Spoonful of Imagination

Add it to a Family for Something Beautiful

New Seats Available for Saturday’s Spoonful Lab

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I can’t believe this is the week of my first “official” Spoonful Lab in Roswell, GA. I am busily doing last minute prep. What I am thrilled to realize is that I am loving all of it. I have not been stressed, and I can’t wait to craft with some of you soon! Thank you to those that have signed up and taken a chance with me for my lab THIS Saturday. I know for the first event that may feel like a risky thing. I really appreciate you trusting me. I am excited to be me, craft with you, and create a night that you will be able to unwind and have some fun while creating.

After getting everything ready I’ve decided to open up a few more seats. There are four tickets left to be exact. If you live in the Atlanta area I would love to hang with you this coming weekend! Please view my event page for more details.

Last weekend, I got the chance to go back to Athens and craft with my sister, Joni, and her college roommates for their Spoonful Lab. They have been my like my pilot program and the first time was such a blast that we decided to try to make these happen on a more official and regular basis. This past weekend I took my sign supplies and got to teach a few of my painting techniques to the girls.

I love this relaxed atmosphere. We just craft, chat, and snack. It’s a special day trip with my little Reagan as well. She knows its our time to go to college, and she loves it. She puts on a good show by being her cute self, participates a little, eats way too much sugar, and then crashes for a movie every time.

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craft_snackingIt’s so fun getting to know these sweet girls. They are awesome, and I couldn’t be more thankful my sister has such a great group around her. One thing that I am loving about our time together is learning about each girl. What they like, what creative things appeal to them from colors to clothes. I love watching them brainstorm and seeing the path of discovery as they go from an idea to an actual finished product and helping them get there with something they are proud of.

One thing that was cool this past week was helping some girls spray paint for the first time.

painting_signsI left and they were talking about making signs for Christmas presents, and I have already received pictures of new signs they have constructed. So cool.

Inspiring these girls and helping them see that they can create is such a joy.

hand_painted_signsI love the energy that comes from creating together. It’s so fun and empowering. Grab a friend and come out and join us this Saturday night! Registration will close Thursday night at 11:59pm… don’t miss out!

girls_craft_nightThank you so much for checking in! If you would like, I would love if you helped spread the word about these four remaining seats. Please feel free to post the above picture on your interwebs. Thank you so much!

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Woodland Fairy Birthday Party

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I am amazed at how many extremely talented people I have in my life. From family to friends (new and old) there is so much creativity around me. I am continually inspired and challenged by those creative juices of so many I love.

I shared with you the other day about how one of our best friends is making films in LA. Today, I want to share with you a birthday party that one of my friends threw her little girl, Zoë.

Rebecca is oh so talented. She is a professional photographer and is so sweet to let me share her gorgeous work with you here. She took these pictures and created this picture perfect party. She has skills!

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One thing that I adore about Rebecca is the heart behind the parties she throws for her kids.  Every detail and gorgeous bit of her parties comes from the heart to honor, celebrate, and love her child.

As a homeschool mom of three, pastor’s wife, daughter, friend, and all the other hats Rebecca wears, I love that it is such a priority for her to make her children know they are so loved.

From start to finish her kids help her pick the theme, find inspiration on Pinterest, and create the finished product.

How cute are those “fairy jewels” (pictured above) they created!? She and her girls created them by coloring the inside of an acorn cap with a marker and filling it with school glue. How simple is that!? They are gorgeous.

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I have wanted to throw one of my kids an art party for years. The boys have not gone for it yet, but maybe with Reagan I will get this dream. Rebecca came up with some amazing crafts for her party theme. Her daughter, Zoë, was turning five and loves art, so it was a perfect fit.

One of the first activities at Zoë’s party was to paint a fairy house. Rebecca got some $1 bird houses at Michaels, cut the perch off, and had acrylic paint and paint shirt cover ups for the guests. They did this activity first, so the houses would dry by the time the party was over. What a creative idea! A birdhouse is the perfect size house for a fairy. Genius!

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Another craft the girls created was a fairy friend! She had all the supplies (popsicle sticks, tulle, yarn, felt, small artificial flowers, sharpie, hot glue gun, and a stick) ready, so the girls could just piece together what they wanted to dress their fairy. While the girls played a game, Rebecca hot glued all the elements together to make a fun puppet.

Reagan would love this! She is so into Tinkerbell (as you might see after Halloween), and she would love to have a little Tink to fly around. I have to remember this craft!

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On top of the fun crafts, the girls got to run and be ferries together. Rebecca had a pair of wings for each girl. The wings were decor and doubled as a party favor. They also wore them for a creative version of “duck, duck, goose”.

fairy_party_gameThe girls look like they had the best time. There was so much creative energy and time spent to make such a special day.

The names of the food are perfection!

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What an incredible party! I’m currently thinking through my J’s fifth birthday that is coming up. I know he doesn’t want a fairy party, but Rebecca has inspired me to think through what HE would like and not what I want him to like. It is all about celebrating him and the interests and gifts that he possesses.

At the end of the day, if he feels loved and celebrated like this picture of Zoë portrays of her feelings, I will be happy.
fairy_birthday_partyIsn’t she stunning!? I was blessed to hang with this sweet family last week. Can’t wait to do so again soon! Thank you so much Rebecca for letting me share your party with the world!

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The “No Mess” Preschool Fall Craft

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quick_kids_fall_craftI love a good mess. There is something that is comfortable about it to me. Paint and little cuts of paper are a pretty normal sight around my house. BUT, every other week or so I do have an OCD melt down where I clean it all. We then create it again. I love crafting in a clean house. So weird.

There are times though, where I want a quick, no mess craft. I have found that having some of these on hand can change-up my day and even help entertain my kids on days where I am needed something. I whipped this little picture frame craft up for my J this week, and he loved it. And I loved that it was a no mess craft, as we were headed out-of-town the afternoon he created it.

Here is what you need:

  • Paper mache picture frame (an old cheap frame could work or even cutting your own out of cardboard or paper) You can also buy them in a bulk party pack for a birthday party, thanksgiving craft, school activity, etc.
  • Fall foam leaf stickers
  • Picture (for these types of things I just print out the picture at home on normal cardstock paper)

fall_preschool_activityMy J loves stickers, and we are constantly working on building a little more confidence and independence in him. This simple craft was something he could do on his own, have fun, create, and make something he was proud of.

I printed off two pictures (different sizes) to find the best fit for the frame. I cut the one out I liked best and stuck it in the frame for J. He then picked up leaves, pulled the sticker back off, and placed them on the frame. It was that easy. I loved that he mixed up shape and colors of the leaves. So, although it was pretty basic, it still shows his creativity.

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No_mess_preschool_fall_craftThere was no glue or paint to clean up. We simply threw away the sticker backs, and his frame was complete. Side note: Peeling sticker backs off can be a task for a preschooler and really practiced his eye hand coordination! The teacher in me had to say that ;).

Proud_preschoolerHe made something he was proud of, and I hope built that little self-confidence up while having a blast. I love how the natural background looks with the pop of leaf color. You could always paint it, wrap it with string, or create a paper collage on your frame to make it a little more intricate and a step harder. Another idea is to use this idea for a card rather than a picture frame and write a message inside. The possibilities are endless to stretch or use this technique!

Kids_fall_decorI hope you are having a great weekend and are getting to use your creative juices!

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Do You Know The True Cost?

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Do me a quick favor. Check the label on the shirt you are wearing. Or pull out your favorite jeans and look for the label. Do you know where they came from? I’m not talking about Old Navy or Target. I mean where did they originate? Who made them? What is the true cost?

These are questions that I have been recently asked by one of our best friends. I honestly had no answers. I have no idea where my clothes come from. I don’t know who made them. I just assumed the cost was what came up at the register. Seriously. What I’ve come to realize is that is a problem. A really big problem that directly hurts fellow human beings not to mention global resources that are being ravished by our consumption.

Ok, so I know this is a diversion from what you come to Spoonful of Imagination for. Bear with me for just a few moments. It’s important.

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If you’ve been tracking along with me for a while you’ve heard about our friends, the Morgans. They moved to Los Angeles in January 2012. Before their cross country move we probably spent 99% of the preceding 5 years together. Matt and Andrew worked together everyday. Emily is one of my very best friends.  We started a non-profit organization together and spent months at a time traveling the country together. One of our trips we were in a 15 passenger van with the four of us, four car seats for our two boys and their two boys, and Emily and I were both pregnant with little girls on the way. Haha. Needless to say, we’ve been through some stuff together. They are precious people and we believe in them a great deal.

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They moved to Los Angeles to pursue Andrew’s film career. You can see his first big documentary release here on Hulu. 

Andrew and his team are in the midst of their next project – The True Cost. It’s a documentary that explores the questions I asked above. They raised enough money to do the research on the film and create a short teaser/trailer. Take a few minutes to watch it below:

I pride myself on my DIY nature. I love repurposing and recycling old items. We try to go to great lengths in our home to love well. We do our best to eat naturally. We want to live incredible stories, leave the world better than we found it, and bless those we come across whenever we can. But for some reason I’ve given myself a pass on the thoughts behind my clothing.

I can honestly say I didn’t know any better. But that is starting to change. I want to learn the truth behind all the “great deals” I find and “seasonal sales” I’m constantly enticed to attend. Rather than blaming anyone or turning my attention to avoid guilty feelings I want to join in the conversation and be part of the solution.

Will you join me?

You can be a huge help just by helping Andrew and his team getting the word out about this project. You can also take a further step and contribute to their Kickstarter campaign even if it’s just a few dollars. The other day I saw a sweater I wanted. It was $30. Instead of buying it I gave that to Andrew’s film. If we all come together sacrificing a little it will combine to be a lot and this film will get made.

You can connect with Andrew and his team on Twitter, Facebook, or Kickstarter.

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Thanks for allowing me to share something personal and for taking a few moments out of your day to process it with me. If it grabs your heart like it did mine, I hope you’ll dive in and help us get this important message out!

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