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More Good Stuff

Mixed-Media Process Art Weaving Invitation

April 5, 2025 by Barbara Rucci 2 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve written about my open-studio library events. This mixed-media process art weaving invitation that I set out for a multi-age group was more prep than I usually do, but it was worth it and as successful as I had hoped! I will admit I was a little ambiguous about how…

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Harris Walz Collagraph Prints

October 4, 2024 by Barbara Rucci Leave a Comment

Harris Walz handmade prints in a stack next to a printing plate

If you know me at all or follow me anywhere, you know that I have strong guiding principles which I live by. None stronger than leading with love. Radical love is my north star, not that I am perfect, but I try and frame everything and respond to everything with that lens. This makes it…

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Pumpkin Cottage

October 20, 2022 by Barbara Rucci 1 Comment

Carve a pumpkin to look like a charming cottage, with a twig door and moss window boxes.

We carved pumpkins as a family for the first time in years! It used to be a family tradition, for the 13 years we lived on a cul-de-sac and got over 400 trick-or-treaters every year. But then we moved and now we don’t even get one visitor on Halloween night. This weekend, though, our carving…

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Handprint Keepsake: A Warm and Cool Color Study

January 30, 2020 by Barbara Rucci 8 Comments

Children use warm and cool paint colors to make this handprint keepsake.

Do you remember these handprint keepsakes that I posted on my 100 Days of Art Bar Instagram account last year? Well lucky us, because today we are going to find out exactly how they were made! Cara Franke from The Arterie art studio is here to share all of her wisdom and tell us how she inspired…

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How to Make a Protest Sign, If You Have No Skills

June 29, 2018 by Barbara Rucci 13 Comments

How to make a protest sign, and free printables for #resist marches.

Before 2017, I had been to only one march in my life. It was when I was in college, and I took a bus with my roommate from Albany, New York down to New York City for a Pro-Choice rally. It was her idea, and in all honesty, what I remember the most is the…

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Valentine’s Temporary Tattoos for Kids

January 23, 2015 by Barbara Rucci 5 Comments

My kids love temporary tattoos, and they are a great little gift for the kids in class because it’s not candy! I used a really cute “Mom” tattoo for these Valentine’s cards for the class last year. But now they are no longer available. Darn! I found one that is similar, though, so don’t worry….

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Typography: 10 Tips for your Blog Photos

September 22, 2014 by Barbara Rucci 19 Comments

I am a font snob. It’s true. As a graphic designer, I am a total geek about typography. I even read type journals. People who design fonts are rock stars in my world. The reason I love fonts so much is because they are the foundation of good design. Sometimes I get asked how I…

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Love This {six}

August 26, 2014 by Barbara Rucci 2 Comments

And now for my monthly (ish) round-up of the things I’m loving these days. But first, a quote for my girls. School starts tomorrow for all three of my kids. My son is entering third grade, one daughter is entering sixth grade at the middle school, and the oldest is starting ninth grade at the…

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Underwater Photography by Alix Martinez

April 17, 2014 by Barbara Rucci 5 Comments

I am so proud of my friend Alix Martinez! She was featured on the NBC Today Show last week for her ethereal and beautiful photos of children playing underwater. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Alix and her incredible artistic eye. I even hired her last year to take photos of my son’s birthday…

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Make + Share on Instagram // #makeit2014

February 12, 2014 by Barbara Rucci 5 Comments

Are you on Instagram yet? Well hurry up and get on already! I know you. You’re like, what, another social media thingy? But trust me, it’s bonkers how much fun and easy Instagram is. Here’s why I love it (and why you should join a.s.a.p!!): 1) How often do you have your good camera on you…

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I have been thinking lately about so many big idea I have been thinking lately about so many big ideas. They seem to be stuck, though, in the cogs of my brain. I need to articulate and connect these ideas together, but I can’t find the right words, or medium. It feels like trudging through thick mud, and then making the choice to set up camp in the muddy place. Maybe this is always what motherhood + living a creative life will be. And I am ok with that, too. Life is mucky, and even though I crave clarity, I am also acutely aware that this is why I also crave art. Music, books, museums, film, gardens… these are the mediums humans turn to when they need to find connection and, if we are lucky, clarity. But I feel more protective of my human-centered ideas these days and less willing to share them in spaces like this where they are open source. I don’t even know what is real sometimes. And how am I contributing to this landscape of creative and intellectual robbery. I think I am headed in a different direction but I don’t know what that is yet. Meanwhile, I am camping in the mud and looking for beauty where I am. 

Some moments new and old, lately…

1. Painting at my easel, age 4 when we lived in England before moving to the US. 
2. I tried making a video of motherhood on mother’s day inspired by this song 🌙 but never finished. 
3. Planting dahlias 🌸
4. Year 2 of my veggie garden. It is not going well. 
5. We diagnosed our garden problem as not enough sun so cut down a tree to give the sun a little path but then the sun moved. Also failing at science 😳
6. When you see your habits in your children ❤️ 
7. My mom’s caretaker gave me a cake and now I am a whole year younger 🙏🏼
8. Thank you James for the treats, mom dreams of traveling to visit your bakery but this was the next best thing 🥐
9. Finding 50 bucks in jeans from 20 years ago 👏🏼 Always check the pockets!
10. The newly graduated makeup artist with her kit off to a job 💋 
11. When the birthday kid isn’t home it’s too sad. must make art. 
12. When I am so dumb and share it on the internet 🙃
13. My heart, my clarity ❤️
14. Another round of silkscreening! Things are happening. 
15. MUA by Ava, and hanging out with the help 😍
16. Reminder.
Happy Earth Day! Can we agree that every day is Happy Earth Day! 

Can we agree that every day is Earth Day? The older I get, the more I change my habits to be kinder to this beautiful planet. Lately, seeing the photos from Artemis II of Earth from space has really moved me to make even more planet-friendly choices. Here are some things we do at home, and of course, we could always be better, but I also think small changes are more doable and sustainable, and if millions of us did just one of these things, it would make a difference.

Ok, here goes! My hope is that someone reads one of these actions and thinks, I can do this! We cannot reverse the melting ice caps, but we can stop further global warming… humans can do this if we work together. It starts small and is community-driven, so share this with friends!

1. Eating less meat, eating more veggies (this is also called eating low on the food chain). A vegetarian or vegan diet is a low-carbon diet. Did you know switching to 2/3 vegan reduces your carbon footprint by 60%? 
2. Grow our own veggies. Save on emissions and packaging, and find joy in gardening.
3. Less food waste. Eat leftovers, clear the fridge.
4. Buy less. Buy local.
5. Repurpose, fix, mend, thrift.
6. Make homemade gifts.
7. Drive less, fly less. (This one is harder, but being conscious of it is really important.)
8. Moderate, steady thermostat settings can save so much energy. Try 67/68 F in the winter and 72/73 in the summer and don’t touch it.
9. No pesticides on our lawn. It may not be pretty, but we have never had a beautiful lawn, and I’m fine with that. We also live on a river so the thought of polluting that water so I can have a perfect lawn is crazy.
10. Using non-toxic cleaning products or making our own from vinegar.
11. This year, we will do “no-mow May” to promote biodiversity, help the soil, and reduce emissions.
12. Vote for candidates who take climate change seriously!

Add some things you are doing in the comments. This is a judgment-free zone, so no preaching! But for real, we all can do a little bit better. 

The blog post about these signs is on artbarblog.com, link in bio!
New blog post! It’s about time I share my favorite New blog post! It’s about time I share my favorite materials that I bring to the library. Read the post for links and tips for how to pair these materials to foster deep engagement. Children have always needed time in childhood to use their hands to make things and play, but now more than ever, the skills they develop through these experiences are imperative for their future well-being and success. I’ve been reading everywhere about children’s “lost skills” in this new ed tech world where screens have replaced so much hands-on learning in the classroom, even as young as preschool 😞 Communication skills, flexible thinking, regulating emotions, building empathy for others, innovating, even core strength and pencil grips are a struggle. Offering time and materials for making things and playing with ideas should not be a challenge; it should be as essential as filling bodies with fresh air and food. Play is how children learn! Anyway, I hope this post will inspire you to collect some things for making and maybe even join our Materials Matter course over on @the.creativityproject so that you, too, can become an expert at cultivating creative thinking through art making!
It’s almost impossible to concentrate or sleep or It’s almost impossible to concentrate or sleep or work or enjoy anything these days. I know joy is resistance, art is resistance, kindness and empathy are resistance, and I try and practice all of these things every day, and also boycotting and shopping local and volunteering and making calls and checking on my neighbors and bartering and keeping our big tree lit for the community. And still, it doesn’t feel like nearly enough. I know we probably all feel this way. And maybe the collective small things really do add up to bigger movements, I don’t know. It’s Sunday and my mom is in the hospital again and I miss my one at college and I had such a bad dream last night. My headspace is not in cheerleader mode which is my usual default. And yet… going through my camera roll to find photos of things I made did actually help today. And I have made a plan for future things to make. When I wake up in the middle of the night, the way I get myself back to sleep is by envisioning this one big installation idea I’ve had for years, it takes place in a forest and involves textiles. So maybe 2026 is the year for me to bring this to life, or begin the process. I think about this quote, and it helps, too: When you make art, you rebel against a world that fears vulnerability. Ok, I’m better. Thank you for listening 🤪❤️

Ps: It weighs on me that Meta should be part of the boycotts. If anyone has any ideas for building community and sharing somehow somewhere else let’s discuss.
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All content on this blog is copyright and owned by Art Bar Blog unless otherise stated. I would be flattered if you wanted to use an image from one of my posts! But please, ask me first. I would also ask that if it involves DIY instructions with a list of supplies that you don't repost any of that stuff because then nobody would have a reason to click back to my original post!

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There are two things that I'm passionate about: Children + Art. As an art teacher, author, graphic designer, and mom to 3 creative thinkers, I get to explore my passions every day! Learn more...

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