tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813150001165492452020-08-19T11:47:06.457-07:00CREATE * PLAY * EXPLORE.pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-63643319187520093742014-08-04T12:48:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:47:06.251-07:00

This post was first published on my blog in February of 2011 and it is just as relevant today as it was then. Please enjoy and take it to heart. Take time for yourself, you are important.  Circle Book by MaryLea Harris (2005) I know that you think we're pretty artsy around here,and we are. We make crafts and create little fun games and "lands" daily, but I considered myself to be

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-46299775510875786632014-08-01T01:00:00.001-07:002020-08-19T11:21:42.120-07:00

This year I have some big changes coming. I'm "retiring" from blogging (more like putting it on pause) so I can spend more time pursuing my dream of becoming a working artist. I will be away from my computer and making messes in my studio. I have a solo exhibition, my very own art show this October at Lumin Art Studios in Tumalo, Oregon that I have been very busy getting ready for. I'm in

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-72909635132236138052014-07-28T02:00:00.001-07:002020-08-19T11:22:17.571-07:00

The girls and I made a second Summer Fun ART Bucket List.  Here it is. If you need us, we'll be in the art studio, getting crafty!  (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s);

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-80813385258290232832014-07-11T02:00:00.001-07:002020-08-19T11:46:50.977-07:00

On of our biggest summer inspirations from Rachelle Doorley's Tinkerlab book were her "Invitations" to Create.  I love the way she sets up a table for her kids with inviting art materials to encourage them to sit down and create, explore, and tinker. I've set one of my summer goals on this concept, to set up a table in the art studio several times a week this summer presenting the girls

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-65274671290695146522014-07-05T17:24:00.003-07:002020-08-19T11:25:35.561-07:00

We are officially one month into our summer vacation and trying to find the right balance of scheduled activities with enough downtime at home to keep everyone in our family sane and not go broke during summer break!  The girls and I decided to come up with our own Summer ART Bucket List  to have some artsy crafty fun (on a budget) to look forward to in the next few weeks.  I thought I'd

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-44322473171670274912014-06-16T01:00:00.001-07:002020-08-19T11:26:30.311-07:00

My family has moved not once but twice in the past seven months.  First, we moved cross-country from Northern Virginia to Central Oregon at the end of October.  Then, we moved across town to our forever home, built by my husband  (and next door to my own parents!) last month in May.  Now, we are putting down roots and settling in for the long haul.  It feels good to know we will be

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-6679261718779154852014-06-02T02:00:00.001-07:002020-08-19T11:27:11.602-07:00

For those of you who have been reading my blog for many years, you know we love to make fairy gardens. The girls have made various gardens indoors and out over the years.  Some have been temporary, some have lasted for a summer, some have spanned a few years. There is something so magical about creating a tiny world or miniature garden to explore. We left our big fairy garden behind in

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-42431931950060448352014-05-28T01:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:46:31.945-07:00

 Here is one more quick and easy tween craft to share with you today, also made entirely by my resident tween artist in residence, my now 11-year-old "E." She made these last year when she was 10 but I never got a chance to share them with you here on the blog. "E" loves all things squids and snails. She whipped these up one afternoon and I thought they were so clever. She has the best

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-89368010416725609512014-05-20T01:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:46:19.073-07:00

My resident, 11 year old "tween" daughter, "E" loves squids and ocean life.  She hopes to study Marine Biology someday. She is also an artist and loves Origami.  One of her favorite, go-to websites for Origami is Origami Club.  She found the pattern for her Origami Squids there.  Last year, for her 10th birthday, "E" hosted a crafty sleepover for her three best friends - the girls had a

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-1654698640125993842014-05-04T01:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:46:05.170-07:00

Tissue paper flowers are a classic childhood craft.  We made our own flowers for C's recent Fairy Garden-themed birthday party with supplies we had in the house: coffee filters and cupcake liners.  This colorful Spring craft would be perfect for Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day,  a Birthday Party, or Baby Shower celebration.  They are so simple to make that preschoolers can make them  but

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-50031837002438454812014-05-01T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:45:48.119-07:00

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As always, all opinions are my own and truthful. My girls love the story of the Wizard of Oz and can't wait for the new movie,  Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return to come out in theaters on May 9th, 2014. It is a 3-D animated musical based on the wonderful adventure books by Roger Stanton Baum, the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum. The movie is a

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-14071896325930831092014-04-11T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:45:38.740-07:00

Ever since Mo Willems' book, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" was first published 10 years ago, the Pigeon has become a beloved picture book character selling more than 4 million book copies in the series. This April 1, 2014, the 8th book in the series, "The Pigeon Needs a Bath!" was released, my girls and I were so excited because the Pigeon series is a favorite in our household - we

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-19240566832937484112014-04-07T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:45:28.926-07:00

My girls and I LOVE Sarah's Silks. We've had her silk scarves and silk scapes in our playroom since my oldest daughter was a toddler. Now she's a tween and both of my girls,  and all of their friends STILL play with our silks every week. They are a classic and timeless imaginative play staple and you can't say that about a lot of things that have come and gone through our playroom over

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-57562829835943050332014-03-30T14:09:00.003-07:002020-08-19T11:45:19.303-07:00

Both of my girls, ages 11 and 7, enjoyed sitting with me one afternoon this weekend as we decorated eggs. My 11 year old daughter, E, made this beautiful blue and white, Blue Willow inspired egg.  My 7 year old, C, came up with this lovely technique of drawing on her egg  with thin, washable Crayola markers -- it was so lovely and looked like liquid watercolors. 

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-82122037180571923452014-03-25T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:45:02.518-07:00

 When my friends at Fort Magic contacted my family to review one of their super awesome fort building kits,  I don't know who was more excited, the girls or me! I really do have the best job ever.  We love to build forts and I am frequently asked to sacrifice kitchen chairs, sofa cushions, hair bands, and clothespins for the tiny architects who live in my house! I'm all for imaginative play but

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-12001031828940099542014-03-18T02:00:00.003-07:002020-08-19T11:44:51.388-07:00

The girls and I decided to preform some kitchen counter science experiments with simple ingredients from our kitchen pantry. We got out our favorite kitchen science ingredients:  Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Food Coloring. We have been trapped inside with head colds and cold winter weather and needed  some simple, homemade Rainbow entertainment! This was a fun and colorful boredom buster. We

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-27269161756118511492014-03-11T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-18T17:28:04.231-07:00

We are back!! With St. Patrick's Day around the corner (also known as Rainbow week at our house!) the girls and I decided to do some kitchen counter science experiments  and make Rainbow Celery this past weekend! We love anything "Rainbow" around here and this project was  as simple as it gets and fun for our whole family to watch.  We started by making a Rainbow spectrum of

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-85491709581485459942013-10-17T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:44:19.532-07:00

I love Artist Trading Cards. Their small scale makes them easy to crank out several mini  masterpieces in one setting and it allows the artist to work with a less intimidating format to explore various media or themes with their artwork. I shared our Mark Rothko inspired ATC project with you earlier this year. ATCs (or Artist Trading Cards) are tiny pieces of art the size of a baseball

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-64515514123630286802013-10-10T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:43:49.421-07:00

Day of the Dead Recycled Cardboard Sugar Skull Craft Project  I've always loved art from other cultures and our home is filled with examples  of art and instruments from around the world. My art classroom and curriculum was always filled with many different projects from many different cultures.   This project is simple. It is low cost using recycled cardboard that you already have in your

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-83152405518425801632013-10-03T02:00:00.006-07:002020-08-19T11:44:02.672-07:00

Today I'm sharing a fun, oldie but goodie art technique using dried Elmer's glue as a resist with colored chalk on black construction paper. When you draw with chalk on top of them, and rub it gently with a tissue, the result is a lovely blended web of many colors with a black spider sitting on top! These make a wonderful hallway display at school or in your classroom. 

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-3860591618332313852013-09-30T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:44:40.150-07:00

I came across this fantastic art lesson at my daughter's school and I had to share it with you. It is a fun and modern twist on the tradition "bird's eye view" painting lesson. They combined technology (by using computers and Google Earth)  with a traditional painting lesson in the art classroom.   The students started their lesson by learning how to "fly over" locations  that

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-57732783597296005282013-09-24T02:00:00.004-07:002020-08-19T11:43:33.384-07:00

I found these photos and realized I never shared this sweet little activity with you. I can't believe how little my sweet "C" is in these pictures.  She was 4 years old and still in preschool when I took them,  now she's 6 and starting first grade -- time sure does fly!  "C" checked out the book "Mouse Paint" by Ellen Stoll Walsh from our local library.  She loved the way the white mice

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-41717089327554710032013-09-10T02:00:00.002-07:002020-08-19T11:43:04.590-07:00

My oldest daughter, "E" has been learning how to cross-stitch.  She really enjoys it and likes to sit with it as a way to unwind.  She also enjoys knitting but that's something she does on her own because I don't know how to knit!  This "E" was her first cross-stitching project a two years ago (age 8) she added a rainbow and completed her whole name.  Last year, she wanted to

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-58748036864618906712013-09-03T02:00:00.003-07:002020-08-19T11:42:51.740-07:00

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pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81315000116549245.post-20440132180817110232013-08-06T02:00:00.003-07:002020-08-19T11:42:38.179-07:00

You can make your own texture rubbing plates with Elmer's Glue, card-stock and paper.  My 6 year old daughter made this flower.  Just draw a simple shape on card-stock and cut it out.   Then, glue it down to another piece of paper.  This project is perfect for basic shapes like flowers, fruit, and vegetables.  It is also lovely with fish, bugs, birds, or sea creatures (like jelly

pink and green mama MaryLeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961907935822653414noreply@blogger.com