Monthly Archives: April 2011
A team of workers, loads of Ikea shelving, lots of great paint (chalkboard paint, dry erase paint and magnetic paint) and plenty of elbow-grease – now our space works! Many many thanks again to Elizabeth Dahmen of MakeSpace for her time and energy in transforming our office into an organized space for work and play. Continue reading
Marble Runs (mini and mega)… a great introduction to trouble-shooting. Continue reading
I am often inspired by Bauhaus artist Anni Albers, an adventurous textile artist who experimented with a wide spectrum of patterns, fibers and media. So, to gather the few supplies for this simple woven belt, I headed to… the hardware store. Continue reading
I had never considered indulging in professional help for planning and organizing our home or office spaces – we have small spaces, tight resources, little spare time. I’m skilled at painting, assembling, organizing and making spaces useful. But in our Curious Jane office, we were overwhelmed with supplies and clutter, and we were at a loss of time and ideas to make our space work. We took a bold step and engaged the services of a professional organizer. Continue reading
This week on momfilter.com, we shared a simple project – the Word & Pattern Repair Shop – which combines a bit of everything I love: typography, patterns, paper, miniatures and… rubber cement. This is absolutely my glue of choice when working with paper. I have found rubber cement to be the unsung hero of glues… Continue reading
Last week, we shared this activity on momfilter.com, and we’ve also used it in some of our workshops – it’s a new favorite!
Craft ideas for younger ones are everywhere. Projects for older children (9-12) are harder to come by. One of my dearest friends from Atlanta – and one of the most thoughtful gift-givers I know – sent my 9yo daughter a copy of Todd Oldham’s book “Kid Made Modern” amidst her flurry of perfect presents. Continue reading
Samantha Razook Murphy is the founder of Curious Jane and Blue Tree. She was inspired to create these unique programs to give her girls, and all girls, a chance to be creative and inventive in a high-energy, collaborative and gender-affirming space. She loves designing, tinkering and figuring out. Samantha is the mother of two girls and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She holds her BA from Yale and Masters in Industrial Design from Pratt. In her spare time she coaches volleyball and rides her bike around Brooklyn.