20th Carp- Rediscovering Creativity

If I would have listened to myself growing up, I would have taken my creative side more seriously in high school and university.

I mean, I knew I always liked to draw, paint and take photos but I just didn't think it would 'get me anywhere' so why pursue it? I can do it for pleasure and that be that.

Why was I so blasé about something that I love so so much? I spent my young adult life pushing away my creativity to work on becoming a professional. Which is really silly because I remember that as a teenager I was asked by families to take portraits for them and I even did a set of head shots for someone going into acting. Couple that with also selling paintings on the side and self teaching art techniques, I really had a lot of opportunities available to me.

This is probably my biggest regret in life. I should have taken myself to New Brunswick School of Craft and Design or another such institution instead of diving right into University. Because what inevitably happened is that I hit a wall. I hit a wall with my photography because the technology was changing and I hadn't kept up with it and I hit a wall with my art. I kept buying and buying more supplies, but I really didn't know what to do with them to create the pieces that I wanted. I needed someone to help me with both of these things.

Since being on maternity leave I have reached out to people who are the 'incredibly talented' in their fields to help me break through this wall that I have come to. A good friend, Sean McGrath has been giving me tips to make my photography better. If you have been living under a rock and don't know about this amazing photographer you can go educate yourself here. I have even been saving up my pennies to be able to take a one on one class with him. So excited! Here are some of my all time favourite portraits of my willing sons that show how far I have come.

Now on to the art side of things. I have recently finished my very first online art class which I had to pay for. Before, I would try to see if I could find things on youtube and free promo classes but this one was just a treat to find an artist that I admired and take a full 8 week class with them. Jane Davenport's Supplies Me class was perfect. (You can check out her wonderful art here. ) The class helped you through every type of medium, what to spend your money on and what you should just avoid altogether. Also it showed you how to play and use with each individual medium together with others and independently. I was in love. And my art supply closet grew and GREW! Now I am currently waiting for pastels that were invented for Pablo Picasso from France. So unbelievably excited to work with those. Here are some pieces from the class that I am particularly proud of. 

For right now, these experiences are helping me keep my creative side alive and challenged daily. I will continue to listen to that side of me as it is so important for my soul. One day, I will get a fine arts degree I am certain but for now, this is wonderful and long overdue. 

What's your carp? 

Life Book 2015

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I have been trying my best to stretch my creativity and artistic prowress. This journey has started with online courses from Joanne Sharpe and Jane Davenport which have been absolutely fantastic. I was ecstatic when Jane announced that she would be participating in next year's Life Book with a whole host of wonderfully talented artists from around the globe. 

Alas, one can not afford to take every single amazing art class offered because you would bankrupt yourself quite quickly if you are so driven like myself. 

This is why I am trying to win a spot to be able to partipate in this year long art class which would test and challenge myself every single month. 

If you are interested in learning more, check out the creator of Life Book Tamara Laporte here- http://www.willowing.org/2014/09/08/life-book-2015-teacher-line-up-blog-hop-and-give-away/

Wish me luck with this potential new stage in my artistic journey. :)

What is your carp?

Hex Nut Bracelet DIY

Here is a little DIY post on how to make your very own hex nut bracelet. I saw a few how to's and even a bunch of videos so really the only thing I am doing differently is the materials. Most of the posts used some sort of jewelry clasp to finish the bracelet. However, I do not have any jewelry making supplies and wanted to keep the cost of this project down so I was not interested in buying them. 

 To make this you need : 

17 6-32 hex nuts in either brass or silver 

Scissors 

Nylon twine ( most tutorials use butchers string or swede/leather) 

BBQ lighter 

Tape or a clasp to hold your strings down 

So the reason why I chose nylon string is because it's strong, still easily braid-able, and with a little heat you can melt the ends off so everything looks finished. This is where my tutorial is different. 

So lets get to it ! 

 Step 1- cut two lengths of string. One that is about the length or your arm. Bring both ends of this piece together and cut a second piece which matches up to the halved first string. Knot them together as shown. Now all the pieces should be the same size. Use the lighter to melt the  3 ends closest to you so they don't fray while working with. 

Step 2- Start braiding. This is personal preference but most suggest to braid 1 1/2 - 2 inches depending on your wrist size. 

 

Step 3- start adding your hex nuts. I like to start on the left but it really doesn't matter. Always add the hex nuts to the outside strings and continue braiding. Make sure to keep everything as tight as possible. 

 

Step 4- I use 16 hex nuts (8 on each side). After they are added, continue braiding as normal for another 1 1/2 - 2 inches. 

 

Step 5- knot all strings to finish off braid. 

 

Step 6- add a hex nut after the braid. This will keep the bracelet on and work as our clasp through the loop made earlier. If you can get all three strings through the nut, that's ideal. If not, don't worry about it because you can melt down the stray strand to make it look nice and finished. Knot the two strings on the other side of the nut, leaving a little give. 

 

Step 7- Melting. So this is what my pieces look like after being melted. Obviously it was impossible to get a shot of using the BBQ lighter as I only have two hands. But you don't need a lot of heat to start melting them. After heating, I used the scissors to press the hot melted strings down and secure them because they are hot and will burn you if you don't have something to manipulate them with. A pair of pliers would also work well for this. 

Step 8- now your bracelet should look something like this. You can either stop now, or if you want to tackle that stray string by the loop, you can melt it the same way as before, 

 

( I melted mine as shown above. Again secure hot, melted string down using your scissors.) 

 

TA DA !!! All done :) I really liked that I could get everything at the hardware store and didn't have to make multiple stops for this project. Again, this is just how I did it using a synthetic string but there are lots of tutorials using other materials if you prefer, 

Now go have fun because once you got this down, they are super fast and easy to make. From start to finish, I can now make one in under 10 minutes. Great little project that is perfect for a unique, inexpensive, present! 

19th Carp- Mommy Con Boston

Have you heard of MommyCon yet? Well, if you haven't, you better sit down while I enlighten you on all the wonderful things this convention promotes, teaches, and supports for families of all shapes and sizes.

I first heard of Mommy Con when my oldest was about 7 months old. I was following The Baby Guy NYC on instagram and saw that he was having a TON of fun at the Mommy Convention in, what I think was, New York City. I then started following the Mommy Con instagram account and from what I saw, I was hooked. I promised myself, "I WILL attend one of these get togethers someday."

What did I see you may ask ? I saw a lot of babywearing, cloth diapering, guest speaker-ing, general supporting, and mingling of like minded parents. I saw a ton of great baby gear, and to my utter amazement, the giving away of all this crazy awesome baby gear. I saw laughs, tears, fun times, and inspiration. In short, I saw all I needed to get involved.

I knew that the closest event to my area would be Boston... a mere 8 hours and one border crossing a way. However, I felt that this was something that would be worth the hours in the car with an infant (second son) and, after speaking to my husband, he agreed and was even looking forward to it too! I couldn't wait until I could purchase my tickets in April for the August 1st event. Which was apparent after speaking to the creator of Mommy Con, Xza, as she said I was one of the first 5 people to have their spots paid for when the tickets went live. "Well," I told her, "I didn't know how fast they would be scooped up and wanted to make sure I grabbed a coveted VIP spot!" She laughed at my enthusiasm and thanked me for my support.

To show you the diversity of the Mommy Con event, I have the schedule from Boston to give you an example of all the wonderful information these ladies provide to countless families across the country.

 

Not to mention that while all these seminars are taking place, there is a full vendor area covering everything from nursing wear, toys, cloth diapering, car seats, organic food, baby wearing lounge, kid play area, and everything in between. My head felt like it was on a lazy Susan for the amount of time it was constantly turning in order to take it all in. 

Just before the event in August, I was chosen to be a scene reporter to document all the giveaways, speakers, gear, and swag that are associated with the weekend. It was incredibly fun and exciting to do since I was even able to meet some baby media icons like, The Honest Toddler and Jamie the Baby Guy. I had my little side kick pictured below to help cover the event as well, comfy in my trusted Baby Hawk Mei Tei. 

One of the absolute high lights of the day for me was being able to participate in the Human Milk World Record. It was amazing to see over 200 woman in one room nursing, pumping or expressing breast milk. I hope that this movement will help de-sexualize nursing in public and increase support and awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding. Big thanks to The Leaky Boob for your inspirational words after setting the Human Milk World Record!

Another aspect that I loved was meeting the men and women behind my favourite baby brands. These companies didn't send local people to cover the event, the top of the top went to talk to all the mothers and fathers about their products. Their passion was apparent and their enthusiasm catchy! I'm looking at you glittery goddesses Amy Appleton, Beth Valencia and Sue Appleton of Applecheeks Cloth Diapers!

I really can't describe how great the event was. But I can say that if you have the opportunity to attend one, I highly suggest you do. I have been wanting to try and find another do-able Mommy Con before my maternity leave is over, but alas they are all on the West Coast or in the Southern States. I do have one piece of advice though, don't go for the giveaways and swag. They are nice and an added bonus but to truly enjoy yourself, go for the community. It's like having a play date with all your best mom friends you've never met.... yet.


What's your carp?

18th Carp- Dating after Marriage and Kids

The rut.

Those of us married, those of us with kids, and those of us with any combination of the previous stated milestones know the rut that I'm talking about.

Hell, they even made a movie about it. Date Night, the hilarious comedy starring Steve Carrell and Tina Fey.

When tying the knot, continuing a dating life might have seemed laughable and absurd. However, to those who have passed their honeymoon stage, it's vital to keep that dating relationship alive.

I think most couples have good intentions on trying to make quality "us" time throughout the week/ month but with everything else that comes up, "US" time seems to be the first thing that gets pushed to the back burner. For us - with a toddler, coming into his own personality and testing the waters at every turn, and a 6 month old who's not sleeping through the night - snacks on the couch, an episode of Suits and an early bed time seem to be as much as I can handle.

However, for our anniversary this year, I'm making it a point to bring dating back up the importance ladder; back into the limelight. I've created a "Date Jar" with 21 different dates of varying time and cost that will sprinkle through our life over the next 365 days.

This is how I did it.

First, I found inspiration on Pinterest. I got many ideas from here, here and here. I wrote down the ones I liked and separated them into three categories.

$- Inexpensive and requires a little planning 

$$- Moderately expensive and requires some planning 

$$$- Splurge dates and requires a lot of planning 

*planning to me means finding sitters for the appropriate amount of time and probably getting everything figured out 3 days to a week before the big date. 

Then I thought, "How can I make this better?"

Instead of buying pre-coloured jumbo Popsicle sticks, I bought the plain ones. This was so I could have as many ideas for each category as I wanted. It also meant that I had a cleaner surface to write on and that they all looked pretty uniform.

However, the paint from my paint pens absorbed too well into the Popsicle sticks creating bleeding. I like sharp clean lines so I thought I would add some co-coordinating washi tape to decorate and hide the imperfections. 

There, that looked better to me. 

Then I wrote an unique date idea on a stick with the coordinating colour. 

Next, I wanted to jazz up my mason jar with something more than hand written labels. I don't do scrap-booking however, I picked up a pre-made kit a while back at the dollar store to have on hand just in case. Low and behold, it had a lot of awesome-ness for this project. I created a lid label and a tag to hang on the mason jar explaining the gift. 

After that, all that was left was putting it all together. From start to finish, this project probably took me 2 hours to do. (Including research) I would put a list of all 21 dates I included, but every couple has different interests and live in different areas that have a variety of things that are available to do. Instead I suggest just brainstorming yourself and make choices that would best fit your individual dating style. If you are feeling particularly adventurous, I am completely in love with this list of unusual date ideas. Some of my favourites include: 

                      Go to your favourite book store and leave notes for future readers in copies of your favourite books. 

                      Try to visit as many people in one night, and turn as many things upside down in their apartment as you can, without them noticing. 

As a side note, I really hope we use this for many years to come. Because of it's simplicity, we can add new date ideas to the jar and take ones out that didn't work as planned. The whole project cost would have been about $25 if I had to buy everything new. However, the only thing I needed to get was the jumbo popsicle sticks as I already had the other materials. So this awesome anniversary present came to the big ticket price of $1.50. *Although some of the dates inside are pretty pricey so it's the most inexpensive, expensive gift ever.*

AND- if you don't feel like doing any of this yourself, let someone else do it for you with this great Etsy shop! Pre-made and ready to send. 

Hope this gives some inspiration to light your fire and refuel your own dating relationship. 

Happy Dating! 

What's your carp ? 

Product review - The Baby Shusher

     Hello all, 

I decided to not include this post as part of my 'carp'list as it is a product review and not something that I am 'seizing' in the moment. That being said, here are my thoughts regarding this product: The Baby Shusher.

Any parent of a high needs, frequent crying and overall draining baby is looking for the miracle product or fool- proof tip to get said inconsolable babe soothed. The Baby Shusher is trying to fill that void as the go to aid for tired, troubled parents....but does it work? 

After extensive trails here is my overall experience. 

I received this product over a month ago and wanted to make sure I had completely made up my mind before writing a review regarding it. To understand my point of view, you will need to know two points pertaining to our circumstances. 1) My second son is a very easy going baby. He has had a few really hard crying fits but that is all. Most of the time he is quite content to be soothed with a quick nursing or nearby soother. 2) I was given this product to review after my boy reached the 4 month milestone. The product insert stated that this machine would work best on infants when introduced as soon as possible as it is suppose to mimic the ambient sound/ decibel level of being inside the womb. 

That being said, I have to say that The Baby Shusher did not work well for us. The highlighted points above contributed to these failed attempts. Baby R is an easy baby, however we did try the product each time he seemed inconsolable to our go-to tactics. Unfortunately this seemed to just make him more angry. I believe it is because when we 'shush' our babies, we use short 'shh shh shh' sounds not a continuously long 'shhhhhhhhhhh'. Because this was unfamiliar, he seemed to get more upset by it. Every time we eventually turned the machine off to try other ways of soothing that are in our arsenal. 

I think The Baby Shusher would be more beneficial if it had more settings. I am sure we are not the only family who uses short, quick shushing sounds just like there are many who use the long version. Maybe it would be a good idea to test this out with their iTunes app before adding it to their portable machine. 

In all, I would recommend this to a friend if they had a high needs newborn. I would probably say to test out the $4 app before purchasing the stand alone machine to see if it could work. As the parent of a colicky baby, I know the benefits of shushing as a means of soothing so I can definitely see it's potential. The app seems like a great way to try it out inexpensively before committing to the $30 price tag. If your baby enjoys the sound, and is soothed by it, I definitely would recommend buying the baby shusher as to cut down radiation exposure from cell phones. 

I hope that sheds some light on this new product. As with others who do product reviews, I was given this item free of charge from the company however all the opinions stated above are my own. 

17th Carp- 10 paintings in 30 days

It all started with a mother/ daughter painting class at Micheal's. It was the first night I spent away from my newborn son and I was taking advantage of it by indulging in my creative juices. I was especially looking forward to this class as it provided a chance to spend time with my mom without kids running about. She has been an absolute angel in helping with c-section recovery, solo mommy-ing and nursing sickness that I wanted to do something for her which didn't involve any of that. 

The class was New York City at night. I always enjoy learning painting techniques from other artists as it gives a new way of coming to a piece. The result of the class was this 8 x 10 painting that I abandoned to the universe in the hopes that it will end up with a new loving owner.  Art Abandonment  is a movement in which artists around the world create pieces to leave for others to find and let those fall into love with the power and beauty of hand made artwork. 

After completing this painting, it lit a fire under me to keep this flow of creativity going. I picked up canvas after canvas and I just couldn't stop. I decided that I was going to give myself a challenge. 10 paintings in 30 days. I thought with two children two and under this could be quite a feat!

Inspired also by the new Disney movie Frozen, I also wanted to create paintings that honored some of my favourite animated movies. Princess paintings are probably not in my future as I don't think that they will become cherished characters of two boys. (Although I would definitely encourage them if this was the case. No gender stereotypes here.) I wanted a way to mourn the fact that I won't have a little girl of my own to paint these things for while creating something another little girl would love.

These paintings were prepped at the same time with similar brush strokes but in one I saw raindrops falling on a pond, and in the other I saw a raging snow storm. The dragon flies found their forever home in Ontario while the Frozen painting was won by a lovely mom in Alberta from a contest I hosted on my Instagram account.  

Quote: Let the storm rage on, the cold never bothered
me anyway.This beauty was given away via
my Instagram account. 

Just from posting the progress of my creativity, I received two orders from friends (and followers) who wanted to have some of my artwork for their own. Here are the results:

Alice in Wonderland: Eat me, Drink me

Alice in Wonderland:
Tea party

Another Frozen painting with a background
more like ice 

My Little Pony meets Rainbow Bright

Monsters Inc. Quote:
Laughter is 10 times more
powerful than fear. 

One of my absolute favourites: Tangled

 Finally, I wrapped up my 10 paintings in 30 days with this tiny canvas on an easel that I found at the Dollar store. I thought it would be the perfect size to tuck away somewhere for my next Art Abandonment. I love that I have been able to sell some paintings to be able to off set the cost of giveaways and the wonderful abandonment movement I participate in. I feel truly blessed.

This little guy will be left for
someone to find in the next week. Somewhere in
Saint John, NB. 

With this in mind, I will be posting another Instagram art giveaway in the next few days! Please follow me at mlstandring to stay tuned for the details. I am so excited to share little bits of me to those who appreciate my work. If you are interested in having me paint something for you, please contact me via this blog, Instagram, or e-mail. Turn around times depend on size, subject matter, and life events. With two little ones it can be quite hectic to find time to paint, as you can imagine.

Thank you to all who have been encouraging me on this artistic journey. This includes my wonderfully supportive husband who bought me another 8 canvases to play with for Mother's Day. He knows me so well. ;) And thank you so much to my mom and convincing me to take some time away from the kids for that first class. What a thirst of creativity you inspired!



What's your carp?