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Friday, February 21, 2014

Millie's Art Studio

Dear Friends and Family,

Millie and I are collecting interesting open-ended materials for our art projects, and we need your help!  We are looking for what we in the biz call “found objects”. These are items that might otherwise be recycled or discarded such as colorful bottle caps, textured packing material, broken jewelry, etc. In other words, things that you either already have around the house or are able to start collecting- we are not asking you to buy anything new from a store.

Here is a list I compiled to get your wheels turning about the possibilities:

1. Found Objects:
-interesting paper scraps: envelopes, junk mail, nature photos, cut up shopping bags, sandpaper, cardboard
- fabric scraps: wool, felt, corduroy, lace, velvet, leather, burlap, cotton (we already cleaned out Nana’s quilting supply!)
- wine corks
- yarn
- beads; jewelry that can be taken apart
- small wood scraps
- mosaic tiles
- buttons
- bottle caps, lids
- ribbon
- plexiglass
- Styrofoam trays
- small mirrors
- leftover/extra craft supplies (that you don’t plan to use again): colored tape, shaped paper-punchers, stickers, stamps, watercolor or other painting paper

2. Natural Objects:
- seed pods,
- dried/pressed leaves and flowers
- tree bark
- seashells
- smooth beach glass
- real feathers
- pebbles/stones
- pine cones
- roots; vines; twigs
- dried fruit peels
- pure beeswax (pellets, blocks, crayons)

Keep in mind that this will be process based art, so you don’t need to have any idea of what the end product will become (we won’t!).  Just think #1. Is it clean and safe? (No sharp edges, food stuck on etc), and #2. What interesting properties does it hold? Think: texture, color, shape and form, pattern.

Here are a few other things we are looking for that you may have lying around. And yes, you get Bonus Points for donating these to toddler land!
-       -small containers or dishes to store supplies (baskets, ceramic, wood, enamel, glass, stainless steel) - divided containers are a double bonus
-      - sponges
-       -nature/science tools: magnifying glasses, field guides, eye-droppers, small flashlight, binoculars, white or clear trays

Any amount of stuff you can collect, big or small, will be greatly appreciated. This is just the beginning of an ongoing adventure, so please feel free to send us stuff whenever you can! If you need our address just email me (helenjsansone@gmail.com).

We have some very exciting projects in the works, both for Millie and for the Mama-Teacher, so stay tuned!

Thank you in advance,
Millie, Helen, and Brady
xoxo

And now without further ado here is a tour of Millie's Art Studio... or as they say in Reggio Emilia: Mini Atelier :)
The layout:
 Left wall = easel with paints and block crayons (she's kneeling in the picture, we got the easel at a consignment sale for $7.50 and cut down the legs). On the top shelf are markers, colored pencils, tempera paint sticks, and oil pastels. Right wall = table and chairs:

Windowsill and shelf, top to bottom = paint brushes, glass jars for liquid watercolors, wooden caddy with various drawing materials, paper, homemade playdough (dyed with blueberry!) and tools, pan watercolors, paint/clean-up rags, various trays. The blue boxes to the left of the shelf hold jars of finger paints and tools for print-making:























Above: a couple of special decorations include the 3-d paper shapes rainbow mobile I made while pregnant (originally hung above her baby changing table), and the ceramic mouse that is part of a Beatrix Potter collection (a gift from Nana).

We hope you enjoyed the tour! Come back soon to see some of the artwork Millie has been creating, and our Big Plans for future projects.

3 comments:

  1. What a lucky little artist you are, Millie Bea, to have such a great space to do your projects! ox

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  2. This is so sweet! I love it! You're such fun parents. I will definitely be looking for "found objects." Can't wait to see what you both come up with!

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