Blog - The Art Pantry

April 30, 2014 by Megan Schiller

Our Art Pantry

I’m excited to share our art space with you! To celebrate the launch of our new Art Pantry Design Services, you can find me over at Tinkerlab chatting with Rachelle about our art space. If you’re inspired to get started with an art space for your kids, I’d love to help! Just check out the Design Services to get started.

Update: After you read the interview, come back and checkout our newly organized art space in this post.

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April 7, 2014 by Megan Schiller

Birthday Party Photo Booth!

DIY Kids Photo Booth from The Art Pantry

We recently celebrated Ora’s second birthday with a “lollipop” themed party (she was given a lollipop on Halloween – her very first candy- and has been obsessed ever since!).
We wanted to keep it simple with a few neighborhood friends, some face painting, and lots of food on sticks! We bought a bunch of lollipop sticks from a kitchen supply store and served all of our appetizers lollipop style.

Meet Rebecca Picker of Studio Sprout!

Rebecca Picker is a mother of 3, performer, costume designer, and founder of Studio Sprout, a children’s art studio and discovery garden in Santa Cruz, California. Rebecca and I have been friends since first meeting in college at UC Santa Cruz. When we re-connected at a college reunion a few years ago, she was super excited to hear about how I had started a toddler art studio out of my back cottage. This got her thinking…
With a little encouragement from me and a lot of talent and drive on her part, she too was able to start a successful children’s art studio at home. I recently spent a morning at her art studio enjoying her amazing program and finding out a little more about how she managed to follow her passions and create a fulfilling business as a stay at home mom.

Wildflower Seed Bombs

It’s almost springtime, my favorite time of year. The sun is lingering around a little longer these days and delicate flower blossoms are popping up along the branches of our bare trees. As we begin to plan for our spring garden projects, I’m also thinking of ways to bring our art activities outdoors. One artful garden project that we love to do is make seed bombs. Seed bombs are small masses of clay, mixed with soil and seeds that will grow in any plot of land with a little water and sun. They are often used as a guerrilla gardening tactic to bring beauty to barren, abandoned city lots. Just toss them on top, no digging necessary!

DIY Valentines from the Heart

Encourage kids to express authentic gratitude and love this Valentines Day, by making something from the heart. Handmade Valentines are easier than you think! Just set up a Valentine crafting station with some fun supplies like blank cards, patterned paper, fancy scissors, glitter glue, markers, washi tape, stamps ,stickers, or whatever else you have around. Invite your children to make their own Valentine cards for friends and family. If they need a little inspiration, you can create a few samples ahead of time, or sit down and work along side them!