Animal Character Badges for Gap Kids review and DIY

A big thank you to all of you that were able to make it out the the final Mer Mag + Gap Kids craft event this past weekend! Looking at all the photos of your little shining stars just makes me so happy. I simply love what they have created.

And if you missed this last Gap Kids craft, animal character badges, you and your little one can still make one at home.
 
Materials:

To make these animal character badges, you'll need the following:

1. 2" circle punch (or you can just cut out the animal images in a 2" circle by hand)
2. 2" wooden circular discs
3. Assorted colors of wool or acrylic felt
4. Pinking shears and scissors
5. Pin back
6. Hot or cool melt glue gun with glue
7. Mod Podge and brush or 8.5x11 printable sticker paper
8. Fine tip pens or colored pencils for coloring in the animals
9. PDF download of the animal characters

Start by printing out the animal characters on 8.5x11 white paper or white sticker/label paper. Then punch out your animals with a 2" circle punch (or you can adapt this to whatever size of punch and wooden disk you have).

Now, together with you little one, you can cut out ribbon shapes out of corresponding colors of felt.

To create the circular background for the badge, place a piece of felt behind your 2" wooden disc. Now take your pinking sheers and cut out a circle shape using the wooden disc as a guide.

Now that you have all the felt "ribbon" elements of your badge complete, you can glue them all a top one another with hot glue.

Now for the fun part. Break out the fine tip pens or colored pencils and have your little artist color in their animal.

You can now adhere the illustration onto the wooden disc with Mod Podge (or if you printed it on sticker paper, just peel and stick).

You can now glue on your pin back to the back of the badge.

Now your new animal character badge is finished and ready to wear! Pin it on your little star and let them shine!

And I just have to share a recap of the darling Gap Kids animal character badge events. I really wish I could have made it out to all of these events but seeing these great photos is almost just as good.
I completely love the colorful set up they had with all the different felt ribbons shapes alongside the rainbow of colored pencils. Just looking at this make me with to dive in and I can imagine our little creative friends felt the same way.

And just look at these little cuties working on their badges!
 
Just look at that focus. So so cute!


Love these color combos! and sisters! so perfect. 

And this little darling...well doesn't she just melt your heart?!

It's been so fun to work with Gap and A Squared Events on these projects. And such an honor to work with you and your little ones! I've loved every minute of it.

And if you missed the previous two Gap Kids Shine On crafts, you can catch up on them here:

Geometric Art

&

Journal Making

Mark your calendars for the final Mer Mag + Gap Kids event tomorrow: Animal Character Badges!!

I don't know what it is about this last craft for Gap Kids, but I'm just over the moon about these animal character badges. I'm loving the badge/button/award trend going on and Gap Kids Military Prep clothing is perfect for this. Or put it on any of these fantastic backpacks or a jacket from the French Muse collection. I'm dying at the possibilities of cuteness.

So if you haven't already marked your calendars for tomorrow, I would do so now and visit one of the following Gap locations to make one of these fun badges!!

Saturday, 8/25: Make an animal character badge


from 10 AM to 1 PM

Participating Gap stores:

New York: 122 Fifth Ave
Los Angeles: 2111 Glendale Galleria
San Francisco: 1139 S. Main St. @ Walnut Creek
Chicago: 533 Oakbrook Center
Boston: 250 Granite Street @ South Shore Plaza
Miami: 19575 Biscayne Blvd. @ Aventura
Washington D.C.: 1100 S. Hayes St. @ Pentagon City Mall
Philadelphia: 690 W. DeKalb Pike @ King of Prussia
Dallas: Central Expwy & NW Hwy #738 @ NorthPark
Toronto: 100 City Centre Drive @ Square One
 

I seriously can't wait to see what your brilliant little creators come up with! And like always take pictures and share by using the hash tags #shineon and #clevergap.

And are any of you soaking up the fantastic online crafts that GAP has going on? This weekend you can make a sport patch to go along with your animal badges. How cool is that?!! Take a looky lou here.

Have fun shining on this weekend!!

Journal Making and a recap of Gap Kids journal Shine On event!

It's been so great seeing all the fun instagram photos from all of your feeds from the different Gap journal making events. I just love seeing what all the Littles have come up with!! It's so fun and inspiring.

And if you couldn't make it out to the journal event (or if you just want to make more!) I am giving you the super easy DIY instructions here. If your child is older, they could most likely do this entire craft, from start to finish, by themselves!

Start by selecting some fun patterned, textured or solid card stock. If it's not already 8.5"x11", cut it down to this size. Then cut at least 7 sheets of interior paper at the same size (or even slightly smaller - say 8"x10"). I like using graph paper for the interior as it give little journal keepers so many options for their personal record keeping. Drawing and creating patterns, alongside writing, can be a fun way for your little one to express themselves. You will also need some fun washi or masking tape for the spine and anything else you might want to pull together to decorate the journals: stickers, gems, etc.

Now fold your interior papers as well as your out card stock in half.

Then simply place the interior papers within the cover card stock. From here you can explore a number of fun binding options, such as punching holes and binding the spine with a number of sewing/lacing techniques. For the Gap events, we made things extra simple by stapling together the papers at the folded spine. It's best to keep the staples close to the edge but make sure you are getting through all layers of paper.

You can then have fun with different patterned washi or masking tape when taping off the spine, hiding the staples. Fold the tape over to the back side of the journal.

And now for the fun part! Decorating your journal. You can add a label for your child's name or pull out a number of fun stickers and decals. Feel free to get really creative!

I love the idea of creating a grid of ombre jewels or using the washi tape to create a monogram for your child's first name. You could also use the tape to create patterns, such as stripes or a plaid atop a sold paper, which could be really really fun!

And speaking of getting creative and having fun, just take a look at these little cuties and all of their journals! I so wish I could have made it out to one of the GAP Kids journal making events, but seeing these photos is almost just as good.

I love it when the kids add their own personal "stamp" to these crafts. For example, how brilliant is it to use the gems for a crazy jeweled eye monster like this in this drawing below? Nothing short of brilliant, I tell you. I think the graph paper also helps make these journals more boy friendly. Sometimes we associate journal writing girls (as we love to write our hearts out, right?!) but I think it's so important for boys as well, particularly when they are young. If they can find a way to express how they are feeling, with words and or pictures, it will do them a world a good in years to come. And honestly, I think my husband is a better journal writer than me at this point (my blog has kind of taken it's place for the time being).

If you have any pics of your kids at any of the events, or if you decide to make any of these crafts afterwards, I'd love to see them.

And don't forget to mark you calendars for this weekends Gap Kids craft! We'll be making animal badges that you will just love. I seriously am so excited for these!! I'll share more details on the craft and specific locations tomorrow but set aside from 10 Am to 1 PM on Saturday and you should be all set for now.

Back-to-Preschool

My Little O started preschool today. I can't believe he's old enough. I feel like A just went to his first day of preschool yesterday! A starts first grade tomorrow and we are equal parts thrilled and a touch melancholy that he's growing so fast. I love back-to-school though. it has long been one of my favorite times of year. It's a confirmation that yes fall is indeed on it's way. And nothing compares to the smell of new pencils, notebooks and erasers. And the promise of possibility and learning on the horizon...Don't you just love it?!


And I can't deny that I'm very much looking forward to a few hours to myself before this little girl gets here. It's already so peaceful. It's seriously amazing how much you can get done when kids are away, even if for a few hours at a time.

Oh and big thanks for all of you who went out to the GAP Kids Journal making event. From what I saw it was a huge success! And what a better companion to slip into your book bag before heading off to school than your very own personalized journal? And if you didn't see the flickr page of all the geo art photos, you're in for a treat. Take a look at it here. And I'm on pins and needles excited about the last GAP Kids craft we have in store. Your kids will be making animal button/badges that are just to die for. I think they are my favorite. I can't wait!

(cute monkey back pack from Old Navy last year)

Gear up for Journal Making at GAP Kids this weekend!!

Friends it's almost the weekend and that means it's almost time for another fun and crafty filled weekend with Mer Mag and GAP Kids! This Saturday your little shining all stars will be making their very own custom journal!


I love the idea of getting your kids into journal writing at an early age. My boys each have a journal and we try to have them write in it at least once a week. Little O can't really write as of yet but he can draw pictures and I can write in captions of what he says.

It's so great to look back at these to see what you children were interested in and what little thoughts go through their adorable heads. For example, A used to have a lot of imaginary friends. They have not really been around for the past year and I'm afraid I would completely forget about this stage in his little life if we hadn't written about them all and drawn a number of pictures of them (their names were Pusa - his absolute best imaginary friend - Tiger, Patrick, Weird, and more). I miss the silly imaginary guys but It think that now that Little O is an older playmate for A, his need for imaginary friends has diminished.

Little O's thoughts these days are very Mario centric. Right now it seems like there will never be an end to Mario talk around here but I'm sure one day he'll grow out of if and I'll love looking back at all pictures and stories we've told. (Can you guess what the boys will be for Halloween this year? I'm having fun trying to figure out how to get into that one...).

If you live by one of the participating GAP stores, I would highly recommend stopping in for some journal making and back to school shopping (they have some great sales and I love their selection this fall!).


Journal making will take place from:

10AM - 1PM

at any of the following GAP Kids locations:

New York: 85th & 3rd

San Francisco: Los Gatos
Los Angeles: Sherman Oaks

Chicago: Old Orchard

Boston: Natick Mall

Miami: Coco Walk

Philadelphia: Walnut St.

Dallas: Stonebriar

Toronto: Yorkdale

  
And like always, I'd LOVE to see any pics of your little ones creating as well as what their final journals end up looking like! Just email them over and I'd love to put them on the blog.

And don't forget to check out GAP's online line up of crafts. This weekend is sure to be a creative one!!

xo

Mer

Geometric Art for GAP Kids Recap!

I just got back from LA last night and working on getting caught up on everything and enjoying seeing my Littles again (who I swear have grown in just a few short days!). The geometric painting for the GAP Kids event in LA at the Grove was a smashing success! I had such a fabulous time meeting so many little Picasso's and their parents. And the girls from A Squared Events, particularly Jen Truc, who ran the show, were phenomenal to work with. I love seeing everything all set up and ready to go. And then when the kids started coming, well it was pure magic.

I loved to see the many wonderful combinations and creative applications the kids came up with for our geometric art project. They were nothing short of brilliant! I am sharing a few photos from my Instragram feed from the LA Event, (as well as a few from other city attendees feeds), here to share with you. I'm just so thrilled with how everything turned out! (see the flickr page from all the geo painting events here! so inspiring!!)

And if you were not able to make it out to one of these events, and want your little ones to make some geometric art on their own you can now do so at home!

Materials:

• You will need either a canvas or thick sheet of watercolor paper (if you use paper, I would suggest taping it down to a firm surface). 
• A fun selection of bright acrylic or tempera paints
• A paint brush 
• and some masking tape (I like the 1/2" size)

Start by taping off sections of your canvas so that they make a variety of fun geometric shapes.

Now grab your first color of paint. Decide which shapes you want to be this color and paint them in within the line of the tape (overlapping is fine as the tape will be taken off). Then proceed on to the next color, until your canvas is filled with a variety of fun, colorful shapes!

Once the painted canvas is dry, you may remove the masking tape.

Now enjoy your new work of geometric art! I love how striking these turn out. There are so many options and directions you can with this.

I also love how this is a great art activity for kids of all ages. If your child is at the preschool age, and more into sensory painting, they can just go crazy and see what fun magic happens when the tape is removed. And if they are bit older, they can really get into disciplining their color selection and planning out their different shapes. They can be more precise and intentional, creating something really amazing.

If do this art project, we'd love to see pics of your final creations! And if you attended any of the geo art painting events accross the US and Canada, I'd LOVE to see your pics from that as well!

And for this weekend, get geared up for journal making! Your child's thoughts and acheivments will shine on throughout time as they record it all in their very own journal that they make themselves! See more about dates and locations for this event on GAP's Shine On Facebook page. And based on how successful this last weekend was, you won't want to miss it!!

Leaving on a jet plane...On my way to LA! Follow my trip on Instagram!

(Leaving on a Jet Plane print by Cassie Beck)

I'm headed off to LA tonight for tomorrow's GAP Kids event at the Grove. And I'll be updating you on how the trip and crafting is going all on Instagram. Right now, while frantically packing, I'm having visions of the beach, catching up with dear friends, scouring Mood Fabrics and Michael Levine's...and thinking about what I can stuff in my luggage from Trader Joe's to bring home.

Should be fun fun fun!

xo
Mer

Gearing up for crafting at the Grove's GAP Kids in LA!!

I can't believe we will begin our Shine On crafting weekends in just two days! I seriously can't wait!! If you live in the LA area please do stop in at the Grove and say hello! I'd love love love to meet you and see so many of your little artists!

Our first activity will be geometric art! You're little ones will be able to create and bring home a fun and bright, colorful, striking work of art. It's easy and the pay off is so great!

We will be doing geometric art from:

10AM - 1PM

And if you are not in the LA area, please drop on in on any of the following GAP Kids locations:

New York: 54th & 5th

San Francisco: Corte Maderta

Chicago: Sheffield

Boston: Burlington Mall

Miami: Georgetown

Philadelphia: Newton Center

Dallas: Dallas Galleria

Toronto: Eaton Center

If you do attend at any of these events I'd LOVE to hear how it went and to see pictures!!! I'd love to do a round up of all your little Picasso's on my blog after each event, so bring your cameras and share! You can also stay in the loop with GAP's Facebook Shine On Saturdays event page.


Hope to see you there!


xo
Mer

Unleash Your Gap Kid's Inner Artist with Mer Mag!

 

Friends, friends, friends!! If you haven't heard yet, Mer Mag is partnering with GAP Kids to craft the next three Saturdays and it's time to mark your calendars and get ready to Shine On!! Come on in with your Littles the next three Saturday's and craft with Mer Mag at any of the following GAP Kids locations: 

• Boston
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Miami
• Philadelphia
• San Fransisco
• Toronoto 
• Washington D.C. 

I'm so excited about the craft projects we have in store!! To celebrate your child's accomplishments and unique abilities to SHINE I've come up with three exciting crafts for your little one to delve into! Here's the break down on what we we will be doing on the next three Saturdays:

• August 11th (from 10am to 1pm): GEOMETRIC ART: Your little on will be able to make their very own eye popping geometric work of art! They will love exploring with paint and pattern and will be sure to leave with a personal masterpiece that you both will treasure!
• August 18th (from 10am to 1pm): JOURNAL MAKING: Your little shining star will be able to create their very own colorful custom journal to take home and record all of their hopes, goals, dreams and shining accomplishments!
• August 25th (from 10am to 1pm): ANIMAL CHARACTER BADGES: You know how special and unique your little one is. Now it's time to award them with a custom badge of honor. Your child will create their very own animal character badge that they can then pin onto their lapel, jacket, backpack or more!

And if you are in the LA area, I'll be at the Grove to participate in the first craft workshop, Geometric Art, this weekend! I'd be more than thrilled to meet you and your little one(s) so please stop in and say hello! (And if you don't have any Littles, please stop in anyway and say hello! No doubt GAP will have plenty of fun things you just won't be able to live without :)). And let's be honest, I'm planning on getting all my back to school shopping done this weekend. I already have my eye on a number of great GAP Kid's clothing items!

And don't forget about GAP's online Shine On Saturdays for those of you who don't live near one of the above locations. There is just so much fun crafting to get in on!! and if you like Gap's facebook page you can keep up on all these events that they have in store!! You can also get in on the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #ShineOn. I'll keep you updated by liking Mer Mag's facebook page and on Instagram (@mer_mag) as well. I even got all social networky and finally got a Twitter account (@mer_mag). Can you even believe it ;). This is going to be fun, fun, fun!

xo
Mer