Collaborating

Alternate title: Stop. Collaborate and listen. 

I'm enchanted by this post by artist Mica Angela Hendricks, an illustrator and graphic artist. Her 4-year-old daughter wanted to join in drawing in a special ordered, newly arrived sketchbook. In spite of her inward groans (and rather hoping it would be a short-lived sharing) Hendricks reluctantly gave in and let her go to work on a page where she had been sketching a face from an old Hollywood black-and-white still.

Mica Angela Hendricks & daughter | via

And so a collaboration was born, producing uniquely creative mash-up art together that draws on both the experienced mastery of the artist mom and the unabashed creativity and go-for-it-ness of the artistic daughter. (They're even selling some of it here.) And I love what Hendricks said about what she learned (go read the whole thing; it's all good!):  

"Try not to be so rigid...The things you hold so dear cannot change and grow and expand unless you loosen your grip on them a little." 

"If you have a preconceived notion of how something should be YOU WILL ALWAYS BE DISAPPOINTED.  Instead, just go with it, just accept it because usually something even more wonderful will come out of it."

via

As I do with most things I come across now days, I wonder about how this might translate into our mid-stage parent lives with teens and big kids?

Is there space in our territories of expertise
(be it in running
writing
cooking
biking
painting
photography
history
sculpting
managing
medical research
decorating
teaching
building
or anything else, vocational or professional)
where our mastery might fit perfectly with our older kids' novice enthusiasm & creativity to create something almost inconceivably wonderful? Or where loosening our grips might give permission for some incredible and unexpected results? 

On the other hand, maybe this kind of mashup is more rare because necessity doesn't require that we share our (metaphorical and real) sketchbooks with big kids. Or perhaps they don't ask or aren't around to see them in the first place.  Or maybe now we're the ones begging them for collaborating space on their canvases! Either way, what's your experience with teaming up with your teens and big kids?

A few good gems

via marthastewart.com

Have I told you how much I love Halloween? Especially the gory, scary parts? Because I do. I also love orange and black, candy corn, and giant fuzzy spiders draped over every lamp and mirror in my home. Truth be told, I personally own realistic vampire fangs that adhere onto your eye-teeth with special dental putty. I'm not even kidding. So it's no wonder I felt compelled to pin those little darlings pictured above. I'm totally making them. Maybe by the hundreds.

If you like your Halloween a little more cutesy, this Halloween wreath is hip (it uses Washi tape for heavens sake), cool, and appears to require nothing in the way of the dreaded hot glue gun (I have scars people).

In less Halloween-y news, this is an interesting essay  about millennials and their famed tendency to return to the nest. The author claims that the gender gap between millennials and their parents is noticeably closer than that of the baby boomers with their children. It's kind of a flattering argument if I do say so myself.

Have you seen this essay making the Facebook rounds? I'm not saying the author doesn't make salient points, but she's also been taken to task for criticizing questionably appropriate pics of girls in an essay flanked by pictures of her boys with their shirts off, flexing their muscles. I hate to be provocative. Oh, wait, no. I love to be provocative -- so whose side are you on? (Edited to add: Snarky (yet thought provoking response here.)

Did you download Rebekka Seale's September wallpaper? I love it. In fact, I'm typing this post right now with the lovely September painting as my background. I'm doing this on my Mac with a horribly cracked screen (and it's still lovely). {Note: Mac goes back to the MacHospital tomorrow.}

I'm really enjoying Cup of Jo's series, Mothering Around the World. My favorite post just might be about parenting in Norway -- especially the part about the dads always getting off work at the same time in order to help with dinner and the evening routine. But I like the Congo post too. Oh! And Japan. Read them all.

Happy Weekend all! Even though it's 100 degrees here, I can just feel Fall in the air. I realize I might be making that up, but I'm going with it.

A few good gems

I'm still in New York, but I saved up these awesome gems all last week. Just for you. I'm sure, by now, I've gained at least 5 pounds since vacation to me means moving from one great restaurant to another. So, by virtue of extreme caloric intake, I bring to you. . . A Few Good Gems:

via cornerblog

Ever since the tissue pom hit the design scene, I've been a big fan of hanging decor. I've experimented with changing it up a bit -- hanging lanterns, hanging marshmallows, hanging mobiles. My new hanging love? These giant paper peonies. CornerBlog makes them into pinatas (and come on, who doesn't love a pinata?). I do admire a peony.

 Jane Austen is the face of the new ten pound note. Now that's what I'm talking about! The bummer is she doesn't go into production until 2017.

I actually happened upon this Richie Parker video (which is amazing) at This Little Miggy. I haven't been able to get it out of my head. The human ability to adapt is incredible, and this guy's attitude is humbling (to say the least).

Tom Rinaldi reports on the life of Richie Parker, who overcame being born without arms to become a chassis and body component designer for Hendrick Motorsports.

This is a real product currently being produced by Rustoleum. It's completely blowing my mind. 

I've never been good at suffering my children's disappointment. Because I NEED to make things okay for them. Uh oh. Read the whole article here.

"During those years between routine extrication of choking hazards from my first born’s chunky hands and now, I never gained fluency with the two-letter word “no.” I tried to make everything better — way too often. I never mastered the “oh well” shrug, because I was unable to tolerate my children’s disappointment. Had I been able to say “no,” my life would be easier, and so would my children’s." 

My husband has long had a penchant for Magic Shell (you know, the ice cream topping). And look! You can make it yourself! I'm going to make it for him as a BIG OLE SURPRISE! Isn't he lucky?

Paper toys

Although we are not quite there yet, there does come a point in the Texas summer where you just plain give up on being outside during daylight hours. The wave of heat that hits you walking out the door slaps you in the face first and then gives a crushing bear hug to your insides (otherwise known as your innards). There's a perpetual trickle of sweat down your back. One begins to wonder, in fact, if life is even possible under such conditions.

But WE ARE TEXANS. Of course life is possible! We have five ton A/C units JUST FOR THE DOWNSTAIRS. And you better believe we'll apprentice our firstborn to the A/C guy (or gal) if necessary to keep that unit pumping. [We just had to replace ours, and luckily, Jordan was out of town.] 

But I digress. My point is that it's good to have some alternate entertainment up one's proverbial motherly sleeve when hunkered down indoors. Because at some point I'm going to feel guilty enough to demand the little darlings turn off the 27th episode of iCarly reruns. Mother guilt makes me do it. Mother guilt is also responsible for at least 7 of these extra 10 pounds. And that's all I have to say about that.

For all of these reasons, I'm going to share with you my latest craft crush. May I present to you . . . the wide world of PAPER TOYS.

I know. Contain your excitement. 

Look at this snow guy! He's cute and manly all at the same time. Yep, it's a craft that is definitively boy-worthy. And it teaches geometry. And encourages fine motor development. (I just threw that last part in at the end because this is an educational website. )

Skulls! Really, once you start googling 'free paper toys,' you will uncover a treasure trove of printable, foldable templates the likes of which you never dreamt possible. I downloaded a few, printed them out on cardstock, assembled the required tools and waited for just the right I'm-bored moment to present itself. (I had to wait 3.4 minutes.)

Tools of the trade: scissors (with sharp tips), an exacto blade (that Parker kept calling the zombie-killing tool), a glue stick, and double-sided tape. That's it folks. Have I ever told you that I have a fear of running out of glue sticks? I'm not even being sarcastic. Just weird. Right now I have twelve (unopened) glue sticks in my desk drawer, so I'm good.)

Parker and I sat up to the kitchen table and cut and talked about zombies. And how best to avoid/kill them. He's not really much into crafting, but he does enjoy a good zombie conversation. 

We also discussed the various advantages and disadvantages of constructing with tape versus glue stick. After much trial and error we found that small tabs/areas do best with glue. Larger sections that require adhesion work best with double-sided tape. We were both thoroughly impressed and entertained by what you could make with some clever cuts and folding. And yes, this is what it looks like when your mother is a nerd.

Here are some sites to get your own nerd-adventures started: 

This is where we started. We made the black and white pentagonal guy in the left corner. He's cool, but don't pick him for your first try . . . he's tricky to glue together. We also made the green guy (with the cigar). He's easy. Goes together in about five minutes. [Just click on the ones you like and a pdf link will pop up.]

Icy Huggy - the snow monster is here. All of the text is in French, but Google will translate enough for you to figure out where the download is located.

I really wanted to make these puppies, but Parker was more interested in large, hairy monster-type paper creatures. Boo.

via PaperToy

I gave in on the puppies, but I intend to revisit these cardboard robots inspired by a Japanese manga about a five year old girl named Yotsuba. There's a series of photographs of these guys enjoying life as a cardboard family that is pretty cool. Photos and templates to make your own found here. 

There are even paper minions. People! Minions! Need I say more? 

And while these aren't free, I'm super interested in this paper oven/cupcake box and these cassette-tape-gift-card holders by Claudine Hellmuth on Etsy.  

I could seriously list links of awesome paper toys for hours (and am quite tempted to do so). But I'm grumpy when I don't get my beauty rest, so I'll stop here. And yes, tangents like these are why my dissertation is in 27 piles all over my desk.

Go forth and cut. And glue. Send me pics. 

Love,
Frazzled in Texas

A few good gems

via OLadyCakes

Hi all! We've got a small case of day-after-the-4th lethargy. I'm hoping to shake that off in an hour or so and get my day moving. I'm especially excited because my oldest (the missionary) flies to France today -- and that means she gets to call me from the airport! She has a FIVE HOUR layover in Chicago, so I can chat with her for a good long time. I've sent her a calling card, but I do worry -- this child who's had a cell phone all of her life -- will she know how to use it??

 

While I'm waiting anxiously by the phone, here's some cool links I happened upon this week: 

• Got all the ingredients for this in my pantry. Can't wait. 
• Do you guys know Mara and Danny from A Blog About Love? I'm not-so-secretly hoping to run into them when I'm in Brooklyn in a few weeks (you know, because NYC is so tiny and all). I found this post on mother love fascinating and insightful. And true.
• Baking and mental health -- a connection. I don't know about you, but a chocolate chip cookie helps soothe my inner beast. Check out this Guardian article -- and get baking! 
• Who does the dishes? And why? This article claims that sibling roles influence adult gendered work divisions. I think . . . YES!
• I know the 4th was yesterday, but I'm celebrating America all month. Here's a fine list of American short stories (full text) to mark the occasion. Start with Kate Chopin's "Regret." So good.
• Looking for an innovative summer craft? I'm thinking about gathering my kiddos and trying out these cool bracelets. Surprisingly, the best braid-er/weaver in our family is my husband. He can (from memory) make any boondoggle design you can imagine. I know. Who doesn't love a good boondoggle?
• I tried this grilled salmon recipe this week. Easy and tasty. Two thumbs up. 

A few good gems

It's summer . . . and the living isn't quite as easy as I'd like. Next week I'm promising myself simplicity and rest. This also means I'm promising my kids very little running around or fancy entertainment schemes. Mama needs to recuperate. 

In the meantime, here are a few good gems from around the web. 

• Yep, I'm thinking about peaches. So is my BFF (in my head) Pioneer Woman. Three ways to eat grilled peaches here. 
• Have you made your summer reading list yet? The Guardian has a whole list of recommendations for teens, including this article on Victorian historical fiction (which just might be a little speciality of mine).  
• Have you seen Jen Loves Kev's string art? Becca wants to do it on the big wall above her bed. I'm inclined to agree. But only after my week of simplicity and rest. 
• I have summer veggies on the brain. Check out this new-to-me food blog. It is bee-utiful. 
• Guys! I finished reading The Paris Wife by Paula McClain this week. Actually, I started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday. I loved it! And really, I don't love too many contemporary novels. It's told from the perspective of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, who is smart and interesting, and who makes me like Ernest just a little more (even though he is a total cad).  

As you read this, I'm probably back in my air conditioned car heading back to my air conditioned house. As much as I wax poetic about the 19th century, I really couldn't have handled the heat. My sweat glands belong squarely in the 21st century. 

Grad party 2.1

It might seem like I give a lot of parties. This isn't true. I just timed my children poorly. But the hour of my rest is near. I have a full three years until Rebecca graduates. Or one year if Maddie decides to go on a mission. Or 50 years if I move underground. 

Maddie's party was fun. I went with the 'One Smart Cookie' theme, remember? I made a wagon-load of cookies.  

So. . . yes, it's out of focus. . . and the table isn't completely loaded, but this is the only pic I could find of the whole table. I cannot style, cook, clean and photograph simultaneously. It's a flaw. But there were cookies. I have witnesses. We served:  Chicago Toll House, Peanut Blossoms, Snickerdoodles,  Homemade Oreos, Chocolate Crinkles, Funfetti, Gingersnaps, and  Sugar Cookies.

For the decor, I based the color scheme off of this piece of fabric I found at Hobby Lobby (or, as my kids used to call it: Hobby Yobby). 

From here we picked cardstock colors for the mobiles hanging above the table. Jordan was with me, and I nearly drove her insane with the picking of the colors. She was not aware she had signed up for a two hour visit to The Lobby. You have to suffer for your art, people. Also for your mobiles. The mobiles are simple to construct -- keeping in mind, I do not recommend making them at one in the morning. I'm just not a night person. The strips themselves are 1" x 7", and there are approximately 30 strips per mobile . . . although the number of strips really depends on your ceiling height, mobile needs, etc. Assembling them is easy as pie: Start feeding them through your sewing machine, keeping them as close together as possible. Leave plenty of thread on both ends for hanging and tying off.

Other decor pretty much boiled down to flowers and some pics of the graduate. I love to buy flowers but am a complete novice when it comes to arranging them. My mom swooped in and saved the day on flower assembly. But really, in my book, anything with a hydrangea is going to work. 

I've already posted the faux chalkboard signs that I printed up on ye olde HP printer. Just download a chalkboard background (I used one at the end of this post). Then download some chalk-y fonts and go to town. I like clementine sketch, frenchy, and ffftusj, but there are tons of them out there. 

Jordan's friend Rachel graced us with some chalkboard art. Rachel's leaving for an 18 month mission in Tahiti, so I'll be interviewing for chalkboard artists in her absence. Please direct applications to everyoneisleavingme.com. 

Here's the chalkboard banner that I pinned a few weeks ago. Yes, I actually made something I pinned. Call the papers. Actually, I bought all of the stuff, and then my mom offered to make it. And I totally took her up on it because my head is chock-full of my children leaving me, allowing very little room for sewing antics.

I wanted guests to be able to leave a note for Madison, so I hooked up my old, junk-shop typewriter with a new ribbon and set out a pile of typing paper. Never underestimate the fascination of primitive technologies to the youth of today. We ended up with about 10 fully typed pages.

See the Y cookies? They were fun to make except for the outline piping part. The icing was so stiff, I gave myself carpal tunnel just doing the outline. I even remade the icing -- still too stiff. What's the secret cookie people? Because everyone loves a Y cookie (except for possibly Utes), and I should perfect my process. 

And after all of the cookies and flowers and hoopla, I got this very sweet graduate. I hope she knows that I love her more than Y-shaped sugar cookies, or chalkboard banners, or armfuls of white and yellow flowers. Raising her, having her in our home for 18 years, has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. And if I could, I'd hog-tie her in her bedroom and make her stay for another 18. At least. Love you Maddie!