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Your Way…

Creating your way is our way Tuesday-Friday 11am to 6pm and Weekends from 12-4pm

Blast off!

What did the water bottle say to the plastic Easter eggs and cardboard tubes?
“Lets be the Space Shuttle Endeavor and Soar!”

Mirror, Mirror

This is the right kind of mirror, with the mirror coated in a glittery matte finish with no reflection.Take a look at it and see true beauty reflected back. You can’t see anyone else to compare to or keep up with. Be as beautiful as you want to be, as beautiful as you are. Be you.

To Tinker is to build life skills for all ages but here I am focused on fostering the tinker mindset with kids.
I believe, along with a larger Tinkering movement, that kids need to tinker around, or in my language to create to connect with themselves, be in their thoughts, try our the ideas that come to mind. It’s how they connect concepts naturally and willingly trouble shoot trouble issues because they are interested in what they are doing.
Gever Tulley, founder of Tinkering School in San Francisco describes tinkering in his Ted Talk in a manner that matches my theory on the importance of these kinds hands-on experiences kids NEED to be having. He provides hammers and other tools among other things to set a tinkering tone while we use recycled materials and lots of glue but our concepts match – the goal is to make stuff.
There are three simple ways you can help create tinkering time for your kids at home:
1) Time– allow some down time, a session in the day where your kids can be present without the distraction of devices or the anticipation of what’s on thier schedule.
2) Stuff– Keep a container of recycled stuff in an assessable place that the kids can help themselves to. This container lots of packaging odds and ends like, cereal and cracker boxes, egg cartons, twist ties, packing boxes, plastic fruit containers. You name it. See our donation list for inspiration.
3) Tools– These are what you need to alter and attach things. Attaching things is the real fun of tinkering time. Keep pens and pencils, scissors, tape, staplers, paper clips, twist ties, or pipe cleaners and ribbon or yarn. *Glue and hot glue are fun attachers but can lead to more mess than  you may want at home so for this kind of tinkering I’ve left them out, additionally, *save hammers and screwdrivers for bigger jobs that include wood, metal or harder plastics.
These three ingredients add a healthy, free form, hands-on element to your child’s day. Think of it as exercise for their creativity muscle, the one I call a thinking muscle in your brain. They’ll be happier for the time to be in their own curious zone and better equipped to manage their kid responsibilities too.
* Safety and respect are always key. Talk to your kids about how to be safe with the tools they use in their tinkering space and what clean-up you expect them to do at the end of their session.

Pretty.

We’re growing a faux cactus at CReATE from an old gym sock. Our friend @kristinavirtuedesigns used her pretty modern calligraphy to wrote a word of support for our sock friend.
Kristina will be visiting our next Pinspired Night on Friday June 1st to help us decorate our own pots with pretty words. You won’t want to miss it!

Learning

Did you know that Hyena babies are born with their teeth? We didn’t either.
We learn so much when families do their school projects at CReATE.
Do you have a school project to do? Come on over, let’s learn and create together.
( this Hyena clan is made of corks, rocks and sticks )

Creating at home.

Creating at home idea 14 is to make gift cards and tags from greeting and holiday cards. Save Mothers Day cards, birthday cards, post cards and give them a second shot and making someone’s day.
Here’s all you need:
1. A card or two
2. A hole punch
3. A pair of scissors
Here’s the idea:
1.Cut the writing half of the card of and save it or make it a card of its own.
2. Use the cover half of the card either folded in half as pictured or cut into smaller pieces to suit your fancy.
3. Hole punch the pieces you want to use.
Voila! You have gift tags ready to use!

Our Mothers Shape Us.

Be it in action or absence, our mothers shape us.
I look at this picture of my mother and I and I am reminded of how much I am shaped by her influence.  She has always allowed me the space to be who I am.  As an only child I kept myself busy in my curiosity and my unintentional desire to do whatever I wanted to do. I know it wasn’t always an easy road  parenting me but she did with finesse and a conviction to let me be me.
Regardless of how our relationship with our moms may look to us or to others they are key figures in who we are.
We are influenced by our moms. They model for us, they teach us, they even redirect us. If your mom is no longer with you, her life’s impression has lasted and motivates you to follow a path. Today, ponder your mom and the you she helped to create. You wouldn’t be the wonderful you that you are without her effect.
My mom has shaped me in large part by letting be the me I am and that has allowed me to create a place where everyone can be who they are in their creativity .
Thank you mom.

Happy Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mama’s around the world. You are gifts to us all. Thank you for being you and helping to shape us.

Rustic

Love the way these simply chic rustic signs turned out at last Nights Pinspired Project night. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “Nothing in nature is exhausted in its first use”. Especially not sticks.