Pssst Pssst! Mer Mag will be crafting for GAP Kids!!!

Friends I have been beyond excited to share some great news. Mer Mag has been asked to create crafts for GAP Kids as part of their Shine On Saturdays. I'm not only thrilled to be partnering with GAP but am over the moon about the concept behind their new Shine On campaign. The Shine On campaign highlights the talents and strengths of children in their own lives and within their community and has even chosen two adorable kids, via an open casting call, to help share the concept of Shining On. And over her at Mer Mag we are ALL about celebrating kids abilities and empowering them with creativity! So needless to say we are so super honored to be a part of GAP Kid's Shine On Campaign!!

To share the news with you, Little O and I made this little stop motion video together. Inspired by the efforts of GAP's Shine On kids, who painted a mural at an LA Middle School, we decided to create our own little piece of vibrant geometric art. Take a look at how it all came together in this video!

   

And if you want to create your own piece of geometric art, along with two other shining crafts we have in store for you, just mark your calendars for GAP Kids Shine On Saturday's!!! In fact, I'll be making and appearance at LA's Grove GAP Kids store (one of my favorite shopping centers in LA!). So if you are in the LA area, please do stop in and say hello! And bring your kid(s), ready to get their craft on!GAP Kid's Shine On Saturday's will be taking place in their flagship stores on the following Saturdays: 

• August 11th: Geometric Art
• August 18th:  Journal Making
• August 25th: Animal Character Badges

These events will be taking place at the following GAP Kids US stores (And if you don't live in the US, don't worry, I believe they are still doing this outside of the US with other international crafters. So cool right?!):

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

 And for those of you who don't live close to one of the GAP Kid's stores mentioned, don't worry! There is still a load of online crafting fun that you can take part in starting this Saturday! Take a look at the first project her on GAP's facebook page.


We can hardly wait to get our Shine On!! We do hope you'll join us!!

xo Mer

(Oh and Little O is wearing a GAP Kids orange fall sweater. And if he was wearing some of GAP's new action stretch denim pants, I'm confident he wouldn't be picking a wedgie ;)).

Mer Mag in Hand in Hand: Crafting with Kids (And a Giveaway!!)

Friends, I've been dying to share this gem of a book with all of you! Hand in Hand: Crafting with Kids, by Jenny Doh, hit the shelves on April 3rd and I've been waiting until after all the Easter holiday fun was over to introduce this book you. If you are not already familiar with this new title, you are in a for a treat! It consists of 20 craft bloggers who focus on creating with kids and share one project each that you can do with your little ones. I feel so honored to have been selected to be amongst this great group and know you will love the book as much as I do.

If you follow this blog at all you'll know that I'm just a bit passionate about creating art and crafting with your kids. It has added so much to my life, and to the life of my kids. And what a treat it is to read all of the wonderful thoughts and experiences about creating with your kids from the many other bloggers in this book. I really was inspired to work hand in hand :) with my Littles, all over again!

The other contributors featured in this book are:

• Jackie Boucher (weelife)
• Samantha Cotterill (mummysam)
• Jenny Doh (Crescendoh)
• Maya Donenfeld (Maya*Made)
• Ali Edwards (AE blog)
• Rachel Faucett (handmade charlotte)
• Pam Garrison (pamela garrison)
• Abby Glassenberg (While She Naps)
• Cindy Hopper (Skip to My Lou)
• Beki Lambert (artsy-craftsy babe)
• Jhoanna Monte Aranez (One Red Robin)
• Jessica Okui (zakka life)
• Ella Pedersen (Little Red Caboose)
• Carly Schwerdt (moopy & me)
• Amanda Soule (SouleMama)
• Nicole Spring (Frontier Dreams)
• Jean Van't Hul (the artful parent)
  
• Dana Willard (made)
• Kristin Zecchinelli (maine momma)

I was lucky enough to meat a few of these ladies in person at ALT, such as Dana Willard of MADE and Rachel Faucett of Handmade Charlotte and they are just as inspiring in person as you will find them in this book and on their blogs. Many of these other bloggers have inspired me and my kids in days past and many others have been a treat to discover and explore for the first time.

Here are a few spreads from our chapter. It was so fun to really explore and express how I feel about creativity and cultivating it in the home.

There are some fun shots from our South Pasadena home that I miss from time to time. (I especially miss all that space in the kids room!).

And there is a shot of how we ended up storing our geometric floor puzzle. (We adhered it to the wall with Velcro which made for some great movable wall art! And then when we wanted to have more free reign and play with it on the floor, we simply removed the tiles from the wall and placed them on the floor in fun and interesting patterns).

And for our craft contribution, Little A and I show you how you and your kids can make a personalized keepsake pillow from an original drawing, fabric and a bit of embroidery floss.

We loved working on this together and still treasure this pillow!

If you are interested in perusing the many creative activities found in this book (which of course you are!) just leave a comment and I'll enter you into the drawing for a free book! And I'd LOVE to hear something creative (big or small) that you and your little one(s) love to do together.

You have until the end of Wed. April 18th to comment and enter the Hand in Hand book giveaway! From there I will randomly select a number from the comments and reveal who has won the book a week from today, Friday, April 20th.

Featured in Create With Me magazine

Have you come across the new and inspiring periodical, Create with Me? It covers artistic adventures with children and invites you to get in on all the fun with your little ones. If not, you are in for a real treat.

We have enjoyed looking at all the creative ideas that so many great bloggers (and their little ones) have contributed to the first Create With Me, June 2011, issue. So when we were asked to contribute our Triangle Stenciled Shirt project...

and our Color Theory Valentines to the Winter 2012, issue, we were more than delighted to jump in on all the fun!

I have to say that one of the most fun things was showing my littles the magazine. I sat down with them and told them, "OK boys, let's look at this magazine and see all the super fun stuff we can create together." So we went through each project, page by page until we happened upon our Triangle Freezer Paper Stencil project. Little A just started giggling out of control and aksed, in between gasps of giggles, "What am I doing in a magazine?". Little O started giggling as well when he saw himself, seated beside Little A, and pretty soon the whole lot of us were in stitches. And then when we later happened upon our Color Theory Valentines, well the boys just nearly fell on the floor. I had no idea how surprised and delighted they would be about seeing their projects in print. It was such a fun moment for us all.

And now, after reading the articles, I have to make sure I remember to follow up on my promise to provide many a color theory lesson for my littles in the future. And being as I do in fact have a few ideas up my sleeve that I've been dying to delve into, I can't say I mind so terribly much...

[Gifted Magazine!]

Hello friends! I'm so excited to share with you the fabulous holiday online magazine, Gifted, that the extraordinary Ez, of Creature Comforts blog, has put together just in time for us to start thinking about our 2010 holiday gift giving. She was so kind to invite me to be apart of the incredible line up of interviews which focus on everything from favorite holiday songs to how to stay sane during the hustle and bustle of the season. To read my, and many other incredible bloggers, thoughts on the holiday season, hop on over to Gifted now!

There are also several DIY tutorials and incredible gift round ups that you won't want to miss. Thanks EZ so much for for putting this gem together! I already feel on top of things this year thanks to this amazing publication.

[thanks!]

Amy of scoutie girl *, and the darling kids shop little alouette, asked me to do an interview. Hop on over here and check it out!
I also wanted to mention that I now offer custom portrait drawings such as this one done for Tom and Ruth's wedding anniversary (and shown in Amy's article). You can purchase it here in my shop and then email me with photos, etc. If you want something a little different, just email me and let me know.

Thanks again Amy!