Today is a gift

Monday, May 18, 2020

So let’s make one.

Whenever I feel uncertain about things I look to quotes for comfort. There is always something that speaks to brighter days that lifts me up. Today as I pondered some of my favorite quotes, I came to this jewel by Eleanor Roosevelt. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That is why they call it the present.”

She always knew what to say and this quote is no exception. As we navigate this uncharted time I appreciate her poignant quote. In fact, it inspired me to think win win. Here’s an opportunity to enjoy the gift of today and make a gift today for someone else! That’ll be three gifts on one. The gift of the day itself, the gift of giving and the gift of receiving a gift!

One of the things I loved to do as a child was to make gifts for my parents and friends. Today my fellow parents, your kids can too. The feeling from creating for someone will have a lasting effect of goodness and the day will have proven itself to indeed be a gift.

Creating is such a useful avenue of self expression. Eleanor shared her creativity with us in the way she used her words and more. I hope her words inspire your family to. Make this day a gift to share.

Jemma W.
Owner

Mindfully Speaking

Monday, May 11, 2020

I don’t know about you but I need to focus on positive experiences.
There is so much information arising daily. Managing this Pandemic is a full time job that is tiring.
That’s where mindfulness comes into play. Its self preservation, an act of self respect really.

As Jon Kabat Zinn said, “Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience”. Doing something creative has always been a go to get myself into the present moment and out of the past or worse, the impending future.

Before having children, I did wardrobe in the film business. Stress and future tripping were easy roads to take when clothing was needed yesterday or we were coming in over budget. A costume designer I worked for had a great escape from the stress of our department. She would disappear from the set to the wardrobe trailer and color in kid coloring books she had stashed to calm herself down.

I always thought that was a healthy self preservation tool. Now, I turn to this idea in the biggest future tripping era I try daily not to experience.

I have a mindful coloring book that is on the small side. I lack the patience to color inside the tiny lines of it, though I know that causes focus, the intention for it. I decided to take a creative spin on coloring it, instead painting the page with watercolor. Painting instead of coloring proved to be a great alternative for me.

Try it yourself. If you have a coloring book at home, even a princess coloring book, it can work. Grab a watercolor set and start painting. It’s sure to bring you right to the present moment, mindfully.

I’m Rooted

Monday, May 4, 2020

The strength in me comes from the roots of my women.

I think of the month of May as one big Mothers Day.
Reflecting on being a mother and having a mother are always the thoughts I begin with. Today though, I got to thinking of more of the women in my life and those who were gone when I got here.

They have helped to shape me. My Mother, Aunt and daughters are kin, but women of our pasts and of their pasts, and their pasts pasts are where it began. Every one of them have had some influence over who I am today.

I relish the idea of these women, one of whom in the early 1900’s made cough syrup from an onion for her children because it was practical, who cleaned counter tops with lye because it worked. These women were strong. Roots for who we could be in the years ahead because they heeded the advice of their mothers, aunts and cousins.

In this slowed down time I can ponder the wisdom, power and intention of the women in my family who have always done what needed doing any time of day or night. As the generations became more contemporary these women rooted to their histories to grow their own personal powers to work in male dominant fields.

Because of all of the efforts of the women in my family I can be a woman (with an incomplete college education) who started a business in my garage because I dreamed it.

I hope to pass on the roots that were deepened for me to my girls. The history of the ladies in our family line is the footing they use to go forward on their paths.

What a gift.
Jemma W.
Owner/Founder
CReATE STUDIO

Big News!

Saturday, May 2, 2020

It’s official!
We’re taking our studio on the road full time in a mobile pop-up format.
Instead of coming to us, we come to you for birthday parties, field trips, camps, community events, workshops, tinkering time and so much more.
The sky’s the limit now!
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We’re Open

Monday, April 27, 2020

We’re open even though we’re not “open”.

CReATE is about so much more than the physical space that must have doors closed as a non-essential business entity and way more than a physical studio space in general.

This Pandemic era reminds me that doors to walk through are actually a smaller part of what we’re about. CReATE is about creativity for kids and families. The value of reuse to connect to creativity and the environment. Creating a shift in how we recycle at home, weaving a reuse mindset through households, schools and communities. We become creative explorers in this way.

Right now, CReATE is using some of our core methods to reach you through our our website, email newsletter and fun Eco Craft Kits. We’ve folded in a few new ways through the sharing weekly YouTube videos with easy at-home DIY eco craft projects and Zoom Scavenger Hunt workshops for kids at home.

We’re working on something new and great for CReATE which we’ll announce this Friday. Stay tuned and keep creating!

As mentioned, we are working on something new and great for CReATE which we’ll announce this Friday. Stay tuned and keep creating with us.

Warmly,
Jemma Wildermuth
Owner/Founder

Getting Inspired

Monday, April 20, 2020

I get the biggest kick out of seeing what kids make from everyday things. What they see in a scrunched piece of paper with some tape and a popsicle stick could be the most interesting creature in the sea.

Kids often see, in these household materials, the inside of their imaginations. The physical things are placeholders for for the vastness they can dream. Check out our donations list for ideas of what you probably have on hand to reuse.

This Wednesday, April 22nd is Earth Day. Celebrate with your kids by inviting them to create with a cereal box, egg carton or plastic bottle to unlock their minds, making space for awareness of value reusing. They are natural thinkers and environmental stewards.

Everything came from the Earth somehow. Visit our CReATE ON YOUR CAMPUS Materials page to get a glimpse of where materials begin and what can be found around us everyday on school campuses. Much of those materials are what we’d find at home too.

Honor Earth Day with us. Stimulate your kids imaginations with the recycling you have around you this week.

Jemma W
Owner

Opportunity to Pause

Monday, April 13, 2020

I feel like the universe has pressed pause and that’s a good thing.

COVID 19 has certainly changed our lives, at least for the time being. It’s been challenging to say the least but I can’t help but feel that the Universe has pressed pause for us all. The air is cleaner, the rivers are clearer, the nature is blooming. We’ve been told to step to the side of the lives we’ve been living. I see an amazing opportunity here.

They say that on the road to happiness one should pause to take stock along the way. Are we going the right way toward our happiness goals? Job, Family, Community?

I feel curious in this stillness. In my pause, I reflect, what I have been doing, how I have been living has been well intentioned for my goal but slightly off the mark I set long ago. It’s ok though. Thats what this time seems to be for- refection. Have I ever had a chance like this before? Have any of us?

Thank you for pressing the pause button Universe. We must have really needed it.

Let’s Zoom Together

Monday, April 6, 2020

I am excited to join the Zoom world this week with an Eco Scavenger Hunt Art Workshop!

Join Jemma Wildermuth, Owner at CReATE STUDIO for a super fun zoom workshop where kids can create Safari inspired animals using an assortment of materials they’ll get a list to gather before the workshop!
The workshop time will be spent sharing ideas and working on the animals while exploring different ideas for building and assembling their animal characters.

This workshop hones in on kids innate ability to be resourceful through their creative imaginings. At times like this we all need to nurture our resourceful nature. For this hour it’s about fun and focus on the task at hand-creating. We’ll all be creating from home!

Prior to the workshop each participant will get a list of materials to look for around the house for the workshop plus a drawing page to sketch out their animal. Those who collect all the items on the list will be entered into a drawing to win one of our Eco Craft Kits for lots more creating at home fun!

Eco Scavenger Hunt Art Workshop
4/9 4-5pm on Zoom!
$11 per participant
Email us to join the workshop. All necessary details will provided then.

30 Days of Reuse

Monday, March 30, 2020

As we are all in the stay-at-home mode we’ve got a great creative resource for a whole month of fun!

Explore our 30 Days of Reuse calendar with tips and ideas for creating at home every day with things you already have! The calendar is even a coloring page for the doodlers in your home.

We kick of the month with news print clothing on day one. Use the Sunday paper to make a shirt, skirt, hat or accessory. All you need is newsprint (wrapping paper, tissue paper or regular paper work great too.) and tape or a stapler for fastening pieces together.

The whole family can CReATE something to wear-then flaunt it all with a mini fashion show!

This is a time for resourcefulness and creativity. Our 30 Day Calendar is a great way to tap into those skills for fun.

We would love to see what you make. Tag us on Instagram @createstudio

Quote this!

Sunday, March 29, 2020

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they make the best of everything they have.” – Unknown

This is true on so many levels these days. Now is a good time to take stock in the good we have around us. That is where our roots lie, in this goodness.