Nature Journal

Ellie's Homemade Nature Journal

Ellie and I took an afternoon last week, hiked and searched for treasure, and glued our finds in our nature journals! She loved this activity, especially since there were no "rules." Gluing flowers right on the paper was fine.

We brought along a mason jar with water for paints, watercolors, crayons, and glue. I brought a black, waterproof pen to write in our journals and document our finds.

I had my own spiral-bound watercolor journal, but I didn't have one for Ellie. I made her one by doing a basic bookbinding. I stacked three 9"x12" pieces of watercolor paper on top of each other, then folded them in half. Using the fold as the "spine," I used a tack (though a nail would work better) to make holes in the spine and tie yarn through the holes to hold the "book" together.

Including the cover, there are 12 pages, which ended up being plenty, as Ellie only really finished 2 pages on this one trip. We could make more books for each outing if needed, but this should get us through at least a few more hikes! It was also so nice to just sit in the grass and paint. So relaxing! Therapeutic time for Mommy too!

What's New, What's Next

Okay, there are SO many new things going on that I think I need a bulleted list. Prepare yourselves:

• This weekend, May 23rd-24th is Vermont's Open Studio Weekend! This map (from the Vermont Crafts Council, here) shows all participating artists and the location of their amazing studios! I can't wait to visit some of my favorites, like Sweet Enemy Art (site here).
• May 23, 11am-12:30pm at The Art Store, 409 Mountain Rd., Stowe, VT. Come on in and see some Journal Jam demonstrations (more info here), and make your own pages for FREE! I'll provide all supplies including watercolor paper, OR bring your own journal! The Art Store has supplies to purchase as well, including journals!
• Stay tuned this week for a new blogging schedule and new site content, right here, including daily journal updates (via our Instagram page, @artsourcevt), time-lapse tutorials, and inspiration from local artists.
• This summer is all about nature art, in our beautiful state! We're going to fill our journals with field notes and nature finds. I promise I will try not to scream like a maniac when a beetle lands on my sleeve.
• I got approved for a grant from the Vermont Arts Council to start a summer apprenticeship with Kristin Richland of Sweet Enemy Art (her site above). I can't wait to start -- hopefully in June, and I'll document my progress for ya'll to see!

What else? Any questions about what we do/who we are? Email me at artsourcevt@gmail.com, or contact me via Facebook!

Birdhouse Kit

Today in the studio, we're building a birdhouse kit! I feel a little ripped off with this particular kit, because the finished birdhouse is about the size of a blueberry muffin. I'm not sure any real bird could fit in it.

But Ellie absolutely loved painting it. She even said, "I love painting with you, Mama!" Melt my heart!

Though, I think next time we'll pick up one of the pre-made ones at A.C. Moore in the woodworking section and just paint it. It'll be cheaper, more fun, less glue, less mess, and we'll have a bird-size birdhouse for our feathered friends!

My dad said he'd send us binoculars, so we could watch and see if any birds move in!

Also, I have to admit... though highly unlikely, Mark and I were a tad worried that we may run into this situation if we left the tiny birdhouse outside...