On Our Bookshelf: In Celebration of Dad

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

In celebration of Father’s Day this weekend, we bring you this crazy, fun new book (Made by Dad: 67 Blueprints for Making Cool Stuff) full of dad-made and kid-approved projects like an “Alien Abduction Mobile” and a “Slingshot Car Launcher.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a sneak peek at what you can expect:

Check out a couple more of our favorite maker dads:


Jim’s Pancakes
His tagline is “just trying to make some cool pancakes for my daughter,” and that he does! From the Star Wars “AT-AT” to 3-D beehives, Jim has cooked up some fantastic creations. (He’s not crafting as many edible sculptures these days, but you can still scroll back through some of his amazing archive!) If you want to make your own, you can pick up his book full of recipes and how-tos.

 


Lunch Bag Art
This super cool dad draws amazing things on his kids’ lunch bags and posts them on Tumblr. He even takes suggestions from readers!

 


Bonus! This isn’t technically just for dads, but with all the ingenuity (and duct tape) floating around on There I Fixed It, he’s sure to appreciate these solutions!

Filed Under: Blogs, Books, Just for Fun, What We're Reading Now Tagged With: , , , , ,

Happiness Is Two Kinds of Ice Cream

June 6, 2013 By 1 Comment

Nothing says summer like a dish of homemade ice cream. (Bonus points if the dish itself is homemade, too!) Here are a few of our staff’s favorite flavors:

Ann (Art Director): OK, I’m really boring; I like vanilla with caramel topping. (editor’s note: we like to call it “classic.” J)
Kathleen (Associate Editor): Around the holidays, my go-to’s are peppermint or Blue Bell’s Pumpkin Spiced Pecan. But any other time, it’s all about chocolate. (My favorite is peanut butter-chocolate or Brusters’ s’mores.) My topping of choice is usually dark chocolate syrup.
Becky (Editorial Coordinator): As soon as school is out, ice-cream-making season begins at our house. My son loves to make mint chocolate chip, but my favorite is honey ice cream. It takes me back to my favorite ice-cream parlor on the lake where I grew up; it was the place to go after a long hot day! For toppings, I love hot fudge and strawberries—sometimes I skip the ice cream and just eat the hot fudge and strawberries!
Nancy (Copy Editor): I, of course, don’t make any of this myself, but I love fresh (homemade) peach ice cream with pizzelles.
Tracey Runnion: I love chocolate chip mint with hot fudge. Yum!
Faith (Assistant Editor): I try to have a diet filled with greens, so I eat mint chocolate chip ice cream. (Chocolate comes from beans too, right?) And they say you’re supposed to eat colorful meals, so I put sprinkles on my ice cream.
Haley (Editorial Assistant): Easy! Swiss chocolate ice cream with toffee bits and sliced almonds.

We’ve got the scoop on a few of our favorite fun ice-cream-themed products that are sure to put the cherry on top of your summer celebration.

1. “You’re so sweet!” Thank-You Card Set: Ruche, 2. Malt Time Favorite Top: Mod Cloth, 3. Andy Warhol Ice-Cream Poster: All Posters
4. Purple Ice-Cream-Cone Pincushion: Etsy, 5. “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream.” Illustrated Card: Etsy, 6. Ice Cream Mirror Stud Earrings: Yes Style
7. Popsicle Coin Purse: Kate Spade, 8. Soft-Serve Temporary Tattoo: Tattly, 9. Champion Ice-Cream Shoes: Keds
10. Ice-Cream Stiletto: Far Fetch, 11. Cool-Pop Spatula: Sur la Table, 12. Popsicles Temporary Tattoo: Tattly
13. Ceramic Ice-Cream Cone: Anthropologie, 14. Ice-Cream Cones Throw-Pillow Cover: Society 6, 15. My Ice-Cream and Your Ice-Cream Spoons: Etsy

 

Filed Under: Just for Fun, Product Pick, Product Roundup Tagged With: , ,

Summer Reading: Imaginative Inspiration for Kids

May 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Assistant Editor Faith Morgan shares a few creative favorites to add to your kids’ bookshelf.

I was raised by a couple of artists on maxims like “There’s no such thing as messing up in art; it’s just an opportunity to be creative” and “Kids are better artists than grownups” and “The most useful crayon is a broken crayon with the paper torn off.” My parents encouraged my sister and me to explore and experiment and create. (Coloring books, however, were verboten.)

As summer vacation approaches, here are a few favorites book—some old and some new—to inspire and encourage your kids to exercise those artistic muscles during their free time. (I still go back to a few of these myself from time to time for a little creative boost.)

Not a Box 
From a race car to a rocket ship, an empty box is just ripe for a kid’s imagination! Antoinette Portis’s Not a Box and her follow-up, Not a Stick , reminds parents as much as kids to see beyond the obvious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Reynolds Creatrilogy
“Make a mark and see where it takes you.” Reynolds’s trio of books is the perfect encouragement for kids who are too intimidated to express their creativity because they are not the “class artist.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harold and the Purple Crayon 
With the ideal blend of art and imagination, Harold has exciting adventures with the help of his trusty crayon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Oh, the Thinks You Can Think
In his own brand of Seussian verse, the good Doctor describes some of the amazing things you can imagine with your thinker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists
With easy-to-read words and witty cartoons, this fantastic series of books (with over 40 titles so far) gives an introduction to the lives and works of some of history’s greatest and most inspired minds.

 

 

 

 

 


Extra Credit: Written and Illustrated By
If you want to take on a project with your kids, and you’re not sure where to start, this book outlines an easy-to-use method for guiding them through the process of writing and illustrating their own books. (My mom used it with her art students and me several times over the years. More than a hundred complete books, written and illustrated by kids, came out of her studio. Each one was unique and wonderful!)

Filed Under: Books, Just for Fun, What We're Reading Now Tagged With: , , ,

Gingham Style

May 3, 2013 By 1 Comment

Warmer weather has us feeling preppy and picnicky. We have spotted a lot of gingham around the office lately. We’re taking a look back at some great moments in gingham, as well as showcasing a few of our favorite, checkered products.

Great Moments in Gingham


The shoes may get all the press, but whether it was shot in subdued sepia or brilliant technicolor, the classic print of Dorothy’s gingham dress looks picture perfect. (You better start pinching those pennies if you want the original, though.) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Just for Fun, Product Roundup Tagged With: , , , , , ,

In Appreciation of Dr. Seuss

February 28, 2013 By 1 Comment

We love a good excuse to celebrate, and this weekend we’re looking forward to marking the 109th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’s birth! We considered writing this post in Seussian verse but figured we should leave the nonsensical rhyming to the master. Instead, here are a few fun ways to incorporate the whimsical bard’s characters and wit into your world.

 

 

 

 

 

“From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.”
Set off for adventure with a Seuss-inspired “Oh the Places You’ll Go” Passport Cover [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artist, Just for Fun Tagged With: , , , ,
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