New Year = New Projects.

After a looooong absence from my blog - I am pleased to say "Happy New Year" - to any and all who still check in!!
Thanks so much for all of your attention and lovely comments and support this past year. Blogging still feels a bit foreign to me - but so much more comfortable than one year ago - thanks to everyone who have welcomed me.

We at Camp Graeff have had a fun, busy, exciting, family-full time over the Holidays. I feel truly blessed!
Yes, and totally exhausted - but very satisfied - and ready to begin the new adventures in 2009.

My little peach received a very sweet sewing machine (Hello Kitty by Jenome) for Christmas and a ton of scrap fabric from Santa's dress workshop. She and I have started a simple quilt for her to practice using the machine. I truly hope to spend more time creating with my children in 2009.

2008 was all about reviving my own creative juices - and now I am hoping to be more "effective" with my stuff - so I can spend more time not thinking about work - and more time with (read: truly engaged) with my little people.

So here are a few pictures showing the organizing of the patterns and marking the squares for the quilt.



I wish all of you a wonderful and "Project Filled" 2009!!!

Lemonade.

When you have lemons.

I inevitably have problems with some of my prints. Especially when a block is new – the ink sometimes will not adhere properly – or a funny texture develops. I don’t have a heart to just throw them away – and in any case they make great coloring pages – as you can see here. I do need to add to the image selection or I might not have any takers next time!


Great work from the peanut gallery!

Home Sick.

I don’t know how your houses are this winter – but mine seems to be full of little sickies. Well, one little sick person in particular. My son has gotten every type of cough/cold – flu and earache for the last three weeks. So today, he is with me at home recovering again. I needed to make a few new prints of The House Next Door, so he decided to try his hand at creating his own print.

This is a really fun and easy activity to do with kids.

First he drew his idea onto the rubbery stamp material. It’s good to leave a bit of space between the elements so that the cutting tool has enough room to delineate each clearly. (please note PJ chic)


With smaller children ( and even big ones) it is important to show the proper way of holding the block while you cut– Behind your cutting hand. It is easy – even on these soft blocks to have the cutting tool get away from you and slip forward – this can make a nasty cut if your hand is in the way.



So here he is cutting out the negative space ( those areas which will not have ink).

Ok – all inked up (put on with rolling brayer for an even coating – nice and thick). I use an old picture glass from a frame that broke - watch the corners for sharp edges.



Try a test first to make sure that all of the areas look right – if not – then you can go in again to cut away more. I use water-based ink so cleaning up is really easy. The ink does stain clothes.


And here are the final prints – with some mixed media (crayon) embellishment. He is ready to open his own shop – what do you think?? They are titled "Rocket Off".