Ruud Bergmans was born in Holland in 1939. He was number five of seven kids, and he always had an itch to leave his small town and large family. He married my mom, a girl from the town next door who was also ready for an adventure, had three kids, and moved 11 times by…
Easy Forts
Kids love forts! It’s true. I have never met a child who doesn’t love small, enclosed spaces where they can hide their stuff, and hide themselves. I remember as a kid begging my parents to let me sleep in the basement, in the small storage room that was full of secret stuff. They let me!…
Teacher Gift Tags
I made these over the weekend and thought I’d try offering them as free printables! I’ve never done this before, so I hope I’m doing it right. I bought some card stock that went through my printer (65 lb. weight). Then I cut them out by hand, punched a hole and put in a string. I…
Gift Tags from Paint Chips
It’s about that time of year: I need to start thinking about teacher gifts. Usually, I like to do a little homemade something-something. I have an inkling of what I’m going to do this year (maybe not homemade, but I’m OK with that), and I’ll top it off with these hand drawn gift tags! This…
Pujaki: Paper Chandelier
I’ve become a little obsessed with making a Pujaki. The word Pujaki is polish and translated it means “spiders of straw”. There is a strong folk arts & crafts tradition in Poland. In the winter, when much of the outdoor activities were suspended, Polish peasant families would spend their time preparing for on of their…
Operation Alphabet
Note: Since first writing this post in 2012, the Ministry of Letters is no longer around. But I just loved the clever concept of a singing alphabet, so I left this post up as creative inspiration. You can still buy their book! Have you discovered the Ministry of Letters yet? There is a secret world that not…
A Kids Art Room
I love this art room for kids. It’s so simple, but has everything you need. A quiet and clean space, a chalkboard wall, neat and organized supplies, and a place to display art. The chandelier is actually a laundry drying rack from Ikea…so clever. What a great place to let your imagination run amuck!
Recycled Postcard Banner
My sweet neighbor, Georgy, turned 103 last week. Yep! She was born in 1909. We visited her in her house that she built with her husband in 1939. She lives alone, but is loved and taken care of by many. She still cleans her own house and takes walks up the street on nice days….
Happy Mother’s Day!
My mom in Holland, 1971. My kids call her Oma. She is an incredible human being, remarkable in every way. She has taught me to stay strong, rise above it, keep trying, be grateful, smile at everyone, give generously, laugh at myself, cross at the light, stop complaining, eat my protein, cherish my marriage and,…
Maurice Sendak
Today we lost beloved children’s book author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak. He was a man who accepted and embraced vulnerability. He understood the fear of the unknown and saw the complexities of mankind, both good and bad. By penning one of the most influential children’s books of the 20th Century, Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak encouraged…
