Do, or do not. There is no “try”.
Yoda
Do, or do not. There is no “try”.
Yoda
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The fall colors were spectacular while they lasted here in Bend, OR. But one frosty night was all it took, and most trees are now brown or bare. Luckily, I had saved and pressed all the best examples of reds, oranges, and yellows. So when my daughter told me she wanted to make a pumpkin out of recycled materials, I envisioned collaging the leaves onto a cardboard sphere.
But when you make something with kids, part of the fun is seeing what they come up with. So I withheld my own vision and just helped my daughter when requested. We made a pumpkin shape by freehand cutting some pointed ellipse-shaped gores. All precision aside, I think we still got a pretty good tall pumpkin shape.
Adin loves tape, so after taping the gores together, she decided to tape some orange leaves to the sides. Next she tried coloring it with crayons and pens. Paint came next. The final touch was to add some insects, since that is what she has been studying in school. Black felt spiders and flies, and finally a beautiful butterfly using scrap fabric.
I think it looks so much more interesting than the real pumpkins we bought at the farm… and so much better than I had envisioned as well…
It has been too long since I took the time to make something. I’ve had to put aside my craving for a creative outlet as I and my family adjust to our new life in Bend, OR. I recently had an opportunity for a quick creative fix while working with my daughter on ideas for a 3D birthday card for a new friend.
Her friend loves elephants, so we designed a stand-up cardboard pachyderm inspired by the original Animodulos by Godeleine de Rosamel. We had only enough time to make a prototype out of a frozen food carton before we had to head off to the party. So we are saving the elephant idea for another occasion. Or not.
It’s just fun to make something again. Thank you Godeleine.
Well the boxes are (mostly) unpacked here in Bend, Oregon. The only space remaining to be organized is my own creative space. I’ve chosen a corner of the garage, but I lack the basics, like…furniture.
We found some posterboard tucked in with a painting. My daughter has used a few pieces for drawings. We also made a giant origami crane. With the last poster, we attempted a giant paper plane based on these instructions. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2768368762284821227&q=paper%2Bairplane
The plane was really hard to fold, and it does not fly very well. But we spent some quality creative time together. Success!
My daughter’s 7th birthday party was carnival themed. As they played the various games, kids collected red tickets in a popcorn bucket. We didn’t even need prizes because the kids had so much fun collecting more and more tickets. I thought of a simple necklace craft that would reuse the tickets after the party – or maybe some kids would want to create the necklace at the party. When I showed the sample to my daughter, her reaction was lukewarm at best. “Nice, Mom.” So I asked her if she thought her friends would like to make a ticket trophy necklace.
“Uh, no.”
“OK, will you at least wear it so I can take a photograph and share it on my blog?” (groan.) “Please.”
Well, her expression in the photo says everything. “Come on, can’t you at least smile?”
“Mom, you didn’t ask me to.”
Good grief.
I am slowly packing our house for a move to Bend, Oregon in a month. Boxes are everywhere, and my daughter has been “tortured” (her word) because I won’t let her have any of them. One day I came home and several boxes were cut and altered to make a fort. I held back any comment on the loss of boxes (I can always tape them back together later) and instead enjoyed my daughter’s creativity. There is nothing precious or precise about a cardboard box fort. And yet the intimate, playful spaces that are created in ganging together a few boxes are indeed precious. I promised my daughter we would build an enormous fort after we move to Oregon. As for my own creative making between now and then, I make no promises…
So I have a confession to make. I don’t always feel creative. And even when I do make something, my inner critic can devalue my efforts fairly easily. So I decided to give this voice a name and a face so I could overcome it, or at least confront it. Goon. That’s the first name that came to mind. She is small, brown and furry, with a very long pokey nose. Oh, and she is sticking out her tongue. She is meant to be worn around my neck. (Metaphor intended.) I didn’t spend a lot of time designing or making Goon. Rather, I cobbled the creature together with leftover bits. The craftsmanship is shoddy and the thing will likely fall apart in a short time. But that is intentional too. Say goodbye to the inner critic.
When I first drove across country to Los Angeles over ten years ago, my first glimpse of the Pacific ocean was looking west down Pico Blvd. Clear blue skies mirrored in rolling waves. Everything seemed brighter, warmer, healthier, and even happier. I was inspired by the beaches, and would make collages on old business cards. Back then, the ocean was huge; the defining feature of the city. Urban life and traffic congestion has left me weary, and I admit I hardly notice the ocean now, even though I live just blocks from the sandy shore.
When I leave this place one day, I will look back at these little pieces of art and again remember what it felt like to see the Pacific ocean for the first time.
The early years of elementary school are all about loosing baby teeth. My own daughter has lost a couple while at school – never to be found again. She was devastated and worried that the tooth fairy would not visit her without a tooth to trade. I convinced her that the tooth fairy is very clever and never makes a mistake. None-the-less, I am also kind of disappointed when a tooth goes missing, so I decided to create a tooth saver bag to give to teachers. Entirely hand sewn, the brightly hued bags are made from recycled t-shirts, felt, and ribbon. Kids proudly wear them during the day at school, keeping their tooth safe until they can bring it home and deposit it under their pillow.
by pauline 