We recently hosted a magical + maker birthday celebration with 40 little artists in our children’s art studio! A Fairy & Gnome Enchanted Land Celebration for a sweet lil‘ one turning SIX! Definitely the largest celebration to walk though our Main Street door in the heart of the Carbondale Creative District. Take a peek inside this precious party with a plethora of lil‘ people! Indeed our studio felt cozy but also so crafty and creative as it completely captured childhood!
Knowing our hands would be festively full, we reached out to our good friend and photographer ~ Hilary Brock to capture this colorful celebration and oh my how she captured all the delightful details of this dreamy day on camera! Hilary, thank you for working your photography magic, you’re so talented!
For this creative childhood celebration, we took insightful inspiration from our awesome artist friend and LA studio owner, Meri Cherry and her ~ Fairy Gardens for Kids. Meri always makes miracles happen with mini makers. Meri gave us complete creative confidence for this celebration, connecting and chatting through Instagram. With a few artful additions, a mushroom masterpiece and wondrous whimsical treasures, this process made all makers feel creatively confident and gave them time to connect and cheerfully chat as they celebrated!
Giggling guests arriving and picking out their creative spaces.
A little one caught in the magic of mixing in the morning light.
The studio starting to fill as guests began artfully arriving.
The birthday girl getting the process started with a smile in Sunday’s sunshine.
All hands were on deck, both big and small.
Birthday wishes were sparkling and seen inside the soul to later be shared in a birthday song.
The mix of ages made this creative event completely captivating.
Selecting artful treasures was a happy highlight as each proud artist personalized their piece.
The morning light seemed to sparkle, shine, and create its own song & dance surrounding the marvelous mini makers.
Fairies and gnomes seemed to become artfully alive, appearing around the tables.
A maker and her sweet mama caught in a magical moment.
The whole family jumped into the artful action of this creative + crafting + community celebration in downtown Carbondale|CO!
A photo precisely about the pieces on point to protect the enchanted land.
Fairies lit up with sparkle-n-shine as they flew above the tables, taking in all the magic of the makers caught in the moment.
Creative, cozy, childhood, celebration, crafting, community, chaos, captures, collaboration, connection, Carbondale Creative District, children, and coming together in colorful Colorado with cheer!
It’s all about the process, the details, the experience, and the memories that will forever stay in the mind and heart of the makers.
A delightful-n-dreamy rainbow cake baked by the birthday family, both bright and brilliant.
Sweetness + smiles + stargazing + sunlight on a super Sunday in the studio.
A closeup capture of a mushroom masterpiece including both fairy & gnome, a beautiful butterfly taking flight, a pathway on point, and an enchanted land all handcrafted by a clever child.
Tag us @handmakery with your colorful creations and celebrations on Instagram!
Follow our blog for more inspiring process-based art projects! As always, thank you for following our artful adventure on Main Street in the heART of the Carbondale Creative District! Send us a note anytime! We’d love to hear what you’re thinking, dreaming, envisioning, crafting, creating, and celebrating! Much love and happiness in this creative + colorful world, filled with collaboration + connection + community + arts & crafting!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! We’re onto 2019, hip hip hurray! Excited to share with you our latest workshop ~ You + Me + a Teepee ~ Alpaca My Bags ~ DIY Artful Adventure a project dreamed up in the studio and created with children, ages 5 – 13, over an 8-week session! The best part of this project you ask? It’s multi-layered, dimensional, full of exploration + experience, completely artful + action-packed, personalized, and even A-G-L-O-W to light up a stargazing night! Take a peek!
Early online enrollment is highly encouraged as seating is limited! Start a new year making + creating + connecting in a colorful community focused on a creative + collaborative childhood!
A proud + confident artist feeling aglow and over the moon with a stargazing smile!
Mini-exhibits were truly aglow. It was our first show with gallery mood lighting, definitely the best ambiance of the year! Artists were anxious and animated to show off their colorful creations to family and friends.
On a little side note: Be sure to find us all around the Roaring Fork Valley in The Scout Guide Aspen, Volume 6! A beautiful + NEW publication just launched! THANK YOU for featuring HANDMAKERY in ~ Ones To Watch Aspen, via Amy Groom & Erin Jones | Owners/Editors of The Scout Guide Aspen! Pick up your very own copy of this beautiful guide in our art studio, around the Roaring Fork Valley, or even read online!
SUPPLIES FOR ~ You + Me + a Teepee Alpaca My Bags DIY Artful Adventure:
Pencil + eraser
Canvas- stretched/framed
Watercolor pallet
Liquid watercolors + brush + sponge + water container
Papier-mâché + white light-weight paper + plastic cloth
Tealight candle (battery/non-flame)
Heavy-weight watercolor paper
Fine-point permanent marker
Gel pens- shimmer, metallic, brights
Faux alpaca fur
Googly eye
Peel + stick glitter foam sheets
Hot glue (adult use)
Embellishments- pom-poms, pom-pom ribbon, felt, tissue circle confetti, and more!
PROCESS FOR ~ You + Me + a Teepee Alpaca My Bags DIY Artful Adventure:
ONE Begin with a galaxy sky on a stretched framed canvas. Focus on using cool colors to stain the bright white canvas. Work light to dark. Experiment with staining, dripping, splattering, movement, and layering techniques using a paintbrush, a watercolor pallet, liquid watercolors, and even build up to adding a tempera paint layer. Use salt for additional experimentation and effects. Dry. Relayer to go darker. Eventually, even incorporate some black. Dry. Splatter using metallic liquid watercolor and dip a tiny wooden stick with white tempera to stamp for distant stars in the galaxy sky.
TWO Fully dry canvas. Draw mountains using a pencil in the lower half. Paint in mountains using India ink. Dry. Embellish sky with glitter, metallic confetti flakes, metallic circles and stars, metallic sticker stars, and even tiny snowflakes. Attach using gluestick and/or white school glue. Use matt Modge Podge to lightly seal embellishments with a 1″ utility brush.
THREE Draw and cut a small + simple paper silhouette which will become the “you + me” of this piece. The silhouettes may include people, animals, trees, or even the combination. Attach silhouette and seal with Modge Podge.
FOUR Use wooden skewers to form a simple teepee frame with a flat back. Assemble using masking tape and partners.
A peek at teepee armatures ready for a doorway and then a single layer of papier-mâché.
FIVE Move onto adding a doorway that is front-facing with a horizontal crossbar and two lower sticks running verticle made out of tiny wooden dowels. The doorway is a great addition to personalize the teepee but be sure it’s large enough for a battery tealight candle to be placed inside. Doorways can be triangular, square, or even arched!
SIX Papier-mâché the teepee armature using light-weight paper similar to copy or butcher paper, so the finished teepee will glow when the tealight candle is inside.
Dry teepee overnight.
A completed teepee just before being embellished. Add a tealight candle for a lovely nighttime glow.
SEVEN Sketch out bags for travel on watercolor paper. Did you get the workshop title? Alpaca my bags… I’ll pack my bags! Gear for travel may include suitcases, stuffies, plants, firewood, gifts, coolers, and more! Once sketched, outline with a fine point permanent marker and color using sparkle gel pens. Carefully cut out.
EIGHT The much-loved alpaca is smaller than a llama. Simply sketch and cut an alpaca from faux alpaca fur. The alpaca is best drawn from a side-view and embellished with a bag using fabric felt, pom-poms, and any other exciting decor. The fabric alpaca can be attached to the canvas using white school glue or hot glue.
NINE Attach the teepee to the canvas using hot glue or Gorilla Glue (adult use). Dry. Artists can then embellish their attached teepees using glitter sticky foam pieces, pom-poms, pom-pom ribbon, large tissue paper confetti circles, felt, yarn tassels, and more! Repeat a design around the three sides of the teepee sculpture to create a little radial symmetry.
An alpaca artist at our mini-exhibit! Love at “furry” sight!
“Oh là là”… the nighttime glow just before the mini-exhibit + recognition ceremony. All lights were on deck.
Probably one of our favorite exhibits with an amber glow and all-round ambiance into the night.
Galaxy skies aglow…
… a night to celebrate and remember!
THANK YOU to everyone for joining us in the studio for an artful evening to celebrate!
Tag us @handmakery with your creations on Instagram! Follow our blog for more inspiring process-based art projects! As always, thank you for following this artful adventure! Send us a note anytime! We’d love to hear what you’re thinking and dreaming! Much love and happiness creating in this creative + colorful world full of collaboration + connection + community + arts & crafting! Happy New Year!
FIRST FRIDAY we hosted our annual + traditional ~ Candy Cottage + Golden Ticket Event! It was a cozy evening as every seat in the studio SOLD OUT several weeks in advance. Artists spent two hours in the art studio dreaming up delightful + decorative details using candies and other exciting embellishments downtown in the heART of the Carbondale Creative District. Earlier in the evening many families visited Santa over at Carbondale Arts for a festive photo and join in The Annual Tree Lighting Celebration on Main! Take a peek!
Love how this candy cottage has an elegant “squishy stained glass” appeal.
This event was offered as a “drop off” so parents could stroll downtown and dine, while kids could come together in a creative community focused on colorful cottages and candy!
A detailed roof captured in color, pattern, repetition, and texture, yet oh so tasty!
Shimmery smiles of sugar plums.
Surprise and wonder with a hint of maker magic!
The workshop was buzzing with Santa’s elves hard at work. Even a few reindeer were making their way around to artfully assist!
Tiny hands making BIG art + accomplishments.
Love how the elements used in this candy cottage compliment one another for a eye-catching contrast.
Lots of thought went into how each artist was going to design and decorate their custom candy cottage!
The entryway of this sculpture was complete with a marshmallow arch and tiny rainbow balls to detail.
A sticky Friday night with “Visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads”…
There were many tasty temptations.
Another delightfully detailed rooftop, could you guess her father’s precise profession?
Many artists focused on spectacular landscapes to surround their clever + crafty creations.
A lovely rainbow pattern to define and detail!
The hunt for the perfect treat to tailor.
The magic of the makers felt a bit like mingling in Santa’s workshop!
A gorgeous straw rooftop made by this mini maker.
The creation of a landscape architect!
Making memories as makers that were m-m-m good!
The delightful details of kids as creators.
All was calm. All was bright! We truly had a wonderful night!
This artist received a special recognition for ~ TheMost Delightfully Detailed, but it was not an easy decision for the reindeer judges with all the impressive candy cottage creations!
A close up of the cottage selected as ~ The Most Delightfully Detailed.
It was pretty peaceful as parents came to pick up, just as the clock struck eight!
Another mighty fine cottage with a fantastic landscape to compliment!
handmakery A pretty peek at a priceless + perfect + on point pairing when it’s purely your painting party! Photo popped seconds before a parade of lil’ people were about to pour in for possibilities to ponder, and you’re the party person to please!
Happy Holidays! Tag us @handmakery with your creations on Instagram! Follow our blog for more inspiring process-based art projects! As always, thank you for following along on this artful adventure! Send us a note anytime! We’d love to hear what you’re thinking and dreaming! Much love and happiness creating in this creative + colorful world full of collaboration + connection + community + crafting!
Thrilled to introduce you to Gina Vide ofWillowday! Gina is an amazing (…and oh SO talented) artist living in Sweden, between the sea and the city! She’s flower-inspired, a maker of miracles + magic + moments, with an ornate eye for “delightful detail in the delicate” captured through design and illustration! Her style is whimsical + wondrous, and completely full of woo + wow + wonder! She loves creating + crafting with children and exploring a creative + colorful childhood. So honored to have Gina’s ABC Flower Safari and Fir Fox + 24 Flower Friends travel to our studio for a little collaboration! Literally, they came by airplane into Aspen, for First Friday ~ September, to celebrate our One Year Anniversary, in our NEW location on Main Street! TODAY, Gina launches her ABC Flower Safari Art Prints! Next month she’ll launch her NEW book ~ ABC Flower Safari! The timing is just perfect to celebrate a sneak peek of her creations through a hands-on artmaking experience inspired by the artist herself! Enjoy peeking into Gina’s amusing animal alphabet as a little tasty treat this Thursday! Enjoy the joyous journey!
Our First Friday artmaking event ran from 6 – 8 PM. Early birds anxiously waited outside the studio, with faces and hands pressed to the glass! Happy faces were peeking in and excited to get creating with Gina’s ABC Flower Safari! Yes, a true artful adventure for all ages!
Gina Vide creates magic with her whimsical creatures made from paper, paint, cardboard, and flowers. Here you can see “Fir Fox” and a few of his furry friends as they take off by airplane from Sweden to visit the Rocky Mountains, landing in Aspen | CO, just before we picked them up for the ABC Flower Safari Exhibit!
Every letter of ABC Flower Safari is inspired by an animal and a coordinating flower. Meet “Fir Fox” pictured above. Can you even believe Gina created a full alphabet connecting an animal to a flower? We have her ABC Flower Safari Art Print in the studio and we’re happy to announce these original prints are now available in her Art Print Shop! You can also read more about our collaboration on Willowday!
A favorite photo of a little artist completely inspired by Gina’s “Fir Fox”! Children used cardboard, paper, paint, and flowers to create their very own Willowday inspiredmasterpiece on First Friday! Gina’s imagination runs wild, can’t even think about how whimsical her NEW book ~ ABC Flower Safari will be! Love this must-see, “Fir Fox” Adventures | No 4 | ~ “Once upon a Friday, Fox read a fairytale in the fern fort.” #willowdayfoxtales
Gina’s “F is a Fir Fox” is part of a series she developed to spark imagination in kids and the world around them, using flowers, paper, cardboard, and animals. You can use #willowdayproject to share some of your very own creations part of #willowdayflowersafari on Instagram!
Gina started this series with kids in mind. It grew from her long interest in children, teaching, nature, play, and parenting with a fun crossover to illustration. She loves the simplicity of elements and imagination found in nature walks with children that evoke a story.
We met several years ago on Instagram (@willowdaygram + @handmakery) and became part of the Rockin’ Art Moms. Over the years we’ve kept in touch and have formed a friendship afar…someday we’ll meet! Gina started a summer series, Friday Flowers for Kids, on Instagram. She was able to complete her delicate + detailed series by September as the perfect highlight to welcome fall and First Friday! It all came together and the gallery wall went up with ~ ABC Flower Safari handcrafted by Gina Vide!
A favorite letter is Gina’s “Lilac Llama”! We weren’t able to get ahold of lilacs this late in the season but how this artist so lovely improvised! Discover Gina’s 3D Lilac Llama with template to make your very own.
The studio was alive and in full bloom as children of all ages shuffled through the studio (sneak peek) with their families. Picking flowers, painting cardboard, cutting and gluing paper, assembling parts and arranging pieces.
Look at this delightful dog inspired by Gina’s letter D “Daisy Dog” created by a nine-year-old, aka my daughter!
A most mastered “Hydrangea Hedgehog” inspired by Gina Vide’s letter H!
Love how this family formed a team of makers.
This sweet-sisterly duo spent the evening inspired, emulating Gina’s letter P “Peony Pig” for a priceless + pink + pair of pigs on parade!
This family “art affair” definitely brought community, closeness, collaboration, creativity, color, and craft to a complete circle!
A couple of happy zookeepers in the studio of safari!
Another F is for “Fir Fox” mastered by this maker!
Meet E is for “Eucalyptus Elephant” definitely a most favorite in the ABC Flower Safari collection!
This artist must have known she’d need to wear red to compliment, and really make her gorgeous green elephant pop in this priceless photo with a little P-O-W-!!! and polka dots!
Many artists were intrigued and inspired to create their own creations and unique combinations! Love this delightful D for dolphin!
With our logo being the owl, couldn’t conclude without adding Gina’s letter O is an “Oxypetalum Owl” handpainted in one of our most favorite tints of turquoise!
Love how this mini maker matches her eyes to her owl’s eyes in a wide-eyed expression! Hooo!
Next month Gina Vide will be launching her NEW book ~ ABC Flower Safari! We look forward to celebrating with her! Be sure you’re on Gina’s Willowday Mailing List! Excited to announce HANDMAKERY will be highlighting a very special “fox celebration” inspired by Gina’s “Fir Fox” which is perfect as we welcome fall, the changing seasons, and Gina’s NEW book!
In the studio, Gina also creates the most beautiful pieces using petals, leaves, and other items collected from nature during her walks in nature! Definitely pop into her Art Print Shop and say hello! Thank you Gina Vide for bringing your inspiration all the way from Sweden! So LOVE all you do!
Tag us @handmakery with your creations on Instagram! Follow our BLOG for more inspiring process-based art projects! As always, thank you for following along on this artful adventure in beautiful Carbondale | CO at 449 Main Street! Send us a note anytime! We’d love to hear what you’re thinking! Much love and happiness creating in this creative + colorful world full of collaboration + community!
Happy Summertime + July 1st! Excited to announce we’re partnering with Deep Space Sparkle as an art presenter in their Draw, Paint, Make online workshop this Saturday, July 7th! Learn more about this incredible art workshop, the art teachers involved (pictured below), and all the amazing techniques, processes, and projects featured! In this artfully amazing workshop, we’ll be demonstrating all the steps + secrets + special techniques used to create our recent ~ Lil’ Llamas in Pajamas Party Project! Designed, dreamed up, and created with mini-makers in our very own downtown studio! Within the workshop, we’ll also be giving a tour of our NEW art studio (click for a sneak peek) and its organization for creating with children! Join HANDMAKERY + six other art teachers to jazz up art projects with inspiring, yet easy, processes, plans & techniques this Saturday!
Our Lil’ Lamas in Pajamas Project focuses on painted pillows, poufs, ottomans, and wallpaper as interior design elements. It also highlights lovely lil’ llamas, a pajama party a-poppin’, the artist as a photographer peeking into the party, a masterpiece mix of techniques using sketching, drawing, painting, collaging, photography, interior design, expressive color, a unique + exquisite color scheme, patterns, layering, humor, a fun storyline based on the letter P, and more! Did we mention, in our six-week workshop creating with children, we topped it off with our very own pajama party plus mini-exhibit for our mini makers!?! Would love for you to join us this Saturday for Draw, Paint, Make! We’ll definitely be there chatting and chiming in! See below, photos highlighting one of our favorite projects we’ve designed for kids! Be sure you’re following us @handmakery on Instagram for the latest and greatest creative happenings!
The art studio was filled with mini maker exhibits and recognition ceremonies as ALL six-week workshops wrapped up last week! We celebrated our fifth exhibit, an end of the week highlight, hosting a FIRST FRIDAY “kid at heART exhibit” showcasing my 88-year-old grandfather, Bob Fadely aka Papa Bob, and his very first art exhibit ~ COLORING IN COLORFUL COLORADO! Megan Tackett, an incredibly talented and enthusiastic writer, captured my grandfather in both a delightful article in The Sopris Sun and live interview on KDNK! After it was all said and done, my most genuine Grandfather shared with me, “Last week was one of the BEST weeks of my life!” “Art (without a doubt) washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso
As springtime unfolds the outdoors become artfully alive! Dragonflies always mesmerize with their stealthy speed, shimmery color, intricate detail, and pattern on point. They lead us to our favorite outdoor places and spaces, including rivers, ponds, and lakes. Spring into a simple process upcycling household goods to create a bountiful + beautiful ~ DIY Delightful Dragonfly dreamed up in the HANDMAKERY art studio! Simply take a peek!
Excited to share with you our original, Myself the Elf Christmas Countdown! A project dreamed up for our Modish Mini Makers art workshop ~ On Holiday: making + creating to give! A handmade treasure that can be used year-after-year for a traditional holiday countdown and also for teeny-tiny treasures! Love how they look so much like their mini makers! Take a peek!
This week I’m guest judging the KIDSCRAFTS101 WEEKLY CHALLENGE over on Instagram! Simply tag all your kid crafts, #kidscrafts101. Just follow @kidscrafts101, co-hosts @redtedart + @incredibusy, and guest judge @handmakery over on IG! Tag all your #kidscrafts101 throughout the week and I’ll feature a collage collection and highlight the makers on Sunday! Truly hope you’ll join us, such a fabulous way to celebrate creativity + craftiness + childhood + a colorful life + connection thru community! It’s absolutely a fantastic + fun-filled + fabulous adventure! If you haven’t yet joined Instagram, it’s incredibly easy! I’ve met so many wonderful people locally and throughout the world on this platform. Here’s a peek at a few inspiring IG feeds to follow to get you started!
SUPPLIES
3D countdown calendar with 25 mini drawers
Patterned papers
Clear packaging tape
Light chipboard and single ply cardboard
Pencil + Scissors + Ruler + Utility knife for adult use
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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