Teaching Kids the Magic of Color

The long cold days of winter are the perfect time to delve a little deeper into a few things I've been meaning to teach the girls. One such topic is color theory, and while the girls have known how to mix and make various colors since they were tiny, there's always room for practice. We also explored beyond primary and secondary colors, into tertiary colors and complimentary colors.

You want a big surface with enough space to mix lots of colors. I used baking sheets for this, and if you're using tempera or acrylic paints, it will wash right off with water. We started with only the three primary colors, along with one paintbrush and a palette knife. If you don't have a palette knife, you can substitute a butter knife or use clay tools, like we did.

Make a simple color wheel with blank spaces, and have the kids fill in the primary colors, and then have them mix the secondary colors. Encourage them to mix the colors thoroughly with the knife before painting.

From there move into tertiary colors, demonstrating how red mixed with orange makes red-orange, how blue mixed with green makes blue-green, etc...

After doing this exercise, my small girl exclaimed that there was no color she couldn't make. (I didn't have the heart to tell her about tone yet. YET.)

Next we talked about complementary colors, and how they relate to each other. We noted that they are opposite from each other on the color wheel, and that these colors tend to make the each other look brighter. Red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple—all common color combinations that look good together

I encouraged them to mix the complimentary colors together, and the girls were surprised to see that they all made brown. We compared the difference between the rich browns we had just made and the brown straight out of the tube. It was clear to the girls the difference in richness of a color made "from scratch." We talked about how, really, we only needed the three primary colors, plus black and white in order to make any color they wanted.

In college, my professors were always telling us to make the color, not buy the color, and that a mixed color would have richness, depth, and interest that a factory color would be lacking.

Like a good recipe, it's the quality of each part that goes into the whole that's the difference between a ho-hum finished product, and an amazing one. Keep this in mind as you encourage your kids to make their own colors, using their knowledge of the color wheel as a guide. Their finished paintings will have a new level of interest to them, as well as an added level of involvement. And having kids push paint around with palette knives is a fine way to spend a long, cold day.

For more tips on teaching your kids to use color in their art, read my Beginner Drawing Lesson for Kids post on color.

Imperfect

The imperfections

found in all things handmade

are the makers mark,

the joyous details,

the things I run my fingers across and linger on

with wonder and admiration

Just Ask

You never know what could happen if you just ask.

Shannon of The Spun Monkey is asking for help in getting her dream business off the ground. You can read all about the future Spun Monkey Dyeworks and Lounge here.

Jennifer of The Prairie Girl asked if I'd be willing to trade for a pair of my earrings. She's a crafty one, that Jennifer, so I opted for a surprise. Look what I received in return for my girls

But asking isn't always easy, I know.

I have put a few requests out there to the universe, and I'm going to patiently wait to see what comes of them. In the meantime, I have asked myself to please resume my yoga practice before I turn into the tin man. I have  a strong feeling the answer is going to be an enthusiastic "yes."

Have you asked for anything lately?

Me? A Knitter?

When I mentioned I knitted a hat as a gift last month, some of you were surprised to know that I knit. Well, I do, but I don't really knit. My knitting career is not prolific, nor are my projects always successful. No, I imagine my life as a knitter started much the same as every one else's—too many scarfs to admit, a bunch of hats, a few pairs of mittens, the famous Clapotis—but that's as far as my knitting went. I was too intimidated to attempt an actual piece of clothing.

That's where amigurumi came in, which I have done lots of in crochet. Little did I know that it would be a crash course in every increase and decrease a knitter would ever need to know. For this reason, I would recommend knitted amigurumi to anybody who wants to learn a variety of knitting techniques in one project.

I started with this little lizard last year.

I recently made this eggplant, from Amigurumi Knits. (The smaller girl begged for this, though she wouldn't put a real eggplant near her mouth if I bribed her with a puppy.)

Then my older girl came to me requesting a Lochness Monster (note to self: hide the amigurumi book when not in use) and it sent chills up my spine. I had nothing to fear, though. With YouTube at my side, I soon learned I could conquer most any pattern.

Lochness Monster pattern from Amigurumi Knits 

Well, with all this knitting "success," I got a little cocky. After falling in love with this sweater, I decided it was time for me to go for it. I was going to knit my first piece of real clothing, and dammit, it was going to be for me. (I know what you're thinking. You're probably right. Read on.)

And isn't it lovely? It really was a pleasure to knit. Not scary at all. I knew every stitch I needed to know, and she came along quickly.

But, you see, when you don't pay any respect to the gods of gauge, the sweater you are knitting for yourself ends up fitting your 7-year-old-daughter just perfectly.

Me? A knitter? The jury is still out.

How a Rock Inspired a Party (and a pin)

I was perusing the 5 Orange Potatoes shop in the hopes that she-who-was-about-to-turn-seven would catch a glimpse of the screen and point out a favorite. Of course, she took the bait and flipped for this little pet rock.

From the moment she opened it, they have been inseparable, and it didn't take long for mustache mania to hit our home. It eventually end up as the theme of her birthday party, too. We cut out a mustache for each guest—one for every size and possible 'stache preference.

Well people, I'm here to tell you, that if you're ever looking for fun? Just add mustache. There is nothing more entertaining than a gaggle of girls running around in mustaches. And, while I'm sure you'd all love to see some pictures of that mustachioed madness, I didn't get any (shameful, I know). 

Luckily, I know a couple of girls that were happy to reenact the scene for the sake of the family photo album.

I caught a bit of the mustache bug too, and made a few little mustache brooches to commemorate this stage of hers. Picasso had his blue phase, Ruby has a mustache phase. 

Notes From the Jeweler's Bench

I have decided to start a new series called Notes From the Jeweler's Bench, that I will post once or twice a month. I'll use the installments of "Notes" to:
1. show what I'm up to in the shop
2. give you tours of my space, tools, and equipment
3. demonstrate a few techniques, to take the mystery out of some of what I do
4. teach a few basic jeweler's skills.

You don't have to aspire to be a jeweler in order to appreciate this series. I remember being completely mystified (and curious!) when woman I knew told me she made her own wedding ring. Notes From the Jeweler's Bench is going to show you a bit of metal-shop behind the scenes, so when someone tells you they made their own ring/earrings/necklace you can totally play it cool and ask, "oh, is that cast or fabricated?"

Are you up for it? I hope so. Today, I'm going to show you the progression of a concept from sketch to finished product.

So much of the sketching I do is really just doodling. I'm not even drawing jewelry—just stream of consciousness pencil moving. Often, when I come up with something interesting, I'll turn into a drawing of some sort of jewelry. Recently I was doodling the most basic of doodles, a curly-Q line around a shape, and bingo! I hit on something. It started like this:

...and ended up like this: (I had been playing with the idea of translating my Christmas cards into silver)

So I made one of each of my girls...

...and strung them on a pretty chain that reminded me of those curly-Q doodles. Introducing the Doodle Silhouette Necklace. In addition to the necklace, Doodle Silhouette Charms are also available separately.

One thing leads to another, and new pieces are born from the original concept, like this Doodle Heart Necklace.

I think I'll keep playing with this, to see how I can develop it further. Until next time, happy doodling to you.

Gifted

Are you sick of reading about the holidays yet? I wouldn't blame you if you were, so I should probably give you fair warning that this post is, in fact, about the holidays.

I almost skipped writing about the highlights of our gifts, seeing as 1. it's nearly mid-January, and 2. does anybody really want to read a recap of presents? But as I read through other people's blog posts (like Nicola's), I found myself quite interested in their gifting. What better way to get good ideas for future giving, than from clever, creative friends? With that spirit in mind, here is a peek behind the scenes of our holiday.

The girls have an on-going spy game with their neighbors, and we thought they needed a few more tools for their spy kits. We added magnifying glasses (purchased at Imagine Childhood) for inspecting evidence, as well as a couple of custom stamps that read "top secret" and "suspect." I had the stamps made here, and I cannot say enough about the customer service this shop provided. My custom request went something like this: "can you make me a stamp that says 'suspect' but make it look like old-timey stencil/stamp please?" She knew exactly what I was talking about and, as you can see, the finished product is perfect.

When "A" gets on Craigslist it is never a good thing, and when he comes across a sweet find, well there's no stopping him. This time, there was no reason for me to stop him, as he had his eye on a pair of antique machinist's tool chests. For a couple of toolies like us ("toolies." you know, like foodies?), there was no hesitation. We said "Merry Christmas" to each other and he set out on his mission. He returned with these beautiful boxes filled with tools. I snagged the toolbox pictured above (though I have not "moved" into it yet), and "A" got the one pictured below.

So much time spent in our basement workshops requires a lot of warm winter gear. I knit this hat to keep him warm, and love it so much (it's super simple) there will be three more knitted up soon. (Pattern is from More Last-Minute Kitted Gifts.)

I have a confession to make. I purchased a handful of things for myself this year under the guise of "gifts for the kids." I am not proud, but boy am I happy I got them they got them. This book of iron-ons was one such gift, full of the coolest illustrations, ready to be applied to whatever we want. Let the embellishing begin!

And last but not at all least, these doodle prints from Artsyville. Each one bearing a cheeky little ramble about being yourself, being determined, and being creative. These were also "for the children" (wink wink). 


The gifting has not stopped for us, as a certain little someone turned seven last week, and someone else as a birthday at the end of the month. Onward we march, into 2011, friends. 

Words

I don't make resolutions, but I love the tradition of picking a word for the year. Only problem is, last year I chose a word and, come December, couldn't even remember what the word was. Clearly, I had not carried that word with me through my days. This year? No word, no resolution. Just a few blurry ideas with maybe a lofty goal tossed in for good measure.

In the spirit of all the wonderful words I have been reading about, I am sharing a few words that have highlighted the past few weeks for us:

Pulley: Made by "A," as a gift for the girls (inspired by this). Let it be known that the one rule for the pulley was that they may not lift people on it.

Renovation: The antique soapstone sink in our basement has been given new life. 

Oreos: from this recipe. Click over and make them. The sooner the better.

Sledding: a blizzard is good for this one thing, and was it ever fun.

Wishing you all much love and luck in the new year!

Seven

Seven things I love about you, on your seventh birthday.

Your knack for hula hooping

How you are completely obsessed with a different animal every few weeks

Your quiet confidence

The way you draw dogs

Your unwavering love and dedication to your blankie

The songs you make up

The names you give your stuffed animals

Happy birthday to the funniest girl I know. I'm lucky to be your mama. 

A Card For You

I would have loved to send each of you a card this year, but since I didn't, I'll share it here. 

Wishing you all lots of love, rest, and joy in the coming days

Book Trees Tutorial

We've been making a few new holiday decorations to replace the ones we lost, and these are my new favorite—trees made from old books. Here's how to do it:

Start with a paperback book and tear off the cover as well as any paper on the binding. You can make your tree as tall or short as you want, but be sure to keep the bottom of it flat, by not cutting the bottom edge of the book. This way, your tree will stand up and be sturdy. Draw your tree with a marker.

With a craft knife, begin cutting away the pages along the marker line.

You don't need to bear down too hard, just cut away a few at a time, until you have gone through the thickness of the book.

You can color the edges of the tree or leave them white. If you want to add some color, hold the book closed tightly with your hand, and press an ink pad onto the book. Crayon or marker would work just as well. (Do not use paint, as the pages will stick together once the paint is dry)

Now, the fun part—fan all the pages out. This may take a few minutes, and you might have to work on a few places where the pages want to hold together. Use a paper clip to fasten the front and back pages together. (note: There is a chance the binding will crack (as you can see in the photo below, tree in the foreground). If it does, just handle the tree gingerly. Isn't likely to break off all the way)

These are so easy to make, why stop at trees? Snowmen, Santas, and so many other shapes could be made...

Why I Had An Art Attack

My booth at SoWa

Something didn't feel right. Fidgeting in my bed, I tossed and turned. My breathing was rapid, my toes were twitching, and my belly was churning. I had just returned home from the most successful weekend ever of selling my jewelry. Shoppers showed up in droves, I got to meet lots of sweet customers in person, and hear many kind words about my work. So why did I have such an uneasy feeling?

I finally got out of bed and, without making a conscious decision, grabbed my sketchbook and started drawing. Ideas poured out of me—some were influenced by all the beautiful things I had seen over the weekend, others were my own concepts, born from the renewed motivation I had just gained. In essence, I was having some sort of art attack. A physical reaction to my stirred soul. An actual burst of artistic energy.

I was a vendor at the 7th annual SoWa Holiday Market this weekend. Eighty artists and independent designers, including a good handful of jewelers—every one of them talented, friendly, supportive, and creative. Neither shoppers nor makers could roam the aisles without being tempted and stimulated.

Being counted among so much talent and energy made me humble. I left bursting—with the ideas that swirled madly in my head, with gratitude for the extra income earned, and with a sense of connection to a community of people I can learn so much from.

Here's a shout out to some of my amazing SoWa neighbors:
Gorgeous neck pieces made from vintage ties at Lillian Asterfeld
Adorable felt items and hand spun yarns at Migration Goods
Bold jewelry from Amy Casher
Ceramic and wood creations by Firewood Furniture
Sewn goodness from Fisherman's Daughter

The Great Christmas Caper

How does a family lose a giant box full of Christmas decorations?
Well, I'm not really sure, but we did.

I don't imagine it's an easy thing to do. I mean, a giant blue rectangular storage bin doesn't just get swept under the rug. All I do know is that it's gone. Our little treasure trove of every Christmas tree decoration we owned, every light, garland, you get the picture...

This leaves us with a tree that looks like this:

And it means have some serious making to do (as if we are not already doing some serious making?)

So we started with some of the classics—popcorn string and paper garland—and the tree is already starting to take shape. I bought some lights, and a kind friend is dropping off some unwanted ornaments tomorrow.

Although I am disappointed by the loss of some very special ornaments—some that the kids made when they were tiny, and others that were brought back from far away places— I am really enjoying the ornament-making frenzy we have begun. Each day when the girls get home from school, we start a new project. Before long, it will look a lot like Christmas again in our home. 

And the mystery of the disappearing bin? I think I figured out. I suspect it was mistakenly carted off by the charity that picks up our donations. That's what I get for being lazy and putting the Christmas bin in the front porch instead of back in the basement where it belongs. humph. 

Yay! A Giveaway!

AND THE WINNER IS...Erin, at Tiny Twist Creative. Yay!

First things first: I'm having a sale. Take 15% off everything in my shop through December 10th. Just use coupon code EDEC10 at checkout.

Now to the giveaway: I'm offering up a feather bookmark to one lucky winner!

sterling silver feather bookmark

To enter to win, just leave a comment here. For more chances to win, you can "like" AG Ambroult on Facebook, tweet about this giveaway, or mention the giveaway on your blog. (Be sure and stop back here to let me know you've mentioned it in other places) 

I'll announce the winner here on Wednesday, Dec 8th. Good luck! 

Speaking of giveaways, there's a fabulous one going on over at the Rhythm of the Home blog. Click over for a chance to win one of the many incredible offerings.