Family Time

It seems that summer came and went so quickly. Weren't we just making our plans for summer adventures? Sleeping in and having late nights? These Monday morning routines are getting the best of me....early bed times, packing our bags and making lunches. Sometimes I just want it to be summer again. I love the pace of summer. Back to chore charts and point systems....away with the tearful mornings. Maybe I need to check out List Planit for a good list on getting back into the school routine.

Ellie the Elephant!

I found the photo of the little girl and her much loved elephant. I hope she is enjoying her new softie just as much.

Little Friends!

Just a pic of two little friends that found homes at the Cumberland fair. I am busy filling an order for my new favorite store - Seaside Creations, right here in Harpswell. She started selling my softies the middle of July and has sold almost 30 of them. I am amazed! Love it! She has asked for 12 more and between sewing them and completing an order for one of my favorite little Junior Girl Timers - I have been busy. Little nervous about the fair on the 4th of September. I am also a little happy....it feels so great that people like what I create. Anyone that is heading out my way should head to Bailey Island and visit Seaside Creations. She is open Thurs. - Sunday and has the greatest mix of arts and crafts to sell.

While I am sharing some of my happy feelings ....another great thing that happened to me at the Cumberland fair was meeting a family that does not live locally, but came to the fair in hopes to buy another of my softies. The Grammy had bought her Granddaughter one of my elephants and she loved it so much that she wanted another. She came with her mom and Grammy and had her elephant "Ellie" that she loved so much. I was so happy to see that she loved her Ellie - and that Ellie still looked so good. I took a photo...but I can't seem to find my iPhone - anyone seen it?

Display!

Thinking about our display for craft fairs and wanting to try something new. Leslie and I just participated in the Cumberland Craft Fair and it was amazing. I have never been apart of something so big and with so many vendors or shoppers. We had a wonderful time. We met so many amazing people. From Todd, our neighbor, to Lisa from down the way, we were blessed with many new friendships, advice and an amazing sense of something greater then we had known before. Selling so much product, translated into three sleepless nights. Worth it....but oh so sleepy still. We got a lot of ideas about our display, but am not sure when they will happen.

Thanks friends for stopping in.

The Harpswell Festival

The Girls (Super 6 and the Beattie Chicks) were asked to be in the Harpswell Festival, so we had to make a float. During the festival, Ella and Nina sang the Harpswell Song on the stage and then jumped on the float for the parade. I put off making the float until the last minute, but thanks to my girls and Grammy Sue we pulled it off and had a great time.

Best Day Yet!

We finished our week of Jr. Girl Time with such laughter. The girls amazed me with the creations that they made. Their shadowboxes were fabulous. We gave them prompts and together they wrote a poem about girl time and the sea for the inside. They even came up with the idea of signing each others box. A great sense of togetherness was felt by all.

Our castings with Plaster of Paris did not turn out as well as we would have liked. About half of them were successful. Everyone was great about this - and luckily we had many projects in the works that were loved by all. Looking forward to Sr. Girl Time in August. Definitely will change it up a bit, but will keep some of the same projects.

Enjoyed a great show this past weekend at the Harpswell Festival. Saw so many people we knew and met many others. I just kept pinching myself to make sure it was real. I love where I live. I love what I do. And adore the people that are in my life. Oh, Happy Day!

Day 3

Sorry for the delay in this post. Things got pretty busy with camp ending and participating in the Harpswell Festival this weekend. This photo is of one of the many amazing creations that came out of camp today. This lovely piece of driftwood became a parrot to this young lady. Can't you see it.

We did a lot of walking today on this secret beach location. Didn't find what we thought we would, but found great things just as well. No false teeth were found, but the snail shells were abundant. Though we tried to get a better look at the snails inside the shells that were occupied, we had to use our imagination to create our own. The shells did well when they were baked - thank goodness.

Day 2

Purple sea glass, driftwood, shards of potter and false teeth? Yes - leave it to our Girl Time girls to find false teeth amongst the treasures at the beach. And no, they were not pretend or a full set. Somehow they made it home to one of our girls homes, thankfully not mine. A fun time was had by all as we explored a different beach and found a different set of goodies. Opinions were mixed as to which location was more desirable. Driftwood signs were made when we returned. The girls each created a sign from their treasure and were excited to take them home to hang.

Girl Time Camp July 2010

We started our week off on a good note. The girls were terrific. We had nine today and tomorrow we will have ten. Everyone was so kind and worked well together. We prepared our boards in the morning before we left and then went to our first secret location. The girls found such great treasures and were eager to return to make art with what they found. We made butterflies out of shell pairs and mounted them on scrap wood.

Tomorrow we are off to another fun spot. Hope for no rain and good temperatures.

Good news - The Beattie Chicks will have it's first art show at the Town office in Harpswell for the month of August. We will be showing only a few of mine and Leslie's art and will bring the girls and some adults work to share. There is an open house on the 9th from 6 to 7:30.

Close Up!

Here is a closer look at a few of the birds from our June Camp. If only one of my great photographer friends was here to take pics of all the great work. Next week - Junior Girl Time Camp!

Planning in process

Leslie and I are getting excited about our fall schedule. We enjoyed dinner at Gritty's and worked on our newsletter and schedule. We hope to have the new one out by next week. We are thrilled with the response we have been getting from other community members. It seems that our name is getting out and new classes are being scheduled. If you are looking for us in the more immediate....we will be at the Harpswell Festival on July 24th, Bar Harbor the weekend of July 31 and August 1st and then we have a show opening at the Harpswell Town office for the month of August. We are thrilled to show some of our wares but even happier to have the opportunity to show some of the Beattie Chicks work.

Cloth Floor Cloths!

I had a great time at Jodi's house last night. She and five of her friends over and had a private party at her house. Great food, fun friends and of course, hehe, a fun craft with the Beattie Chicks. I was worried that the craft was intensive, but they said it was well worth the effort. The results and the feelings that it gives you when "you" create something that you love is so great. Now to find more floor canvas for the party on Friday. Hmmm.

Can you believe that Emelia is 13!

Just don't know how it happened? I am so proud of the person that she is, the person she is becoming. I just love her. She is in NC with her Grandmother right now and it is so strange to not have her here? It has been such a great time for her. And so good for her. Absence seems to have helped her realize that I'm not such an embarrassing mother after all. I think it helps that she is with my mother...who was far more embarrassing then I ever could be. Hehe.

Class with Friends!

Our good friend Dana has been keeping us pretty busy. We had a great morning with Dana, Kyla and some of their friends. We made a note keeper / memo board/ display board. Not sure what everyone will use theirs for. I loved them and wish I had one. Making art with your kids is such a great thing to do. Finding the balance between "a little bit of me and a little bit of you." Met some really great moms and daughters. I hope they are all loving their projects.

Great Times with the Beattie Chick Girls!

This post and the next to come are long over due. Leslie and I have been very busy with private parties and Girl Time Camps. During our Senior and Junior Girl camps we made many great things, but these paper mache birds that we first saw on One Red Robins blog were a huge hit. I love birds so much and just loved everyone that was made.

Don't miss out on our next Newsletter. We have a ton of great classes and events coming up. We showed our "makings" at the School Around Us Craft Fair over the 4th. It was a beautiful day and we did very well. I met some really great people - a few great customers from last year came back to see us and we met a woman from Australia that has presented us with a great opportunity for the future. Bart, the girls, and our families enjoyed the day at the beach and then we celebrated Emelia's 13th birthday and Bart's mothers as well. Eek! Can you believe my oldest is 13?

Don't want to miss any!

I wish I could upload all these great pics at once. I don't want to miss any of the great art work. Thanks everyone for such great families to work with. I put a few on my facebook too.

Loving Dads!

Here are a few more of the great Father's Day gifts that were created during our classes. It was such a joy to meet the moms or the children of some of the individuals that we have had in class. It helps to round out the picture in my mind as to who everyone is and to whom they belong. Wow! Such great families. I hope the dads loved their gifts as much as the moms and kid enjoyed making them.

Father's Day

Here a few of the great Father's Day gifts that were made during our classes. Leslie and i both loved them all. we are trying to upload all the pics for you - but due to the error message on my screen, I will try later.

Another fun night with the ladies!

Planning to teach this class again real soon. This is a pic of one the three projects we made during this Wednesday night class. Thanks to some of the participants, I now have identified my dream vacation spot. Of course, I can't remember the name of it...but I wrote it down. I do remember the awesome sea glass that she collected when she was lounging on the during her vacation. She was so great that she even shared a bunch with Leslie and me. Yippee!

Pillows for a friend

My friend Sarah asked me to make some pillows for one of her friends new camp. I enjoyed using some of the vintage quilt squares I found at Brimfield and with some changes and additions I made these pillows. Her friend loved them...can't wait to find more quilt squares.

The Beattie Chicks just finished up two classes for Mom's and their kiddos to make Father's Day gifts. They turned out so great! We have to wait until next weekend to post more pics - so we don't ruin any surprises. Looking forward to a family day tomorrow. We need a bit of R and R.

Summer Crafting begins

My little Ella, though not that little anymore, is such a great companion on my many beach excursions. I have been getting ready for our summer Girl Time art classes and my girls have been helping me gather extra supplies. During our full week classes the girls will be finding their own treasures as well as making great crafts with them. So why are we out searching????? It is like I tell my husband, "you can never have to much sea glass." And....I am having fun making examples with my own Beattie Chicks.

This Friday and Saturday we are offering Father's Day crafting. An adult and their child or children can join us for either class to make an awesome Father's Day gift. We are excited that we will have a chance to work with some of our favorite little boys, since we have only ventured into classes for girls. We still have room, so feel free to check out our website and blog for more details - www.beattiechicks.com.

Nina's four!

Brimfield!

I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Brimfield, MA with my friend Catherine and her two friends, Karen and Kelly. They have all gone together in years past and I was able to work my way into an invitation. Yippeee! I had such a great time. The antiques and treasures were amazing....but experiencing them with experienced shoppers was even better. We went up the night before and went to the store Absolutely Everything and then out to dinner and overnight in a hotel. I am going to try to link to their sites so you can see their awesome pictures. Hmmm. Catherine....help.....

Sweat Peaz Party

Leslie and I had a great time before I went to Florida, teaching these great woman. Many of them we knew from previous classes and friendships. It made the night extra special and fun. SInce I have moved to a neighboring town, I don't see many of them anymore. I had to stop myself from wanting to chit chat all night and keep to our task. Their finished projects were amazing. Thank you ladies for a great night.

Class Wednesday night!

Join us this Wednesday night, April 28th, from 7-10pm as we make these adorable Family Shrine houses using CEREAL BOXES! The class is $25 including all materials and will be held at the Border Trust Business Center in Topsham. Please email me to register.

Girl Time Art Camp Spring Break

We completed our stretch of workshops!!! Wow, what an amazing seven days. We started last Wednesday with a collage mirror class for Sweat Peaz and our good friends Jodi and Vicki. Thursday we did a fundraiser for the Harpswell Nursery School, making "green art". Leslie and I left Friday at lunch time for our first ever Art Retreat at Kieve. We spent the weekend teaching five workshops on mixed media collage. I will post later with some great photos and pics of our fun times. We consider ourselves so blessed to have enjoyed such an amazing group of woman. We enjoyed old friends and made some new ones.

It was hard coming home and jumping in to three days of Girl Time Art camp. I had to clean my studio and prepare all of the materials. One day I will be organized an have that completed weeks ahead of time. I woke Monday to two sessions of awesome camps. In the morning we had girls between the ages of 5 and 8 from 9 am to 11 am. Our theme was "softies" and each day the girls made a softie. They used both hand and machine sewing....and at desperate times even the glue stick. The senior girls came from 1 to 4 and enjoyed the same lessons, but at their own level. Leslie and I were exhausted each day, but so incredibly happy.

I will post pictures each day so you can see some of the great people and art that was made. So keep checking back. We are taking registration for our summer camps and are already filling up, so make sure you sign up soon.

Fun time, Fundraiser tongiht!

This pin cushion is one of the amazing crafts we will be making at the Kellogg Church Nursery School Fundraiser tonight. Catherine, Leslie and I first saw these on another blog (Craftpudding.blogspot.com). Families at the Nursery school have been saving recycled goods and tonight the Beattie Chicks are helping them turn discarded items into treasures. Please stop by and join us if you are in the area. The cost is $20 and we have plenty of space and great ideas to share.

School friends

Nina has been loving her school on Thursday mornings. Her buddy has joined the group and she thinks Ms. Myrna is great. Such great progress for my little one. Of course she is in shorts on a day that was just not warm enough. I will credit Chloe for that one. My almost four year old wants to be just like her older sisters. This could be a problem in the years to come.

Good progress is happening for our upcoming retreat. Leslie and I met last night to iron out some of the last minute details. We will post lots of pictures when we return. I think everyone is going to have a grand time. I am looking forward to starting two girl time camps when we return from the retreat. We will be making softies. We still have room if you live in Maine.

Things are looking up.

Hehe. Do you get it? Things are looking up...and my little guy is looking up. I am sure I didn't need to explain. Right? Those of you that know know me know that my sense of humor is not by best trait. I tend to not be funny and often don't get it when someone else is joking. Now I was probably funny, but killed the moment by trying to explain it. Oh my.

This little guy went home with my friend Cate as part of my thank you to her for taking photos of all of my softies. Tomorrow is the last day to find my softies at the Veggie Corner. Emelia is hoping that the big purple guy is still there. I tell her she has to stop wishing that they don't sell - since that defeats the purpose. I know she is being kind, but I definitely want them to go with no reservations on this side. If only she would get my hints that the Easter Bunny will be good to her too.

Behind, or behind....hmmm backside works.

I never would have thought to take a pic of this little guys backside. Thanks Cate. I have been busy making bunnies for the Veggie Corner. They called yesterday asking for more bunnies. Yippee. It makes me so happy that people are liking my soft little friends. I hope they all find new homes for Easter. Theresa showed me the cookies she is making for Easter. They are gorgeous. I would almost hate to eat them because they are so beautiful. Just think, you can get dinner, dessert and help the Easter bunny.

Good news about my friend who just had surgery. She is doing great. I am so glad. Can't wait till she is home and back with her babes.

Art for a friend

This is the canvas that I made, as our demo, for our "mom and me" class. Leslie came to my rescue and helped me add the finishing touches. Making it clear to whom it was to be given to. It went to one of my good friends who is getting ready to have a double mastectomy. She has been so brave and continues to be. I hope this canvas will remind her of her strength throughout her recovery.

Mom and Me!!!!

We enjoyed our first Mom and Me class on Saturday. Girls from 4 to 12 were joined by a special woman in their lives to make a one of kind art canvas together. I loved watching and experiencing as they worked together to design and create art together. As you will see with the results - they all look fabulous. Leslie and I are excited to offer this class again. Let us know if you are interested. What a great Mother's Day gift or Father's day gift. It was also requested that we due a class with sons or brothers. Sounds terrific to us.