Etsy seller glamarita makes the most gorgeous ballgowns, cocktail frocks and funky skirts from men’s ties.
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February 2009
All month we have had fabulous studios and crafty nooks and craft room features – I have been getting some fabulous ideas. Its obvious that one of the main resolutions for crafty folk is to reorganise, de-clutter, simplify or just get some more space in which to craft craft and craft.
So you have de-cluttered and rearranged your furniture – set it up how you like. Next you need decorate – make it a space that you want to be in.
Here are some decorating ideas to inspire:
Lots of natural light in happy song’s studio : sweet little corner with light : aqua painted walls and lots of embroidery and vintage linens hanging up at soulemama : colorful and fresh studio space : a corkboard is a perfect inspiration board : this fresh room makes the space look not as busy as it is.
This might be a good time to give the space a fresh lick of paint – get rid of drab colors and heavy curtains – install blinds or light colored fresh curtains that let in light and don’t take up a lot of space.
Choose light colors to maximise the light – hang up some of your art and your craft pieces – install an inspiration wall.
Once you have freshened up the space you will want to spend more time in there – make it your calm space your zen zone – your crafty hideaway.
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Studies during the last few years have shown a general alarm over boys struggling with reading. Headlines have called it “The Boy Crisis” and stating “we’ve sort of shifted our gaze away from boys for the last several decades”, calling boys “Reluctant Readers”.
Here is an idea to try – for parents to help their boys overcome obstacles to reading: Boys Book Clubs. A book club just for boys but that are energy oriented with activities and games that relate to boy books.
So how is a ‘Boys Book Club’ different to a regular book club?”. Boy Book Clubs embrace the action-oriented nature of boys and help them make connections with books through their interests. For example, if you are reading a book with sport related themes – have the boys play a basketball game- Then have a free throw contest to see who can make the most free throws. Once you’ve gotten some energy out, start your discussion of the book over pizza. If you need more ideas or examples check out
www.bookclub4boys.com – with free book club outlines that include incentive games to really motivate boys to read.
www.guysread.com is another great resource in finding books that boys read and authors that write just for boys. Boys don’t want to “get in touch with their feelings“, they are also turned off by female heroes. Authors who write for boys understand this and keep their stories packed with action and adventure while teaching them something on the sly.
The most important thing a parent can do to encourage their boy to read is provide books boys like and to stay positive about reading. Even if you have to begin reading the book to your son to get him hooked. The more he is exposed to books the more likely he’ll be to read a book. The more he reads the better reader he’ll be and if he knows a book club meeting is coming up – he’ll be that much more motivated to finish the book.
If you need help starting a book club, need some survival tips on hosting a boys book club meeting – or want to connect with other boys book clubs – check out Bookclub4boys.
Authors who write for boys: Dan Gutman, Gary Paulsen, Anthony Horowitz, Paul Jennings and Dav Pilkey. (what are your favourite authors for boys?)
About the author: Laura Blum is the mother of 4 boys who has tackled this very challenge. After hosting book clubs for her own boys for 4 years, she started a book club for boys website to share her Boy Book Club outlines and other helpful tips. She is proud to announce all of her boys are reading at grade level or higher!
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For more kids craft, creative ideas and activities go to the Action Pack website
Thanks Kath for hosting my first stop of my Color Mastery blog tour at WhipUp! I’m an avid reader and am so excited to share my latest news with WhipUp readers. My new book, Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts, is all about helping quilters have more fun and be successful in coming up with their own color palettes for their quilts.
I’ve taught color classes to quilters and fiber artists for years, and I was frustrated by the lack of a practical book I could use in class. Before I became a mom, I was Director of Courseware Development for a large computer training company, so I decided to develop exercises, handouts, and quilt projects I could use in my color classes. I was soon spending a small fortune on paper and ink, and decided it was finally time for me to gather it all into a book.
I make an eclectic range of quilts, from funky traditional to fine art, and for a loooong time I was frustrated in coordinating colors for my quilts. I’m passionate about color and it’s the reason I’ve stayed a quilter when so many other art forms appealed to me. Quilts allow me to put color, texture, scale, line, and gorgeous design all in one piece that I can hang on my wall, keep me warm, or give to a loved one. What other art form can do that?
In these tough economic times I know a lot of quilters have resolved to use more of their fabric stash, so I’ve shot a video that shows how to coordinate six different color palettes starting from one piece of fabric – and all from your stash. I love those pre-coordinated fat quarter bundles from my local shop, and I challenged myself to develop my own gorgeous combinations from my stash, and now you can too!
[Thanks Maria for the fabulous video and for guest posting over here at whipup, I hope whipup readers enjoyed the video and will now go and delve into the stash to make lots of little bundles. Check out the rest of Maria's blog tour - tomorrow over at Trueup.]
Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts
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Love this new free crochet pattern for Amigurumi Love Birds – just out for valentines day from Lion Brand (must log in to access free pattern).
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Crafting a green world offers five ways to make your own eco friendly product labels [via treehugger]
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All month we have had fabulous studios and crafty nooks and craft room features – I have been getting some fabulous ideas. Its obvious that one of the main resolutions for crafty folk is to reorganise, de-clutter, simplify or just get some more space in which to craft craft and craft.
After you have de-cluttered next you need to re-arrange. Ok – so you have pared things down a bit – thrown out a lot of rubbish and donated a lot of your stash to charity.
Take this moment to re-organise the furniture, decide on storage solutions – do you need more shelves – a tool box – perhaps an extra work bench – or you may need to get rid of furniture – is the crowed space getting you down?
Take some inspiration from these great storage solutions:
Old kitchen hutch is perfect : creative kismet storage cabinet : cabinet with doors to hideaway the stuff : cane basket stack is a great idea : cabinet with small shelves perfect for yarn : old lockers are a perfect solution : Ikea is always a good standby.
How to do it:
Visualise the space – move things around – you might like to situate your work area near the natural light – have a spare chair so others can chat to you or help while you are working.
If you only have a small space then prioritize and minimise – check your work bench is the right height and your work chair is comfortable – is the feng shui right – are the ergonomics correct – what about the lighting?
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