The Artful Parent

Imagination...

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -Albert Einstein

What does this quote mean to you? Please share... I'd love to hear your interpretations and whether you agree with Einstein or not.

(Note: I'm skipping the blog updates this week. And you may have noticed that I haven't been posting every day. I'm working on a big project and feel the need to hunker down and finish it. More details next week...)

Watercolor and Salt Painting :: Revisiting an Old Favorite

Watercolor and salt painting is one of our oldest favorite art activities and one of the very first art activities that I posted about when I started this blog.

Now that Maia is 7 and Daphne is just a tad older than Maia was that first time, it's interesting to see the changes that age and development make. Whereas in the past, Maia made abstract designs with the glue, this time she mostly created more deliberate designs, words, and illustrations of real things such as faces and a tree.

Happy Birthday Maia! (& a Kid-Made Birthday Cake)

Happy Birthday to my darling Maia! She turned 7 today. 

We celebrated her birthday over the weekend with a beloved aunt, uncle, and cousin in town as well as a friend she has known since the first day of Toddler Art Group when they were both 12 months old.

One of Maia's big requests this year was a rainbow cake... And she wanted to bake and decorate it herself. Her other big request was for a giant rainbow slinky, but this post is about the cake.

OrganiLuxe Reusable Sandwich Bags & Snack Bags :: A Giveaway!

Have you tried reusable sandwich bags and snack bags yet? We've been using some cute fabric ones from OrganiLuxe that my girls are in love with! In fact, if the bags aren't in their lunches I get flak from them. They both help make their lunches in the morning partly to ensure the bags are put in. (Daphne just started preschool a few mornings a week and one of the highlights is that she gets to pack and take a big-girl lunch box like her sister.)

The Art of Mothering / The Art of Living

The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children. - Elaine Heffner

Such a great quote and so true! It's easy to forget in the rush, rush of everyday life, but kids learn so much about the art of living from their parents. I think this quote is one that I need to print out and tape up in my kitchen or something as a reminder. There is a lot I could do differently.

Blog Updates

Maia's Dollhouse of Cards & a Question

My kids surprise me all the time with the things they do and the things they know. I love it.

I'm far from the only influence in their lives, especially Maia's. She has her friends and their families as well as her classmates and teachers at school, among others. She also has her own growing well of experiences and ideas to draw on. Add in her creative mind to put a spin on an artwork, project, or play idea and she can come up with some pretty amazing things.

Kids' Stained Glass Art Project with Index Dividers

We did a fun new stained glass art project after school yesterday using colored index dividers and Sharpies. Our dining room window is now filled with brightly colored modern stained glass art, sunflowers from Maia's garden, and the two melted bead stained glass pieces that never popped out of their cookie cutters (they are perfect for our window sill!).

By the way, I've decided you can pretty much count on a suncatcher or stained glass post from me about every couple of weeks. I love them that much and my kids seem to like them a lot, too (or maybe they're just humoring me...).

Heather Cahoon, Children's Book Illustrator, on Cultivating Creativity (+ a Giveaway!)

Heather Cahoon, mom to a houseful, is a children's book illustrator and author. She shares family play and art ideas on her blog, wordplayhouse, and sells her own designs in her shop, you make do. Here she talks a bit her home as a "workshop of creativity" and her ideas on cultivating creativity in children. 

***Note: Readers will have a chance to win some of Heather’s party printables and play kits at the end of this interview.***

JEAN:  What in your life has led you to illustrating and creating children's books? 

Sign Up for My Bi-Weekly Newsletter!

After thinking about having an e-mail newsletter for a long time, I am finally taking the plunge. 

Will you please join me?

You'll receive a friendly e-mail from me once every other week. Nothing too elaborate. My aim is to be helpful. Sort of a regular kids' art tips and inspiration kind of thing.

Revolution 46 Cool T-Shirts for Cool Kids (+ a Giveaway!)

Revolution 46 is a small family business that makes and sells cool shirts for cool kids. The shirt designs range from robots and ninjas to big brother/little brother shirts and birthday shirts. As a family with two young boys, designing cool shirts for their own cool kids, most of their styles are currently for boys.