WELove Art

We will pop up on some art! The fam and I love to be apart of and decipher the beauty of experimental art. The Hirshhorn blessed us today with Ann Hamilton’s What Absence is Made Of. Also not to be missed is the work of Ai Wei Wei. Kids and adults will love the powerful Lego art and the wallpaper pieces make for great conversations. Get there before 2018!

Another favorite piece on display is called “Five Day Forecast”….. this will be a little scavenger hunt… Find it and let me know how you felt.

WeLove Infinity Mirrors

Life is Good. Color is Good. Lights are Good. 

Yesterday we slowed down to breathe and enjoy each other as a family and explore some art. To me art feels like breathing …. like a good breathe of country air where you have space and you can spread out your arms and spin it all in.

Yayoi Kusama|Infinity Mirrors| Hirshhorn Museum

WeLove Sunday at the Smithsonian

Words can’t express the delight in watching your child blossom. Watching your child choose activities that suit them and the joy they have while learning and engaging in their interest areas. Any opportunity for my child to manifest her greatness we are there. Liv has been attending Artful Afternoons at the Smithsonian and she loves it!

Each session highlights the work of a preselected artist. The children create at multiple stations throughout the school, using a variety of materials that are relevant to the work of the artist while inspiring the young artist to manifest on their own. To replenish their strength the  children conclude with a group snack time. So cute! So fun!

WeLove The Beat of Her Drum

Rituals. Malcolm X Park. 2-9pm

Of all the pics and videos I captured nothing can fully convey the supreme goodness that happens during the Drum Circle in Malcolm X Park every warm Sunday from 2-9. God is present. Love is thriving. People are united. If not visible anywhere else in this world the pure goodness of human life is present at this time. Be sure not to deprive yourself of these moments.

WeLove Liv: Valentine’s 2015

The most loving girl deserves to know just how special she is so of course crafting her Valentines Day excitement had me squealing along the way! Here are a few highlights….
I’m gonna say enjoying a game at Georgetown University cheering on the girls basketball team is very much “our thing” at this point! Uber cold out but our princess was adamant about attending

For the first time we enjoyed a Build & Grow Workshop at Lowes and it was a good time! My handy little princess was given a work kit to create a heart photo holder, an apron with personalized name card, pair of goggles. Upon completion she received a certificate and a patch for her handy work. Needless to say…. We shall return for upcoming workshops

One of Liv’s Valentine’s treats was this special little book

Momma is all about a curly headed brown princess!

Habari Gani?

Last post of 2014! What a blessing to move forward in life! To have another day to love to create to learn! Below is a photo recap of a few things that have been keeping us busy!

Winternational was a gathering of many embassies, opening up there customs and treats to us this winter season. Liv got her first henna tattoo and enjoyed dancing to the live music! It’s always wonderful to experience new cultures without even getting your passport stamped!

Zoolights is an annual must! Armed with Starbucks hot chocolate and blueberry muffins we had a blast!

This was the first year I have ever celebrated Kwanzaa! I feel so blessed to be sharing these principles with my child early on connecting with a community of like minds on various levels!
Eagerly anticipating 2015 and beyond!

Can He Get Much Higher!?

This weekend we enjoyed a great first visit to the College Park Aviation Museum! The museum had a small entrance fee but especially with the Holiday event they were hosting it was well worth it! This event was full of crafts, an amazing balloon artist, tattoos. The museum has air planes to get a hands on experience as well as flight attire to play dress up with and lots of other nooks and crannies of amazement! And the biggest moment of the day was Santa being flown into the museum by police helicopter! Big Fun and Loads of Holiday Cheer!

Get Crafty: Christmas Edition

*Ornamnents You Can Taste

You will Need…
Peppermint candies
Metal cookie cutters
Non-stick cooking spray
Parchment paper
Toothpick or skewer
Twine or ribbon

How To…
1.Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the inside of each cookie cutter with cooking spray. Lay cookie cutters on baking sheet and fill with a layer of peppermints.
2.Bake for 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on candy as it melts, remove from oven when candies have melted
3.Lightly coat a toothpick with cooking spray and use it to make a hole in each group of candies. Let candy sit inside cookie cutter until it re-hardens. Once hard, carefully stretch out the cookie cutter, pulling it away from the candy, to pop out your ornament.

*Do you have leftover Halloween candy still lingering?

Head to your craft store ( or perhaps the dollar store) purchase clear ornaments and ribbon.
Fill your clear ornaments with sprinkles, marshmallows or small colorful Halloween candies 🙂

*Christmas Alphabet Tree
Create a Christmas Tree with all the letters of the alphabet
Get some circular colored stickers
Write each letter on a sticker
Allow her kids to decorate the tree by matching the stickers to the tree
Festive and enriching

*Marshmallow Names
You will need …
Marshmallows
Glue
Paper

How To…
Write your child’s name in glue and allow then to stick the marshmallows on

*Name Snowmen
You Will Need….
White paper
Marker
A sheet of colored paper
Buttons, tiny colored Pom poms, Googly eyes
Glue

How To…
Cut out enough white circles for your child’s name plus a face for your snowman
Allow them to write each letter of their name on a circle
Glue the circles together in snowman fashion
Cut a top hat out of the colored sheet
Allow your child to decorate the hat and color on the face

Get Crafty

*Egg Carton Bingo
This wonderful craft from Noodle & Doodle is perfect for a holiday road trip
What You Will Need:
1 cardboard 12-egg carton
Old magazines
Pictures printed of various things you might see on your road trip
Small tasty treats
Glue stick

How To:
Tear up lots of colored pieces from magazines.
Using a glue stick, decorate the front of your egg box with the colored pieces. You can make a picture, or just make it colorful.
Cut out different small pictures of items you might see from your seat in the car while on a road trip. You should have 12 pictures, one for each section of the egg carton.
Using a glue stick, adhere each picture onto one of the sections in your egg carton.
With the egg carton open, place your treats into the top portion of the carton.
You are now ready to play Egg Box Bingo. All you need now is to go on a road trip!
To play Egg Box Bingo: When you spot something outside the car window that is on one of the pictures, put a tasty treat in the corresponding egg holder. When you have spotted everything in one row – either a short line up or a long line across -shout “Bingo!” Then you get to eat the tasty treats in those rows. Or you can play full house bingo: Only when you have spotted every picture in your egg box can you shout “Bingo!” and then you get to eat all the tasty treats.

*Paper Plate Dream Catcher
What You Will Need:
2 sturdy paper plates, with identical large circles cut out of the middle of each plate
1 piece of orange net, cut large enough to cover the hole in the plate
Items for weaving (string, yarn, straws, ribbon, etc.)
Feathers
Stapler
Tape

How To:
Place the orange net over the large hole in one paper plate. Staple the net in place. (You can use tape instead, but it may not be as strong a hold.)
Weave the string, yarn, straws, ribbon and orange through the orange net. Adhere the ends of each item to the rim of the plate with tape. Repeat with as much stuff as you wish to weave.
Using tape, secure 3 feathers to hang down from the bottom of the plate.
Place the other paper plate over the first one and secure with tape. (This gives the catcher a nice finish.)
Hang above your bed to catch your dreams!

*Strumming on a Banjo

*Cotton Kitty

Your little ones are sure to “Gobble” these juice boxes right up!

Get Crafty!

*Thanksgiving Bingo
Click Here for Printable

*Fall Wreath
You will need…
Fall Colored Tissue Paper: Orange, Red, Yellow
Paper Plate
Glue
How To…
Cut out the interior of your paper plate. Be sure to leave a thick enough
border for the tissue paper to attach too.
Cut the three colors of tissue paper into strips
Cover the brim of your plate in glue
Allow your child to crumple up each strip into their hand and hold them in the glue until the entire plate is covered
Voila! Attach ribbon if you like or use tape on the back and there you have a inexpensive wreathe made with love

*T is for Turkey
This is a wonderful opportunity for little ones who are mastering their letters and sounds to really connect with the letter T

You will need…
Construction Paper: Brown, Yellow, Orange, Red, White
Scissors
Glue
Black Marker
How To…
Cut the brown paper in the shape of the letter T
Use the colored paper to make an assortment of feathers
Orange paper can be used to make feet and a beak
White paper will be used to make two eyes. Use the marker to darken the eyes
Glue on all of your pieces and have fun reviewing the sounds of the letter T and asking your child what other words begin with the same sound

* Letter Tree

This project requires a little creativity from the parents and brain power from your little!
I plan to up cycle a paper bag to create my tree and free hand the leaves on various colored construction paper. Laminating the tree and leaves would be wonderful for extended use.

* Pinecone Painting

You will need…
As many pinecones as you like
White, Brown, Red & Orange paper
Glue
Siccors
A Box
How to…
Place white paper and paint in your box
Add pinecones and shake around
Let your art dry
Then cut out a turkey body, waddle and beak
Use your white sheet to make eyes
Assemble your turkey on the painted sheet and glue it together