Had so much fun creating these stamps with items I had around the house. I was inspired by Olivia, over at Atiliay. She’s known for making marks and helping us creative people to become unslumped! I had these loose little pieces of wood and decided to use them to make stamps by gluing different types of material to them with a hot glue gun. I haven’t made any marks with them yet. I’m planning to do a fun art class with the 4-year-olds at preschool. I can’t wait to see what marks they make. 
Category Archives: Art and Crafts
Art and the Process
Similar to art, life is a process. You start in one place and then the process leads you to somewhere you never thought you’d be. This summer I found myself leading a children’s art class. A dream come true…
and an unexpected destination in my life. It’s incredible what you can do when you put your mind into it and people see what your capable of even if you don’t see it at the time. The story is not long but a bit of a process so I’m going to skip it for now but i want to document the beautiful work that was born from leaping into this opportunity. 
It was such a treat working with these kids and I could never have taught them what they’ve taught me because each and everyone of them is a true artist. None of these kids need to be taught art, they just needed to be lead.
Kindergarten Art by Liam
Young childrens artwork is my favorite artwork to look at. So innocent and true. Pure and natural. I trust how they see the world thru unbiased eyes. So wonderful!
Highschool flash back
I created this piece for my highschool yearbook in 1996. 30 years and 4 kids later I almost forgot how much art was a huge part of my life.
I also almost forgot that I got my bachelor’s in visual arts communications! I worked in the field as a graphic artist for about 10 years and realized sitting behind a computer for sometimes over 10 hours a day was and is not for me. Art has always been a constant in my life. As a little girl I always had a sketch book a pencil and a box of crayons. I was obsessed with paper and the smell of paint. I loved that newspaper print and tempura paints I used to use in elementary school. I remember once while watching the Italian chanel with my parents there was an opportunity to draw a picture to be aired on the show. I drew a picture for my brother to enter and to my surprise, it got aired. I was very proud even though my brothers name appeared on it and not mine.
I also remember my classmates coming up to me and asking me to draw them dogs and bears to illustrate their stories during writing.
Creating covers for my book reports were always so exciting for me. And sometimes I’d put more work into my covers than the actual reports! I continued loving art all throughout highschool and having my artwork featured in the yearbook really built up my confidence.
With the guidance of my art reacher Mrs. Campbell, I decided to continue my education in art and long story short I majored in visual communication. I had created a sunburst in one of my art classes which was sent to a morning show and was picked to be aired. I never got to see it live but i got a copy of the show and again, felt proud of my achievement.
Looking back, I kinda wish that I had become an art teacher. I’m not sure why I didn’t, however during my years of raising my children there was always an art project or two ready to go almost every day. So, I guess in a way maybe I did get to teach art.
And now here I am. Working in a preschool and loving being a part of cute little art projects and it’s got me thinking that the next half of my life might be lesrning how to teach art to young children.
Happy St. Patricks Day!
Ten years of making leprechaun traps! I think we finally have a winner! Maybe this is the year that we will finally catch him and his treasures. Maybe not, either way I’ve got four beautiful gems so the leprechaun can keep his pot of gold.
Generous Ramadan!!
Ramadan, a holy month of fasting, prayer, and community for Muslims is right around the corner. It’s a time to reflect on faith, spend with family, and give to charity. It’s also a perfect time to get creative with family and friends.
My friend at Lulu+Jasmin has some fun stencils, tattoos, and posters in her shop that you can use to make beautiful greeting cards, and unique crafts, and create endless projects for the upcoming holiday or any future event. 
Here are some Ramadan facts: - Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
- During Ramadan, Muslims don’t eat or drink anything during daylight hours.
- The meal Muslims eat before sunrise is called Suhoor.
- The meal Muslims eat after sunset to break their fast is called Iftar.
- The end of Ramadan is celebrated with Eid ul-Fitr, the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast.
How can you celebrate Ramadan with kids?
- Decorate the house
- Bake treats
- Mark the days with a calendar
- Volunteer or give to charity
- Be kind to others
- Make snacks for Iftar
- Include children’s friends
- Encourage children to participate in fasting
- Introduce children to charitable giving
What are some greetings for Ramadan?
“Ramadan Mubarak” and “Ramadan Kareem” are common greetings during Ramadan, meaning “Have a Blessed or Generous Ramadan”.
Happy Lunar New Year
A happy lunar new year 2025! Wishing you happiness, prosperity, and good fortune in the new year. These cute little red envelopes from https://kccnj.com/chinese-new-year-envelopes/ were so much fun to make.
Artist: Lia Weiss
I found these beautiful pieces of artwork in an old sketch book that Lia had a couple of years ago. Maybe she was around 8 or 9 years old. Kids have such an imagination. So raw and natural. No limits. I miss that.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
Hope you find your pot of gold.
Dreidel dreidel dreidel
We made you out of clay, and when you’re dry and ready we hope that you will spin.
This is our first year making our own dreidels out of clay. The kids are older and can actually do this kind of stuff on their own. I actually sat back and watched this while eating some pumpkin pie. This was dad’s idea, anything that has to do with using your hands to create something is his cup of tea. He’s so good at that.
We used polymer clay. The clay was as hard as a brick when we opened it. I read that baby oil would soften it up, so they went ahead and baby oiled the clay, and continued to knead it until it softened up. It took a few minutes but soon enough they were able to start sculpting their individual dreidels. We popped them in the oven at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes, maybe more and out came these adorable dreidels. Tomorrow we will see whose dreidel does the best job spinning. I bet it will be dad’s.
