Meet Dartstrip: a new 8 ft magnetic display system in a tin—a cross between scotch tape and a bulletin board. Just snap, peel and put up to display with the included powerful magnets and easily remove as needed. Ideal for displaying family photos, holiday cards and children’s artwork, Dartstrip is dispensable, snappable in 1 inch […]
We collect vintage bell jars in a range of sizes, and when the kids collect beautiful natural objects, such as birds nests, rocks, and shells, we will rotate their prized objects under glass.
A friend of mine sent my boys these beautiful colored pencils from Venice. They are made by Fabriano, the famous Italian art supply company. They are the perfect size and shape–a bit chubby and three-sided, which makes it easy for little hands to do the tripod grip. And look at those colors! I have no […]
This project was inspired by a quick drawbridge project we use to illustrate ‘tension’ in our buildings class. When I started to play with the materials, it transformed into this cereal box castle with the drawbridge rope doubling as a handle for closing and carrying. Supplies […]
First off, I’m so not an artist, and have never been interested in painting. But before we took off on a recent trip, my friend gave me this portable watercolor postcard kit, and I figured we should bring it. I actually never expected to take it out of our suitcase—because even with the best intentions, […]
I picked up one of these flat roundish erasers from a nice art supply store recently for my 7-year-old, who has just gotten into shading. The irregular shape makes it easy to grip and control and the sharp edge gives budding artists the ability control contrast and highlights. It can be frustrating for an artist […]
My husband is the button-sewer, hole mender, not to mention Martha-grade stain-remover, in our house. (I still never know when enough over and under is sufficient to secure a button). I am in awe when he repurposes one of his many homemaking crafts into superdad art: In this case, he MacGyvered a “hardback” book out […]
My son Henry has been passionate about drawing since he was little. In response to his desire to “make it look real,” both my husband and I (former art students) have taught him how to look closely, to “draw what you see,” to shade, etc. Last summer he spent a lot of time mastering cross-hatching, […]
If I have to get a gift at the last minute, I’ll always overspend, and never be really happy with the gift. So when I see something that has (almost) universal) appeal, I try to get it in multiples. These books from Italian graphic designer/author Bruno Munari are clever and work for any host, from […]
Last summer my daughter went to a camp where the kids painted on canvases every week. I found that my older boys were jealous of their sister’s canvases, so I decided to replicate the camp experience with an art party of our own on the lawn. We took a trip to Michael’s and each child […]
I have envisioned my children engaged in good old fashioned correspondence by post for sometime now. Snail mail as they call it. Growing up I had a pen pal, granted a West Coast wild child pen pal, who’s adventures always left me feeling like my East Coast suburban days we’re modest,boring even. But for several […]
Our friend Liz brought a bunch of pipe cleaners over for my boys to play with one day. Needless to say, my boys ended up with some of the craziest creations; you really do forget sometimes that the simplest supplies are usually the best. Pipe cleaners come in hundreds of colors and are a buck […]
