alisaburke

Friday, May 24, 2013

fashion friday- glue resist altered tunic

I love finding ways to alter clothing that would otherwise end up in the back of my closet! Recently I did some cleaning and organizing and was inspired to turn an old white tunic into something new.

A glue resist is a SUPER easy way to create pattern on the surface of fabric when working with dye. In my book Sew Wild I talk about all kinds of ways to use Elmers Glue on fabric and one of my favorite ways is to actually use stamps (or anything that can be used to create an imprint).

FYI- When using stamps with glue you will NOT get a clean detailed imprint but that is part of the fun! Instead you will get an obscured version of your stamp that looks more like batik.

1. I started by laying my tunic on a flat surface. 2. Next, I selected my stamps (I used my own Doodle Flowers rubber stamps).

3. I used a brush to cover the stamps with glue. 4. And then pressed the stamp into the surface of my tunic. I covered the entire surface and let the glue dry completely (typically over night).

5. After the glue was dry I used Tulip's One-Step Dye and completely saturated the tunic and let the dye soak according to the recommended length of time (6-8 hours). The last step was to wash the tunic in washing machine- this is the cool part- the dried glue washes out and you are left with your imprint!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

art journaling with your toddler: guest post by Liz Lamoreux

Today I am excited and honored to share a guest post from fellow creative, mom and friend- Liz Lamoreux!

My daughter Ellie Jane is almost three and has been telling me for a while now that she wants to “art journal like Mama.” We have a big sketchbook that she uses for coloring and painting and a few small journals for stickers and drawing, but I know she really wanted a journal with photos and pockets and lots of washi tape like the journals I play in.

So I gathered some supplies and on Saturday evening told her that Sunday morning was going to be a special surprise playdate in the studio for us (talking about the next day is something we do each evening). Here’s a glimpse into our adventure that I hope will give you some ideas for art journaling with the kids in your life.

First, I had her flip through a couple of my journals. She talked about the photos and all the colors and was eager to get started. There was a lot of, “Now me! Now me please Mama!”

Next, I showed her everything we were going to play with:

• A Smash journal

• Photos of some of the adventures and everyday moments we’ve had in the last few months

• Washi tape

• Crayons

• Glue stick

• Tags (like these and these)

• Stickers

• Stamps

• And odds and ends like glassine bags and little envelopes

Ellie Jane was immediately ready to dive in with the crayons and stickers.

After a few minutes, I began to show her the photos, and this is where the unexpected magic happened.

With each photo, she would say a few words about what she remembered. “This was when we went out to breakfast with Daddy and I had chocolate milk!” “This was when we went on a walk around the neighborhood and found all the petals and flowers!”

I quickly started writing down her narration. Sometimes on a little tag and sometimes on the actual photo (with an American Crafts Slick Writer).

We talked about five or six photos (I’d printed about 15), and she was ready for washi tape, so we started taping them into the journal. She LOVES putting the washi tape down, and it has been fun to watch her go from creating a big pile of it on a piece of paper to recently realizing she can also use it to adhere things so they don’t fall off the paper. I still rip it for her, but she chooses the colors/patterns and where she wants to put them.

Next, she spent some time drawing on the tags. She wanted to write letters (which is a new thing) and wanted me to write down exactly what she had drawn. This was pretty fantastic as she said things like “This is two running around letters Bs.” Then we taped down the tags.

While she colored some more tags, I asked her to answer a few questions about her favorite things. We discovered that the Smash journal actually had a page of fill-in-the-blank favorites, so I just added what I’d come up with to that page. Our list included:

Favorite color

Favorite song

Favorite food

Favorite thing to do

Favorite stuffed animal

Favorite word

Best friend

Favorite adventure

Favorite toy

She started to focus on Mickey Mouse and the Disney Store as answers for favorite adventure, favorite thing to do, best friend, etc, so I look forward to asking these questions again in a few months (or even weeks) and noting the changes. I can imagine creating an entire small journal where I ask her these questions a few times a year while she is younger and then maybe yearly as she gets older.

She was really interested in adding pockets and places for “secret treasures.” So we added them with glue and washi tape on several pages. And we put the extra photos in a pocket in the front cover so we can look at them the next time we journal together.

We played with her journal for about 90 minutes and cycled through these activities a few times. I was pretty surprised that it kept her attention for that long, and I think having lots of options helped. And sometimes I directed her with the photo descriptions saying things like, “What do you remember about this day? What do you want to tell me about this photo?” These questions often led to funny answers like, “I love to throw rocks and I LOVE MAMA!”

These ideas can easily be adapted based on the age and interest of your child. For example:

• You might tape the pictures in the journal ahead of time and just ask for descriptions. If your child isn’t talking yet, you could write down some descriptors or leave space to add them later.

• Have your child draw pictures and insert captions so you will remember what they’ve created.

• You could turn the entire journal into a storybook that they illustrate and narrate.

• You could capture an entire trip or the summer in one journal. Take it with you on planes or to the park and have your child decorate pages and tape found items into the journal. Then you can add photos from that day or trip later.

Most importantly have fun! Being prepared with several activities really helped me remain patient because we could easily move onto something else when Ellie became distracted. And letting go of the control of the experience (aka remembering that this is her journal and not mine) helped me to just be really present and create space for her to simply enjoy creating.

***

About Liz Lamoreux: I’m a retreat host, jewelry artist, and the author of Inner Excavation: Explore Your Self Through Photography, Poetry, and Mixed Media. In this moment, you might find me dancing in my studio to Mumford and Sons, making muffins with my almost three-year-old daughter, writing a poem, or deeply enjoying the quiet found in a cup of tea. Connect with me at www.lizlamoreux.com.

In June, I’m teaching Water Your Toddler Mama Soul, a 10-day ecourse just for moms of toddlers that focuses on ways to tell our stories during these years where we have little time to ourselves. There will be daily photography prompts and self-care ideas that will help you reconnect with yourself in the midst of all that a day with a toddler (or two or three) brings, plus we'll be gathering in a private Facebook community that will continue after the course. Learn more and register here.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

arrow garden markers

More arrow and wood burning inspiration here and here

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

mom is here project

Recently Sprout, (the 24 hour preschool channel) sent me a fun little care package and asked me if I would
participate in their latest initiative called the Mom Is Here Project. Though I am pretty darn picky about the things
that I promote, I said YES! because I thought this initiative is something that would resonate with lots of moms out there.
The project was inspired by a recent article in the Huffington Post which asked the question- why aren't more moms
present in photographs of milestones and memories of their children. Sprout is trying to galvanize a movement of
moms "getting back in the picture" with their "Mom Is Here" project.

Sprout asked me to spread the word via Instagram but I wanted to take it a step further and dedicate a post to
some photography tips and inspiration. As a blogger, who is now a mom I am always trying to find creative ways
to capture a moment, document an idea or use my lens to capture inspiration to share with my readers. Taking
pictures is a BIG part of what I do every day so I have gathered a few tips and tricks with the hopes of inspiring
all of you mamas out there to get back in the picture!

I use my camera timer ALL the time to capture those moments when its just Lucy and I together. A timer

makes it possible to quickly jump into the photo. Any camera with a timer setting will work. I would suggest

getting comfortable and practicing with your timer first.

While I typically use what I have on hand (stroller, rock, sweat shirt, etc) to prop my camera, there are

all kinds of really cool tripods that can be used with cameras or camera phones. My favorite is the The Gorilla Pod

(or any flexible tripod) is SUPER cool because you can mount your phone or camera and twist it around anything, set

the timer and shoot!

Most of the time I carry my iphone with me so I make sure

I have it loaded with all kinds of photo and timer applications.

My favorite timer applications are-

Camera Timer- its SIMPLE! I use a timer all the time to capture self portraits or family photos.

Timer Cam- Another super simple and straight forward application.

GorillaCam- From a self timer to rapid fire to stop motion and time lapse, this FREE application has
EVERYTHING you need in a timer.

"Selfie's" (or the obligatory photo taken of yourself) used to be for taking your facebook profile pic but I like to use
this concept to capture little moments with Lucy. If she is sitting on my lap, sleeping on my chest, riding on my shoulders,
I like to grab my camera, turn it around and click! There is no timer used in photos like this, instead you are simply
holding your camera out in front of you and trying to capture the moment! It takes a little practice but it's really handy
to catch a quick photo.

Even the most confident of people can get camera shy or feel self conscious about having their photo taken! Instead of
close up or a full length body shot- try getting creative with cropping or positioning the photo in unique ways. There is
no rule that says you need to have your face in a photo- instead focus more on capturing the moment...

Its easy to think that photos of memories and milestones need to be happy and beautiful. But to be honest some of
my favorite photos are of the not so happy times because these are the moments when there was struggle, growth
and learning. Forget about always trying to capturing a beautiful moment instead challenge yourself to capture the
bad with the good!

I am defiantly the photographer in the family which means much of the time I end up taking photos of everyone else! As

much as I wish someone would follow me around with a camera capturing all of the precious moments, I've finally learned

that I just need to speak up and ask to have my photo taken. Over time my husband has become acustomed to the types

of photos I like so when we are out doing something I simply speak and ask for him to follow Lucy and I around

capturing photos. We trade off doing this for each other and then use our timer to capture all of us together.

I have always loved taking photos, documenting moments and using my camera to express myself and now that I am

mom, this process has taken on a whole new meaning. I am even more inspired to use my lens to capture this journey into motherhood. I don't want to miss a moment and I also don't want to miss out on appearing in the photos while

those moments are happening! I want to challenge all you mamas out there to find unique and creative ways to

capture your own journey and get yourself back into the photo!

Want to participate?

Snap a photo of you and your kids

Post on Instagram

Tag #MomIsHere

Post by 5/31

Selected photos will appear on a billboard in Times Square and ten winners will be featured on Sprout and receive a prize package!