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Thrive and Trove Yard

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The girls and I were very fortunate to have been invited to the opening party of a new creative space and craft shop in Marikina City called TATY. That stands for Thrive And Trove Yard! Formerly known as Woak PH on Instagram, TATY is essentially a kids' maker studio that promotes skill-building activities and provides space for children to navigate risk as well as develop grit in art and making. You don't see a lot of kids' learning spaces in Manila where they are allowed to use real tools and do actual carpentry work. But in TATY, children as young as three are taught to handle hammers Read More

Jo Paints

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Jo, my youngest daughter, lost interest in painting early this year. As a result, I also held back on giving her painting projects for a time. Remember a couple of years back when the girls and I did various painting projects almost weekly? We stopped doing that almost completely as I let them explore their other interests, like Roblox and make up. But recently, when Jo learned her cousins have been taking up acrylic painting, she told me she also wanted to try. We checked out YouTube for some acrylic painting tutorials (there are tons!) and I let her pick the designs she wanted to work on. Read More

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. 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 have an access to our own lush patch of 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. 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, sculptures and plates out of clay she 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 the 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

Raggedy Pocket Dolls

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My children often come to me with ideas for projects. Half the time, I simply help them get the materials together so they can get it done themselves, but there are times when they really have no clue how to go about it so they ask me for help. Sometimes, we run to Google and YouTube for tutorials but I specifically enjoy the times when we just figure it out together. Last week, Emma remembered about the tiny handsewn La Pomme soft doll I made for her when she was two years old. She seemed to have misplaced it and wished she could have a new one. So I suggested that we make a new rag Read More

MAY: Objects and Stories with Betye Saar Part 2

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In this second series of art activities inspired by Betye Saar, we work on whimsical projects using miscellaneous materials. These were a lot of fun for the kids to work on because they were given freedom to make use of almost anything they could find. PROJECT 3: BRIC-A-BRAC OUTDOOR MOBILE Materials: Sticks, string, random objects to hang such as dried flowers, fuzzy wires, muffin cups, bottle caps, felt, beads, bells, etc This project is similar to making an assemblage as it involves collecting objects to put together, but instead of building inside an empty box, they string them 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