Category Archives: Studio

Ready to Explore

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

One of my favorite things about spending time with kids is their propensity to explore. Yesterday I had my preschool enrichment class kids paint with unusual things. Stamping fake flowers on paper was mesmerizing for me and for the kids as they explored. The results of their painting were dynamic too.

The curiosity to explore is one of the best aspects of a child’s nature I can nurture. It is a valuable perspective to use in all areas of their lives. When kids have the space to be in their curiosity wonder can appear. That’s casual magic. Wouldn’t we all like to tap into that?

Follow your child on their next curious quest, you may both find wonder there.

Jemma W.
Owner/Founder

Summer Camps.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

I am excited to host a summer camp line-up of half-day themed camp weeks spanning the entire summer! That means lots of fun for everyone age 12 and under. Camp fun starts in June with Eco-Art Camp, June 14-18, then onto Eco Dollhouse Camp, June 28-July 2nd.
In July we have Camp CReATE, July 6-9, Camp CReATE Tots, July 12-16, Artsy Yoga Camp, July 19-22, and Woodworking Camp, July 26-30. We wrap up the summer fun with Fairys & Gnomes Camp August, 9th-13. See the outline for each of these super camp weeks here where there are also links to register.

Each week offers something different, always in the spirit of creativity. Join me this summer at one, two, or all of the camp weeks I offer. I can’t wait to create with all the awesome kids in our community!

Jemma W.
Owner/Founder

A pile of junk

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk”, Thomas Edison. As one of the forefathers of ingenuity, I find deep wisdom in Edison’s quote. I see kids benefiting broadly from creating in a freestyle way with odds and scraps of this and that.

Junk specifically has a place in my heart as some of my fondest memories of childhood were rooting around in my Grandmother’s junk drawer. I always found myself caught up in a swirl of ideas as I explored the drawer.

Junk does spark ideas and possibilities. This Saturday, at CMATO for a Family Art Day activity I am going to lead an exploration with junk to spark ideas through Junk Journaling, creating handmade art style books from a combination of junk mail pieces, brochures, book pages, and much more. Using random things, everyday things in new ways triggers imagination which thereby stimulates inventions of sorts. I look forward to junk journaling with CMATO and our community for the fun of it through creative reuse as we invent with a pile of junk mail.

Jemma W.
Owner/Founder

Happy May!

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

I look forward to bringing a creative month to my community this May through preschool enrichment classes, after-school enrichment classes, CReATE dates, machine sewing classes, and a Family Art Day with CMATO.
Coming in June our camp line-up begins.
All the studio happenings can be found on or through the Happenings page.
I can’t wait to create with you!
Regards,
Jemma W.
Owner/Founder

Dinner Talk

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

When I talk to parents whose kids are creating with me, I find myself telling them to put their child’s creation at the center of the dinner table. Let their creation be a conversation starter for dinner talk. They can tell you about the materials they used, the ideas they had and how it was constructed. Art is always a great conversation starter. Conversations make connections deeper and who better to really connect with than family. You will all enjoy talking together and make memories that last. Your kids will likely hold similar conversations with their kids when they grow up too.

Jemma W.
Owner/Founder

Let’s Create!

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

It’s our goal to create with you. To bring creativity to you through the reuse of recycled materials. Every day is our Earth Day and it’s also our imagination day too, where kids create from their own imaginings.

Let’s create! Being mobile means people don’t always know how to connect with us for the creative experiences they know us for without the physical studio they’ve known for so long. We’re right here, connectable for creative time through our website as well as through our weekly posts on Instagram, our weekly newsletter emails, and uploaded YouTube videos featuring our Spotlight materials twice a month. Visit our happenings page to see our events and happenings. We want to spend creative time with you. Let’s connect and create!

Jemma W.
Owner/founder

Happy Earth Month

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

I love April. It’s springtime, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and a fair amount of focus points to Earth day. I say, happy Earth month!

Earth day is April 22nd, for a period of time, recycling and reuse are the talk of the town. It feels like a birthday, a time to celebrate and remember. To remember what we have and how to care for it, mindfully with our interactions with things.

This month we spotlight Metal, we also share our #30daysofreuse coloring calendar, I have also been making YouTube videos with project prompts as part of our creating-at-home series. I generally sing from the hilltops about reuse through creativity. Creativity is an aspect of our thinking and intuition, a part of how we express ourselves. Reuse strikes me as a perfect partner in the process of creating.

I am so glad to have you with us in this season and all others where I will continue to sing this song in the hopes that the tune will be catchy and your family will want to sing along.

In a Jiff

Monday, March 15, 2021

You can make a Leprechaun house trap in a jiff with just a few materials you already have.

With the Pandemic, we all seem to be living more in the moment with less plan-ahead time. Holidays like St Patrick’s Day are suddenly sneaking up on us without the usual school activities to keep us reminded.

St Patrick’s Day was always a holiday my girls enjoyed with green milk in their cereal, golden chocolate coins that would appear, and the Leprechaun Trap that capped it all.

In case your kids aren’t getting in the St. Patty zone at school you can do it at home with an easy starter house for Leprechaun trapping. Use an old shoebox to make an easy Leprechaun House that you can turn into a Trap!

  • Grab an empty shoebox and any stray cardboard you have handy.
  • Cut or remove the lid from the shoebox.
  • Use the lid to make a roof by leaving the length of the lid, and cutting its width that’s as wide as the box, then fold in half to make a pitched roof and glue or tape the ends down to the sides at the top of the shoebox.
  • If you have extra cardboard, cut a piece that is as deep as the box and 2 inches wider, then fold an inch down on each side and tape or glue the folded ends to the inside of the box as pictured. This shelf would be a great place to cut out a trap door!
  • Now, the house is ready to be embellished and detailed with trappings as your creator wishes.

Order can now be restored and the fun of this green holiday can live on as it has been remembered in years past.

Enjoy,
Jemma W.
Owner/Founder
CReATE STUDIO

A Darling Women

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

When asked about a women I admire or feel influenced by I go to my grandmother, Aleen Snyder, who I affectionately named Darling.

Growing up in the 70’s, I had heard about women gaining powerful stances through commercials, advertisements and television shows but men were still very much in the lead in everything from my view.

Early on, Darling was my power source for creativity. She taught me how to sew on machine, follow a pattern, doodle an impressive swan from the letter L and sing a round of “Mares Eat Oats” so fast, no one knew what the words were. She was a master of reuse in the most subtle ways, keeping and displaying the broken and chipped things she loved the most. She was accepting. She let me be me.

I had other important women influencing me, my mom and my aunt, both birthed by Darling. They were and are artsy and creative in their own unique ways but she was our source.

I have thought of Darling often over the years with CReATE STUDIO. I see her touch in so much of what I do with it.

Today is International Women’s Day, this month is Women in History month. If I am asked about who inspires me, who I look up to? It’s my Darling. She paved the way for my creativity to shine.

Jemma W.
Owner/Founder- CReATE STUDIO

Spotlight On Wood

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Each month we focus on one of our more commonly reused materials.
This month we spotlight wood and many of the forms we see at CReATE.

Throughout the month we’ll explore where wood comes from, how materials are made, how it’s recycled, what we are creating with it on YouTube, and what artists are making with it too.

All the materials we focus on have a back story. They came from the earth somehow. Our Spotlight program is our way of honoring them, where they began and all they become along the way, even when they are aligned for single use.