Farm and Fru Fru

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

A MOST COLORFUL DAY

Well, Art Day came and went....we had a BALL! Our space was a bit snug, but what we lacked in space we made up for in creativity! The blank canvas was a bit frightening at first, but Dee, one of our participants suggested everyone make one dot to break the ice! Not sure if anyone did that, but before long everyone was cutting, gluing, painting, laughing, suggesting, snacking, drawing, and tearing to make just the canvas they were meant to make. The inspiration was lots of books, pictures of really good mixed media work and fun pinterest quotes. By the end of the day, everyone was full of snacks, lunch, and more talent than they knew they had. The SWAG baskets were over-the-top lovely thanks to our wonderful sponsors (see my previous post) The ladies were just so nice and so fun and so TALENTED, that we all decided we must do it again....but not in the summer...no air conditioner in my little fun space!

Monday, May 5, 2014

ART DAY!

I'm excited to re-cap Farm and Fru Fru's first ART DAY held on May 3. There is so much to show and tell, I may need several posts! This first one however, is special because I'm happy to be showcasing our fantastic SPONSORS! I got in touch with several wonderful ETSY shops and asked if they were interested in becoming sponsors for the event by donating items for SWAG bags for those attending. The response was nothing short of amazing! Take a peek at what the lucky guests received: Forever Yours Truly

provided the barn tags for each bag. Lindsay was so kind to send one for each guest. She makes them herself, and her cute ETSY shop has lots of fun paper and party supplies. Marbled Goods

sent us the prettiest marbled paper that can be used in so many ways in art projects. I had previously purchased one of Heidi's scrap packages of beautiful papers and have used them several times. She also sent book marks!

Talking Twine and Trim

sponsored us with treat bags of washi tape and twine to be used in any projects you can think of and wrapping too. I love using twine and/or washi tape for wrapping. Jodi has a cute shop full of all sorts of cute things.

Quilting Adventures

is local (Willow Lawn, Richmond) and one of my favorite shops for all things fabric. They carry such a fun selection of quilting fabric! The sent along the nicest little vinyl bags full of treats perfect for anyone. They also have a website (link above) for anyone not local. Check it out!

Mollie Makes

is everyone's favorite craft magazine, and they sent each of us a copy to drool over. If you've never seen a copy, they can be ordered from their website (coming from England) and purchased in various local stores. A lifestyle and craft magazine for those who live and love all things handmade, it's a beautiful read.

Studio Elena

sent us the most beautiful paper flowers, but that's not all! They also sent a cute treat bag with stripe-y straws, and the cutest wooden utensil along with some other little goodies. What a fun store for all things paper! In addition, they have an Etsy shop called

Waco Market

which has an amazing selection of party supplies and fun goodies for anyone who enjoys paper!

I've been a Jessica Swift

fan for a long time. She is one of my current favorite mixed media artists who is a source of constant inspiration, and who better to inspire our mixed media art project! To help us along, she sent everyone an art card to enjoy and aspire to. Jessica has one of the prettiest and most colorful blogs anywhere and sells a variety of fun goodies...take a peek. Kim and Julie at Outside the Box Papers

were kind enough to send some of those cute straws for us along with a cute little envelope of paper ephemera. They have the sweetest shop full of party supplies, charms, cups, tulle, treat bags and all things trendy. It's just so fun to browse and choose! Paisley Handmade

sent us the cutest little bags of colorful/printed washi tape from their etsy shop. Jenny carries a wonderful selection of garlands and banners and tape and party hats, oh my! Parties, or just for fun, this is a wonderful resource to know about and shop. One thing I hunted for not long ago was little muslin tie bags. Celestial Gifts another etsy store carries all sizes with a variety of string colors.

Is there anything you can't find on ETSY? This is a wonderful shop and Travis sent everyone a couple of bags for our SWAG baskets.

Le Paper Cafe'

is a cute Etsy shop selling digital/traditional clipart, as well as washi tape, packing tape and lots of other "paperlings and sticky goodness!"

Like me, Anissa must love rabbits as her little shop is full of the cutest bunny goodies. She sent along TWO different types of fun tape for our Art Day. Check out this Etsy gem for sure. I first saw Meri Meri on another blog and fell in love with their huge variety of beautiful and unique treats.

Meri Meri sent us this precious birthday cake flag bunting and an equally cute heart bunting. Their variety of items for sale is amazing...garlands, giftwrap, bunting, stationary, and baking supplies just to name a few. They offer a wonderful selection of items for kids as well as adults. I love this store. If you visit my blog, you know Katherine Dunn of Apifera Farm

If you don't know her, and you love art, animals, excellent writing and donkeys especially, you should click through now to her blog or her Etsy store. Katherine and I have been 'virtual friends' for a long time. She sells her beautiful art and books on her site and offers a fun selection of stationary, artwork, handmade dolls there as well an at her etsy shop. Katherine also raises sheep and lavender at Apifera and sent us a sample! Our baskets smell divine! Things by JuJu

is the cutest etsy shop selling paper diecuts in every shape/size/color you can imagine! Julie sent us a cellophane envelope with a variety of shapes for us to use in our mixed media canvas, but they could be used for so many other things...card making, scrapbooking, gift tags, etc. Julie's packaging is just so cute! Purl Soho

is the sewer/crafter/knitter/artist's dream store. Located in NYC, I long to see it in person. Till then, I satisfy myself by checking the blog, The Purl Bee DAILY for their DIY projects, and to see what fun new things they have to offer. They carry an extensive selection of Liberty of London fabrics and sent us what they called 'scrap bags' of fabric....believe me, there was NOTHING scrappy about this beautiful fabric! Most generous. Blick Art Materials is art supply store that sells - literally - any art supply you can think of. We don't have one locally here, but I love love love to order their supplies online.

Blick Art Materials was the official art supply sponsor for our day and sent me a large box of paint and brushes for everyone to use for the art canvases we made. They sell canvases, paint, markers, brushes, and a partridge in a pear tree! They are always having sales and their prices can't be beat. It's super convenient to just pick up the phone or go on line and place an order....and the supplies come quickly too...I LOVE BLICK! Sticker Stop is a delightful Etsy shop selling washi tape in the most fun fashion..on spools! Presentation is everything you know...

Lisa sent a nice supply of tape for each guest which was so sweet and fun! Puppycat Crafts

sent beautiful stripy straws! Jen has a cute Etsy shop with every color you can imagine and lots of other fun things too. Rae Dunn is the most imaginative potter you can...imagine! Bowls, pots, leaves, mugs,

all her work is beautiful. She sent these little word eggs which are so unique and pretty. When you peek at her site, be sure and read all about Wilma

She has a book coming out soon! LeGoods sent us the cutest little goody bag of...well, goodies! Straws, little glassine bags, mini treat bags and the cutest little erasers.

Have you seen these teeny little treat bags? Just right for a tiny little treat! Last but not least,

just because you couldn't make it to the Art Day doesn't mean you can't join in the fun.

Leave a comment here and tell me your favorite party treat and I'll enter you to win your own swag basket just like the one the Art Day participants received. I'll close the entries on May 9.

My blog/photography skills are horrid as you know and don't do justice to these wonderful shops. And

I know this is a long post, but these sponsors are so worth shopping, I wanted to make sure you had links to each one. Please consider shopping at these shops, and let them know you heard about them from Farm and Fru Fru. They'll appreciate it I know, and so will I!

I'll be posting more Art Day pictures soon so stop back by and see what went on.

Friday, March 28, 2014

It's Always SOMETHING....

It's true, it's always something going on with me at Farm and Fru Fru. Today, I have two new fun things simmering in the pot. First, Monday, I start a fun fun fun class with the super fabulous Lilla Rogers! It's called Make Art That Sells (MATS) and it's going to be great....scary but great. There will be lots of very talented people taking this class to learn all about selling their art....and I'll be there too picking their brains! Check out the link for details...you can still register for this fabulous e-course!

If you're not familiar with Lilla, she also wrote a great book I bought not long ago

"I Just Like to Make Things"

which is one of the most colorful, fun books I've read in a long time.

It's become my 'go-to' as it's full of really helpful info.

Lilla is an agent so she knows what she's talking about.

The book is full of fun worksheets, thoughtful questions and tons

of answers.

I'm excited to take this art class and see where I land.

~*~*~*~*~

The second fun thing to share is I'm in the midst of planning a

Farm and Fru Fru workshop for May...

I can accommodate 12 people and have 2 spots left if you are local

and are interested. We will be making a mixed media canvas,

playing with all sorts of paint, paper and anything else we can find,

and we will have snacks, lunch, super-fantastic SWAG bags, and did I mention

the SNACKS??

One thing about the workshop I'm very excited about is it's location.

I've commandeered a nice spot from "the farmer," and am in the process of spiffing

it up for this, and hopefully other, Farm and Fru Fru workshops, so

if you are interested, email me for all the details....it's gonna be FUN!

sharonpstanley@gmail.com

Hope you have a great weekend!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

It's a BOOK REVIEW!

Title: A Sandy Grave

Category: Chapbooks for Tweens

Author: Donna M. McDine

Illustrator: Julie Hammond

Hardcover ISBN: 9781616334543; 1616334541

Softcover ISBN: 9781616334550; 161633455X

eBook ISBN: 9781616334567; 1616334568

Available: Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Guardian Angel Publishing and through the author for autographed copies.

Leah and her friends are looking forward to a fun-filled

vacation at the beach. A whale isn't in their plans, but there he is mysteriously beached, dead, and missing teeth!

Donna McDine has written a wonderfully suspenseful

book colorfully illustrated by the equally talented

Julie Hammond, that will be fun reading for any child

who loves a bit of mystery. Her descriptive language

is easy enough for a tween to understand yet interesting

for an older child as well. Just in time for summer

reading, the story follows Leah as she

unravels a mystery Nancy Drew herself would

have loved. But, the story is not just a good beach tale.

There's a subtle lesson here too: Doing the right

thing can be scary, but it doesn't change the fact

that right is right.

I love this book. It's well written, timely, edgy enough to

keep a tween on the edge of his/her seat, (me too!) and

fun to read.

Here's a creative little

Book Trailer

for A Sandy Grave you will surely enjoy.

Donna is generously offering a wonderful giveaway

for a $50 Barnes and Noble gift card!

Click and enter to WIN!

About the author: Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78^th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions, Literary Classics Silver Award & Seal of Approval Recipient Picture Book Early Reader, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention, Global eBook Awards Finalist Children’s Picture Book Fiction, and Preditors & Editors Readers Poll 2010 Top Ten Children’s Books ~ The Golden Pathway.

Her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna’s 2013 releases of Powder Monkey and Hockey Agony and the 2014 release of A Sandy Grave will be joined by an additional book to be published by Guardian Angel Publishing, Dee and Deb, Off They Go. She writes, moms and is a personal assistant from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI, Children’s Literature Network, and Family Reading Partnership.