In memoriam. Here’s to happier days.

A psychedelic animated performance of the Jackson 5ive’s hit song ABC on their Saturday morning cartoon show that ran from 1971-73.

And the folks at Threadless have just re-released their Beat It T-shirt, available in kids sizes 2-8.

Kids are pretty resourceful when it comes to crafting something out of nothing. A stick transforms into a sword, a horse, a wand, a baton and the list goes on. Today let’s look at transforming that stick into a whistle. I have three wood whistles how-tos, spanning degrees of difficulty and skill levels.  Common sense dictates that an adult handles the knife and cutting responsibilities while kids help selecting and collecting the perfect materials.

First up, a Squash Stem Whistle. Summer squash runs rampant in the garden and this craft makes use of their hollow stems. This is by far the easiest of the three and simple instructions can be found here.  Be mindful to scroll down to the bottom of the page and heed the tips and warnings.

Then there’s the “legendary” Willow Whistle. This sweet video tutorial is narrated by a dad who sincerely reminds us that “willow whistles do not contribute to global warming and are made from a renewable resource.” Good to know.  This is a particularly cool looking toy, especially when some of the leaves are left attached.

Finally, we look at the amazing Twig Whistles created by a talented UK based woodworker named Treewright. There is obvious skill that goes into the creation of his natural noisemakers which you’ll see  in the video below. Intimidated?, not to worry - Treewright makes finished whistles available through his web shop.

And I couldn’t finish this post without sharing an art project called Woodwind created by a student, Anna Kovárová, at Konstfact - the largest university college of arts, crafts, design and art education in Sweden. Anna carved a side-blown flute out of a living oak branch, while still attached to the tree. Her intent is to “return to the tree during the years to come, to play a piece and see how the living material will change the sound.” You can see an artsy fartsy video of Anna playing her tree flute here.

Meet Me at Mikes
Pip Lincolne’s popular Melbourne based blog is packed with daily doses of sunny inspiration.  Kid-friendly, craft loving’ fun.  See her recent book of the same name.

Felt-o-rama
A staple in most modern crafters arsenal of materials, but often hard to find in large variety. No more! This online shop stocks felt in every color in the rainbow. Wool, wool blends, even a lne made from recycled bottles - they’ve got it all.

Magic Jelly
The delcious art and design of Karena Colquhoun.  Lover of  “paper, ink, dusty old magazines, vintage ephemera, off-register print effects, halftones, gocco, lomo, vectors, patterns, tea & toast (and) sparkly things…”    Shop.

The weekend’s over and we’re applying aloe to our burnt shoulders, nursing mosquito bites and trying to figure out what to do with three bags of leftover hotdog buns. We passed on the big pyrotechnics show (and the crowds, and the parking headaches…) for a rousing game of RockBand which I am disappointed to report I suck at. Life is hard enough without being booed off stage by a video game. But I digress…

Wanted to share a last round of fireworks - this one in stop motion animation by the talented and humorous PES. You can view this video and more of PES’s work on his website.  (via Craftzine)

To all of the American JrSoc members celebrating the country’s 233rd birthday this weekend, I want to extend my wishes for a very happy 4th of July! Millions of us will be dragging out the BBQ, hauling the family to the beach and spending the evening looking at the sky. In the event you’re unable to see fireworks in your area, I thought I’d share some with you…

1. Fireworks and the Bay Bridge, 2. Boston 4th of July Fireworks 2007-26, 3. Fireworks Festival 2, 4. A display of Fireworks 2007, 5. DC Fireworks, 6. Wonder Wheel with Fireworks, 7. St. Louis 4th of July Fireworks, 8. fireworks, 9. NYC 4th of July Fireworks, 2007, 10. Capitol Fireworks 7.4.2008

SuperVillain Name: The Terrible Two

Caped crusaders beware! We’ve just embarked upon the Summer of the SuperVillain - or so it’s been dubbed by Ohio based artist/illustrator Len Peralta. Thanks to the lovely ladies at Rare Bird Finds for turning me onto Len’s fantastic custom monster service.

It’s simple, you provide the name of your super villain and Len will draw him/her. For $25. you’ll receive the full color, 4″ x 6″ Monster-by-Mail AND for an extra ten smackers Len will create a video of your villain being drawn and post it on YouTube. I highly recommend this second option - as it’s crazy cool to see your drawing come to life. See more here.

Top: The Milk Monster, Bottom: Little Zillas

Or for some horrific instant gratification try Len’s Spelling with Zombies and have your kiddo’s name transformed by the un-dead (for free!)

Soil is a small batch and one-of a kind, line of clothing and accessories designed and sewn by Colorado based Ramona Danso.  I am head over heels for this kids clothing “reminiscent of storybooks, nursery rhymes and clothing styles from (her) own childhood.”

And the names!  Oh the names…Library Day Dress, Pinocchio Suspenders, Chimneysweep Shorts, Sandbox Knickerbockers and Timmy Jeans (as in, “What’s that Lassie, who fell down the well?”)  Sizing ranges from 6 months up to a childs 8 and custom orders are available.  Go shop.

This week another amazing photographer who utilizes miniatures in his work. New York based Micah Beree opened his own studio in 2003 and after a fortuitous meeting with a photo editor in 2006 he switched from portraits of people to portraits of food. Below are a few images from his series entitled Constructing Lunch - see more here.

“I spent most of my childhood in the tree tops around the neighborhood, that is, when I wasn’t helping out in my father’s garden. I was given a camera at 14 and have rarely put it down since.”

Yo, ho, ho! Looking to throw a great looking pirate-worthy party without spending every doubloon in your treasure chest? Check out the Printable Pirate Party from Paper & Cake. They’ve designed all of the great details - you just print, cut and assemble. The special edition package comes with:

• Invitations
• Front Door Sign
• Pennant Banner
• Cupcake Picks
• “Ship” Cake Decorations
• Favor Bag Tags
• Cone Party Hats
• Jar Labels
• Party Food Labels
• Treasure Map Craft Activity
• Birthday Boy Pirate Crown
• Cupcake Wrappers
• Photo Frame
• Gift Log
• Skull and Ship artwork saved as .png files for you to apply to extra printables as needed

How amazing is that? And! Best part - it’s only $8.! Seriously.

Browse the shop and check out all of Paper & Cake’s printable partyware.

A new round of alphabet posters, this time from our pals at L’Affiche Moderne - a French fine art print e-shop presenting the works of young photographers, graphic designers and children’s illustrators. Their posters are high quality digital prints and are all limited editions of 300 each.

• De la A à la Z!, Silvia Portella (aka Bukubuku)

• ABCD métiers, Gwénola (occupations in French!)

• Technicolour Alphabet, Imeus Design

• Animalphabet, Sigrid Martinez