Canadian artist Dave Barnes is kind of a sentimental guy, and I mean that in the best possible sense. In ‘art-speak’ he describes his work as developing out of the “practice of transforming modern concept to reveal nostalgic mood, sometimes referred to as “Oldification”.” Oldification, what a great term. It’s also how I feel when some young kid at the cafe counter addresses me as ’sir’. But it really is a perfect description of the saturated and yet faded vintage imagery Dave collages onto large and graceful silhouettes. See more of his portfolio here and also be certain to check out the fantastic line drawings.

There are so many great bloggers who have recently parlayed their special talents into print. And always striving to adhere to the universal rules of the playground I want to take the opportunity to share (which is rule #2, preceded only by rule #1 which is ‘play nice’) a few great new books and perhaps introduce you to some wonderful new blogs in the process. Given the context of the Junior Society I’ve selected this particular group because their ‘how-to’ books have kid-applicable content with either projects to create with your kids or for your kids. So go do a little exploring and then do a little shopping, adding great volumes to your shelves and supporting these creative ladies in the process.

name: Amanda Blake Soule
blog: Soule Mama
book: The Creative Family

name: Therese Lasky
blog: Softies Central
book: Softies, The Softies Kit

name: Amber Caravan
blog: Kids Craft Weekly
book: Everyday Craft

name: Amy Karol
blog: Angry Chicken
book: Bend the Rules Sewing

name: Kristen Rask
blog: Plush You!
book: Plush You!

Do you know any child that doesn’t have at least one Eric Carle title on their bookshelf? I’m hard pressed to think of one. From the Very Hungry Caterpillar to the Grouchy Ladybug his distinctive style of illustration has placed him in the pantheon of children’s book illustrators. While it may be old news to those living in the area of Amherst, Massachusetts, I recently learned of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art - with thousands of annual visitors, numerous workshops, classes and exhibitions (currently showing the work of Arnold Lobel of Frog and Toad fame) it seems like an amazing place.

And like most museums it has a gift shop, except this one is packed with all things Carle, including their newly released line of fabrics - my favorite depicting lines of holey foods (also see the pic of the museum cafe’s famous Hungry Caterpillar cookies complete with chew holes). To celebrate the new fabrics, the Carle Museum is offering crafty Junior Society members 10% off fabric orders through April 30th - just mention JrSoc during checkout!

I first saw Tamar Mogendorff’s work at the amazing shop Tiny McSmall where they carry a selection of her fabric birdhouses. Her website is like a brilliant cabinet of wonders filled with all manner of natural artifacts recreated in vintage fabrics, linen, knotted string and beads. While the fauna are spectacular, it’s the flora I love - forest mushrooms with their wild little roots, sprigs of branching coral, tubers sprouting in mason jars and heartbreakingly detailed pine cones.

So many great children’s books feature animals that exhibit human qualities in their speech, emotions and dress from Peter Rabbit in his natty blue jacket to Richard Scarry’s large cast of animal characters.  My favorite books growing up were CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia which I’d read in order and then start all over again.  It was probably these stories that cemented my love of well spoken, well dressed animals and likely explains the appeal of Minneapolis based artist and doll-maker Timothy Haugen’s amazing line of animals figures.  They exhibit beautiful craftsmanship and a healthy sense of humor.  Learn more about Tim’s work on his website Fantastic Toys.

It’s been ages since I last posted an update on the Flickr.com group I administer called Play Food! It’s a photo sharing forum to showcase all manner of handcrafted play foods: crocheted cakes, felted flapjacks, sewn sandwiches and knit noodle kugel. Believe it or not, we’re now more than 500 members strong with around 1,300 images of some of the tastiest crafts you can imagine. Below is a sampling of recent buffet submissions.

1. Cupcake Bliss!!, 2. Pasta sauce, 3. fruit bowl softie, 4. Handsewn Wool Felt Play Food Set, 5. Leche Louie, 6. berryberrycharlottecakeee, 7. Fresh Felt Veggies, 8. Cheeseburger & Fries, 9. more oranges, 10. Pretzel Play Food, 11. Happy Toasts, 12. le carrot, 13. Garlic Bread 3, 14. Chocolate Cake, 15. Clementine season!, 16. Pancakes Ring

If there is any valuable real estate left on Junior’s wall between finger painted masterpieces and his latest macaroni and glued cereal assemblage, I offer the following for your consideration.

Informed by an obvious love of roadside signage, Funhouse57 creates these naive style graphic paintings on found materials. At $100. and under for each original painting they’re an affordable way to introduce kid-friendly art into your home.

“Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said; “one can’t believe impossible things.”"I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Celebrating the art and illustrations from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-glass”, Impossible Things offers fantastic sets of reproduction prints depicting the illustrations that have graced various editions of these books.

Recently I came across the paper sculpture of UK artist Su Blackwell and was immediately and completely smitten. In her hands books burst into bloom or erupt into mountainous landscapes completely with glowing cottages nestled in enchanted woodlands. Often dealing with classic children’s literature such as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and JM Barrie’s Peter Pan she lifts illustrations from the books’ pages like some elaborate and fantastic pop-up. Indulge a few minutes to browse Su’s website to see more of her work including large scale installations and paper animations.

I know I’ve touted the merits of Thumbtack Press in the past posts - it’s a great site that i browse often. They partner with dozens of artists to create quality art prints (which you can purchase framed or unframed). There is a designated kid-friendly section with some fantastic offerings. Recently I’ve been enjoying the work of Riki Blanco whose imagery is packed with unexpected juxtapositions and big imagination! Most prints run around $25. unframed.