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Houses of Cards

Looking forward to some artsy S.T.E.A.M time during our September S.T.E.A.M workshop series that starts today as we make Arts Houses of Cards inspired by my Eames house of cards deck.
What fun we’ll have with this building, creating and exploring workshop activity today from 1-3pm OR Friday from 3:30-5:30pm.
Call us at 818-575-9566 to sign up. Spots still available.

Cursive Hanswriting is a skill!

Cursive handwriting is making a comeback as noted in the link below from the #washingtonpost (copy and past in your browser to read)
@kristinavirtuedesigns
Is teaching Cursive Handwriting for Homeschoolers at CReATE beginning next Thursday, 9/13! Join us.
Skill building is brain building!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/from-punishing-to-pleasurable-how-cursive-writing-is-looping-back-into-our-hearts/2018/08/31/aa180b9c-aa06-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.7c0339172884

The Big Picture

I have been working on CReATE STUDIO’s mission for quite a while though the process is not so easy. To boil down our beliefs and intentions into a simple paragraph that becomes the beacon for the company for all time. In part it’s been hard to fine tune the mission because the studio, from it’s inception is and has been an organic unfolding of one idea that wove into another, and then another, and on and on.
Today, I had a spark of word  inspiration so I made an adjustment to our mini  “working” mission statement on our About page. I surprised myself when I wrote the last line “and engaged in an ongoing effort to lighten our carbon footprint along the way.” Not because I didn’t know this was important to me but  because I wondered  how this is the piece of my intention had been missing from our statement! It has long been my personal mission to recycle, to reuse and to be thoughtful about my use of things and where they go. Now with one simple sentence I have the words to articulate it in the studio’s intention. Isn’t that the whole point of a mission? It’s just as much of not more a beacon for me, for the studio as it is for anyone that might want to know it.
Our mission is in the value of recycling and our way is by reuse. The reuse of materials, the providing of them for others to see potential and possibility in, to be inspired by. That’s our belief in the win/win that recycling is. As author Pam Shoemaker put it, “When you put the whole picture together, recycling is the right thing to do.” Yes, the big picture is the whole thing and that’s our mission.

Happy September!

We have lots of fun planned at the studio this month so let’s create!Be sure toSave the Date for our Paint Pouring night lead by Alison Mytych on Friday, September 14th from 6:30-9:30pm. Let the pouring begin! $50 includes all.Call us at 818-575-9566 to get your spot!

It’s School Project season!

Back to school projects are already in gear!
Will’s book report collage poster totally does the trick to convey what The Outsiders is about. I’ve got to read this book!

Make it move.

Working on a movable wall with Jake, one of the CReATE team who heads back to college tomorrow.
Best of luck and thanks to Jake and an extra big Thank You for inspiration on this wall (still in progress) to artist Alisa Burke who has shared her amazing wall pieces on her blog and shown me that I could create a more versatile studio space with walls that move!

The first time I saw one of her wall panels was a few years back. I thought it was such a clever idea and so simple too. I dreamt of a day when I could implement something like it to create versatility and better functionality in the studio. The day is here! Well, almost as the wall enters the tail end of it’s creation. We can use it to create more intimate space, more private feeling space or, we can put it away. It makes the studio an ongoing creation itself. I really like that. You know, that”s what we are too, ongoing. I love creating space, especially when the resources are limited. I am so happy to get to do that all the time. Moving space makes for a moving mind, that’s creativity in motion. Moveable, like our new wall.

Creativity is…

Enjoying this special issue of @time that is all about creativity. Anthropologist, Agustin Fuentes is quoted as saying “Creativity is as much a part of our tool kit as walking on two legs and having a big brain.”We agree, after all we think of creativity as a thinking muscle in our brains!I recommend this issue of time if you think you are creative, are not creative or don’t understand what creativity even means. It’s fascinating!

Just Being

We’re excited to be featured on the @gogosqueez blog! Check out my conversation with GoGo Squeez mama Limor Gallo.

CReATE and GoGo Squeez mutually agree on the value of kids and families just being and being together.
Use your GoGoSqueez packaging to make a cool creating at home project; airplanes!
You can keep it simple and just use scissors or boost it up with glue! Easy peasy.

http://goodnessonthego.com/gogo-guests/create-studio/

Go Go Squeez!

Thanks to our CReATE friend Limor Gallo of GoGo Squeez for a great sit down interview with me about CReATE and all that goes on in my mind about just being, reuse, creativity and kids!

Making Friends

We’re having a cuddly buddy time at sewing camp this week.

This is Olivia’s bear who is quite stylish and as you can see, full of love. What more could you ask for in a cuddly friend.