I am so excited to share with you a little bit about my summer art camp. I had dreamed of hosting a summer art camp for many many years before it became a reality. Hosting a camp where kids get to explore new art mediums, learn new techniques and be creative was what I envisioned and it has been a reality for the last four years. I have loved watching kids of all ages create and try new things. It is an absolute joy to me. 

Last year, art camp had to pivot and the Art Camp in a box was born. I was so excited to be able to offer the fun of camp in the safety and convenience of your own home to many more children than I could reach in my own small town. I am grateful that I am able to once again offer Art Camp in a box along with in-person camp if you’re local to me. 

So what can you expect from art camp in a box? First of all you will get a box mailed to you with many of the supplies that your artist will need for their projects. I do ask that you provide some of the supplies that would be hard to ship and that you probably already have on hand. Things like scissors, pencils, markers, glue and other coloring mediums are what I will ask you to provide. A complete list will be emailed to you once the boxes are mailed so you have time to gather supplies before the videos start.

That brings me to the next part of Art Camp in a box. I’m not just going to mail you a bunch of supplies and expect you to know what to do with them. I will be making teaching videos to guide your artist through each project. This year I hope to make some of the videos during our in-person art camp so your artist will also get to see kids (other than just mine) doing the projects too.
Lastly you will be invited to a private facebook group where I will post links to all the videos and a post where artists can share their finished projects. After all, the best part of art camp is seeing what everyone creates! Look at some of these great creations from last year:

There are two different age groups for art camp. One art camp is for kids who just finished kindergarten through 4th grade and another camp for kids who finished 5th grade and up. If your child is more experienced in art projects and almost in the next group feel free to move them up. The groups are pretty fluid. It just helps so that I am not making projects too difficult for the younger kids or too easy for the older kids. I cannot wait for your artist (or YOU!) to join us for this year’s Art Camp in a Box. Our projects will be based on the 7 Elements of Art, so we will explore line, shape, form, color, value, space and texture. There will be learning and there will be LOTS of creating and fun!!

Please feel free to message me on social media or email me if you have any questions about this Art Camp in a box!

Let me join the chorus of voices saying things like “This has been a crazy year.” It really goes without saying, and yet we keep saying it, right? Well, this year has not only been full of unusual challenges, it has also given us a chance to really think about the people we get to share our lives with, be it in person or from afar. I know that I have found myself wanting to let people know more than ever just how much they mean to me. So now, as we enter the Christmas season, it is a great time to think of some creative ways to show people we care… but since it is 2020 it may need to be done on a tighter budget than usual.

December is really the only month you will find me being crafty. When Aiden was little it was a regular craft-a-palooza. Even before that, I was always the aunt who would break out the paint and glitter when kiddos would visit. However, in this season of life I find myself crafting less. At least until the Christmas spirit kicks in! So, this year I started looking for new projects to do this month and I found a tutorial for keychain chapstick holders. I immediately thought this was brilliant, because my husband will tell you that I immediately lose any chapstick I buy. I think they actually go to live with all the ponytail holders I buy. Anyhow, I knew I wanted to make these, and of course I knew that Jamie would make awesome tags!

Isn’t that cute? We are planning to make these for his homeshcool friends. (Shhh… don’t tell! Ha!) I love that we can use different fabrics to fit the personality of the recipient, and then adding Jamie’s tag is the perfect touch! This month you can get the digital file to print your own tags like this if you subscribe to the newsletter! Let’s spread the “chappy” wishes and have some fun!

Of course I also have people in my life who I want something a little different for. These are the kind of people who need more chocolate in their lives! So I also love the idea of filling whisks with kisses to spread a little punny joy to some of my favorite people. Luckily, Jamie has a tag for that as well! You can find the printable tags for this project in her shop.

Last, but not least, for the book lovers in your life I love these bookmarks! Coloring these in and adding them to cards or gifts is such a special way to bring more meaning to the holidays. These can be found in the shop as well.

What handmade gifts are you working on this year? I would love to hear about them in the comments!

If there is one season I have loved even more since becoming a mama, it is Advent. I know that as children we sometimes had our little advent calendars with the doors that open to reveal chocolate inside, but I don’t remember ever having a focus on setting aside time to prepare our hearts for the joy of Christmas. As an adult, I enjoyed the Advent services at church, but again didn’t really bring that idea of meditating on the Word home with me. It was when Aiden was born that I started really realizing what a blessing it is to set aside time to study the Bible as a family.

We didn’t wait until Aiden was old enough to join in to start building some of these habits. He loved listening to us read as a baby, and it felt natural to start reading the Bible aloud during my personal study when he would be playing next to me. As he grew, I loved finding way to get him involved. When he was a toddler we used an advent resource that had us create ornaments each day, and we had a lot of fun with that. However, it was a lot of work to collect all of the supplies and we rarely made it through more than the first couple of weeks. We have tried other things through the years, and each one has been a blessing to our family in its own way. Each year I look forward to this time together!

Last year, we used the Names of Jesus Advent Coloring Cards for our evening time together. I love the idea of studying the names of Jesus during this season, and I also loved the idea of not having to gather anything but crayons or markers! I wanted there to be a creative element, but I also needed simple. These coloring cards were a perfect fit!

I will say that Aiden has never been a big fan of coloring. He has never had any interest in coloring books, and always asked if he could have blank paper instead. However, he loved using these cards. I think the key is that they are small. For kids who aren’t big fans of coloring, handing them a whole page to color feels like a LOT. This was much more manageable. We also loved displaying our cards in the door frame of our kitchen where we could see them every time we walked by. I had gone into the season thinking I would come up with some fabulously creative way to display the cards… but then reality kicked in and I realized that scotch tape and a door frame was just right! (I only wish I had gotten a better photo of them there! That’s a goal for this year!)

I know from experience that it can feel overwhelming to look through pinterest ideas and different curriculums while trying to find the perfect way to make the holiday season “magical” and memorable, but I find that I am most thankful for the memories of when we found time to be quite and worshipful as we savored the days leading up to the celebration of the Savior! Of course I also enjoy covering the world with glitter and we can sing and dance to “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” with the best of them. I just love having a Heavenly Father who provides us with both JOY and PEACE, and I am thankful that Jamie has designed this wonderful resource to help us dig in to who He is and why this season is so special.