Crowdfunding for feminist creators: tips for funding your labor of love
Feminist creators — especially female-identifying creators, non-binary creators, and people of color — have historically faced discrimination in almost every industry, including comics, games, music, technology, and film. In the world of female entrepreneurship, only two to six percent of venture capital funding is allocated to women. However, crowdfunding provides a way for creators and entrepreneurs to push back against the gatekeepers of these industries and access fans directly in a way that was never possible before.
How to make art when you’re “not an artist”
Saint Bob Ross once said, “If you don’t think you can do this — you’re not realizing how simple it is.” That’s how he wanted us to look at making art. And it’s true. Whether it’s painting, knitting, building furniture, writing music, telling stories… the creative process is easy, and so so hard.
Here’s how you can fight the fear and start making art…
It turns out I love creating art with my four-year-old
No sooner had I drawn my first face (I love drawing from old black & white movie stills) had she swooped over to me with an intense look. “OOOH! Is that a NEW sketchbook? Can I draw in that too, mama?” I have to admit, the girl knows good art supplies when she sees them. I muttered something about how it was my special book, how she had her own supplies and blah blah blah, but the appeal of new art supplies was too much for her to resist. In a very serious tone, she looked at me and said, “If you can’t share, we might have to take it away if you can’t share.”
Rainbow ice chalk and 3 other easy child-led science experiments
We’re big fans of science experiments and experiences in our home so I’m always on the lookout for fun things to try. I found these experiments at Reading Confetti and Science Bob, and knew we had to try them. I feel like it’s only fair to warn you that each of these experiments has a certain degree of mess involved — there’s a lot of corn starch in this post.
Oompa Toys: where wooden and organic meet FUN for little and big kids alike
If you follow our shenanigans on Facebook, then you might have already seen my recent freak-out over Oompa Toys. I often get frustrated with toy websites that seem to only cater to babies (or their parents), but happily Oompa has toys for kids between birth and 9 — and we’re talking some seriously cool stuff. There are tons of wooden alternatives to the plastic you might see elsewhere (look at this super cute wooden bus!), and they offer free shipping on all orders over $65.
Make your own indoor sandbox to combat the dreary weather blues
My nineteen-month-old children can’t actually say that they’re bored yet, but it’s pretty easy to tell when they are. This week the city of Toronto has been a giant slushy and the minions haven’t made it outside much: at daycare or at home. Even prison inmates get yard time, and after more than a day without outdoor play, someone’s going to get shanked in their cell… err, crib.
Toddler aliens are cute: how we DIYed our daughter’s alien-themed photo session
TRIGGER WARNING: we’re gonna talk about aliens here. I mention this because when we ran Nicole’s alien abuduction-themed maternity photos in September 2011, it freaked a few people out. This year Nicole’s back with another alien-themed session, this time featuring her now-18-month-old daughter, Taylor, decked out in homemade alien regalia. Here’s the scoop.
Non-cutesy and possibly educational coloring books
When I saw The Steampunk Coloring Book online the other day, my heart skipped a beat: how have we not talked about coloring books on this website before?! Coloring, that age-old rite of passage so many children take? We’ve got tips for making your own art supplies, DIYing some possibly ugly crayons, and even an Etsy post featuring a crayon skirt… not no coloring books? Something had to change!