Cartwheels and summersaults! Summer has arrived and along with it the latest edition of LMNOP - one of my favorite online kids quarterlies. Talented mother and editor-at-large Jenny Lacey has rounded up a gorgeous product selection, parent profiles, beautiful photography and book reviews all for your enjoyment. This issue is packed with animal adventures you and your kiddo won’t want to miss. Best part? LMNOP subscriptions are free! Head directly to the LMNOP site to sign-up and download the current issue. How’s that for happy mail?!
be·spoke [bi-spohk] -adjective: made to individual order; custom-made
New York based ceramicist May Luk, recently returned from studies at Kensington Chelsea College and the Glasgow School of Art, combines her love of illustration and the potter’s wheel in these gorgeous bespoke silhouette plates. They’re so elegantly crafted, revealing the hand of the artist in their slightly irregular forms and dreamy glazed brush strokes. May Luk creates these plates from profile photographs of yourself, your honey, your kidlets or your parents. A brilliant and thoughtful gift. They’re completely utilitarian, dishwasher and microwave safe but I honestly can’t imagine taking it down from the wall long enough to eat off of it.
A big congratulations to Junior Society member Kris, whose name was drawn out of a fancy top hat as winner of the Toto Knits lion sweater! She says,
“Wow, I love the sweaters and being a knitter myself was inspired by the designs, I forwarded the post to some of my friends involved in aiding women with their craft businesses- so inspiring, Thank you!!”
‘Mtoto’ is the Swahili word for child and the inspiration for the name Toto Knits, a wonderfully imaginative kids knitwear collection ethically produced in Kenya by a group of local women. The cotton is locally grown and spun, and the wool is hand-spun and dyed. Toto Knits provides an opportunity for Kenyan women to gain financial independence while learning new skills and working in a flexible way which fits around their commitments to their families. I love the design, ethics and story of this mom-run company.
“Erin Brennan Allan and Mary Wambui met in 2002 when Erin moved from New York to Nairobi, Kenya to fund-raise for a school for children with special needs. Mary was teaching Arts and Crafts at the school and persuaded Erin to pick up a pair of knitting needles and get creating.
When Erin had children she became aware of the importance of employment opportunities that would allow women to work whilst still nurturing their families, particularly in Kenya where women are often unskilled and marginalized.
After some lengthy discussions with Mary, who had raised her three sons single-handedly, Toto Knits was born. With Mary’s knitting know-how, Erin’s love for all things baby and their years of friendship it was a perfect partnership. Mary now trains and manages a group of twenty knitters (with help from her son Cyrus) while Erin works on the designs and marketing.”
Erin was kind enough to send a sample all the way from Kenya of Toto Knit’s amazing cotton Lion Cardigan and I want to pass it along to a Junior Society reader! It you have a 2T sized kiddo at your house, leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, May 27th at 11:59 p.m. and I’ll pick a winner at random to be announced the following day.
Pirate’s booty that is. And the wonderful online shop Chasing Fireflies has plenty of it - from pirate puppets to costumes. My favorite has to be the combo shown at the very bottom of this post - they offer a beautiful Noah’s Ark set, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a kit to transform the ark into a pirate’s ship! I don’t know why it struck me as so funny, but now I can’t get the idea of animals outfitted in eye patches and bandanas out of my head. Arrrrggghhh!
Heads-up for a lovely new shop on the web full of great handmade items for the short set, Beebee Mod. Charming appliqued clothing, felt crowns, a forthcoming organic line and patterns for DIY enthusiasts are what compelled me to list this post under the ‘wardrobe’ merit badge, but don’t miss their gift items including brilliant sock animals and wonderfully modern quilts.
I love a good pop-up book and Parisian designer Marion Bataille has created a beautiful one. She is a widely published graphic artist and illustrator who also works for the Pompidou Centre, Le Monde and all the best French Publishers. While not slated for release until October of this year, her publisher Roaring Brook Press has provide a fun preview video - see below. You can also view the video here. ABC3D is available for pre-order on Amazon - only $14. hardback!
I’m pleased as punch to share that I will be teaching a series of craft workshops this summer with a great shop in Venice, CA (as of June 1st) called Sweetpeas & Snapshots, a vintage inspired crafting emporium run by the incomparable Mary Smilove. You’re invited to join me on June 14th from 11am to 2pm for the ‘Little Laundress Workshop’, a hands-on tutorial reworking the vintage craft of clothespin dolls. I’ve designed this workshop along with a beautiful class kit containing all of the materials you’ll need to create four dolls - from their wooden frames to their painted features, including new and vintage materials & notions for the perfect outfits.
This class is open to participants ages eight and up - so if you have an older crafty kid with the attention span for a three hour project, this could be a great way to enjoy a Saturday together. Now don’t let this scare you grown-ups off - I promise this is not daycare disguised as a craft class! You’ll be surrounded by gorgeous materials in a fun atmosphere and encouraged to create a quartet of dollies as simple or elaborate as you please.The workshop is limited to fourteen so you’re encouraged to register quickly! Class fees are $65. per person or save by bringing a friend (or a kid or a grandkid!) - only $110. when you register two people. Call the Sweetpeas & Snapshots shop at 310-479-2444 to register.
Please note that the images above are examples of clothespin dolls shown to spark your imagination. However we want to note that they were created by artists who are not affiliated with Sweetpeas & Snapshots or this workshop. The first two photographs depict dolls created by the amazing Lolliop Workshop where you can purchase completed dolls and the bottom photograph depicts dolls created by Susan Van Horn of My Sweet Imaginations who also sell the sweetest completed dolls.
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.
That’s me in the picture above, bundled beyond recognition, out for walk with my mom in our Pittsburgh neighborhood. I look a little like Randy in A Christmas Story.
Given that this Sunday is Mother’s Day, I’ve been digging around web and reading about the origins of the celebration. While there’s always a good reason to celebrate mothers, I always assumed it was another holiday fabricated by the greeting card industry but what I learned surprised me. The following excerpt is from a Wikipedia article on the subject, the links however are mine should you feel like doing additional reading.
The United States celebrates Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May. In the United States, Mother’s Day was loosely inspired by the British day and was imported by social activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War. However, it was intended as a call to unite women against war. In 1870, she wrote the Mother’s Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament. Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother’s Day for Peace. Her idea was influenced by Ann Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker who, starting in 1858, had attempted to improve sanitation through what she called Mothers’ Work Days. She organized women throughout the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and in 1868 she began work to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors.
When Jarvis died in 1907, her daughter, named Anna Jarvis, started the crusade to found a memorial day for women. The first such Mother’s Day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on 10 May 1908, in the church where the elder Ann Jarvis had taught Sunday School. Originally the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, this building is now the International Mother’s Day Shrine (a National Historic Landmark). From there, the custom caught on — spreading eventually to 45 states. The holiday was declared officially by some states beginning in 1912. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.
Considering the state of the world today, with wars effecting so many families around the globe, the history of Mother’s Day resonates all the more poignant. My mother lost a brother in the Korean War and saw my father narrowly avoid the Vietnam draft. It’s hard for me to fathom losing a sibling or spouse, let alone a son or daughter to war. Sending out love and prayers to mothers with children in the military seems appropriate today.
My mother would not have chosen to post the photo above - depite the fact that she looks adorable. Me on the other hand - cute but why didn’t someone tell me to sit up straight?! It’s a little hard to see, but look at me rockin’ that 70’s style with a groovy white belt and red houndstooth check polyester pants. Mom, I know there must be better pictures of us - and I’m hoping they’re in your albums, ’cause there not in mine. As I’m unable to be with her on Sunday I’m sending a virtual big kiss and bear hug. Love you Mom.
