Maia has been sewing up a storm the last few of months. She started out by hand sewing simple pillows and doll accessories and has since been been asking for (and getting) basic sewing machine lessons from me.
She now claims sewing is her second favorite hobby. The first is variably art or, from her 60 handstands in a row this weekend, gymnastics.
I thought I'd share her first hand sewing projects here and then give a few tips and resources for getting kids started with hand sewing.
I'm on the cover of VERVE Magazine, a local magazine with the mission of "Covering Asheville's most fascinating women." This is equally exciting and nerve-racking for me. The last time I was on the cover of something was when I was born—2 weeks early in an ambulance on April Fool's Day. I'm sure I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about how I felt about my questionable fame then.
This time around, I've had a chance to observe myself responding to the cover and I realize I have issues.
This is normal, right?
I mean, we all have issues. Some of us have issues with cockroaches. Some of us have issues with sugar. Some of us have issues with being seen. Some of us have issues with all of the above and more (yeah, that might be me).
Don't forget the Kids' Arts and Crafts Directory when you're looking for an art activity to do with your children. A friend has been updating it for me and it's now almost completely up to date. Yay!
Whether you're looking for a specific kids art activity or just browsing for inspiration and ideas, the directory is the place to go! It is organized by type of art activity to make it easier to help you find what you are looking for, whether it's a painting activity or some ideas for cooking with kids. Are you wondering if we have any fun kids' stained glass art projects? Why, yes! We've done one or two of those (or, ahem, over 40!). Looking for new watercolor techniques to experiment with? We've got more than a few of those as well...
And if you're just browsing for inspiration or to start planning your summer activity list, pin your favorites (or whatever you do to keep track of ideas you come across).
I had my first bookstore event at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina yesterday. It was just perfect in every way. (From my perspective anyway! I hope the bookstore and the families attending liked it as well....)
The whole trip was a fun experience.
Driving to Chapel Hill by myself was a bit of a treat in itself, as anyone who takes road trips with kids can imagine. Listening to podcasts and my own music and stopping when I wanted to... Not often experienced, I can tell you.
Today is the last day of The Artist's Way course that I've been taking. A bittersweet day. Yes, this amazing class is over but I am a different person now with the tools and the confidence to go forward on my own—to continue to explore my own creativity and to make art.
The Artful Parent book has been out for two weeks now! Thanks to all you wonderful, artful parents and teachers who have bought a copy! It has been on best seller lists and hot new release lists in a couple of different categories on Amazon, which is super exciting. It's also had some amazing reviews, both on Amazon as well as on sites participating in the blog tour. I'm feeling very lucky and thankful.
I also have some bookstore and other events coming up and wanted to share that info with you:
I just returned from a brief trip to Philadelphia and the Type A Advanced Conference. This conference was aimed at people who have been blogging for over three years and was full of great take away information. I took lots of notes and can't wait to sit down and review them.
As awesome as the conference was, though, you can see from this photo what grabbed my attention even more.
The entire garden popped into bloom while I was away at my Grandma's.
Coming home to see color everywhere was incredible. The dogwoods and redbud, the tulips and daffodils, the creeping phlox and lilac, the candytuft and ajuga... The everything! Everywhere I looked there were flowers in bloom.
There's a quote I love by Ralph Waldo Emerson—"The earth laughs in flowers."
Perhaps it's more appropriate for summer, but after a longer-than-usual winter, including snows during our spring break, this floral abundance seems so joyful.
