a bunch of other awesome blogs so head on over and check them out too!  The theme for this link up is 6 tools, resources, or supplies you can’t live without.  My list of things I can’t live without is much longer than that!  In fact I tried to just narrow to 6 tools for blogging but even that list is much longer than 6.

So how about 6 tools I can’t live without for blogging that I feel like sharing today (in no particular order)!

I like going outside.  It calms me, I like to make discoveries, and it gives me blogging ideas.  Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy open the door and everything is in color!   Continue reading →

My Files

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Here is a picture of all my important files.

Obviously I am just kidding.  I squeeze all my “important” papers into one end of the top drawer in this awesomely wide filing cabinet so my art supplies have plenty of room to spread out and have fun on the other side and downstairs.  Those important papers are such party poopers!  What is in there?  Lots of my art supplies for painting and drawing plus some craft items I am saving for projects to do with the kids.

Also I would like to let you know I am now on Instagram and if you would like to connect, my Followgram page is here!

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This post is inspired by and linked up with Maui Shop Girl’s Just Another Photo Challenge…What’s in my toolbox?  Check it out and link up!

 

Imaginative Play with Kids

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simple illustration of a stickI know my brain is capable of imagination.  This morning I work up in the middle of a very detailed dream. I was exploring the many unusual rooms of a fixer-upper we bought.  It had a perfect children’s room with a slide instead of a door to get out and over the garage was a theater room not with a stupid big TV but with a stage and curtain and old fancy woodwork.  The only downside was that it had a big hole in the attic floor you could fall into.   Continue reading →

Tag Sale

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What’s this? look through, scan with eyes, with hands, textures, feels soft, feels rough, feels funny, explore, cool stuff, curiosity, looking at them, them at me, sad, old, cold, waiting, used, weathered, unwanted… set aside, sorted, grouped, collected, re-wanted, new to someone, interesting, intriguing, mysterious, tells a story, holds a mystery, keeps a secret, inexpensive, value, valuable… ideas, new ideas, thinking, thinking back, distracted, unrelated thoughts, getting home, capture it, object in hand, a piece, a token, a memory.

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This was an assignment from My Artist’s Way Toolkit.  To learn more about My Artist’s Way Toolkit click here and for how to get a TRULY free one month trial click here.

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Now for the fun part!  What did you imagine I took home from the tag sale.  Please share your hand-drawn picture of it in the comment section below!  BTW, I am trying out a new plugin and would love feedback on how well it worked and if you enjoyed it.

Update:  I had a couple people let me know it wasn’t working.  For now, draw in words.

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This post is linked up today with What’s the Word? Wednesdays at Frankly My Dear.  Grab a coffee and check it out!

WhatstheWord

Something as Beautiful

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I was so totally struck by the perfection of my infant children.  It made me want to paint!  I even wanted to sculpt their sweet faces in clay (I wonder if anyone can relate?).  It is clear, even in just the blog world, that I am not the only one inspired by motherhood.  I wanted to see what it was like to create something so beautiful.  Not a perfectly rendered copy but I wanted to document what I saw and understand it deeper than you can from just seeing.  The way taking notes helps you remember material from a lecture or book.

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Try My Artist’s Way Toolkit for Free

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About a month ago I posted about my personal experience using My Artist’s Way Toolkit.  You can find out about it and read my thoughts here.  If you are interested in trying it out for  FREE for one month you can use this promo code: BLOGHER (all in caps).  You will be asked to add your credit card info but will NOT be charged for your one month free trial!  Cool, huh?!  Try it, your creativity will thank you!!!

On My Artist’s Way

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I have been eager to participate in a Blogher Book Club campaign since I have known about them and been eligible.  It’s paid book club and a professional blog assignment, so exciting!

Review of My Artist’s Way Toolkit

This was the second one to come along of interest to me and I jumped at it.  You must be fast ladies!  These campaigns fill up quickly.  I have a little confession…  I am pretty new to blogging and writing and come from the visual arts world, so I am little naive to things most veterans probably know all about.  I assumed The Artists Way was for visual artists.  I had even been meaning to check out the book.  My assumption was not correct but also not exactly incorrect.

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