Arts and Crafts

Making impressions of your children’s hands and feet in clay is a neat way to create a reminder of when they were small. Marin “mompreneur” Shawna O’Connor has made a business out of creating these special personalized keepsakes out of fine china clay with This Little Piggy. We asked her to tell us a little bit about herself and her unique business. She’s also agreed to give one lucky Marin Mommies reader a gift certificate for a free double print (two impressions on one piece), a $45 value. To enter the drawing, send an email to contests@marinmommies.com with "This Little Piggy" in the subject line.

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I have been looking for a local art class for my son Trevor for some time now. I wanted a summer class/camp that offered a few different types of art activities, such as drawing, ceramics, and painting. He really enjoys all types of art activities, so I thought it would be a good activity to expand his creative development. After a search, I finally found a few unique programs and summer camps.

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Valentine’s day is around the corner and the kids have been counting the days until they can pass out their valentine cards to their friends and cousins. For something more than chocolates, flowers and greeting cards, here are a few activites and events to do on or around Valentine’s Day:

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If you want to buy or make unusual, distinctive, and unique gifts this year, check out the many holiday bazaars, boutiques, craft shows, and craft workshops throughout Marin and the Bay Area. If you have or know of a holiday craft fair or activity that you'd like to see added here, leave a comment below or contact us and we'll list it.

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Let your kids’ imagination run wild and create the ultimate gingerbread house with candy canes, gumdrops, frosting, and other treats at the Bay Area Discovery Museum this holiday season. The 12th Annual Gingerbread Architecture Extravaganza starts on November 24 and runs through December 21. Open registration starts on Thursday, November 15. Cost is $20 per gingerbread kit and pre-registration is required, so register online at www.baykidsmuseum.org. Make sure to register early, because the event does sell out. The following are the dates and times available:

Saturdays: November 24, December 1, 8, 15, 22
Sundays: November 25, December 2, 9, 16, 23
Weekdays: December 17-21

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With the 4th nearing and the kids out of school and at home, the age-old question of “What to do?” gets asked more frequently. FamilyFun.com, the website for Family Fun magazine, has a wealth of great ideas for seasonal family activities. Among their offerings for the 4th of July are craft ideas, including festive fans, Fouth of July twirlers and liberty shakers; patriotic games including the egg and spoon race and popcorn relay; 4th of July parade-wear suggestions; and picnic recipe ideas. Some of the recipes include are frozen yogurt pops, frozen Uncle Sams, pineapple coconut sherbet, and kids' strawberry daiquiris to name a few. Check it out at www.familyfun.com.

My kids and I wanted to give my husband something extra special for his birthday this year. We decided to go to Glazy Daze, a decorate-it-yourself ceramics studio in downtown Novato. We picked out a big “latte” mug, a variety of colored paints and went to work. We had so much fun in the process. First we put the kids’ handprints on it, then my son painted a picture and finally I wrote “We love daddy” down the side. It was truly a one of a kind and it looked beautiful. When my husband finally opened it on his birthday, it brought tears to his eyes. Glazy Daze has over 200 ceramic pieces to choose from and they also offer children’s parties, camps, and workshops.

There’s a similar ceramics studio in San Anselmo called Doodlebug. They offer a broad range of arts and crafts activities, including pottery painting, decorating different surfaces from wood to canvas, creating mosaics, and even knitting and jewelry making. In addition, they stock a large selection of arts and crafts supplies. Like Glazy Daze, they also offer summer camps and children party package.

Do you have your own favorite do-it-yourself arts-and-crafts place in the Bay Area? Share it with us and discuss by leaving a comment.