Posts Tagged ‘kids’ art’

aliens & finnish names & facebook

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

This is pretty much a “random topics” kind of blog post.

Meet Porter’s alien friends. These are his latest creations. Porter and his friend Cameron spent hours drawing unique characters, organizing them, and playing with them. Kind of reminds me of his recent dinosaur art.

I shared some thoughts on how to nurture creativity in our children earlier this year. Going along with my 7th point in that post, this is a little reminder to photograph your kids’ art. They should be proud of what they create and of course you want to show them that you’re proud of them too. Getting out the camera helps instill that feeling.

For example: Porter and Cameron drew a bunch of little aliens and cut them out. I invited them to arrange their aliens on a piece of cardboard I had so we could snap a picture, which of course they were game for doing (see above). To take it a step further, they each laid next to their art to be in the picture too. This is Cameron and his aliens:

The result is that you’re not only preserving their art, but you’re capturing their age and stage of life at the time of creating that art. By the way, the boys love that it looks like they’re standing against a wall. This is what the scene really looked like:

Poster board on the floor (you could also use a blanket or sheet or even the floor itself). I intentionally did this right next to windows where I could get beautiful, natural, indirect lighting.

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A couple other mentionables today:

1. FINNISH NAME PLATES. My mom picked up a couple of “Saara” Finnish name plates for those who commented about that name (pictured here). But no one has claimed them. If you are Saara or know a Saara, please send an email HERE with a shipping address and my mom would love to  send you a Saara name plate. First come, first served. Attention: Cindy with a daughter “Hanna” — we saw your note and my mom needs your shipping address as well.

2. FACEBOOK. I need to address this Facebook Friend thing. For those of you who have sent me a friend invitation, I wanted to let you know why it hasn’t been accepted. You may notice on my facebook page that I have zero friends. And yet there are lots of folks getting my feed because they “like” me (I like you too, by the way).   ; )

That’s because I am set up as a page, not a personal profile. A facebook page is for businesses and organizations and the like. The difference is that anyone can get my facebook feed if they “like” my page. To be “friends” means both parties have to accept each other and then they get each other’s feed. I know I simply can’t keep up with that much feed.

My point: If you have invited me as a friend on facebook, that’s why I haven’t accepted the invitation. If you’d like to receive my feed, just go here and click on the “like” button next to Becky Higgins LLC (as shown here).

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Posted in family & children | 14 Comments »

recent POTDs.

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

In the world of Project Life, and specifically for those of us who are capturing a slice of life every day, POTD is an everyday term. It stands for Picture of the Day. Our kids have even started having an opinion of what they think should be in the POTD for our family’s yearbook. Love that.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared some POTDs, so here’s a look at some recent shots that help to illustrate our family’s story.

I’m a re-arranger. In our home, I move things around on a regular basis. This is the latest arrangement in the middle of our kitchen table. It’ll likely be different in a couple weeks. This photo illustrates my interest in home decor as well as one of my personality traits (I rearranged my bedroom furniture all the time as a kid.)

Reminder to moms who are creating books for their kids & families: Don’t forget to include yourself, your hobbies, your quirks, your interests. You are just as much part of the story.

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We are so grateful that Porter (7) and Claire (4) have such a special friendship and get along really well. One of their latest “things” is that Porter massages Claire’s ears. I’m serious. Totally random and totally sweet. This photo illustrates Porter’s caring nature and represents their sweet relationship.

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Last night’s dinner: French Dip sandwiches. One of our favorites and the kids’ first time eating them. Click here for the recipe. This photo illustrates an everyday occurrence and basic human function — eating. It’s part of life and therefore, part of our story.

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Our oldest niece has left for college. I’ve been thinking about Kyra a lot and wondering how she’s doing. So excited that she is going to experience life away from home. So excited for what is in store for her — educationally, socially, spiritually. So this was part of our text conversation this past week. This photo illustrates a family relationship, how texting is a part of our world, and how I personally embrace new beginnings in life.

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Speaking of new beginnings … our baby is learning to swim! Crew has had a handful of lessons and I work with him as much as I can. Every day he has had a lesson he is extra snuggly with me. And I dig it. Particularly because David is the main recipient of Crew’s snuggles at home. This photo illustrates how much this sweet boy really does loves his mama and how much I eat it up when he slows down enough to snuggle with me.

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The other night Porter wanted to watch some spy show. I wanted him to hang with me in the office while I did some projects. A few minutes later he handed this to me. I had no idea he was working on it. Honestly, I think the boy knows I’m a sucker for his art. Very manipulative, isn’t he? Of course I fell for it. This photo illustrates how Porter uses art to communicate his deepest desires. (Note: I scanned the art.)

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Every day there is something worth recording. Actually, there are a thousand little things worth recording. But even just taking a picture of one thing, writing one story or anecdote — these all add up to illustrate the story of our life. Even if it’s not every day, I know that so many of you are doing what you can to tell your story. I just love that.

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Posted in photography | 12 Comments »

10 slices of a good day.

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Yesterday was June 17th. An “ordinary” summer day. No holiday or major event or giant task. Lots of little to-do’s. But woke up feeling like it was going to be a good day. So I decided that it would indeed be … a good day.

And it was. Because every day just is.

Today, I encourage you to pay closer attention to the little reasons why it’s a good day for you. And then – of course – record it. Whether in words or pictures. Whether in a journal or on a blog or telling a loved one over the phone. I believe that when we record our blessings, we’re just become that much more aware of them. And therefore … happier.

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There are a million reasons why yesterday was a good day in my little world. Here are ten.

1. Good old-fashioned hose-down. You go, Claire. Take ‘em down sister. Note #1: This was very impromptu; hence the fully-clothed boys. Note #2: I assure you I do comb my daughter’s hair.

2. Daily drawings continue. Today Porter drew a custom space boy for everyone. So grateful for such good friends in our community. Good families. Good kids. Good people.

3. I caught up on four loads of laundry. Very good indeed.

4. I got to do a little unexpected spray-painting to help a friend with a little project. For sure good! Spray-painting is always a good thing. Helping someone in a pinch is even better.

5. Crew stood up in the bath and very intentionally – with a smirk on his face – body-slammed into the water, creating a tidal wave effect that covered my bathroom floor. The little stink. But my sense of humor won over my frustration in that moment and I’m grateful. We all had a good laugh over that one. Unfortunately this encouraged Crew to want to repeat the act.

6. David had a long day at work so the kids and I packed up a few plates of O’Henrys and surprised a few friends with a “hello” and a hug and these. It’s always good to tell someone you’re thinking of them.

7. One of those recipients is a brand-new friend. Meet Brenda Reed. Adorable, right? She really is. So is her little family. She is local to me. I knew she frequents my blog and follows me on twitter. I knew she has been diligent with Project Life and I’ve seen many of her POTDs (posted on her blog). They’re terrific. I thought it would be a good day to stop by her house and meet her. With O’Henrys in hand. It was indeed a pleasure.

8. When I saw this picture of us I noticed far more wrinkles than I realized I had. Like … a lot more. Sometimes I still think I’m 25?? BUT … I’m okay with that. Because wrinkles are good. Don’t hate me for saying that. I think wrinkles represent evolution and growth and add character to our features.

9. This evening I was properly put in my place. Being humbled is always good, right? Porter wanted to spend his money on this dumb machine at WalMart. We’ve never done it here before, but I’m quite familiar with how these machines work. And so I firmly expressed it.

“Porter, let me tell you something. It’s your money, but I want you to know how strongly I feel that this machine steals people’s mon—-”

Literally right at that moment, the darn grabber thing grabbed a toy. The look on Porter’s face was pure elation. And I knew that moment was golden for him. Because kids need to know that sometimes Mom is wrong. Sometimes Mom needs to have more faith.

Oh, and he immediately gave the toy to Claire. Because he’s that kind of a big brother.

10. Claire told me she loved me more than the marshmallows in her Lucky Charms. If you knew what those marshmallows mean to my four-year-old you would understand why I wanted to melt into a puddle on the spot.

That moment alone made for an instantly good day.

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This is the stuff of life. This is the stuff we put in Project Life. This is why I care so much about Project Life.

(Fine print: Those of you who have been patiently waiting for Project Life to become available again … we’re getting close. Hopefully just a few more weeks. I’ll be sure to announce when those kits arrive at Amazon.)

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Posted in family & children, giving, photography | 27 Comments »

dinosaur art

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Things are always changing in our home. I probably rearrange something, switch a picture out of a frame, move an accent from here to there, paint something … every week. Sometimes daily. It’s my little creative outlet I guess.

This is the latest change to our play room. Found this awesome clock at WalMart, of all places. Already had everything else – the frames and stands, the painted wooden animals (from World Market) and bookcase (from Razmataz). And I left Porter’s handwritten alphabet in the smaller frame from when he was almost 5 years old.

The dinosaur art is new. Porter loves to draw. It’s never the same thing. It’s whatever he sees or feels like that day. Recently it was dinosaurs. One dinosaur per sheet of paper.

I love putting the kids’ art in frames or hanging it on the walls or using it as our desktop wallpaper. Not only because I’m their mother and therefore a total sucker for everything they write and draw … but displaying their art nurtures their creativity and boosts their ego. If you missed my post about Nurturing Creativity in Our Children, you can find that here.

So back to the dinosaur art. This is what I did:

1. I scanned each page (at least 300 dpi).

2. I opened up each file in Photoshop and cropped each piece of art so that each dinosaur (with a little space around it) was 4″ x 3″. I knew the size of my frame and just figured it out so I would have 9 sections for the 9 dinosaurs.

3. In Photoshop, I created a canvas size (fit for my frame) and one by one, I dropped each 4″ x 3″ image onto the canvas.

4. I added a bit of text at the bottom. (Mom taught me to sign and date everything.)

5. I saved the document as a .psd (so all the layers are still there and in case I ever want to make changes) and as a .jpg. The jpg file is what compresses all of the layers and you can upload that to be printed.

Oh, the possibilities! Perhaps this is something you could put to good use with your favorite art that came home from school this year? Maybe you have been hanging on to the art from your own school years. Wouldn’t that be cool to create a grid of your own masterpieces?

Now that the file is created – this collection of dinosaurs – it’s super easy to print 4×6 copies of this and send postcards to friends and cousins. That’s next on the list of summer activities.

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Posted in DIY, family & children, home, style & design | 19 Comments »

valentines for the kiddos.

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

So you have an idea on what to share with other families for Valentines (see “Post-it Love” below if you missed it), but how about the kiddos? Most kids will be exchanging Valentines with their friends, so here’s a simple idea for that.

Something I try to do with any of these little holiday exchanges, is make it personal. I want my kids to be involved in creating these little gifts that they give to their buddies. Plus, it’s awesome, creative togetherness time. Here’s the end result of Porter’s Valentines that he’ll be exchanging next week with his first grade classmates:

(Claire’s art is pretty darn cute too … she just needs to finish coloring it.)

And this is how it’s done. Put some goodies or yummies in small, clear bags. Check the craft store or use plain ol’ ziplock bags. I use those most of the time, but happen to have like a thousand of these sturdy poly bags, so that’s why I used those instead. Anyway, no matter what you use … give the bag some sugar. : )

Have your child create a little bit of Valentines art. Let them be creative and express their wishes however they choose. You just need to provide the paper already cut down to a horizontal rectangle, knowing that it will be a bag topper. Porter wanted to write this message and add a few hearts. Appropriate. Then … scan the art and pop that image a document a couple of times, keeping in mind that the width needs to be adjusted to be whatever your bag width is. Also keep in mind that it will be folded, so your art is toward the bottom with space above it for the folding. This is what my finished document looks like.

Then of course, you print as many as you need, cut the labels, fold them over the bags, and staple. Done.

Here’s what the kids did last year. Again, personalizing with their own creativity: “Valentines & Another Give-away”

And another idea from the year before: “A Simple Valentine”

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Posted in DIY, giving, holidays & seasons | 2 Comments »