Interview with Tiffany Shlain

Meet Tiffany Shlain!

Tiffany Shlain is a mother of two, acclaimed filmmaker, writer, founder of The Webby Awards, and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Ken Goldburg, and her two daughters, Odessa (10) and Blooma (4). Tiffany and her family exude creativity and are always cooking up fun, artful ideas- from cardboard sculptures to wacky house parties! I recently visited Tiffany and her daughters at home to check out their art pantry and find out a little more about the importance of art in their lives.

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Duct Tape Cell Phone Case For Dad

DIY Phone Case with Duct tape

As the girls work on their Father’s Day art projects, I decided that I wanted to make my own gift for my hubby for Father’s Day. With duct tape being all the rage these days, I wanted to experiment with this fun medium and see what I could come up with.  Here’s how I made a duct tape cell phone case with a photo holder (a great way to showcase your kid’s artwork too!).

What you’ll need

  • Duct tape (one or more colors, depending on your design)
  • Scissors
  • Clear plastic bag (freezer zip locks work well)

Steps

1) Start by layering three or four pieces of tape together, sticky side up, to make one large piece. The height and length depends on the size of your phone. Make sure it’s at least an inch taller than your phone and a little more than double the width (you can always cut it down later if it’s too large).
Then do the same thing, sticky side down, over your first piece. You will end up with a double-sided large rectangle of duct tape.

2) Cut a piece of tape the same length as the height of your rectangle and stick it along the side edge- with half of it hanging off.
3) Fold this side of the rectangle over your phone so that there is a strip of the sticky edge facing up.
Fold the other side over to fit snugly around the phone and press down so that it sticks to the strip of extra tape.
4) To seal this side, cut a new strip of tape and place it over the seam. If there is extra tape, you can fold it towards the inside or cut it off.

5) To close off the bottom of the case, fold the corners in, like you are wrapping a gift and seal it with a new piece of tape.

6) To make a picture slot, cut out a piece of plastic from your baggie, a little bit smaller than the front of your case.
7) Cut out four thin strips (about ½ in wide) of tape for the edges of your plastic window.
Use one strip to fold over the top of your window.
8) Place the window over your case and secure it on the sides and bottom with the thin strips of tape (so that half sticks to the window and half hangs over to stick to the case).

9) Now for the extra special touch… just cut a photo or a piece of your child’s artwork to size and slip it under the window.
So cute, I might just have to make a second one for myself!

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Update and Cutie Pie

Hello! This cutie is part of the reason I’ve been an absentee blogger recently. I have also been hard at work revamping my online shop. The new site will be much more user friendly and totally awesome!  Another big change that has occurred over the summer is the sale of my children’s art studio. Being a stay at home mom, running a studio, and running an online shop was spreading me too thin. I made the tough but exciting decision to sell the studio to Jhaya Warmington, the incredible teacher who worked for me.
Karuna continues to take art class and loved making these butterfly wings in her garden art workshop!

Now I can finally breath, play with my kids, and focus on creating a great online shopping experience for your children’s creative needs.

New Baby and 30% off!

 
We are so excited to announce the birth of our baby girl, Ora Pearl, born March 11th 2012. The past year has been a whirlwind, awaiting our second child, expanding the Make+Believe children’s art studio into a new space, and starting our online store. In celebration of this wonderful year and our new sweet bundle of joy we would like to extend a 30% discount to our friends and family at makeplusbelieve.com. Bring a little piece of the studio into your home and explore the world of art with our unique kits, toys, and decor.