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September: Garden Impressions With Claude Monet PART 2

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Picking up where we left off, I am sharing two more Monet inspired projects my daughters and I did at home last month which I'm pretty sure grown ups will enjoy just the same. These projects invite you to go spend some time outside the house, just as far as you can manage while still practicing social distancing, and appreciate the natural elements around you. If you have a garden, no matter how big or small, it's a chance to see it in a new light and find fresh beauty in it you may have otherwise missed. It has been raining quite a lot lately but when the sun does come out, I invite Read More

SEPTEMBER: Garden Impressions With Claude Monet Part 1

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If David Hockney prompted us to explore the minute details of the indoors last March, Claude Monet inspired us to look outside and enjoy the natural beauty of the outdoors throughout the month of September. The Garden of Monet at Argenteuil, 1900 Unfortunately, we didn't go walking in the woods or traipsing by a bubbling brook, as one would imagine Monet doing to get inspiration for his work back in the day. It would have been wonderful if we had but the girls and I could only go as far as the backyard garden. As city folks though, I actually feel that we are, in fact, quite lucky to Read More

August: Color & Expression With Alma Thomas

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Last month, the colourful, abstract expressionistic paintings of Alma Woodsey Thomas gave us life! Summer picked her as our featured artist for August and we enjoyed recreating her work. Alma Thomas in her studio, ca. 1968 In fact, if you are looking for projects that can put your mind at ease and cheer you up at the same time, Alma Thomas's work is the perfect inspiration. But before getting into the activities, let's get to know this legendary woman a little bit more. MEET THE ARTIST Alma Thomas has always been a creative child. As a little girl, she enjoyed making puppets, Read More

JULY: Imagine And Play With Joan Miro

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My 7 year old daughter Emma selected Joan Miro for July's Artist In Focus. We studied and took inspiration from his playful art style which has some similarities to Picasso's. They were both known to be the best Cubist and Surrealist artists from the early years after all and were also good friends. Joan Miro was not only a painter, he was also a sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona, Spain. It's understandable why his work appeals to children like mine. There is a very child-like and carefree quality about them that was, historically, revolutionary during the 1930s. He re-defined Read More

Garden Walk DIY Activity Zine

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These days, unable to explore and go on trips as much as we usually did pre-Covid, the backyard garden is a piece of heaven. There is an almost-too-small- swing which my kids always gravitate to. They sometimes set up a table and some chairs then pretend to have a tea party or they lay out a blanket where they relax and enjoy their snacks. I try to join when I can. When I do, my favorite thing to do is watch the birds flutter about the trees or spot the many different flying insects that circle the lawn. It's quite surprising to discover the variety of wildlife that thrive in and frequent this Read More

JUNE: Freedom Figures With Jacob Lawrence

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In June, when the Black Lives Matter protests just began to escalate again in America, and we, ourselves, in the Philippines started rallying, both online and offline, for the eradication of the Anti-Terrorism Bill, many of our conversations at home involved issues regarding social injustice, race, equality and freedom of speech. Naturally, our children had many questions but we saw it as the perfect opportunity to learn about these topics together with them. MEET THE ARTIST It was their first time to learn about race, so for our June artist in focus, we decided to learn about another Read More

Online Creative Classes With Skill Skout

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There has been a huge upsurge of online classes all over the world in the last few months. As people hunker down in their houses and children end up having to do school from home, we all find ourselves scouring the world wide web for sites and services that will help us make our time at home worthwhile and keep our children occupied and educated. Full class making Painted Paper Collages last May 27th As someone who makes a living holding art events and physical craft workshops, the quarantine has definitely forced me to rethink how I do things, adjust and adapt to the times. I have more Read More

C+V AnniverZine

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Last May 22nd, Kayo and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary. It's a pretty huge milestone for us and we are amazed by all that we experienced in the last decade together as a couple and as a family. There is definitely a lot to be grateful for and we could not have imagined or predicted all the wonderful things life brought us in our marriage so far. I really wanted to give Kayo something special but my shopping options are limited at this time so I decided to make something for him instead. I turned one of my handmade notebooks from my previous posts into an AnniverZine Read More

Collected and Sewn : DIY Notebooks

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I love paper. There's just something very soothing about working with it. And it's precisely why many of the craft projects I do involve cutting, pasting, folding, decorating and printing on paper. But even with this great big love for paper products, I do acknowledge the fact that I really ought to be conserving and recycling them more instead of hoarding and tossing them right away. This led me to upcycling projects such as collaging, making my own paper and junk journaling -- just simple, fun ways to keep me from wasting paper so easily. Lately, I've been really enjoying Read More

MAY: Objects and Stories with Betye Saar PART 1

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We are back exploring influential contemporary artists this month of May. We decided to skip April to give my girls some time off from structured art making and have more time for free play, which they spent with utmost enthusiasm. Now that we're back, I decided to introduce the girls to a more non-traditional artist who is known for making mixed media pieces. I wanted someone whose work does not primarily revolve around the painted canvas. Luckily, I came across Betye Saar in one of MOMA's At The Museum episodes. I read up on her life and work and was very much drawn to her eclectic art Read More