Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

You know that old joke about kids on Christmas morning only wanting to play with the boxes? I'm not saying it's exactly true, but it pretty much is. There are a lot of different styles of teachers out there, and we've been blessed to know many fantastic ones over the years. This is a near perfect example of the kind of open ended play that we try to champion whenever we get the chance. Give the kids some materials, provide a framework in the form of a story or discussion of interests, let the kids work through to their own personal, logical conclusion. The results were often very cool and exciting.

A few weeks ago, the girls made play doh, and it turned out terribly wrong. Chemistry is amazing. It became a fantastic sensory experience though, as both of the kids wanted to play in the resulting goop, squishing and stretching and pulling and plopping it. Serious fun for about an hour.

I Can Watch Whatever I Want

I watched a lot of movies that first couple of months during naps and feeding times. This was before they were big enough to have an opinion about what we watched, of course. These days I end up watching a lot of My Little Pony. In other news, we've discovered a station that has a lot of musicals on it on Pandora, including Disney and Broadway...So I've been listening to a lot of songs from Frozen and Tangled, and Wicked. They're really good. We saw Frozen over the Christmas break, and enjoyed it a lot. For a lot of people of my generation, I think Disney got a bad reputation during the 90's. There were just so many straight to video movies, and even the theatrical releases were only so-so. It's been great to see so many quality films coming out of the studio, and also to realize that they've been doing some fantastic things for several years now. Not just in animation either, the recent Marvel movies, Narnia, and John Carter were all incredible, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they have planned for Star Wars.

First Day At My New Job.

The first strip of the new year and the last strip of the first story. That first day of not going to work was a little awkward. I remember feeling like I did in high school and was home sick. Like anyone who saw me was thinking "why aren't you at school?" It took awhile for that feeling to wear off.

Happy New Year! I've been seeing a lot of posts telling 2013 to not let the door hit it on the way out...the year was definitely tiring, but pretty fantastic around here at the same time. I'm looking forward to seeing how the new year treats us though. I made a short list of goals for the year. They seem kind of general, but I feel like they pin point some things that I really need to work on, and something that I just need to remember to try to continue doing.

Goals for 2014
1.More quality work time
2.More quality play time
3.Garden
4.Be awesome

If you're in the Saint Louis area, I'll be at the Saint Louis Science Center on Friday night for their First Friday event. It's super game night so stop by, say hi, and maybe play a game.

Morning kind of sneaks past, doesn't it?

Last strip of 2013! Thanks for sticking with us over this crazy year as I tried desperately to keep up with family, shows, work, deadlines, more work, and comics. I succeeded in varying degrees, but mostly it was pretty much a train wreck, as I forgot things, over extended myself, and ultimately spent the last month kind of sick and hoping for it all to end, so I could start over in the new year. ha-ha-ha-ha!

We had a great break with Mrs Handmade on winter break from teaching the Saint Louis Kindergarteners all the things, visiting family and cleaning out the studio. We also had a couple of simply beautiful warm days here in Saint Louis this past weekend, so we got some yard work done and took a trip to the City Museum.

2014 is shaping up to be an exciting year for us, and I'm really looking forward to it. One of the biggest changes is the new website which is mostly complete now. Check it out over at www.LifeWithGirls.com. In addition to the comic, we have an online store, the blog, lots of great artwork and we're working on some really cool extras like downloadable goodies, tutorials and demo videos.

You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter for show announcements, coupons, and specials in the sidebar of the website or under the Email signup tab on our Facebook fan page.

Kids Can Be Terrible Helpers

It's a lot of work, training willing helpers. We always let them help when we're cooking or doing projects, but kind of hate it when they do.

If you're looking for a cool gift for the holidays (or birthday, or whatever)we have super hero capes, baby blankets, games, and original art, as well as the Life With Girls Fairy Tale book and Calendar in stock in our online store at HandmadeFamily.com. Not only that, but we have a special going on right now through Christmas. Free shipping on your entire order with offer code SAINTNICK.

We're also giving away a calendar on both the Life With Girls and the Handmade Family facebook pages. Check it out if you like free stuff! 

Ready To Work, Ready To Play

Happy Thanksgiving! I have a lot to be thankful this year, like a fantastic community of crafters filled with wonderful people for the girls to look up to. Food on the table, and work for our hands to do. I'm thankful for my family every day, even when they try to make me work when I want to play.

I really wanted to do three strips a week with the new story lines, but apparently my work load is going to make that impossible, so I'm going to settle for a two strip a week schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'll try to get some extras out there too in the blog to fill in some of the gaps between strips, as well as starting Watercolor Wednesdays as soon as I get the shop on the new site in order.

Speaking of shops, the Life With Girls Fairy Tale calendar is available in out Handmade Family store at http://www.handmadefamily.com, along with a ton of other cool things from super hero capes, to baby blankets, games, comics, prints and original art. We're offering free shipping through Christmas with offer code SAINTNICK.

Coming home from work to playtime

You know how sometimes you get home and just want to sit and stare off into space for a bit? There are always people who are excited to see you, when there are little people in the house. It's kind of like in "Cheers" when Norm walks into the bar, except there isn't a beer, and there's usually something that needs to be done. That first moment though, in between the sigh of what's ahead of you, and having to move forward, when you're the only person in the world that matters to them, is sort of magical.

Just a reminder, sometime in the month of December, the LifeWithGirls.com address will start redirecting there. I'm really excited about this change, and hope you all like it too. If you'd like to get a jump on the change, you can check it out at www.LifeWithGirls.net

ALSO, the Life With Girls Fairy Tales calendar is now available in our web store along with a lot of other cool artwork, games, pins and books. www.handmadefamily.com

Thumbelina

The hardest part of many bad situations is just leaving them. Thumbelina is a story of both finding your place in a world that can seem so big and overwhelming, and also about escaping situations that make you feel small and worthless. The story, rewritten by Rob Lammle will be available in the Handmade Fairytales Volume 2, coming in the spring. If you'd like to check out Volume one, it's available in my web store at www.handmadefamily.com .

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

The Princess and the Pea

The Paper Bag Princess was our original jumping off point for the retelling of The Princess and the Pea. I wanted it to be the story of a girl who proves her station and then walks away from the boy who wouldn't have someone without a certain status. Leighton took that kernel and created something so much better by adding a twist that made the prince look much more foolish. The story, rewritten by Leighton Connor will be available in the Handmade Fairytales Volume 2, coming in the spring. If you'd like to check out Volume one, it's available in my web store at www.handmadefamily.com .

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

Hansel and Gretel

Set in the hills of Appalachia, Hansel and Gretel takes the classic cautionary tale and updates it with a witch made of wood and spiders, a clever girl and headstrong boy.  The story, rewritten by Josh Burnett will be available in the Handmade Fairytales Volume 2, coming in the spring. If you'd like to check out Volume one, it's available in my web store.

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

Life With Girls - Goldilocks and the Three Bears

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

The Seven Ravens

When I was looking for story ideas for this project one of my friends Suggested the Seven Swans. As I worked on researching the story, I came across the Seven Ravens variation, which I thought was much more compelling than the swan version. It's a fantastic tale of compassion, determination, and sacrifice and my friend Leighton Connor did a fantastic job retelling it.

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

The Princess and the Frog

I've loved the story of the princess and the frog ever since I saw Robin Williams play the part of the frog prince on "Fairy Tale Theater". I started going crazy with coloring the girls' hair on these...

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is an example of a story that came out totally different than I had originally intended it to. One of the cool things about doing these illustrations, and coming up with story concepts is that you really get to delve into the core of each character and see the possibilities of their motivation and personality.

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

Jack and the Beanstalk

The story of Jack and the Beanstalk is classic. I loved the idea of using oversized masks and arms to portrait a giant character. This is actually the second one of the set that I completed, and I feel like I was really getting up to speed with it.

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

The Fox and The Crow

The Fox and the crow has always been one of my favorite of the Aesop's fables. I thought it'd be cool to design some paper puppets for this one. I love how the fox came out.

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

Life With Girls - Brave Little Tailor

The Brave Little Tailor is a classic story of the small and meek overcoming adversity with guile and dexterity.

The subversive nature of Fairy Tales is something that I've always been drawn to. What better way to highlight the good and evil in human nature than a story for children? In 2013, I decided to do something a little more ambitious...perhaps too ambitious. While I'd still be making a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from fairy tales, and calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. I also approached several friends who are writers to retell each of those stories, so that I could collect them in a book with concept drawings, title designs, and more traditional fairy tale illustrations included as well.

Life With Girls - Where The Wild Things Are

While the movie isn't something I'm going to watch with my kids anytime soon, it's a near perfect adaptation of Sendak's manic and marvelously subversive book, Where The Wild Things Are.

In 2012, I created a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from movies that I loved and still love. Calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. The concept behind this personal project was that the kids would have super high quality, movie authentic costumes, and the parents would have the kind of crummy "mom and dad made these" costumes. Each scene had to make sense in a setting that we could reasonably be expected to set this up if we'd done it for real. It was a lot of fun researching the real costumes, as well as figuring out a way to make the parent's knock offs and settings. 

Life With Girls - Tron

Even in a world where computer generated movies are commonplace, Tron holds up well. This is probably thanks at least in part to the wonderful designs of Syd Mead. At any rate, if I'm watching TV, and Tron is on...I'm watching it.

In 2012, I created a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from movies that I loved and still love. Calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. The concept behind this personal project was that the kids would have super high quality, movie authentic costumes, and the parents would have the kind of crummy "mom and dad made these" costumes. Each scene had to make sense in a setting that we could reasonably be expected to set this up if we'd done it for real. It was a lot of fun researching the real costumes, as well as figuring out a way to make the parent's knock offs and settings. 

Life With Girls - Star Wars

Star Wars gave me a life long love of fantasy. It introduced a generation to a universal model of the heroic journey. Plus, how cool are space ships and light sabers?

In 2012, I created a calendar featuring the characters from Life With Girls dressed as characters from movies that I loved and still love. Calling it my "poor man's portfolio, it was a way that I could offer 12 high quality illustrations for a very reasonable price. The concept behind this personal project was that the kids would have super high quality, movie authentic costumes, and the parents would have the kind of crummy "mom and dad made these" costumes. Each scene had to make sense in a setting that we could reasonably be expected to set this up if we'd done it for real. It was a lot of fun researching the real costumes, as well as figuring out a way to make the parent's knock offs and settings.