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child art

Art Workshops + Weaving with Kids

Happy New Year!!!  Looking back, one of our most favorite workshops for children included ~ wee Wondrous Weavings on Wooden Looms!  Oh my, the possibilities of textile design!  These mini-masterpieces were created by 6 – 10-year-old artists!  Our NEW ~ 2018 Winter Art Workshop Brochure is hot-of-the-press!  Workshops start early January, yes this week and they’re filling up fast, just hop on over to our simple SIGN UP!  If you’re looking for hands-on + mixed media + creative expression + an artful highlight to each week + a chance to meet new families and friends JOIN US + ENROLL TODAY!  You can also connect with us on Instagram @handmakery to keep an eye on what we’re creating in the studio from special art events to birthday parties, and of course everything in between at our NEW art studio located at 449 Main Street in Carbondale | CO in the heart of the Carbondale Creative District!

WORKSHOPS + CLASSES + CAMPS

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Art Workshop for Children

 

Join us!  Today we’re celebrating my dear friend, Barbara Rucci of Art Bar Blog, and her #1 New Release, Art Workshop for Children: How to Foster Original Thinking with more than 25 Process Art Experiences!  Beyond excited to highlight two inspired projects from this book that we themed under an Art Bar Dessert Party: Cakes + Doughnuts with young artists in our own studio!  Here’s a creative clip to give you an idea, just how beautiful Bar’s new book is for creating a creative childhood.  To get the inside scoop, juicy details, chance to meet the maker and all her magic, dive in here!

Barbara invited me to join her book blog tour that will feature 26+ amazing kid + art bloggers.  Over the summer I had the honor to preview and endorse Bar’s new book, Art Workshop for Children.  I was on a three day camping trip, and basically couldn’t put this incredible book down.  After returning, completely inspired, I preordered it on Amazon and spent all fall anxiously awaiting its arrival!  When my book arrived on October 15, it felt amazing to finally have it in my hands.  It’s truly a gem that will shine in our studio for years to come.  Beyond amazed at all the 25+ creative workshops, simple in both setup and supplies!  Bar basically delivers a rich, open-ended, studio experience, keyed into unleashing a child’s creativity.  Bar unfolds an easy to follow, beautifully visual layout, that guides one towards expressive exploration and artistic discovery in a studio, classroom, or home.

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Ice Cream Truck Sculpture

Warm weather brings childhood memories of an ice cream truck sounding and strolling neighborhood streets.  In our recent workshop ~ BEEP BEEP! SWEET TREATS, artists created ~ Ice Cream Truck Sculptures!  Love that we still have a few days to celebrate and soak up summer!  The workshop week was spectacular and our mini makers were beaming to exhibit their one-of-a-kind creations.  Along with an ice cream truck, each artist also created a mini picnic table and  handmade sweet treats for imaginative + interactive play!  Turn it up and take a peek at our short + sweet clip to an ice cream truck melody, highlighting the wondrous week!

You may have seen our Collaged Ice Cream Cones created with children in our outdoor art studio for a recent downtown event.  My friend Bar Rucci, over at Art Bar Blog was a huge inspiration in creating these paper sprinkled + cherry topped cones.  Take a look at her fantastic process creating Paper Mache Ice Cream Sundaes and Cardboard Ice Cream Cones!  Here’s a little secret, Barbara has a beyond inspiring book coming out this fall which I’ve had the opportunity to preview (cover to cover) and preorder ~ Art Workshop for Children: How to Foster Original Thinking with more than 25 Process Art Experiences.  All I can say is reserve your copy today, it’s truly one of the BEST BOOKS for creating with children that’s ever hit the printing press.  Personally promise it will be a studio go-to and gem that you’ll open again and again!

On a side note, Handmade Charlotte just shared the cutest + tiniest + tastiest treat, Gingerbread Ice Cream Trucks!  Maybe you’ve also seen Hello Wonderful’s DIY Pretend Play Ice Cream Cones using plaster?  Just a wee bit in love with both ideas!

Enrollment is currently underway and filling quickly for our 2016/17 School Year {mixed-media + hands-on} Art Workshops.  Follow our artful adventure on Instagram and Facebook, would absolutely love to connect, collaborate, and create community through children + creativity!

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Springtime Owlets

Excited to share with you~ SPRINGTIME OWLETS, recently handcrafted in our 6-10-year-old workshop: STITCH + SEW!  Over on our Instagram, we’ll be sharing with Red Ted Art’s @Kidscraft101, as they’re featuring #fabriccrafts for their weekly theme!  Anyone can enter, simply tag your weekly themed photo #kidscrafts101 over on Instagram.  Then the dream team trio- @redtedart + @babbledabbledo + @incredibusy, along with a special surprise guest, will then judge and announce the winners!  This project was definitely a fabric favorite, as each artist designed, constructed, and hand stitched one-of-a-kind soft sculptures.  Take a peek at our creature collection of springtime owlets that just hatched in our studio!

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Lummi Sticks + 5Point Film Festival

You may have seen on our Instagram, we partnered with 5Point Film Festival while they were on tour in Carbondale, Colorado!  The festival ran Thursday-Sunday with an exciting array of inspiring films and community events.  5Point stands for balance, commitment, humility, purpose, and respect.  They lineup 4-days of  inspiring programming, and gather special guests, athletes, filmmakers, and our community together in one – 800 seat venue!  On Saturday, following the Youth Adventure Films (free for 12 and under), we squeezed in some adventurous art making with hundreds of local children!  Between the arts + crafts, the much-loved annual ice cream social + community picnic, and all the overflowing inspiration from the outdoor adventure films, you’ll see many beaming smiles!  Thank you to all the local families that came out for this festive afternoon!  We were honored to be back at 5Point making + creating with young artists!  Thank you for inviting us to create LUMMI STICKS with children in our outdoor studio 5Point Film, so great to be back for another year.  Take a peek at how we crafted these simple sticks with just three simple steps!

ENROLLING SUMMER + 2016/17 SCHOOL YEAR ART WORKSHOPS:  

Excited to announce HANDMAKERY’S online registration for (hands on + mixed media) SUMMER + SCHOOL YEAR 2016/17 ART WORKSHOPS!  Early enrollment is encouraged as space is limited!  Take a peek into our adventurous + artful workshops for children and upcoming art-filled community happenings!  May’s First Friday and Family Block Party are just around the corner, hope you’ll be joining us: Creating In Our Outdoor Art Studio: Summer Lovin’ Style!

Be sure to stay in touch and connect on our Facebook + Instagram + Pinterest!

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Contemporary Cuckoo Clocks

You may have discovered on Instagram that we recently hosted a summer workshop for 6 – 9 year olds- CRAZie FOR CONTEMPORARY CUCKOO CLOCKS!  Beyond excited to jump into this workshop as it has been a project that has been stirring in my mind for quite sometime.  Thrilled to see it come to life!  As a little girl growing up, one of my great-grandmothers had a beautiful, hand-carved, traditional, wooden cuckoo clock in her tiny home.  I remember traveling to my great-grandmother’s Colorado home in the summer for weekend visits with my family.  My sister and I were always mesmerized by her cuckoo clock.  We were sure to be in the living room at the beginning of every hour to see the chirping bird make its grand entrance and to hear cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!  Definitely a favorite childhood memory that I can still visualize and hear as it was yesterday.  Although our workshop’s cuckoo clocks were not mechanical, the children loved every moment of personalizing and piecing them together!  Once we were in the midst of our mini-art exhibit at the end of the week, I was reminded of how BIG impressions are made in little + simple childhood days!  I hope each of these children walk away with a special memory to hold.  I’m thankful for each and everyone of my childhood memories, as they take me back to the heart of who I am today!  Take a peek!

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Camper Vans On Canvas

Super excited to share with you our Camper Vans On Canvas created in our workshop with 6-9 year old artists!

Wanderlust inspired + beautiful mixed media artwork + image used with permission via Mae Chevrette.

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Outdoor + Downtown Art Studio

outdoor art studio | www.handmakery.com/blog

We’re excited to showcase + share a few favorite photos of May’s First Friday + Family Block Party!  Can’t believe this was our third First Friday + Family Block Party in our downtown + outdoor art studio!  It was absolutely a beautiful night to be out-on-the-town among all the festivities in the open air!  Here’s to springing forward as we leap into time spent creating in the warm outdoors and to long summery days handcrafting with children!

outdoor art studio | www.handmakery.com/blog

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A Modern Macaroni Masterpiece

We are beyond excited to share our simple DIY today: A Modern Macaroni Masterpiece!  Today we are coming together with many of our favorite kid + art bloggers all part of the Rockin’ Art Moms to bring you the #themacaronichallenge!  Below you’ll find several “over the top and beyond ideas using pasta” to make + create with children!  I think you’ll be amazed!  You’ll also discover we have an exciting opportunity + giveaway planned and would LOVE for YOU to join us!

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Winter Vintage Cottage

 

Our Winter Vintage Cottages were created in our workshop HANDMAKERY FROM THE HEART: making + creating to give with 6 – 9 year olds!  The Winter Vintage Cottage was our third project in a six-week session!  The children absolutely LOVED working on these!  Most children created their cottage as special gifts for a loved one!  We were excited that the cottage could light up with a flameless tea light and be used for a nightlight!  With all the windows it has fabulous ambiance!    Our biggest challenge was finding enough of these fabulous little houses, but with friends and family searching across two states, we had just enough for our seventeen HANDMAKERY artists!  Thank goodness for family and friends that searched high and low, making room in their travels for these delightful pieces to inspire!  Here is a little gift to welcome your NEW YEAR focused on making + creating + crafting + exploring creativity + being hands-on + celebrating mixed-media!  Enjoy our DIY to guide and inspire you in making your own Winter Vintage Cottage!

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