Of course … they couldn’t just be your average boats. Aidan’s became an instant speedboat, the bigger the wake, the badder the boat.

And then of course … every boat endures some outrageously stormy seas as some point it it’s journey!

I’m happy to report, both boats survived their travels aside from losing their sails a few times, no one capsized without a graceful but waterlogged recovery.  That was a fun project too.

We have a new little little thing we’re doing here, eating by candlelight. I originally thought we would do it just for dinner every once in a while, but the kids want to light them morning, noon, and night … why not? It makes for a wonderful little atmosphere at the table! Our first candles were simple beeswax rolled candles. The kids rolled a couple and lost interest. They smell so good!

Then … I found this and the inspiration grew a few notches – I could not wait to dip and decorate our own candles!!! I was really hoping to involve all three kids.  At first I was a lone ranger – no one wanted to dip or decorate … until they saw a few of my creations and they all jumped on board! All three  of them!! They tend to resist my lofty ideas of creative time and artsy inspiration. Could be that I’m mom. Could be that they don’t have the vision for the end product or they just don’t have the same joy for the process. Is that something that’s taught or caught? I’m not sure yet, but I’m finding that if I just start doing it they almost always join me in the end. So … maybe the joy of the creative process is partially caught? Who knows, all I know is that I absolutely LOVE the end result!! Check out all the awesome creations!

From Left to Right: 1. inspired by my purple coneflowers in the garden, 2. Hunter’s skateboard, 3. Aidan’s abstract art, 4. Kiana’s abstract happy face (I love that she used one of my scraps from the purple coneflower’s for hair – she did the face all by herself!!), 5. my paisleys, 6. the first candle I did.

The inside is the rolled beeswax so each inside is a different rainbow color – when the wax melts it will drip color – that is so cool.

Super fun project. It would be fun to do with a bunch of ladies sometime … interested??

Aren’t they adorable? Oh yes, the bookmarks too.

Fast forward a couple of weeks:

My neighbor knocks on my door and said, “Is this Julie’s Art Studio? I heard you’re doing a workshop this week – Sarah would love to come!” She had heard about it from a mutual friend who was rounding up the girls to come to the class. And so it evolved into five 7th grade girls. I was originally going to do a very simple booklet for our bookbinding workshop … and at the last minute decided 7th graders would be capable of a more advanced project! Well, it was challenging for them but they did it with a little help and they were beautiful!!  But … I was so busy helping them with sewing the binding that I didn’t get a chance to take any pictures of the process! Bummer!!

Here’s a pic of the finished piece. We used baby boc choy to stamp flowers on the cover before we put together the text block. The more advanced part was sewing the signatures together to create the text block but … by the end – they all got it! I knew they would be so proud of their work once they finished. None of them gave up and everyone left with a little journal that looked similar to this! I was so proud of them.

The next workshop is next week Thursday! It’s all about photography – check the details out on my website and let me know if you’re interested in joining us!

I think I started this acrylic painting well over a month ago. I’m pleasantly surprised with how it turned out! I used a photograph I found on flickr as my reference.  If you remember … I was so afraid to start this … I think I mentioned it in an earlier post.  I’m not sure it’s actually finished at this point … does it need a “be still” in the corner to complete it? Maybe. I’ll look at it for a while and decide later.  I’m realizing more and more that’s how I work at my art. It evolves. I can’t do it and complete something in one sitting. The creative process is a slow process for me. I need to mull over all the options and ideas that I have, then over time, I get to the ideas that I love most and go with them. After time away I’m able to approach my work with a fresh perspective.

Maybe that’s a little bit how it is with life too … after a little time away from something, a little time to escape, we can come back with a fresh perspective. Whether it’s a physical removal from day to day life for a weekend, just stealing a few moments to pray, time to laugh, time to think. “Be still and know that I am God.”  OR “Trust Me. Trust that I am God. Believe that I have your back. I got you covered Jules.”  Fresh perspective. Letting it all go. Enjoying the process. Waiting to see how all this stuff in life evolves – sometimes slowly – just like the creative process – but this time, I’m out of ideas – it’s in His hands now.

Now, isn’t this just the most unique crocheted bag ever? I crocheted it from plastic grocery bags!  It’s intended to be a lunch bag and it’s actually pretty sturdy!! It will be great for the smaller items at the farmers market this summer, or beachy fun. You cut the plastic grocery bags into strips to make “plarn” and crochet away!  I found the project in AwareKnits: Knit and Crochet Projects for the Eco-Conscious stitcher, {thank you library!} which is bursting with great ideas for creative, environmentally sound projects.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the kids and I are making an effort to be more conscious of what we CAN do to make a difference in our environment this summer. Remembering to bring in our reusable totes for groceries, taking the train downtown instead of driving, riding our bikes instead of driving when we can.  I want to make the transition to cloth napkins and even reusable sandwich and snack bags! I made up enough reusable sandwich bags for all of us to use on a picnic … there’s a chance we could do an entire picnic with no waste at all! Who needs to find a garbage can when there’s nothing to throw away! I found a pattern for them here, though I made mine bigger to accommodate sandwiches. These are cute too, though they are not lined so would not be great for pb & j sandwiches or ham with mayo – I think it would seep through the fabric without some sort of lining … but they are cute!

I knew the boys wouldn’t be so into “cute” so I chose a couple of black prints for them that look skater/urban/boy friendly. They like ‘em! All of them are lined with rip-stop nylon so they are food friendly, wipe-able, and washable. The tops are all equipped with a secure strip of velcro to keep all of its contents inside.  I’m hoping by fall I’ll have enough made up to last them the whole week of lunches.  We’ll see … for now, this is a good start.

I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback and interest regarding the possibility of these backyard workshops. If you’re a facebook fan, you got the heads up already! My summer workshop schedule is now in place. Go to my website at www.juliekittredge.com and click on “workshops” for more information. Space is limited and once you reserve your spot it is not refundable but you may pass it on to someone else if something comes up. My goal is to inspire, encourage artists young and … not as young, and have lots of artsy fun! Each class has a small fee to cover materials and my babysitter but these workshops are priced with everyone in mind! Kids and adults are welcome {though you will notice there are age limits for some workshops – kids need to be able to work independently}.

I’m looking forward to being artsy with a few lovely souls this summer. It’s going to be a fun art-full summer!!

Join us!