material delight

Oh there is something about a wild windy, rainy day and being tucked inside creating!!
There are some days when I love my job to bits!
The smell of weathered leather
The precision of cutting and punching holes
The satisfaction of gathering...especially in newly made vessels!
The delight of a little voice on the bench beside me singing 'miss polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick....' while thrusting a toy stethoscope into said dolly's tummy!
I think I will lay these out for a little after-school test-making
ready to be stamped with unique designs, just as we will do in the Gallery Cafe stamping series commencing this Thursday afternoon...
this week we will begin with inspiration from great artists who have used linocut technique in their art, we will sketch and plan our designs...ready for our coming weeks when we carve + create...and finally stamp some beautiful leathergoods + stationery with our very own designs!
Such satisfaction in gathering...such anticipation of wonderful making!

stamp making wrap up

What a wonderful series this was! The children produced such amazing work and are inspired to go and purchase their own tools and keep carving! They headed home loaded up with handmade stamps, gift tags, journals with handmade cover and a small drawstring bag to keep their stamps in - half the fun is all the things you can take home after all!!
I will let their work speak for itself below...what amazing artists!

thanks so much to my friend K for snaping some photos of our last session xx

flights of fancy with 3 year olds!

It was extraordinary...the flapping, fluttering, feathering focus in my home this last week! Several divine wee ones graciously joined me in road-testing the 'bird life' lesson of the Autumn series classes.

We jumped right into an enchanting world of birds as we read together, practiced our 'crests' and our 'flapping wings' - I just adore hearing what tumbles out of their mouths as they are carried along with the story!

Making time began with excitement - what are the 'presents' in the bag? With a tickle of feathers and a rambling dialogue of art terms like 'sculpture' and famous French sculptor 'Pompon' the children are transfixed through the session.

With the occasional call for help and outstanding effort for wee ones, my little students create the most beautiful masterpieces!!

We conclude the class with the messy stuff! Our leaf-litter blankets need some colour and stamping - such unique creations come out of this as the children mix and layer autumn colours!

With messy hands and happy hearts, our morning was a success indeed!
Thank you so much little ones and wonderfully supportive Mama's xx