Barbie's Museum of Art

After Art Museum Day, Abby wanted to learn more about famous art, so, to make it fun, we created a Barbie Museum. And like all things Barbie- it is the most amazing art museum ever! ( I think she is in cahoots with a very talented art thief because she was able to collect many of the world's most famous and beautiful pieces and display them all in the same gallery!)

Luckily, there is no copyright on many of the world's most famous paintings so their images are up for grabs all over the internet. I collected our favourites and added frames from on-line frame shops (I'm not sure if that was legal or not, but hey, I'm not selling it or anything, right?) This part was kind of fun. I had to stop myself from going crazy at this point with scale. I decided to battle the OCD and force myself to forgo the math, ignore ACTUAL scale and make them roughly four sizes so the museum could be interchangeable.
I was sure to include some stand-outs from museums we have visited together or will surely visit in the future (like all the London museums thanks to her Daddy). To make it portable and easily put-away-able, we used a tri-fold display and Velcro dots.
Important information was added to the back of each piece (it was supposed to be a learning activity after all). If you want everything to be more durable, I would suggest laminating everything.
Velcro was added to the backs of the art and they were ready to hang in the gallery!
We added a few more things around like an "antique" globe (amazingly, for being such a valuable antique- it's totally up-to-date geographically!) and a paper doll's desk. Curator Barbie was so happy when she came!
No touching!!!
She immediately started changing things around. This was so fun to do and Abby has had such a fun time playing with it (although, if I'm being honest, she could care less about the info on the back except the artist and the name)
You can use the back of the trifold panel as well, of course. I think in the future, we may hang each gallery wall in a different style since we have everything from Impressionism to Renaissance to Pop Art. Now we have a fun way to learn and as we visit more museums, we can add to Barbie's museum as well.

Museum Sketchbook Tote

Before our big 2-museum tour, I wanted Abby to have a little bag to hold all of the things she would need, but couldn't find anything that fit the bill just right, so I made one for her. I am NOT a very good seamstress and I messed up a lot along the way so no tutorial. Here is a good one that gives instructions for covering composition books... I'm sure anyone could adapt this and figure the rest out from there. I used 4 fabrics: Blue paisley for the main body, brown floral for the straps and spine, pink for small embellishments and white for the lining. Here is the outside cover:
Here is the inside:
On one side, there's a flap for holding writing and drawing stuff...
...and the other side has flaps for holding tickets, maps and memorabilia.
A regular composition book was inserted...
...and everything closes up and fastenes with a Velcro clasp. There are a couple of construction tips I should add: First, be sure to add sturdy reinforcement to your handle-straps and second, it is a ton easier of you add all of your embellishments before you fold the flaps over and sew them. Here is the front all snapped up and ready to go...
...and here is the back.
It was so helpful to have this along. The day would have been a nightmare without it; it not only gave her something to do and somewhere to hold her things, but it also gave her something to hold onto so she wasn't as tempted to touch anything she shouldn't. We actually (VERY surprisingly) had no problems with that the whole day!!
I loved the way she didn't copy the paintings, but just used them as inspiration to make her own drawings.
Here is the painting she was most excited to see in real life so we bought a postcard to take home.
Here's the day's haul... Seriously, what a lifesaver. For an older child, I could see a plastic insert for an id or money. For a more serious artist, I could see a proper sketchbook inserted in here.

Visiting the Art Museum With Your Child(ren)

Visiting an art museum with your child, or braver still, children, can be a fun and rewarding experience but it can also be a disaster. I have experienced both. Here are some tips and activities that may help you to plan a fun and educational day.

Before your visit...

*Look through art books and ask questions about the pieces that hold the most interest. Point out different styles and encourage your child to recreate their favorites. This is one of our favorites:*Research the museum you plan on visiting. Find out how "child friendly" they are; if they allow strollers, bags or picture taking; if there are special rates or programs for children. Find out about special exhibitions, fees and restrictions. Many museums have free family days... you can't go wrong with free!
*Show pictures of the amazing things you will encounter and prepare a scavenger hunt featuring certain pieces of art or just small portions that they have to match to the corresponding piece.
*Go over all rules, regulations and expectations. I told my daughter about the guards that get nervous and follow little kids around if they look like they are getting too close to the art and misbehaving. I even threatened they would kick us out so we had to behave with a capital B!
*Practice at your home, pretending the art you have hung in your own home is the museum. This probably saved our bacon the most. We would point and discuss quietly and if she got too close or too loud, I would tell her the imaginary guard was getting a bit nervous and she would fall back into line instantaneously!

During your visit...

*Dress smart so your child(ren) know they are going to a special place and be sure to take a picture next to the entrance.
*Arrive as early as possible. The closer to lunch and nap time, the worse the behaviour.
*Go at your child's pace and be sensitive to his/her cues. If they're bored, go more quickly; if they want to watch the boring mummy CAT scan over and over and over again, let them. You can go back a different time for yourself, but for your child to get the most out of it, it has to be all about them- of course, we can always "guide" them and "encourage" them in the way we wish!
*Forgo the guided tour (see previous point) unless there is a specific children's tour.
*Point out special details and ask questions about the art as you go such as, "How do you think that person is feeling?" or "Why do you think the painter made the rooster so much larger than the fox?" As we did this at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco last week, there was an older man who leaned in really closely to hear whether or not my daughter thought this scruffy old dog belonged to the couple in the painting we were looking at. He smiled at told her he thought the haggard dog looked a lot like them and they shared the sweetest moment. There is nothing older people like more than a well behaved child and nothing that will get you more dirty looks than a brat! As we all know, every child as a bit of both, but at a museum- especially if it is a big, fancy one; we want to do everything we can to keep the "angel child" as long as possible.*Arm them with a sketchbook and colored pencils and/or the aforementioned scavenger hunt list. Children always do better when they are allowed to "actively" participate. We set a limit before we went that she could only sketch 2 pieces of art per museum that day as we were visiting two. This helped a ton!
*Try to relate the art to them and take photos of their favorites if it is allowed. Here is a sculpture of a hand by Rodin that Abby was impressed with so we had to snap a quickie with her hand in the same pose.
*At the end of your visit, take them to the gift shop and let them pick out a postcard or two of their favorite pieces.
*Go when they're ready! Believe me, it does no good to prolong the agony! When they're done, they are DONE!
After your visit...

*On the ride home, while everything is still fresh in the memory, talk about the day's highlights and write them down.
*Gather the maps, tickets, postcards and memorabilia together and put it all in a special place or scrapbook.
*Frame your child's favorite postcard and place it in their bedroom.
*Follow their lead- they may be "art museum'd out" and need a break. They might be all hyped up so encourage them further by checking out more art books from the library, providing art supplies and time to create or making a model museum for their toys to enjoy.
Ultimately, you know your children best. Start small and local and work your way up to the big guys. If they cannot be trusted to keep their hands off, or are uninterested, they might be too young; give it another year or two. You may want to take only one child at a time so your time can be spent more intimately and not shared. You want your child's time at the museum to be the very best experience and with a little bit of planning and preparation, it will be! Please feel free to add any tips you have found helpful in your art museum adventures!

If you do not live near an art museum, do not despair! Here are a few fantastic artsy websites you and your children can enjoy together:

National Gallery of Art; Kids
Garden of Praise Art Appreciation for Kids
The MET: Explore and Learn

Vintage Library Book Card Projects

I cannot believe that something I used so regularly as a kid is now considered vintage. When did that happen? I remember how fun it was to look and see who had checked each book out before me and when. It was awesome! I miss that. One day I found a template website and when I saw the Library Card Book Pocket Template, my mind started reeling! Here are a few projects that were inspired by those library book cards:

#1. My very first Artist Trading Card!

I scaled everything down to business card size and designed it in my own wacky way using Microsoft Excel for the blank card and Publisher for the rest. To make the pocket, you can reduce the size easily using the rulers as guides. When you're happy with the size and scale, print it onto heavy card and cut it out. Then, trace your template onto a manila envelope with a pencil.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory; cut it out, fold, glue and erase the visible pencil marks if there are any. If you want the envelope to be more authentic, just shorten the side with the tabs.
Here are the mock-ups for my ATCs. My pony will be changing soon and I think I might want the title on the top (even though real library cards always put the author first... what is my OCD side going to do?)
I am pretty happy with the overall design. What do you think? Any advice?

#2. Bullet Point Handout for Job Interviews

My sister recently moved back after a few years in a different state. She is a school teacher and right now, it is nearly impossible to get a teaching job in our area. Before one of her interviews, she was told that the interview board liked getting some sort of hand out to refer to quickly in addition to the regular resume/paperwork stuff they already had. To make hers stand out without going over the top, we came up with a quarter-page library card-esque hand out.
I love the way they turned out and guess what? She got a job!! It wasn't THAT particular job and, well, technically, it had absolutely nothing to do with these handouts, but I believe that the effort put into these helped her gain the confidence and.... naw, she just has a great resume and reputation! I still think they turned out super-cute!

#3. Reading Log

Now that my daughter is in First Grade, there is a lot more required reading involved. I don't ever have to worry about her completing those types of assignments because she loves to read, but I do have to worry about recording it. I still used the quarter-page size for mine, but the standard sized cards would work well or even better, you can find places on Etsy or Ebay or just through a search engine that still sell the real deals.
If you own the book, I think it would be cute to keep one of these at the back of the book and record who read it and when. For assignments or logging, this makes a fantastic bookmark!
Here is a really simple template I made. Feel free to use it for your creative projects! Just click, copy and paste.
I really want to get my hands on some real ones now! There are a ton of projects you can do with them. You can use them for thank-you notes, save-the-date announcements, scrapbooking, gift tags, or check out this amazing necklace from Etsy-seller, Librarianship:So cool! Well, we are off to the library! Maybe I can score some there....

Thank You Thursday #5

Today, I am thankful that my daughter is back at school and that she got the teacher we requested! I am also full of gratitude for my husband who does all the laundry! Is that awesome or what? I am so terrible at it. When I moved out with my friend for the first time, we hated doing laundry so much, we would let it pile up into mountains, literally! We would hand wash our delicates when we ran out and dry them on the heater- they all ended up with actual scortch-marks!! Yeah, I'm BAD at laundry. How wonderful that I am blessed with a laundry doer? What are you thankful for? On with the Thank You notes!
While preparing for the big Smurfday party, I looked for all kinds of toadstool things. Thank you Oh! I Like That... for showing how to create these DARLING painted toadstool pencils! They just make me happy looking at them! I love that you painted them in different colors. I am thinking these would be a fun teacher appreciation gift. Thanks for the inspiration!

Thank you Julia from Bits of Me for sharing your colorful paper flower topiary. Who doesn't love topiaries and I was smitten the first time I saw this one, but what I love best about it are the details you discover when you take a closer look! The little bugs and butterflies. Whimsical and lovely!

I love the way cupcakes look with simple swirls of icing piled high but could never achieve that height. Thank you Megan at Fowl Single File for teaching how you solved that problem with your Bee Hive Cupcakes. Not only that, the chocolate almond bee embellishments are so cute I think I would have a hard time eating them. (In reality, I'm sure I MIGHT "bee" able to just swing it)! I'm sure they created quite a "buzz"! Oh no! I hope I didn't lose you at the puns! Thanks again! I think I'm off to eat something sweet!

Easiest Ever, No-Sew, No-Glue, Alice Bands

I love that headbands are called Alice bands in England! I've adopted the term because we are raising our children to be bi-lingual since their Dad is English and all. They also say "petrol", "crisps" and "Manchester United". Whoa! That's a bit off topic for the beginning of a post.

So, the other day, I was going somewhere and I could not, for the life of me, find an age-appropriate hair accessory and I really needed one because my hair kept falling in my face and I was feeling sort of blah and well, I just wanted something in my hair. I seriously looked all over the house and all I could find were old pony-tail holders. Then, I thought of all the new ribbon I bought for a dollar at Walmart on clearance the other day and *hallelujah* I was saved! Here's how it works: You just take your hair band (it can even be the cheap-o kind with the metal thingy) and twist it, and pull one loop through and you have a knot in the middle like this:
Next, measure your ribbon so it goes all the way around your head and cut.
Estimate the length of your knotted hair band, go up each side of the ribbon that far and tie a knot in each loop of the band. Trim and/or heat seal the ends.
That's it! Seriously. Easiest. Ever. This only took about 2 minutes to make.
So we can all make one to match every outfit this week!
Easiest.
Ever.
Trying to take a picture of myself... not so easy.

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