MamaSprout Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 My dd is very crafty. She builds miniatures, beads, makes jewelry, draws, knits, paints, remakes clothes, builds inventions... you name it. She has a little booth in the local tourist shop, but nothing is selling this time of year. Her lego robotics club folded, and we have no art classes locally. We are running out of room for "creations". Other than the things she sells and gifts for friends, she really doesn't do anything to perfection. It's all very slap-dash, actually. She did take Grand Champion for a piece at 4H last year, but usually it's more like third because she does it at the last minute. She only sells things as an outlet. She's really not motivated by money, and just wants to be able to continue to create. Etsy-type online selling doesn't seem to be a good option. Any thoughts on how to direct this a little? I'd like to see her get good at something and find an outlet that maybe isn't our house. Do you have any idea how much space accessories for 18 inch dolls take up? She did let me throw out the catapult... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 That is really cool! Great idea to have her own booth. How old is she? Perhaps there are programs or grants where she would learn some business entrepreneur skills in order to market and sell her products more effectively. My dd and ds were part of a Junior Achievers group where they did this. They've gone on to expand their business ideas and create their own companies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wathe Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Volunteering? Our local hospital volunteers knit hats for newborns, finger puppets for paediatric patients and "twiddlemuffs" for dementia patients. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelylearned Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 I like the volunteering idea. She could make gifts for the children's section of a local hospital. A local charity I know of takes donations of old sheets or shirts and people repurpose the cloth to make quilts and donate them to the local police. Each officer has clean blankets in thier patrol cars to give to children during accidents. She could do flower arranging...because when the flowers wilt, you can throw them away... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Would she enjoy gardening? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Retirement homes sometimes like getting kid crafts, especially in seasons where there are few visitors. My DD used to do a lot of little crafts to keep her hands busy while listening to readalouds, and about once a month she would have enough to take them over to a nearby retirement community, visit, and pass out her little magnets or whatever. Another idea-either participate in or start a rocks group in the area. 901 Rocks is the one here, if you want to get ideas (it's not the first, but it's one of the largest). People decorate and hide rocks (and sometimes other small things-I've seen things like milk bottle caps used as well) for others to find, especially kids. There are Facebook groups where people post the rocks they make and the ones they find (and rehide). Here, a lot are done and hidden at the Children's Hospital, St. Jude's Hospital, and the various residences for families (which is one reason why our local group has tended to. That can create an ongoing outlet for crafting, and they leave :). DD particularly enjoys making rocks-concrete mortar mix in silicon ice cube trays to make different shapes that can then be painted and decorated. We also use a lot of beads and charms (and tons of acrylic sealer). There are people who glue rocks together to make sculptures, people who knit or crochet little sweaters for the rocks...it really is anything goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKT Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 She is a creative maker! This is a wonderful thing! But it does take up space. (My girls are absolutely the same way. They are never not creating something. I sew, quilt, knit, etc., etc., and professionally teach those things as well, so they come by it honestly, lol.) Some ideas: -Spend the entire year making Christmas gifts for friends and family. (Say: "You want to make a bracelets/quilts/doll dresses for your cousins?! Awesome! If you start now, you can complete one for each of them. Let's make a list of ideas and a list of names. I will save each finished item in a box as you go." So, she makes the items, but they will eventually leave your house in the form of Christmas gifts. Also great for friend birthdays, etc. You can make this as involved as you like, with budgets and such, etc. This also teaches the art of planning ahead/long-term goals.) -Things are possibly just "slapdash" because that's all she knows how to do at this point. Chances are she has big ideas and wants to become skilled in one or more of these areas, but just doesn't have the instruction or resources to grow and actually improve her skills. I highly recommend Creativebug.com. For $4.95/month ($4.95!!), she can watch an unlimited number of videos that teach every kind of art imaginable - sewing, knitting, cake decorating, painting, paper crafts, jewelry, etc., etc. It's amazing and the quality of the videos is incredible. Cannot recommend highly enough. Everyone in my family uses the site and we have learned so much, both together and separately. -If you are in a co-op, you can offer a maker class of some sort (or start a similar club, etc.) where the kids work on projects together. The kids can pool resources, share materials, and swap or sell their final products (or at least have the opportunity to display them). -A few times a year, we go through everything. I photograph creations for posterity, and then we toss or donate what is no longer being used or played with. -There is dedicated space in our homeschool room for making. Helps keep all the materials and supplies organized and contained to one area of the house. Hope this helps! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 I don't think every single recreational thing has to be honed to perfection. So I would caution against ruining her fun by insisting on it, or by being critical. Even constructive criticism can get old. Also, I think that is is great, and a bit unusual, that she has 3D skills. I think I would offer her opportunities to take a sculpture class or a CADAM class or to learn 3D printing. These would develop her capability to envision and then create in 3D, without seeming critical. If she doesn't want such a class, just back off. Beyond that, I'd buy her technique books and materials and a treasure chest and let her have at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 Okay... thank you all. I've had a hard time responding because dd keeps reading over my shoulder and we end up following links to the suggestions, LOL. There are some really great ideas here. Carol, this is totally not a perfectionist thing- she does want to move to the next level, but is feeling kind of stalled. Love the reminder to check out 3D printing. There's a library an hour from us that does classes and her brother (three hours from us) has a 3D printer. She would love sculpture too. I've done some and loved it. I need to investigate that further. EKT- We have enough art materials (and a work space) to outfit a classroom! Good idea on the photographing. Some of it is wooden furniture, so maybe that could be repurposed. The Creative Bug looks interesting. She's 11, and we're really trying to find the sweet spot in the instructional materials. She's taken all the local classes available, and I've put together a drawing class with a local artist if I can get the date set. I already do two co-op classes a week, so I can't really take on any more. Most art instruction videos are too easy, too stylized (manga) or very advanced (Great Courses). dmmetler, She was just asking me the other day if something existed like the 901 Rocks, so she was excited to see that. I think she's interested in making gifts for retirement homes. My grandmothers both were in homes for a long time, so she was in nursing homes weekly for years. Oddly, I think she kind of misses visiting them. wathe, wintermom, bluegoat and freelylearned... I'm thinking I can make a connection at a local hospital to see if they have any opportunities. Our yard is too shady for a full-fledged garden, but she does grow lots of things in pots. I would welcome any suggestions for intermediate level realistic drawing instruction. Videos especially. Thank-you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 If she enjoys potted plants, here is a link to a combined plant and art creation idea: Succulent gardens She can find used containers from yard sales or thrift stores, decorate them, and fill them with different succulent plants. She can sell or give away the creations. https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=succulent%20garden&eq=suc&etslf=17585&term_meta[]=succulent%7Cautocomplete%7C1&term_meta[]=garden%7Cautocomplete%7C1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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