DIY craft foam printing blocks are one of my favorite ways to print. Because it is a simple, no fuss way to print, I can spend hours making blocks, playing with color, and experimenting with shapes. The one limitation with craft foam relief printing is that it doesn’t capture fine lines and small details well. …
Potato Stamping project for Playing with Food
Oh, I love printing with vegetables. I really do. It is a perfect way to play with color and experiment with form and shape. And, potato printing is one of my favorite kinds of vegetable printing. There is something so magical about turning a brown lump into a bright, colorful bit of art. I am…
Hand printing with celery
Celery printing is a simple and satisfying art project for children. When you find yourself at the end of a bunch of celery, slice it and store it in the refrigerator until you have a some time to make art. The worst case scenario is that you never get to it and there is a…
mail and other super things.
Hazel, my youngest at four years old, is becoming a writer. Her stationary is small little pieces of lined paper with white envelopes and she is mostly writing love letters and requests. Dear Iris. I really miss you. I hope I come back. [Iris is her dance teacher] and Dear Mama, Please take me to…
Hand Printing Workshop Announcement
Was your spring weekend sun filled and glorious? We hosted a backyard party for my mother’s 65th (almost wrote 6th. Hmmm. That would have been curious) and the sun poured all over our celebration. I was bursting with gratitude all weekend long (the sunshine was just the tip of the gratitude iceberg). Oh, and look…
Workshop Notes :: Relief Printing
Last Thursday, the children in my Creative Journaling workshop experimented with relief block printing. I made the orange kitty for demonstration purposes and plunked her down in the middle of the table. Once I saw her, I decided that I love her little head tilt and arched back. I wasn’t able to see her personality…
Nature Printing :: fern
When you’re printing with kids, it is nice to play around with using bright, punchy colors for natural prints. Here, we used a bright red with the slightest tinge of orange. I think we’ll use turquoise and maybe a deep orange next time. This fern might actually turn bright red in the fall, which would…
Nature Printing :: sea shells
Having just been to the beach, the sea shells with ridges were on my mind. So was the seaweed, but sadly, I didn’t bring any home to play with. Here, we simply covered the outside of the shell in ink, and rolled it on the paper. I think we could have created a fuller print…
Nature Printing :: pine cones & rose buds
With camp and our first summer adventure behind us, this week marked the first of our slow-to-rise, meandering collection of summer days. Now that life is slow paced and both children are roaming close by, we’re having a hand printing camp of sorts. The plan is for us to hand print with a bunch of…
mouse times
I spent Sunday night and part of Monday carving mice and printing. bigmouseyeyes xo e
printing
I’ve been busy carving more blocks and printing with lots of new colors. Joining colors together is truly one of my favorite things. Since I treated myself to a set of new inks over the weekend, I’ve been like a kid in a candy shop. I can’t stay away. When my workshops get rolling in…
spring printing
These are little hand carved prints on cereal box squares. Printing with bright colors onto small cereal box squares is a nice little activity to do with children. The color pops against the natural, muted color of the box board, and they can use the little squares for game playing and storytelling. These little squares…
conversation Love Rocks!
Love rocks! Just in time for Valentine’s day. These conversation Love Rocks! have a heart on the front and a witty (or just plain sweet) message stamped on the back. Make your hearts skinny or bubbly or teeny tiny or really big – each rock ends up with its own little personality. I used both…
[[ oh, s q u a m ]]
This place with its never ending lake of still, dark water, with its warm breakfasts and musky, old pine smell with its sweet little cottages and porches meant for contemplation with morning ice delivery , soft wooded paths, thick moss patches, and draping ferns. This place is beautiful and magical, and was filled with moments…
s q u a m
Oh boy! I feel like the luckiest person this evening as I prepare to attend the Squam Workshops with my dear mom. Thank you, Mama! We are all set for printing and painting and knitting and camp firing. I even get to take a class taught by this lovely crafter! Hoorah! And, we are so…
