Pumpkins for Squirrels!

Dear Reader,

With our Halloween clip getting closer and closer to being finished, there's a real sense of the season in our house right now. And I'm happy to report, my eldest felt the need to share the joy with our resident squirrels :)

Inspired by a new kit we're developing, she decided they needed a little halloween scene of their own, complete with pumpkin!

I love how pleased with her results she was, and I love the results themselves!!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS the squirrely Halloween clip should be ready to share by next week, so stay tuned :)

Reflections

Dear Reader,

Schools can be amazing places, and our local one is one of the best I've seen. Beyond the superb education, the extra curricular activities always abound.

This week was "Reflections" week, and those who took part were tasked with crafting something that reflected what they felt would make the world a better place. I was actually coaching my youngest on the soccer field while my eldest built this wonder!

I love that nature is so high on her wish list. I also love the way she expressed that wish! Truly Squirrel King as another parent remarked to her :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS Perhaps camping this weekend paid off more than just the rejuvenating effect I felt!

Just Trucking Along

Dear Reader,

One of the joys in life is getting glimpses into the myriad possibilities the world offers. So yesterday, how fun to be a trucker for a day :)

Our big shipment of new card deck instructions finally arrived and I was on the bill of lading to pick it up!

Having visited the warehouse to pick up the goods - which was the size of at least a couple of football fields - I now want a turn with the forklifts!

Keep an eye out for fun new opportunities yourself and share what you know with someone else; this morning I'm going to open my daughter's eyes to Pascal's triangle and the amazing world of binomial coefficients :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Spiders at the Natural History Museum!

Dear Reader,

This weekend we made a trek to the Natural History Museum in LA to help celebrate the opening of their spider exhibit.

A fun time was had by all and in the end the kids that stopped by crafted about 500 furry friends!!

Spiders were creeping all over the place, and they weren't shy of hogging the limelight ;)

And when it came to construction, even the security got interested in crafting an assistant (look at the end of the table in the shot to the right)!

Keep an eye out next year, the sheer joy of it was so great that I think we'll try figuring out how to bring this craft to you in a kit. Then the spiders can truly take over :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Fun with Duct Tape

Dear Reader,

I've seen some wonderful uses for duct tape including the construction of bags, but I had not until this weekend witnessed the sheer joy that can bring young ones :)

Returning from a tea-party with friends, my eldest sat me down to school me in the ways of duct tape construction. Specifically, she led me through step-by-step, her method for making a purse.  Check out the spectacular results!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

World Cup Soccer: Crafting Time

Dear Reader,

I have always been a firm believer in the adage that life is not a spectator sport. And I've tried very hard to instill this into my kids, encouraging them to partake in sports, learn to ride a bike and just generally get out there.

All of that is simply a backdrop to my next observation: spending family time crafting while watching the world cup has been a great joy over the last week or so. I shall share the results shortly, but in the meantime I encourage you to enjoy some sport with your young ones. At the end of the day, spending time with them is a the rewarding common denominator :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Practice Time in the Almost Finished Stadium

Dear Reader,

Our stadium is getting much closer to completion and the stands are starting to fill with spectators, so my supreme helper decided that the time had come to start warming up the goalie. Check out the action:


Can't wait to share more :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Milk Carton Community

Dear Reader,

Last week was the wonderful end of year open house at my kids school, and boy were they delighted to share it with us. So we skipped down the street to check out the fine year's work :)

The bird was a personal favorite of mine. No wonder they were so excited.

And the milk carton community just reminded me how fast time flies! It seems like only yesterday when the clouds parted and I saw another milk carton community.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

In Amongst the Chaos of Construction ...

Dear Reader,

The last week or so our little apartment has been turned into a hub of construction. We've spilled over into the carport where carefully custom-engineered shelves now dry lids because ...

the living room is bursting at the brim with all manner of action.

If you look carefully though, sitting there in a little pool of light ...

Here, peeking through my yarn balling machine you can catch a better glimpse.

She's busy at work too. In a world of her own, happily chirping away as she crafts another squirrel!!

It warms my heart just how much kids love doing what they're doing and the other world that a little imagination transports them too :)

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy some special time with your kids!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Little Mamas

Dear Reader,

Buoyed by the success of their acorn tote bags, my industrious daughters whipped out the scalpels with the express intention of caring for their own babies :)

And after gouging holes for the legs, the babies were delicately helped into their carry-cases.

All that was left to do was to add the straps (while singing mum a happy mother's day tune :)

Hope all the mothers around the world had a delightful day yesterday!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS Rest assured, all scalpel action was overseen by a responsible adult, mum :)

Crazy Costumes

Dear Reader,

Apropos nothing in particular, I just have share this recent burst of domestic creativity.

Sometimes it's important to dress up and celebrate the colors in your wardrobe. In this instance the self-imposed challenge was "craziest costume".

I love where my darlings took this and even more how they embraced the personalities of their respective outfits :)

Here's to silly fun every day of the week!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Happy Easter!

Dear Reader,

What a fun weekend with the kids!

Easter buns were baked. Eggs were decorated (in this case with lots of glue and gold paint).

And inventive lures were made for the Easter bunny ...

I do so love the way this carrot gives a nod to the bumpy-lumpy-ness of the real thing. Simply inspired if you ask me :)

And there was a rustling heard in the shrubs ...

Binoculars were immediately consulted!

And then they were off!!

Hope you too had a wonderful weekend of family fun :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

An Acorn Handbag!

Dear Reader,

I've always felt that our acorns offered many opportunities. Squirrels have already fashioned everything from houses to hot-air balloons from them.

The possibilities seem endless!

Then, the other day when I was sitting in the living room my eldest came in with another industrious surprise for me.

An acorn tote bag!

Of course little sister was not to be left out and soon they were out on the town with their new accoutrements :)

And please, do share your own genius with us!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Dressing Up Squirrels

Dear Reader,

As anyone with kids knows, kids pattern off their surroundings. What I only just realized is that in the development of new ideas, this trait can open the door to amazing insights.

Recently we have begun designs for additions to our squirrel craft kits, namely bits boxes which will have everything you need, including instructions, to make costumes for your squirrels.

And while I have been cogitating, little designers in the other room have been crafting!

I'm loving where they've taken it so far. Hopefully it will inspire some of you too :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Excursion to the Natural History Museum

Dear Reader,

Yesterday morning was a bright and early rise - especially for a Sunday! We were at the Natural History Museum by 7am for a member's event.


Guess what we were crafting. ...

I'll give you a clue: look left, just above the Squirrel King and Natural History Museum logos :)

With a little help, our enthusiastic participants whipped up almost one hundred brightly colored trees! Fun! Fun! Fun!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

What Would a Youer Do?

Dear Reader,

What a wonderful weekend! Filled with magic moments with two of my favorite girls.

First, riffing on our squirrel kit, Alien Two unleashed her creative whims and made the most magnificent giraffe. Best of all she had a ball doing it :)

And then to top that off, my eldest daughter brought out a poem she'd been quietly working on in her bedroom - she does so love tapping away on her computer. So filled with simplicity and still profound perceptivity ... and I don't think it's just that I'm a proud dad :)

Hope you too had a wonderful weekend!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

May your day and life be filled with love from those around you :)

The preparations alone this year brought great happiness to me with the Aliens and I cutting up scrapes of plantable paper from our squirrel kits to make cards for all their friends.

Recycle, reuse and spread the love! May there be fields of flowers spring up all over Santa Monica :)

xoxo

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims